What do you think?
Rate this book
Hip Flask #1
Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection
HIP FLASK: UNNATURAL SELECTION
by Richard Starkings, Ladronn & Joe Casey
by Richard Starkings, Ladronn & Joe Casey
Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection is the Origin of Hip Flask, Comicraft's grim yet affable hippopotamime hero, and serves as prologue to HIP FLASK #0: ELEPHANTMEN and THE BIG HERE AND LONG NOW mini-series.
Somewhere in the African desert, thousands of miles from civilization, a group of geneticists led by Kazushi Nikken, has conducted unholy experiments involving both human and animal DNA. This is the story of the birth of Hieronymous Flask and his eventual liberation from the torturous world of MAPPO.
Comicraft has put together a beautiful special edition of their smash hit one shot, HIP FLASK: UNNATURAL SELECTION. This 48 page oversized hardcover is limited to 2500 copies and features cover to cover painted art by Ladronn, collecting the remastered and expanded 'widescreen' art and story from UNNATURAL SELECTION and also pages and covers from HIP FLASK: ELEPHANTMEN.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
1 person is currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Richard Starkings
598 books29 followersRichard Starkings is a British comics professional, known for writing the hit sci-fi series ELEPHANTMEN and specializing in lettering, thanks to his award-winning Comicraft lettering studio.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 15, 2007
The art is great, but it's really short. The hardcover edition (which I was suckered into buying) is a cool format, but I'd recommend getting the regular version. The price is like $20 for 45 pages, whereas the regular edition probably runs $4. The story feels like a prequel of sorts and helps flesh out the universe, but again its really short.
A quick run down of the story: a mad scientist in the future splices humans and animals together, then trains his "Elephant men" for war. The rest of the world learns about it and storms his facility to stop his experiments. The elephant men are used to defend the compound but ultimately subdued. Years later, we see the Elephant men are trying to adjust themselves to normal life outside of the brutal training ground they were raised in, but are looked at with suspicion, hate and fear by the rest of society. The Hip Flask series follows a half hippo/human detective around this world.
Bottom line: cool idea and art, needs to be developed. It has a lot of potential.
Also check out the Elephant Men series set in the same universe.
A quick run down of the story: a mad scientist in the future splices humans and animals together, then trains his "Elephant men" for war. The rest of the world learns about it and storms his facility to stop his experiments. The elephant men are used to defend the compound but ultimately subdued. Years later, we see the Elephant men are trying to adjust themselves to normal life outside of the brutal training ground they were raised in, but are looked at with suspicion, hate and fear by the rest of society. The Hip Flask series follows a half hippo/human detective around this world.
Bottom line: cool idea and art, needs to be developed. It has a lot of potential.
Also check out the Elephant Men series set in the same universe.
June 11, 2015
Short and sweet, but great. As a new fan of the Elephantmen, I knew I wanted to go back to the beginning of the story, and that's what you get here: an introduction to the Elephantmen and the insanity of their creator Doctor Nikken. The oversized hardcover is beautiful, and the artwork by Ladrönn is mindblowing.
The one downside was the length, which I've seen addressed in other reviews. I'm not totally sure what this book compiles, whether it's one oversized issue, or a couple stories, but I think they could have done a little better with extra features besides the covers gallery, especially for a "10th Anniversary Edition". Either way, this book is a great addition to any Elephantmen/Hip Flask collection.
The one downside was the length, which I've seen addressed in other reviews. I'm not totally sure what this book compiles, whether it's one oversized issue, or a couple stories, but I think they could have done a little better with extra features besides the covers gallery, especially for a "10th Anniversary Edition". Either way, this book is a great addition to any Elephantmen/Hip Flask collection.
August 16, 2017
This review is looking over the Hip Flask mini-series and issues #0-77, which I've just read in preparation of the final story line culminating in #80. The comic explores the world of Heironymous Flask (Hip Flask) a bio-engineered Hippopatamus now servin as a private detective in a world very similar to Blade Runner.
Elephantmen has a special place in my heart, as it's the the first ongoing series I ever had added to my pull list. It's been going on for 10 years now, and now it's ending. And with other series returning and ending--I'm looking pondering my relation to comics and if I still love the medium or not. (I despise the industry largely).
Hip Flask was the first AMERICAN comic being produced when I first began reading them (rather than digging through long boxes) that showed me comics weren't just superheroes, and they could world build and have phenomenal art. Prior to that, I had been obsessed with European Bande Dessine--particularly the Metabaron comics of Jodorowsky and Gimenez. I had also read Watchmem, Dark Knight Returns, Mage, Sandman/1602 and Civil War at this point. But the art of those initial one shots filled me with wonder.
This was a world that built on Blade Runner and seemed to have a depth (about ethics, eugenics, playing God, etc.) I hadn't seen explored within comics. It was well-drawn, crazy, and sometimes lurid!
When the Ongoing series, Elephantmen was announced (the provide material between the long waits of Ladronn art) I was excited. Of course, the art wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. But in time, I learned why not all art had to look like Ladronn's (or Alex Ross's). There was so much experimentation in style, genre going on through this 10-year run.
While there are times it felt like storyline were stale and rehashed--there was enough character stories and world building to never give up completely.
Ultimatley, what's significant about Elephantmen (other than a long-running indie books), is how much of a jam session it ultimately became;. Richard Starkings. Joe Casey. Ladronn. Tom Scioli, Marian Churchland, Shaky Kane, Brian Bolland, Moritat, Chris Bacholo, Ian Churchland, Rob Steen, David Lloyd, David Gibbons, Chris Burnham, Joe Kelly, Boo Cook, Peter Gross, Stuart Immonen, Kurt Busiek, Jeph Loeb, David Hine, Axel Medellin, and many, many more.
Elephantmen has a special place in my heart, as it's the the first ongoing series I ever had added to my pull list. It's been going on for 10 years now, and now it's ending. And with other series returning and ending--I'm looking pondering my relation to comics and if I still love the medium or not. (I despise the industry largely).
Hip Flask was the first AMERICAN comic being produced when I first began reading them (rather than digging through long boxes) that showed me comics weren't just superheroes, and they could world build and have phenomenal art. Prior to that, I had been obsessed with European Bande Dessine--particularly the Metabaron comics of Jodorowsky and Gimenez. I had also read Watchmem, Dark Knight Returns, Mage, Sandman/1602 and Civil War at this point. But the art of those initial one shots filled me with wonder.
This was a world that built on Blade Runner and seemed to have a depth (about ethics, eugenics, playing God, etc.) I hadn't seen explored within comics. It was well-drawn, crazy, and sometimes lurid!
When the Ongoing series, Elephantmen was announced (the provide material between the long waits of Ladronn art) I was excited. Of course, the art wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. But in time, I learned why not all art had to look like Ladronn's (or Alex Ross's). There was so much experimentation in style, genre going on through this 10-year run.
While there are times it felt like storyline were stale and rehashed--there was enough character stories and world building to never give up completely.
Ultimatley, what's significant about Elephantmen (other than a long-running indie books), is how much of a jam session it ultimately became;. Richard Starkings. Joe Casey. Ladronn. Tom Scioli, Marian Churchland, Shaky Kane, Brian Bolland, Moritat, Chris Bacholo, Ian Churchland, Rob Steen, David Lloyd, David Gibbons, Chris Burnham, Joe Kelly, Boo Cook, Peter Gross, Stuart Immonen, Kurt Busiek, Jeph Loeb, David Hine, Axel Medellin, and many, many more.
August 12, 2022
Científicos locos, mas animales, intento de crear supersoldados ...mehh.
LO MALO: Una historia traída por los pelos, en la que el mismísimo Joe Casey ( millonario a manos llenas) no puede darle orden e interés a una idea vista decenas de veces: Científicos locos?,check, Animales mutados?,check, instalación superescondida en el desierto?, check. Muy manido, muy visto, muy clichudo...
LO BUENO: ¿pero si no te gusto ni un poco la historia, como le das tres estrellas Camilo?, pues porque tiene a Jose Ladronn dando un arte que te dan ganas de ponerte a llorar de lo hermoso que es, parte Jorge Gimenez ( MATABARONES), parte Moebius ( INCAL) ,parte Travis Charest ( WILDCATS) , el mexicano nos reala unas paginas que te dejan embelesado, desde maquinas ultradetalladas que harían aplaudir a Geof Darrow , a conceptos que te dejan frio ( el bebe Hippo) , o painas que te dejan derretido el cerebro( la doplepagina de la pelea entre humanos y mutados) , solo hacen querer ver mas de este señor, sin importar que dibuje, sea un recibo de parqueadero o un guión de Dora la Exploradora, este tipo es un animal.
LO MALO: Una historia traída por los pelos, en la que el mismísimo Joe Casey ( millonario a manos llenas) no puede darle orden e interés a una idea vista decenas de veces: Científicos locos?,check, Animales mutados?,check, instalación superescondida en el desierto?, check. Muy manido, muy visto, muy clichudo...
LO BUENO: ¿pero si no te gusto ni un poco la historia, como le das tres estrellas Camilo?, pues porque tiene a Jose Ladronn dando un arte que te dan ganas de ponerte a llorar de lo hermoso que es, parte Jorge Gimenez ( MATABARONES), parte Moebius ( INCAL) ,parte Travis Charest ( WILDCATS) , el mexicano nos reala unas paginas que te dejan embelesado, desde maquinas ultradetalladas que harían aplaudir a Geof Darrow , a conceptos que te dejan frio ( el bebe Hippo) , o painas que te dejan derretido el cerebro( la doplepagina de la pelea entre humanos y mutados) , solo hacen querer ver mas de este señor, sin importar que dibuje, sea un recibo de parqueadero o un guión de Dora la Exploradora, este tipo es un animal.
February 23, 2020
a group of geneticists has conducted unholy experiments involving both human and animal DNA. This is the story of the birth of Hieronymous Flask and his eventual liberation from the torturous world of MAPPO. An absolutely gorgeous book, a brilliantly illustrated dystopian future which put me in mind of Blade Runner in its elegance and variety. However this is an origin story and leads to future events, so it is not complete unto itself.
February 12, 2025
I stumbled upon the surprisingly lengthy series from Image Comics, Elephantmen, which I truthfully haven't really heard anyone speak about... and it seems this may be a 'prequel' of sorts to start with first.
I'm getting vibes of Blacksad, Blade Runner, the Triceratrons from Ninja Turtles and some pretty grisly art-work that looks straight out of some sci-fi noir European comic. Sign me up!
I'm getting vibes of Blacksad, Blade Runner, the Triceratrons from Ninja Turtles and some pretty grisly art-work that looks straight out of some sci-fi noir European comic. Sign me up!
November 7, 2013
Totally gorgeous, knock your socks off beautiful. A dystopian science fiction about a humanoid hippopotamus set in a meticulously hand painted world which looks an awful lot like Blade Runner and positively drips with the kind of acidic social commentary which could give Philip K. Dick a run for his money. It's told in a fairly odd, semi-psychedelic nature, much like the film Blade Runner. Time passes in leaps and spurts, juts back and forth and the narrative is vague, ambiguous and leaves more questions than answers. How it wins is that the questions it leaves are deliciously thought provoking and the lush detail spun throughout the intoxicatingly beautiful pages begs to be studied and puzzled over endlessly. A perfect story for someone who doesn't mind being left in the dark and enjoys a story which chooses the questions it leaves as much as the answers it gives.
The obvious criticism one could make about this is that it is so dreadfully short that it was already over just when I was getting a feel for the story. I anxiously look forward to reading more of this series to see if it can deliver on the promise the first installment.
The obvious criticism one could make about this is that it is so dreadfully short that it was already over just when I was getting a feel for the story. I anxiously look forward to reading more of this series to see if it can deliver on the promise the first installment.
August 23, 2012
I bought this book used, for half the cost at Bookman's. It's yet again another amazing visual feast, but don't let the page count deceive you: there are several recycled images and pages from the former book. Unfortunately, neither volume of this HC format present a story with closure so I'll just hope for the best once I finally get around to reading the 3-4 Elephantmen TPBs stacked within my to-be-read pile.
March 27, 2008
Ladronn & Casey. Comic book Rock Stars, together again. As great as their run or Cable was, imagine if it could have looked like this.
July 4, 2012
29.95
May 10, 2015
Una versión más amable de Elephantmen. Personajes con más profundidad en un mundo igual de violento, pero más disimulado. Me apasiona el dibujo y las proporciones.
February 16, 2016
I really, really like the artwork, but as story this is very thin. And even at the book's size way too expensive at 30$ (which, thank God, I did not pay!) for 48 pages.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews