There they were, just sitting on the shelf. Sure the first issue was the fourth printing variant, but I didn't care. I just heard such good things about the book. So I caved in and bought all six issues. So here is a special quick review and run down of the first three issues. I will combine the others shortly.
Story: Jeff Lemire
Pencils & Cover: Travel Foreman
Inks: Travel Foreman & Dan Green
The Comic
Wow, I can see why this book is as big of a hit as it can be. We get a great prose interview page to start things off. I like how Lemire has taken a page from Animal Man history and written himself in the first issue as the person who gives the interview for Animal Man.
Background of powers: Animal Man taps into what he calls the Morphogenetic Field, or Life Web, to take on the powers of an animal. He's also a family man with two kids and a sometimes understanding wife. The public knows his face and he is appreciated for what he has done (compare that to another hero whose name begins with an A).
To close up the issue, we get a sneak peak at Animal Man's dream, which is weird and somewhat prophetic. We get introduced to the Rot in the Red. Animal wakes up to the scream of his family. He steps outside and his daughter, Maxine, has brought a bunch of decayed and dead animals to the yard to play with her since she wanted a pet of her own.
At first you were all like, hey, this is friendly superhero stuff, then at the end it totally flips. At first I thought the artwork was going to be a horrible choice for this comic, then you see what it can do in the dream world and how it brings the game up. This comic has potential.
Grades
Words: 9/10 - great intro to the character.
Pictures: 8/10 - the art knows it places, and it is in the future of this comic.
Recommend: Definitely. I can't believe I passed this comic up at first.
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art & Cover: Travel Foreman
The Comic
Its surprising how with all the absurdity around them, the family sticks together. After seeing the dead creatures, Buddy gets a dark map type of thing over his chest. Cliff, the older child of the Baker clan, videotapes the dead creatures hanging around while Maxine tries to feed a skeleton some milk.
Maxine shows that she is eerily aware of what she and her father must do. She says that the markings on his chest are a map, and they have to go to the red place that is inside an old tree. She says that they need to find it before they do, whoever "they" are supposed to be.
Outside, Cliff gets into a skirmish with a neighbor who hates the fact that Cliff is trying to bury one of the skeleton creatures in his front yard. Maxine decides to turn the neighbor's hand into a chicken claw. She changes him back, but the neighbor is freaked. This makes Ellen, Buddy's wife, freak out a little bit because Maxine is displaying powers so early even though they sorta expected that she would. Buddy convinces her to let him and Maxine go to the place that put a map on his chest.
At the local zoo, the animals are bursting from the inside out.
Animal Man is lead to the old tree with Maxine in tow. They touch the tree and fall into The Red.
Back at the zoo, the things bursting/exploding out of the animals were the Hunters Three that were in Animal Man's dream last issue. They jump into the bodies of some zoo keepers, and then go on a hunt.
The sense of normalcy that Animal Man and his family react to everything that is going on around them is something that is more scary then anything else in this comic. I can see now why Foreman was picked as the artist, his gore filled moments just ooze right off the panel. This comic almost makes me sick while reading it.
Grades
Words: 9/10 - I am loving how this all just seems normal to everyone involved.
Pictures: 10/10 - if this is how the horror looks with bright colors in the comic, I would hate to see what darkening it all up would do.
Recommend: Yes. Yes. Yes.
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art & Cover: Travel Foreman
The Comic
If Neil Gaiman was still writing Sandman, Travel Foreman would use this comic to prove he deserves a chance at drawing an adventure for Dream.
Maxine and Animal Man are traveling through The Red. Animal looks like his body is being torn and twisted into all sorts of shapes. Maxine looks normal throughout. Then they reach the Red Place, where all the animal men live.
The Hunters Three are in front of the Baker residence. They realize that the avatar, Maxine, cannot be allowed to connect with the Totems. Apparently that would not be good for our bad guys. They split up, as two go into the Red to track down Animal Man and Maxine, and the other one goes after Ellen.
Back with Animal, we get to see the wizards behind the curtain. It boils down to this: Animal has been lied to about his life as Animal Man and he is really playing second fiddle to his daughter, Maxine. Apparently, Animal Man was only supposed to protect Maxine until she was ready for the war of life itself. From what I am getting, and what is hinted at, The Red is all Animal Life, The Green is all Plant Life, and The Rot seems to want to destroy both. That leaves this book wide open to cross over with Swamp Thing.
The Rot now attacks on to fronts, one at the Baker's house and the other two in the Red. While Ellen and Cliff manage to escape (and delivering the best two lines in the book: Cliff- That was awesome!; Ellen - I can't believe I married a Superhero.), Animal Man doesn't look so good after going Animal power drunk crazy on the other two hunters. One hunter manages to bite Animal Man and he gets a little weary. Meanwhile, Ellen and Cliff think they are safe after driving away and calling a detective friend to help them out. Little do they know, but the detective friend already had a visitor that night - the third hunter.
I really wanted to review all first six issues here, but after going through the descriptions and the excitement that this comic has given me, it just becomes too much. I need a break from this. I am so thankful I picked this up, because this is miles away from what I thought it would be, and I am enjoying it immensely.
Grades
Words: 10/10 - so much action, and everything is being set up with some strong payoffs.
Pictures: 10/10 - This was the issue to sink your teeth into. If you can't follow it here, then this art just isn't for you.
Recommend: Definitely. A thousand times yes. But if you see this issue, give it a read and aren't excited about it, then it is probably best to step away and read the first three issues all by themselves at once. It will grow on you.
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