The Elephantmen continue their war-march across Europe in this flashback tale, obliterating human resistance at every turn. But one human continues to escape their grasp, one human who manages to diminish the creatures’ numbers: Yvette, a young woman determined to let her foes know who she is and to remind them that humans aren’t just faceless beings to be mowed down with ruthless efficiency. But even the best of terrorists cannot run forever… so what happens when the Elephantmen track Yvette to a castle fortress? Do they finally have the enemy in their sights? Or does the young woman have a few more tricks up her sleeve?

It isn’t a stretch to say that WAR TOYS has easily been the single best ELEPHANTMEN product produced by Starkings and company. From the beginning, the creative team showed they had their “A” games working, and it only got better with each issue. This is a rousing, action-packed, emotionally gripping conclusion to the tale, the best of the best in the series’ canon.

Pick a point of interest and see for yourself. The script? Starkings has really come into himself as a writer here; take away some of the more melodramatic bits of the tales that lay in the future and pare away the cast, and he finds focus and a better grasp on character, as well as pacing. Moritat? The man always produces amazing work, but this is a step above, flooding each black and white page with a stunning level of detail. The action? It’s inventive and intriguing.

The only bad thing may be that the creative team has raised the bar now, and the reader is going to expect much more out of the book as it moves forward. WAR TOYS will be an extremely difficult act to follow.

Marc Mason