Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Elephantmen #41
Image Comics
Hine, Steen, Starkings & Cook
This issue is the story of Javier Kubec. Kubec was the top assistant to the Elephantmen scientist, Nikken. However, the comic book is written and drawn by David Hine, which makes the book extra special. Starkings inviting a unique creator of Hine's stature to place his stamp on a character turns out to a brilliant move. Hines tells a haunting and authentically bizarre story of a twisted character. This is a fantastic issue.
Everyone apparently has a story when it comes to Elephantmen. Kubec seems like just another evil doctor when you think about his role in creating the army of Elephantmen, but it isn't that simple. Kubec has his own views about the creations and it proves to be a limitation in terms of his status, but it also gives an unexpected gift to the Elephantmen.
Kubec seems to have a humane side to the whole process of killing women in the making of monsters, if that is at all possible. He doesn't stop there though. Kubec also takes a select group of Elephantmen and reads to them and teaches them some level of sophistication that most likely doesn't exist in the others that he didn't spend time nurturing.
Kubec's story is told on his deathbed to an unknown bald character with glasses and a little hat. This guy is creepy and that notion is exploited when it is revealed how he decides to end Kubec's story.
Hine's art is tremendous. Yes, it fits with the style we have seen from some of the other Elephantmen artists, but it takes on a life of its own in this issue. To look through this issue you wouldn't think you have entered the Elephantmen universe, but rather a world created by someone like a Richard Corben or a Hellboy universe. It just feels horrific in nature and it gets really strange at the end as Hine leaves little doubt that this is a David Hine production.
Elephantmen seems to tell a story or answer one question and then open up two more. I want to know more about the creep in the hat now, as well as more about Kubec and which Elephantmen he took under his wing and what they know. The best books always leave you wanting more and this comic is a prime example. This is a terrific investment in your time and money.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
