I just finished the first volume of Holli Hoxxx, and it was a wild, sci-fi rocket ride filled with intrigue, power struggles, and beautiful women.  Austin and Adam Tinuis created the story of a post apocalyptic New York where, for some reason, gravity has decided to call it quits and everyone resorts to anti-gravity shoes called “Tychos” to keep them grounded.  

The conflict centers around the face of the Tycho Corporation, a former model named Holli Hox, who turned up dead in a construction site after a thirty year disappearance, but looking like she only laid down for a nap a few minutes ago.  She struggles through a gritty, dog-eat-dog, thunderdome-style Manhattan, which is floating hundreds of meters above the rest of New York due to the lack of gravity and seemingly tethered to the rest of the earth by the connecting bridges.  Meanwhile, the machinations of the various competing corporate powers-that-be loom large over everyone, just as Tycho’s main competitor, The Newton Company, prepares to return the Island of Manhattan to the sea with giant pyramid shaped “Newtons,” which emit an anti-gravity field and threaten to render Tychos useless.    

The story itself, scripted by Adam Tinius, is engaging and fun, if you’re into post-apocolyptic sci-fi with teeth.  The art by Stefano Cardoselli has a sense of frenetic danger thrashing back and forth from gritty, angular cityscapes to voluptuous women, with hair as wild and untamed as New York itself.  The messiness of the art, which reminds me of Brett Weldele, establishes a tone that fits the punk rock violence of the story, but I found myself struggling occasionally with character recognition and clarity of action; however, if you hang on and push through, usually the story will shift back into focus.  

This first volume only sets up the story, so I will be keeping an eye out for Volume 2.  You can find out more info on Holli Hoxxx at www.boguspublishing.com.