But Flask's biggest breakthrough in comics followed hot on the heels of his
appearances on the big screen. River Horse comics snapped up the rights to the HIP FLASK: INFORMATION AGENT series, including an adaptation of the second movie under the title GLADE RUNNER. Jeph Loeb persuaded superstar artist Ian Churchill, who was working with Loeb on CABLE, to jump ship and take advantage of the lucrative deals offered by the smaller publishing companies at the time.
In an interview with WIZARD magazine, Ian told Scott Brick;
"Whereas Tim Sale displayed a natural flair for noir and drama which draped Flask in an air of timeless verisimilitude, I feel that my own take on the character
redefined him for the nineties and helped to establish his broader appeal
amongst the popcorn munching masses. Just as Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" and Alan
Moore's "Killing Joke" helped shape Tim Burton's Batman, the work Jeph and I
produced for the GLADE RUNNER series undeniably
influenced the latterday HIP FLASK movies. Of course, Jeph and I never saw a
penny. But that's work for hire for you, isn't it.
"All said and done, I loved working with Jeph on Hip and know full well that
I wouldn't be in the position within the comic book industry that I find myself today if I hadn't been a small part of the Flask phenomenon."
— Ian Churchill
