May 05, 2014
I love Elephantmen and I've remained loyally subscribed to it for years. I move a lot but never fail to open a subscription at the lcbs because the individual issues have low print runs, I want to stay current, and I want to support the series. ... But then every so often the creators deliver an issue like this... Do not give Shaky Kane any more stories. There is no nice way to put it: his art looks simply terrible. I'll be very surprised if I find out that it took him longer than a week to render these interiors. He's better suited to more flat graphic illustration. He did not even bother to check continuity: sixteen pages in and Trench clearly has five (poorly drawn) digits on his hand, then I look to the right, to the very next page ove
r and right there, clear as day, there is a close up of his four digit hand on a door. I wish the art was the only problem, but Richard Starkings is just as guilty by giving the readers yet another exposition issue full of infuriatingly pointless monologue. It has only been six issues since the numbering was restarted, there's no reason to make a jump-on issue already. The story is about the most mundane cop story you can think of. Next to nothing happens. This would have been better left untold altogether. I would have skipped this one knowing Shaky Kane is on it but I'm subscribed so I can't, I'm committed to blowing $3.99 for this. Remember that the next time you decide to fart out another fill-in issue please Active Images? At the very least charge less for your fill-in junk; if you are paying Shaky Kane the same rate as Axel Medellin then there is something wrong. Don't think I won't drop this title. I'd rather wait the extra time for a quality issue than spend twice as much on crap.
Skip this issue if you read Elephantmen. The two-page Charley Loves Robots segment was the only redeeming part of this comic book. more
