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Hip Flask: Mystery City #1 Review posted: 23 Aug 2005 Writer: Richard Starkings and Ladronn Artist: Ladron Publisher: Active Images  5.00 out of 5 Stars Reviewed by Adam White

I want to start right away by saying this: you need to read Hip Flask. Originally conceived by Richard Starkings of Comicraft fame, Hip Flask tells the story of Hip Flask (obviously), an animal/human hybrid created — along with numerous other hybrids — by an insane genius. Hip Flask: Mystery City #1 is the third issue of the continuing series, which has appeared sporadically since 2002. The first issue was Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection, followed by Hip Flask: Elephantmen in 2003; both are excellent, and I strongly recommend getting those issues as well (although they are not absolutely necessary to understand the current issue, as they are briefly recapped in Mystery City).

Ladronn’s elephantmen are so detailed I feel like I’m looking at photographs, and his humans are equally beautiful and menacing.

The series is best described as “Pulp Science Fiction,” words which the covers of the first two issues actually even prominently display. The series includes fantastic scientific ideas mixed with a gritty realism, one in which you can readily believe these “elephantmen” (the name that humans have given to the hybrids) truly exist. Elephantmen are treated with disdain, disgust, and distrust by most humans, which adds elements of racial and gender issues currently weighing down our reality. Other “big” ideas, including ethics in science, loyalty, and the inherent rights of sentient life, all make Hip Flask entertaining and thought-provoking.

Some may question Richard Starkings’ ability as a writer because he’s “just a letterer;” let me tell you that lettering thousands of comics over the years has apparently brought out the writer within, as Starkings spins a great yarn about a brave new world, one unlike anything else I’ve read lately. He also does what I thought was impossible: he makes me care about anthropomorphic characters. I’ve found most such fare to be tedious and even ludicrous in the past, but Starkings makes his elephantmen more human than humans, and makes each character feel like an old friend or grievous enemy no matter how briefly they appear. Starkings knows his craft, and only gets better with each issue.

Perhaps the most noticeable thing about the series is the art by Ladronn; his art in Hip Flask has made him perhaps my favorite artist in comics today. Ladronn’s elephantmen are so detailed I feel like I’m looking at photographs, and his humans are equally beautiful and menacing, depending on the disposition of the character. Ladronn’s art is alive in this book, and you can’t help but go back and view it repeatedly just to enjoy the images. Ladronn’s vast vistas of science fiction splendor cannot be contained by the double-page spread — they feel infinite in their depth and magnificence [get the impression that I liked the art?]. Ladronn’s art exhibits a marriage of the dynamic scope of Jack Kirby, the brilliance of Jim Steranko and the inspiration of Moebius, all wrapped up into a unique style all his own. No one does science fiction better than Ladronn, and I sincerely wish we saw projects more regularly from him.

Hip Flask is good reading, and the art alone is worth double the price of admission. With books like Hip Flask and Gunpowder Girl and the Outlaw Squaw under their belts, I predict that Active Images is going to quickly become a major force in publishing quality projects in the industry. Richard Starkings dominates comic lettering, and with Hip Flask he reveals his status as a consummate jack-of-all-trades in comic books. My only complaint about the series is the length of time between issues (1-2 years), but quality takes time and Hip Flask has quality in spades.