Cream of the Comics – 8/23/2006

Elephantmen #2
written by Starkings, art by Henry Flint and Moritat

This strange little book is being put out by Image right now. I guess it’s not a new series/universe they’re working with, but it’s something the creators have been doing for a little while. I think they’re calling this group of stories “Hip Flask“. Or it’s the name of that universe. I have no idea really, so it was a gamble when I picked up their first issue with Image last month. I’m pleased to say it rocked my nether regions ever so gently. More details, and links to previews after the jump…

To give you the setting, we’re on earth, but it’s a few decades down the line. Somehow (I’m led to believe it’s science testing gone wrong) certain types of animals have members of their species running around as sentient bipeds. But that’s not really what the story’s about. It has more to do with their interactions with the rest of the world. Click on the image on the right for a shot of page 1, showing off a big ol’ hippo. Page one of the first story, that is.

See, just like last issue, it’s a flip book. You read from one end to the middle and get one story, and then you flip it over for another story from this messed up world. The art chores are handled by different artists, but last issue, both were absolutely lovely to look at. A walking, talking elephant is a hard sell as a tortured soul with a disturbing past, but they hooked me solid with what they had to show. This issue, the hippo’s story definitely looks like the prettier one to me.

You can check out the first five pages of that story HERE, at Image’s preview section. It’s the third text link on the right, or the third picture link in the grid. You can identify it if you can read. Kinda hoping you can, really.

There’s also a preview of the first five pages of the flip story HERE, on Hip Flask’s site. You don’t even have to hunt it down or anything.

All in all, it’s 36 pages of peculiar goodness of storytelling. Don’t expect the book to change your world or anything, just look forward to the art, and some clever stories. It’s gotta be worth gambling 3 bucks on.