Well, I knew going in that the book was going to be gorgeous, as I've seen the images as they've been posted to various websites. I wasn't sure that the story could live up to the hype of a dark science-fiction tale, but Casey has definitely stepped up and provided a solid introduction for the character who is known elsewhere (although not named in this book) as Hip Flask. This is a dark story about man's capacity for inhumanity, the dangers of genetic research and the need to be free, sort of a post-modern Island of Dr. Moreau, and it serves up a convincing portrayal of the horrors that went into creating the lead character. It's a solid basis for the character, and I see plenty of potential in his future.
Casey serves up some interesting characters in this issue, particularly the mad Doctor Nikken, whose God complex is over-the-top but still within the realm of my suspension of disbelief. He's without a doubt in the mad scientist archetype, but given the sort of ego that must be required to do the horrible things he does in this issue without a glimmer of conscience, the personality works for him. He's also a terrific villain for the piece, because he believes what he is doing is right and justified, and though his tactics and his final words have sinister implications, he isn't doing all of this to cause pain and torture... which makes him all the more frightening.
Though we don't get a lot of words out of them until the end, the other characters in the book are also well-developed. There's a lot that is said about Obadiah (a.k.a. Hip Flask) throughout, and a sense of personality in his fellow trainees as well. This is due in no small part to the work of Ladronn, whose work is quite simply beautiful here. The training sequences, the looks in the eyes of the animals and the way they move all comes through in the artwork, as we see that for all their clunky bestial DNA, these are swift and deadly war machines.
If I was impressed by the characters, though, I was blown away by the backgrounds. Ladronn has always been good, and he has grown with every project he's done, but the fully-painted look of this book, a sort of European style, is just mind-boggling. The attention to detail on the technology or the gory surgery, the stark use of blue, red and white colors to set the mood and tone and the design work are amazing. It's hard to see how anyone could give this book a casual flip through and not pick it up based on the art alone.
For all that I enjoyed the first issue, there were a couple things I wished were different. Though I understand the wisdom of starting out with a one-shot, it seemed like there were plenty of story beats in this issue that could have been expanded, and indeed that this could easily have been a mini-series rather than a one-shot. In addition, while the epilogue was a great tease for the limited series, I thought that it took away slightly from the creepy and effective ending of the issue that took place a couple pages prior. On the whole, Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection is a promising start, and something I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of.
