Elephantmen #34

Written by Richard Starkings and Monifa Aldridge
Art by Boo Cook and Axel Medellin

I suppose that Elephantmen's unpredictability is one of its strengths, but I do find it hard to figure out what to expect from one story arc to the next.  After having finished the drug-fueled Elseworlds visions of Man and Elephantman, I thought we'd bee seeing a little more of Hip and Ebony, but instead, we are getting a sequel to War Toys, which was originally published as a separate mini-series.

It's all good, as I love this comic, but this issue felt more like a recap of earlier material than anything else.  We start with a Chinese legend, the relevance of which does become apparent later, before checking in with Yvette, the star of War Toys.  She's leading a squad in Siberia, and kills a group of Mappo soldiers - mostly hyenas led by a single elephantman.  This gives occasion for one of the guys with her to talk about her story. Later, there are a bunch of rockets launched from the moon, with rather interesting occupants.  I'm curious to see where this goes.

There is also a back-up story, written by Aldridge, which helps fill in the back history of Panya, the dancer who likes to switch places with Sahara from time to time.  It's perfectly fine, but pretty predictable.

This issue has art by both Boo Cook and Axel Medellin, and it's a very lovely issue.  There are perhaps too many splash pages for Cook, but he does make good use of them.