Elephantmen, Volume 1: Wounded Animals Book

They were genetically engineered to be supra-human weapons of mass destruction, but ultimately dismissed collectively as Elephantmen. Hip Flask, Ebony Hide and Obadiah Horn count amongst their number; wounded animals who, despite their differences and origins, must live in the world of man. Collects Elephantmen #1-7 featuring art by Ladronn, Moritat, Henry Flint, Tom Scioli, Dave Hine, and Chris Bachalo.

Publishers Weekly

The first seven issues of this superior dystopian sci-fi tale are collected in a deluxe volume. In the year 2162, a madman named Kazushi Nikken creates giant hybrids of humans and animals-elephants, rhinos, camels, giraffes-and brainwashes them into an army of fearless killers. But the United Nations liberates the "elephantmen" (they're all given that pejorative "e-word," no matter their species) and integrates them into society. That's the setting for plenty of metaphor about racism, xenophobia and globalism; against this backdrop we meet hippo Hip Flask, who works for a government agency and is trying to recover a certain African idol. But Obadiah Horn, the world's most successful and high-profile elephantman, wants it too. Brief stories do a great job fleshing out the world and the major players as the larger mystery of Hip and the Idol unfold. Visually, the various artists give a nod to great dystopias past-Blade Runnervia Neuromancervia Brazil-but the sepia-tinted color palette and soft, painterly shading set it apart. The character designs in particular are spectacular, and the whole is a lightning-fast but addictive read (July)