Review: The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1
From Mad Cave Studios
Something a little manic this week, from Mad Cave Studios, it’s The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1.
Check out the preview here.
A no-nonsense federal agent and a lone-wolf cop chase down a brutal drug lord in a flooded amusement park swarming with blood-crazed hippos and cut-throat mercenaries.
Disco Hippo Wonderland is the number one amusement park in Flamingo City. But few realize its corpulent owner, Jans M’jor Discau, is about to release the most potent drug ever created: Coke45! Fortunately for humanity, Agent Clarke Nebraska is on the case! She’ll bring down Discau come heck or high water! That was the plan, until her undercover agent, Tico Senecoza, was captured! And before she can rescue him, Miquel—Tico’s sexy loose cannon of an older brother beats her to the punch, storming into the park with bullets flying. Discau panics, dumping the Coke45 into the hippo enclosure and letting them loose on the park, before fleeing into Wonderland’s tunnel network! Nebraska’s plans are totally off the rails, and things get worse when a marijuana smoke fueled hurricane drowns the park in torrential rain! Now it’s up to Nebraska and Miquel to create an uncomfortable truce to bring Discau down before he escapes!
(W) Fred Kennedy (A) James Edward Clark
I really didn’t know what to expect going into The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1, but whatever assumptions I had were quickly blown out of the water. The premise alone sounds completely unhinged — and thankfully, it absolutely delivers on that promise. From the first few pages, it’s clear this isn’t going to be a slow burn. Instead, it launches straight into a fast-paced, satirical, and wonderfully bonkers ride.
At the centre of it all is Disco Hippo Wonderland — a seemingly magical, family-friendly attraction that masks something far darker beneath the glitter and neon. On the surface, it’s all smiles and spectacle, but behind the scenes, it’s fuelled by staggering amounts of drugs and the money pouring in from the trade. That contrast between wholesome theme-park charm and criminal-empire absurdity is where the comic really finds its rhythm.
Dig a little deeper, and the stakes become clearer. Federal investigators are circling, determined to bring down the flamboyant owner, Jans M’jor Discau. At the same time, a cop is desperately trying to rescue his brother, who’s been working undercover inside this chaotic operation. On paper, that might sound almost routine — crime boss, feds, undercover cop — but the way it’s executed here is anything but mundane.
The pacing is snappy and relentless, with the tongue planted firmly in its cheek. Explosions, gun battles, dark humour, and lashings of narcotics-fuelled madness keep everything moving at high speed. And the way the issue builds toward the inevitable appearance of the hippos themselves is genuinely neat and clever. By the time you reach that final page, you can practically feel the mayhem waiting to erupt in the next issue.
Visually, it’s a treat. The retro-inspired artwork perfectly complements the story's outrageous tone. The colouring pops, the lettering enhances the energy of each scene, and the facial expressions — from the leads to background characters — are brilliantly exaggerated without ever feeling overdone. The action sequences and explosive set pieces are dynamic and full of personality.
All told, this is a farcical, high-octane opening that knows exactly what it is and fully embraces it. If this first issue is anything to go by, this is shaping up to be one wildly enjoyable comic series.
Get it at Forbidden Planet:
