Savage animals-- a review of Elephantmen #24
Have you ever wondered what a fight between and elephant and a hippopotamus would look like?
Richard Starking won't' let us forget that the Elephantmen were created to be soldiers and to fight wars. They may act human and dress like Humphrey Bogart from an old detective film (including fedoras and overcoats) but they were never made to be cops, bartenders, businessmen of mankind's friends. They were created to fight and win the battles that no human troops could ever win. Starkings brutally reminds us of that as Hip Flask's, the hippo elephantman, "humanity" is over-ridden and he becomes Mappo soldier again and sees his colleague and friend Ebony as the enemy.I have to be honest and say that Elephantmen #24 is the first issue in a while that's made a strong impact on me. It's not because they're not good; actually far from it. It's more because of Starking's deliberate and patient storytelling, telling the small stories and character moments that he wants to amid his much larger tapestry. It's that patience that gave us three issues of Marian Churchland's wonderful soft art, focusing on key secondary characters. Issues like those provide color and depth to his world and moved the story forward in their own way even as they filled in puzzle pieces in Starkings' story. You just have to give Starkings the time he wants and eventually he'll get back to his main story. Elephantmen #24 shows us just how the world hates the elephantmen and doesn't want them to be anything more than its tools and its weapons. The hate is violent, shocking and destructive. This isn't one of Starkings' world-building issues; this is a world defining issue as we see an ugliness that we probably knew was there but wanted to forget and ignore. That's why this issue stands out; among a slow and deliberately built series, Starkings builds in these moments that bring the reality of the elephantmen's situation back to the forefront. Elephantmen #24
"Walking Wounded"
Written by: Richard Starkings
Drawn by: Moritat & Chris Burnham
Colored by: Gregory Wright
"Walking Wounded"
Written by: Richard Starkings
Drawn by: Moritat & Chris Burnham
Colored by: Gregory Wright