Elephantmen?

[Dandontdare]

Just trudged through the first three trades of 2260 and alas its continues its downward turn. It has some great moments and its clear that Richard Starking is a great writer, the trouble is I get the sense he doesn't know quite what he's writing. By this I mean he set off this series with what looked like a pretty clear idea of what he was trying to do. Something to the side caught his eye so he followed that detour and then came back to the main story. But then he got distracted again and wondered off briefly... back on the main trail... distraction .... rince wash repeat. Now last time I said this made for a fine sense of epic storytelling. Now it gives me the sense he's lost the main thrust and doesn't know what he really wants to go anymore. Or is afraid to get there as he's no idea what's next.

Its never bad, even if I don't get on with the art by Axel Medellin at all - some fill in art by Shaky Kane is astonishignly good I should say - but its lost its sense of drive and direction. There's only so many times we can return to the same ideas. How many times has this series done the war is hell idea. The evil of the Elephantmen's origins etc etc. Its been done.

Such a shame as I've lost the will to continue and this could have been a quite superb say 50 part series (who knows the specific number) alas now I see it got to 80 odd at least and I've not the energy to continue to see if its finds itself again.

Should repeat its never bad, in fact its good comics, just seems to forget what it wants to be able.

Just looked back at my comment from (amazingly) six years ago, and I feel vindicated. I stopped buying them after the first four big phonebook* collections because it was expensive and meandering, and I felt like I was just being strung along with too many flashbacks, asides and many, many pages of sketches, covers and tribute art. It was a great concept and had some beautiful art, but as you said, besides the origin/war stuff, I don't think he ever knew where it should actually be going. Sounds like it continued in the same vein.


*Do people even know what a phonebook is now? If it remains shorthand for 'fat book', then in the not too distant future it's origin may become a trivia question. I'm actually still in the phonebook - I remember when it was expected, and being ex-directory was somehow shady or weird. There was a policeman on our street when I was a kid, and when my mum said he was ex-directory I thought murderers and terrorists must be after him

[Colin YNWA]

Just looked back at my comment from (amazingly) six years ago, and I feel vindicated. I stopped buying them after the first four big phonebook* collections because it was expensive and meandering, and I felt like I was just being strung along with too many flashbacks, asides and many, many pages of sketches, covers and tribute art. It was a great concept and had some beautiful art, but as you said, besides the origin/war stuff, I don't think he ever knew where it should actually be going. Sounds like it continued in the same vein.

Yeah when I read that comment last time I couldn't help but reflect how similar your thoughts were to mine at the time.

Do people even know what a phonebook is now? If it remains shorthand for 'fat book', then in the not too distant future it's origin may become a trivia question. I'm actually still in the phonebook - I remember when it was expected, and being ex-directory was somehow shady or weird.

As an aside the first time I heard that term in relation to a comic was the old Cerebus collections back in the day. Was the term used before those?

[Dandontdare]

Have you read the Dredd and Strontium dog crossovers?

Do people even know what a phonebook is now? If it remains shorthand for 'fat book', then in the not too distant future it's origin may become a trivia question. I'm actually still in the phonebook - I remember when it was expected, and being ex-directory was somehow shady or weird.

As an aside the first time I heard that term in relation to a comic was the old Cerebus collections back in the day. Was the term used before those?

I only came across it on this forum or related podcasts, when people talked about the Dredd Casefiles or SD agency files as the "phonebook editions", as opposed to the slimmer single-story trades

[Colin YNWA]

Have you read the Dredd and Strontium dog crossovers?

No I saw the Strontium Dog one in one of the Thought Bubble Anthologies (I think it was) - I was there but for some reason that utterly escapes me now - I didn't pick up. Where was the Dredd one?

[matty_ae]

Hi

I enjoyed this thread as love the art of Elephantmen but never collected enough

The Strontium Dog and Dredd one-shots were collected here but weren't allowed to show the 2000ad characters on the cover I was told
https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/the-cbldf-presents-elephantmen-shots-1
It's relatively easy to find second had.

I love Boo on the gun story...

[Colin YNWA]

Nice one thanks.

[Dandontdare]

Have you read the Dredd and Strontium dog crossovers?

No I saw the Strontium Dog one in one of the Thought Bubble Anthologies (I think it was) - I was there but for some reason that utterly escapes me now - I didn't pick up. Where was the Dredd one?

Also in the thought bubble anthology, the following year I think.

[Max Headroom]

Are 2000ad allowed to reprint these two crossover stories in one of their own publications? I just thought it might be nice to include them as bonus material in a future JD or Strontium Dog graphic novel.