Animal Man #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Travel Foreman and Dan Green
Animal Man #1 is a perfect example of what most excites me about this DC New 52 relaunch. It gives me the opportunity to drink in characters I would normally discount as secondary. Animal Man is a book that I would have never touched under different circumstances. To ignore this book would have been a shame because Jeff Lemire has brought to the table a vibrant, dark and intriguing universe that promises to delve into depths that most superhero books usually stray from.
The pacing is brisk and the story tantalizing in its implications. The art by Travel Foreman and Dan Green is unique to other big books in the DCU. Its independent sensibility renders everything from the iconic cover to the mundane act of Mrs. Animal Man cooking dinner in a vibrant and interesting manner. But most exciting to me is the emphasis on Buddy Baker (Animal Man) as a family man trying to reconcile his life as a semi-retired and outed superhero. It is the most surprising and engaging read I’ve had of a comic in my entire life and it deserves to be in everyone’s eye holes.
What You Need To Know
I read this book with no prior knowledge of Animal Man or his exploits and I enjoyed it throughly. The “Watchmen” style prose opening fills in most of the information you’ll need on the character.
Verdict
Buy It – For the fantastic writing but stay for the story of family danger and dark prophecy.
