Okay, what the hell did I just read…but in a good way. The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre by writer Fred Kennedy and artist James Edward Clark has got to be the most outlandish comic I have read in years, if not ever, and I am so here for it. The premiere issue is a mix of wise cracking jokes, 1980s action thriller, and just plain stupid fun.
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!
Sometimes when I read a new comic I can feel the vibe coming off the page, this vibe is of what I can only explain as passion and a love of creating stories. You can tell that Fearless Fred and Clark had such an amazing time crafting this story and, if are anything like me when I create something I am super passionate about, are excited for people to finally get their hands on it and experience what they have created. Because they really go outside anything that is on the shelves today.
Believe me when I say I LOVED Dead Romans, Kennedy’s miniseries with artist Nick Marinkovich which released in 2023, a brutal tale of love and war from the birth of the Roman Empire, as well as Kenndy’s Star Wars Podcast. But let’s be honest, I feel The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre is what I would expect from the Q107 radio personality from Canada.
The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre is chockful of 1980s action movie nostalgia along with some of the most amazing and random lines of dialogue. It truly was an experience unlike anything I have read recently, which was super refreshing. Kennedy brings everything to the table and again, has so much fun doing so. While the first issue sets the foundation and hooked me from the start, its the last few pages which had me eagerly wanting to know what antics where happening next and what the hell these two creators have in store for us in future issues.
It’s not just the story itself that has me laughing and glued to the pages, it’s the artwork the really has you intrenched. The style is something I would expect to see on a late-night Adult Swim cartoon with a gritty, but playful style that sometimes has no rhyme or reason. Clark’s illustrations fit perfectly with the script and makes for a complete and utterly unique story.
The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre will go down as on of the most fun comics of 2026, a 1980s comedy action thriller style story with unique artwork that pairs so well. Fearless Fred Kennedy and James Edward Clark team up to give us a unique comic series that will stand apart from the crowd.
The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1 hits local comic shops on February 18, 2026 (FOC: January 26) from Mad Cave Studios.
The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1 Preview
