This beautifully colored book caught my eye instantly while walking down artist alley. In fact it was next door to Hey Derby Girl. The gorgeous Holli Hoxxx seems like it would be a typical male fantasy book that dominated the market in the 90’s, but it’s not at all. Don’t let the beautiful Holli Hoxxx fool you into thinking that she’s just another pretty face because she’s far from it. The setting of the book is Manhattan, New York and the world has no gravity. Yes you read that right, the world has no gravity. One company Tycho has created shoes that give you gravity… as long as your battery is charged. For years Tycho has been the number one company on the planet as they develop newer shoes with better batteries and keep literally everyone from falling off of the planet. A rival company Newton has developed objects that restore gravity to your home or office so that you don’t have to have your shoes on all the time. Now, Newton seeks to restore gravity to Manhattan which is essentially a floating city anchored by bridges and power lines.
So who is Holli Hoxxx and what does she have to do with anything? Well she used to be the spokes model for Tycho and was basically the biggest celebrity profile on the planet. She disappeared one day and woke up from being buried in a hill side. Holli isn’t quite normal as you can guess from being stuck underground for years and still able to wake up.
The book is very interesting. The story is a simple concept, but the writers take it down the most logical path they can and the things they think of along the way are very creative. The concept of the boots adds a lot to the story as there are deaths related to the boots and really they are the only choice for anyone that wants to live a normal life. The flip side is Newton, as people are afraid of this new company that is making a hug promise trying to land the floating city. People are afraid that if the power goes out that the “Newton’s” will stop working and the entire city will float off the face of the planet.
The art work is gorgeous and amazingly colored with just water colors. I really enjoyed how well the story and art worked with each other. The art looks influenced by Heavy Metal, in that futuristic nitty gritty sort of way and not in the drugs, sex and aliens way. Really what sets this book apart from the rest is the art and the coloring. This is the equivalent of a double sized issue and that means there are plenty of panels and all of them are stunning and you would never guess actual water colors.
The story wasn’t mind-blowing to be honest, but it was interesting, catchy, great to read and downright beautiful to look at. I could have used more character development and fewer characters for the first issue. The ground work is out of the way now though and hopefully the second issue will have a much easier time focusing on just the story and what’s happened to the world while Holli’s been away.
The book is written by Austin and Adam Tinius with wonderful art from Stefano Cardoselli. The second issue is under way which I’m definitely interested in picking up already. The world set forth in Holli Hoxxx is interesting and very different then what I’ve seen in comics, add the fact that the art is beautiful and a treat to look at and you have a really well published indie comic that deserves some recognition for its talents.
Score: 4/5
Writers: Austin Tinius & Adam Tinius Artist: Stefano Cardoselli Publisher: Bogus Publishing Price: $5.00