Memory like an… a review of Elephantmen #16

A flashback within a flashback within a flashback within yet one more flashback just shouldn’t work and, quite honestly, I don’t know how Richard Starkings and Chris Burnham pull it off in Elephantmen #16 but they do.  With the erratic publishing schedule of this book over the past year, I had started to worry about it, thinking that it lost its way a bit but I should have had more faith.  This issue focuses on the Silencer, a mercenary specializing in killing the elephantmen.  He’s popped up here and there in Starking’s noirish world but never been fleshed out that much.  Starking pulls out a classic noir story; ex-girlfriend shows up with trouble right behind her.  It’s almost too cliche (cigarette holders and private investigation offices) but yet it works perfectly as a great one-off story, giving a bit of color and depth to a relatively minor character.

Burnham’s artwork is called on to emulate many styles from Ladronn’s own work on Hip Flask to Geoff Darrow’s Hard Boiled and then even adding in some Eisnerspritz in a very Maltese Falconish sequence.  Burnham’s artwork shows a range worthy of the precedence set up by Moritat, Ladronn and Boo Cook on this book.

Elephantmen #16 has me excited about this book again and the world Starkings is taking his own time to build and develop.  The fact that almost no actual elephantmen show up in this issue just demonstrates the richness and depth of Starkings cast of characters.

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Tags: Chris Burnham, Elephantmen, Richard Starkings