The beginning of Elephantmen is a perfect opportunity for
more people to begin reading this comic book, which is encouraged by this issue's
heartbreaking story and loveable characters, despite the lackluster art only
brightened by a barrage of colors. This reprint of Elephantmen retells the tale of Ebenezer
(Ebony), an Elephantman feared by most of society except for a little girl that
engages him in conversation. The
little girl, Savannah – like the desert, she points out – continually asks Ebony
questions that bring back painful memories and give us more insight into
Ebony’s past. Richard Starkings’ story is a heartbreaking and grim one
with an ending that could bring a tear to the eye of a sensitive reader. Ebony’s reliving of his past shows just
how hard his life had been when he was nothing more than a science experiment
surrounded by unfeeling scientists that thought of him as nothing more than a
ravenous animal. It is easy to
feel sorry for Ebony since Starkings created a character with such a dismal and
cruel life that only the most unfeeling of people could laugh at. Ebony’s new companion, the cute and cuddly Savannah, is the
perfect representation of a young child.
She talks and acts like a child realistically would, completely
accepting Ebony like any other normal person – though badgers him with a lot
more questions that your average Joe wouldn’t hear. “Have you ever stampeded?” she innocently asks. Starkings perfectly blends Savannah’s
innocence one moment into a grisly fight to the death between Ebony and another
science project. The comic has a
serial tone throughout and an ending that is both cute and a real tear-jerker
that provokes the reader into tracking down the next issue.The art in Elephantmen perfectly sets the mood better than
the words ever could. Ebony’s
emotions are perfectly shown through his eyes, not even needing the assistance
of words. Artist Moritat manages
to make Ebony’s pictures worth a thousand words. But Moritat has some apparent problems throughout his
artwork. Savannah’s face sometimes looks misshapen and Moritat cannot bring
the same emotional look into her eyes that he could in Ebonys’. The backgrounds also lack detail. The colors fit the dark mood of the comic and the rainy
weather adds to the mood as well. The
colors are best used when the rain and lights combine to make beautiful rainbow-colored splotches on the sidewalk.For a dollar, Elephantmen is a fantastic deal that will give
you two great, sympathetic characters and a story bringing out the sorrow in
the strongest of us. The art is
mostly strong and betters the already depressing mood, even though the art is the weakest
feature. The tale also seems like
more of a one-shot and does not seem like it could form a story from this point
– we only know Ebony’s past and not where the story is going, since it
doesn’t seem to exist quite yet.
For now, the emotional impact of this issue is an interesting start that
really makes me look forward to where this series will go story-wise. The first issue has done its job
perfectly – it has invested me in the characters enough to make me want to buy
the next issue and see what happens next and I encourage you to pick it
up. Remember, it’s only a
dollar! Overall Score – 8.5
*Great for New Mature Readers*
For more Elephantmen, check
out Dustin’s review of Elephantmen
#30 and his review of Elephantmen:
Man or Elephantman #1.
An all-around nerdette, I’m a comic book connoisseur, horror aficionado, video game addict, anime enthusiast and an aspiring novelist/comic book writer. I am the head of the comic book department and the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Fuse. I also write and edit articles for Comic Frontline. I am also an intern at Action Lab Entertainment, a comic book publisher at which I edit comic book scripts, help work on images in solicitations and help with other comic book related project. My own personal website is comicmaven.com.
Ebony’s new companion, the cute and cuddly Savannah, is the
perfect representation of a young child.
She talks and acts like a child realistically would, completely
accepting Ebony like any other normal person – though badgers him with a lot
more questions that your average Joe wouldn’t hear. “Have you ever stampeded?” she innocently asks. Starkings perfectly blends Savannah’s
innocence one moment into a grisly fight to the death between Ebony and another
science project. The comic has a
serial tone throughout and an ending that is both cute and a real tear-jerker
that provokes the reader into tracking down the next issue.
The art in Elephantmen perfectly sets the mood better than
the words ever could. Ebony’s
emotions are perfectly shown through his eyes, not even needing the assistance
of words. Artist Moritat manages
to make Ebony’s pictures worth a thousand words. But Moritat has some apparent problems throughout his
artwork. Savannah’s face sometimes looks misshapen and Moritat cannot bring
the same emotional look into her eyes that he could in Ebonys’. The backgrounds also lack detail. The colors fit the dark mood of the comic and the rainy
weather adds to the mood as well. The
colors are best used when the rain and lights combine to make beautiful rainbow-colored splotches on the sidewalk.
For a dollar, Elephantmen is a fantastic deal that will give
you two great, sympathetic characters and a story bringing out the sorrow in
the strongest of us. The art is
mostly strong and betters the already depressing mood, even though the art is the weakest
feature. The tale also seems like
more of a one-shot and does not seem like it could form a story from this point
– we only know Ebony’s past and not where the story is going, since it
doesn’t seem to exist quite yet.
For now, the emotional impact of this issue is an interesting start that
really makes me look forward to where this series will go story-wise. The first issue has done its job
perfectly – it has invested me in the characters enough to make me want to buy
the next issue and see what happens next and I encourage you to pick it
up. Remember, it’s only a
dollar!
Overall Score – 8.5
*Great for New Mature Readers*
For more Elephantmen, check
out Dustin’s review of Elephantmen
#30 and his review of Elephantmen:
Man or Elephantman #1. 
