Merrick: The Sensational Elephantman #1

Writer: Tom Ward
Art: Luke Parker
Letters: Nic J. Shaw
Editor: Clare Lenton

Roll up, roll up, and welcome to the first stunning issue of the twisted tale of one ‘John Merrick’, a man better known as the Sensational Elephantman. Though this is a fictional slant on that unfortunate man, where elements of Merrick’s life are intertwined with elements of drama, intrigue and mystery.

Tom Ward essentially crafts a very nice opener to his story, featuring the central character in utter ruin, a bloodied and battered mess of a man on the rain-soaked streets. This issue is effectively an origin story, charting the background of where Merrick came from leading up to his first appearance in his battered form. We meet some of the notable characters from within the story and get a taste of where the story will go beyond the first issue.

The art of Luke Parker fits perfectly with the story, in that the pencils/colors blend seamlessly with the feel of the book. The layouts of the panels helps move the eye along nicely. The colors feel a little flat but this is intended as it fits in with the feel for the book. Luke puts in a solid performance on pencils and it is nice to see a writer and an artist firmly on the same page with regards their story.

It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here, Merrick ended the issue with a man to avenge himself upon. Will the Sensational Elephantman manage to deliver his own brand of justice in issue 2? There is only one way to tell… And that’s to show this book the love it needs. If the kickstarter is successful Tom Ward, I am sure, follow up the early promise of this refreshing indie book with the style and panache that has already been witnessed in issue one.

Issue 1 is free to download  and the author is running a crowdfunding campaign to complete the project, for details please click the link below

Kick Starter Campaign for this comic

Overall Score: 7/10