I really wrestled for a good week on whether or not I was actually going to review this issue on the grounds I wasn’t willing to accept what I read. Someone had switched covers on another comic title and I missed out on the joke. Plus how in the world is Rich ever going to let me pitch him some story ideas for Elephantmen if I’m trashing his work? How would I ever work for Comicraft? Plus, I’ve never given this title a below average rating on a single issue. You can imagine the conundrum I was in.

Then I remembered that I routinely live in a fantasy world, that I haven’t exchanged emails with Mr. Starkings in many months, and he’s not exactly breaking down my door for pointers on his work. So I might as well be honest and hope he doesn’t take it personally.

After spending last month talking about how I want more out of my story, I’m happy to report I am very intrigued with the initial concept of this new arc surrounding the Silencer (titled "Dangerous Liaisons"). Last seen stalking one of the Elephantmen, the Silencer is an ex-Mappo employee who hunts down the genetic hybrids for big bucks. The how and why were a little fuzzy, but we see into his past and learn his motivation. The concept folds well into the allure of Mystery City, it just was executed poorly in my opinion.

This reviewer would like to think the First Tiger and his design team pride themselves on details. They’ve refined panel creation down to an art form, so nothing should escape their eyes. Why, oh why, would they state this issue is part one of eight in this story only to see at the bottom of the same cover "complete story this issue?" The cover copy also touts Destiny as the lead character in this issue, only to have her be just a pawn on the Silencer’s chess board? The more I thought about it, the worse the cover made me feel. Now, I cannot claim to have full knowledge of what happens when a cover goes from creator to publisher, but this just did not seem like what I have come to expect from Active Images.

While the story technically was “complete” in a sense, I also feel more could have been put into this story and cut short the hokey noir romance between the Silencer and Destiny. We know what romance is in this title: it’s Obadiah Horn and Sahara. Because of the little impact the flashbacks have on the story (except where he was made in to the cyborg we know today), it feels like we were shown the same scenes of the contract killer kicking body bags into a river over and over. Sure we find out he has cancer and each Elephantman he kills means he can live another month, but in the end do we care as readers?

We’ll move on to the art next. I like Chris Burnham, and even though I’m not an X-Men reader I am still familiar with the work he’s done in the past (including Elephantmen #16). He certainly makes for an entertaining guest on the Around Comics podcast, so I’m a fan. This work, however, just seemed out of place with the work I’m again accustomed to on this title. After I get past the cover, I’m greeted on page one with two panels of an Elephantman (alligator or crocodile, I can’t tell the difference) holding on to a woman’s breast which enormous nipples while licking his lips and her having an orgasmic look on her face. I’m no prude, and like the brief amount of sensuality in past issues (especially the Horn/Sahara scenes), but this was over the top. This at least deserves a mature readers tag if we’re going to go that far.

Also, and this isn’t pointed at Burnham, but the colors do not fit the usual mood of Mystery City. At times I feel okay with the tone, but others I wonder what happened. Admittedly, I miss my Moritat and will get some pages from the artist next issue, but as last month’s review stated I am more than satisfied with replacement creators within a set of parameters. Yes I realize that made me sound like an even bigger nerd than I already am, but I’m in similar company.

To top things off, issue #17 isn’t part two of "Dangerous Liaisons." In fact, I haven’t seen a solicited cover with the title in it yet. What gives? The good news is this appears to be only an aberration, the only negative blip on the radar for this title. We’ll move on to a great story involving Tusk next month, then on to Hip’s friend Miki, and so on. Moritat will return soon from his gall bladder surgery and the ship will right itself as far as the direction of the story.

Rather than continue the same cliché lines about being accustomed to such a high standard, let me end with a dose of reality. When this book is on, it delivers the goods in a way few creators can boast. This issue could have provided a great background piece for an ancillary character in Mystery City, and incited quite a bit of drama to be used in future issues. Instead, it was just pulled off poorly. I mean no disrespect to the team behind this issue, because I hold them in high regard.

I just know I can get better for my three bucks than this.

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