Elephantmen #1

Creators: Richard Starkings, writer; Moritat, artist
Image Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Richard Starkings’ rep as a letterer is top notch, but books like this should help raise the profile of his publishing company, Active Images, to the same heights. Elephantmen is spun out of Hip Flask, a self-proclaimed “pulp science fiction” title about intelligent mutated animal-men that evokes the lush style and look of the best European graphic albums. The Hip Flask series is drawn by Ladronn, an artist who labors lovingly over every page – which has meant each issue in the series has taken more than a year to produce. First published in 2002, three of the planned five issues have been finished and seen print. That left Starkings with lots of ideas for the series and the result was a second, prequel series that will feature multiple stories from different artists and be published as a monthly through Image Comics. The first issue has two tales drawn by “Moritat,” the nom de plume of Justin Norman, that maintain the futuristic urban look of Hip Flask. The stories are more character oriented and a bit thin at times, but they should please both fans of the main series and stand on their own well enough to draw in some new readers. The latter should be aided by the top-notch art from Moritat and a stellar lineup of contributors on future issues such as Henry Flint, Duncan Rouleau, Tim Sale and Chris Bachalo. Grade: B+