Elephantmen: Armed Forces (Review)

Armed Forces is a collection that includes the sold out graphic novel  War Toys (see: Book of the Month), War Toys: Yvette, & a couple of issues from the ongoing monthly, Elephantmen.  Richard Starkings continues the writing on this masterpiece of Pulp Science Fiction, while artwork is done by some of the greatest artists in the industry today....Moritat, Boo Cook, Ladronn, & Axel Medellin.

Yvette

While I must admit that Saga has taken over as the #1 comic book in my heart, Elephantmen takes a backseat to nothing else being published today.  Completely original, entertaining, with some of the best storytelling and artwork available....it's in a word: Awesome!

The Hardcover editions are breathtakingly gorgeous, with attached ribbon bookmarker, great binding....a very "real book" look and feel.

This volume is a prequel to the other Elephantmen volumes, showing the history and background on our main characters, the war fought in Europe between Central Africa & China, & the European resistance led by it's symbolic leader, Yvette. She is really the star of this volume, as she matures from naive little sister to unstoppable Force of Nature!

Green Arrow & Black Canary by Andrew Kreisberg (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

The Green Arrow and Black Canary series continues with three volumes after Judd Winick's run (see: G.A. & B.C. by Judd W.) with Andrew Kreisberg writing all three, with some additional writing by J.T. Krul in the last volume. Most of the artwork in these three volumes was done by Mike Norton, with Bill Sienkiewicz (a legend in comics by the way) adding his touch as well. All of the monthly covers (and covers to the graphic novel collections) are done by the great Ladronn (from Richard Starking's Elephantmen series).

Elephantmen: Fatal Diseases (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

Fatal Diseases is the 2nd volume of the Elephantmen monthly series. Richard Starkings continues his genius writing skills with the help of such current greats as Jeph Loeb, & Kurt Busiek. The great artwork of Moritat is complimented by other great artists such as Ian Churchill, Boo Cook, Tim Sale, & Ladronn. My original review of Fatal Diseases was more a vague exposition on the greatness of the series and hero-worship of Richard Starkings...lol. This review is far more in depth.

The volume starts off as we meet Trench; the one-eyed zebra-human hybrid, as he and other law enforcement officers seek to put a stop to Serengheti's underground & illegal activities. Hip Flask & Ebony Hide are there as well, and we hear Trench's favorite expression for the first time...."Blood & Sand".....which he yells at Hip & Ebony as they discuss the women in their lives while bullets fly around them. Trench gives Ebony a gun to help in the firefight, which brings flashbacks to Ebony as we learn how Trench lost his eye. We also see "Joe" for the last time (you'll recall him from the first couple of pages of Volume 1: Wounded Animals),

Elephantmen: Wounded Animals (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome!

The Elephantmen monthly comic book series is the best in the industry today! Richard Starkings's creation stands in a class of it's own....and is definitely the best creator-owned comic, period. As much publicity as Kick-Ass (the Marc Millar owned title) has received in the last couple of years, it did not have the characters or plot to be an ongoing series like the Elephantmen. My previous review of Wounded Animals was a vague overview, this review is more in-depth.

This first volume of the Elephantmen series introduces us to the main characters and the overall theme and plot of the series....Hip Flask, Ebony Hide, Obadiah Horn, Sahara, Miki, & Savannah. Starkings' great strength as a writer is his ability to take seemingly unconnected events and short stories and weave them together into long, winding masterpieces.

Top 5 Comic Book Artists

This list comprises the best artists in the Comic Book Industry. Although I could make this list very long, these are the ones that when I see their work....I salivate.

Elephantmen: Fatal Diseases (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

Volume Two of this incredible series isn't quite as great as Volume One, only because the first volume (Wounded Animals) was so great that nothing could possibly equal it! Elephantmen: Fatal Diseases details the continuing, complicated lives of Hip Flask, Ebony Hide, Obadiah Horn, and the rest of the survivors of MAPPO's genetic experiments in Los Angeles, 2259, as a meteor falls in Santa Monica Bay and a new epidemic must be contained! The characters converge in cataclysmic fashion, showing the deeper elements within the Elephantmen's lives.

Hip Flask: Concrete Jungle (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

This volume, The Big Here & The Long Now, is fabulous! I can't over-state the beauty of the story and the artwork!

The story takes place in 2162....They are the survivors of genetic engineering experiments and indoctrination by Doctor Kazushi Nikken and MAPPO, a sinister organization which sought to create superhuman weapons of mass destruction. Now, freed and rehabilitated by the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, the "Unhumans" now live amongst men. Legitimized by the Elephantmen Act, they are nevertheless denied the right to bear arms and must survive on their wits alone... Collecting Hip Flask: Elephantmen and Hip Flask: Mystery City into one handsome volume.

Written by Richard Starkings, with artwork by Casey & Ladronn....this is the second volume in the growing Elephantmen series.

Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

The Elephantmen Series from Image Comics, created & written by Richard Starkings is arguably the best on-going comic series in the industry right now! Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection was the beginning....setting up the future volumes, and showing the futuristic world of Hip Flask, Ebony Hide, & Obadiah Horn...among others.