Animal Man #22

Animal Man #22 

Jeff Lemire: writer
Steve Pugh: artist (4-7, 11-15, 18-20)
Francis Portela: artist (1-3, 8-10, 16, 17)

Preview and Solicitation

Review
I don't think I've been enjoying this book as much as I did at first.

I haven't been enjoying the two artists on the book. Things don't feel as scary as they should. This book originally had some sort of horror type of riff to it that has just been lost. This issue dovetailed a little bit into the absurd.

Let's take a serious look at the ax that Baker took right to his shoulder. The first thing I noticed is that it went in deep. Now the scar they showed after they "repaired" also showed a rather serious wound. Baker should have broken collar bone, but he moves around a bit like it is still intact. And they took a lot of blood from him. A lot. Like, how the hell is he still alive and able to with stand doing anything?

The story also feels padded to me again. It felt this way before when the Rotworld saga was going on. It is as if there are just a couple of goals with each issue, and in the end, nothing changes. A couple of ideas are expressed, but they seem to be dragged out. I don't know if that is more with the art or the words, but something just isn't making this book move.

And now Brother Blood will be introduced into the story. Again, this is a character, if memory serves right, that is more entwined with the Teen Titans or some other group. So once again I feel as if this book is compromising itself to bring in characters and stories from another book. Hell, the group of villains we have now that are making themselves out of spare animal parts was a good idea, but it seems they are only around to serve Brother Blood.

Sigh.

I used to say that once I noticed that three issues have gone by and I'm not enjoying the book, then it is probably a good time to say goodbye. But I've already bought the Annual that came out, so I'll have to read that and make it the last book I pick up.

Grades
Words: 5/10
Pictures: 5/10
General Feeling After Reading: Perplexed.
Buy Next Issue: Surrendering the title. No mas.