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HIP FLASK: ELEPHANTMEN
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Writers: Richard Starkings, Joe Casey & Ladronn
Artist: Ladronn
Letters: Richard Starkings
Price: $3.50 US |
One of the elements of story in Hip Flask: Elephantmen is an experimental time travel device that will allow the scientists to skip into the future. In reading Elephantmen, I began to suspect that Starkings and Casey might have a similar device, which allowed them to peer into an alternate future reality, one of genetic experiments folded into a world where they aren't welcome, a world where pollution, human vice and technology run rampant. Of course, that might also be because Ladronn is so amazingly effective at making me believe that world, with lush and beautiful (even in its urban sprawl ugliness) designs that look like they came out of a long-in-development Hollywood production department, rather than the mind and tools of just three men. At any rate, as with Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection, this is not a goofy lettering company mascot given a 32-page promo comic, but an engaging science-fiction story that is well worth the lengthy wait between issues, and it has me anxiously awaiting the return of the characters in 2004.
Most creators would be satisfied to simply explore the sociological ramifications of the introduction of a bunch of genetically-engineered beastmen into a rich but rotten future society. Not so with Starkings, Casey and Ladronn, who include in this book elements of corporate intrigue, streetwise noir and time travel theory right alongside the central question of humanity suddenly co-existing with something else. What's really surprising isn't just that these many elements are introduced, but that the creators manage to fit them all into these 32 pages and manage to tell a compelling and not cramped story.
To be sure, there's a lot of room for more here, and not as much gets resolved as what is introduced, but the story flows fairly smoothly and comes to a satisfying conclusion, even as the book is clearly laying the groundwork for more. There's a fair amount of character development here, from corporate "Elephantman" Obadiah Horn to grumpy gumshoe Hip Flask to sadistic human Serengheti, and while we've barely scratched the surface, the creators make these characters stand out and come to life in just a few pages. There's even room for a little self-contradiction, with Horn's confidence and largesse seeming to hide something a little sinister or Hip Flask's bitter detective act giving way to a delightful bit of joy as he slips into a nice mud bath, singing all the while.
While the story is good, however, the artwork is great, belonging on the short list of best art seen in a comic this year. Though Ladronn's productivity on the book is at a speed that makes Bryan Hitch look like a speedy workhorse, it's clear where all that time has gone. The splashes of futuristic Los Angeles are simply stunning, believable and yet awe-inspiring at the same time, and Ladronn's portrayal of this world of steel and neon drags the reader right into the setting. He also does an impressive job of making the exaggerated features of the "Elephantmen" fit right alongside this gritty and real setting, so that they look wondrous and strange, but not unreal or cartoonish. The effect is not unlike that of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park or Industrial Light and Magic's work on the Hulk, a stunning accomplishment of painted special effects and character development.
With the next Hip Flask special planned for 2004, this series is looking like a rare, once-a-year treat. While I'd love to see it more often, it's hard to complain about the frequency when it looks this impressive upon arrival. Clearly, the book is a labor of love for all involved, and every single person involved is working at the top of their game in producing these sweet bites of imaginative science-fiction.
This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
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