Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Travel ForemanBuddy Baker has gone from “super” man to family man — but is he strong enough to hold his family together when Maxine, his young daughter, starts to manifest her own dangerous powers? Find out in this dramatic new series from writer Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) and artist Travel Foreman (The Immortal Iron Fist).
To say I anticipated this 20 page story more than any other comic this year would be a massive understatement. A better estimate would clock my tenure of anticipation at around four years. Why four years? Because it was four years ago that I completed Grant Morrison’s legendary run that redefined Buddy Baker and, in a lot of ways, the way comic books can be told. Since then, I’ve waited patiently for a creator to come along and continue the growth the character made under Morrison’s pen. As of this issue, Jeff Lemire has finally proven himself to be that creator.
Click after the jump to find out why.
Before I really dive into the issue, I should state that this will probably be the most biased piece I have ever written for this website. For those paying close attention to all things Multiversity, you’ll know that when the DCnU was formally announced all I could wish for from the new status quo was Animal Man helmed by a competent creative team. What I got was possibly one of my favorite comic writers and one of my biggest creative influences in Jeff Lemire and a Travel Foreman that is operating completely at the top of his game and the results are absolutely amazing.
The book starts out in a slightly unique manner by recapping Buddy’s current status quo as a prose piece taking the form of a feature article in a fictional news rag called The Believer. Throughout the breadth of the new DC books that are launching this month, a lot of expository catch up will be needed to draw new readers into this new status quo. However, by condensing everything readers need to know about the character into a few short paragraphs, it allowed Lemire to dive into the main story unhindered, which really helped to propel the story forward.
Opening in earnest with a downplayed conversation between Buddy and his wife Ellen, Lemire not only establishes the family-centric aspect of the book but also adds to Buddy’s canon right off the bat, establishing that not only had the previous Baker family pets passed on, but that the Baker family could not have a pet since Buddy would imprint in the animal, preventing his powers from working properly, much to the chagrin of young Maxine Baker. Following this reveal, Buddy’s son Cliff rushes in to inform his father about an incident at the local hospital that Buddy feels the need to dust off his old Animal Man suit to attend to. Once he arrives, he finds a deluded father that had just lost his daughter to cancer and in a broken hearted rage had taken hostage the children’s ward of the hospital.
As Buddy moves in to deal with him, he opens fire and allows Lemire and Foreman to really showcase the use of Buddy’s powers as he adeptly navigates the life stream to find animals in the area to borrow abilities from. Once he dispatches the would be attacker, the cops on the scene are stunned as Buddy’s eyes begin bleeding. Once he was throughly checked out by the Doctor’s on the scene, Buddy returns home to a rather disturbing (but beautifully illustrated) dream sequence featuring what are likely to become the major antagonists of the arc, some heretofore unseen villains named The Hunters. Following this is the dramatic cliffhanger of the issue that really must be seen to be fully grasped. However I will say this: the ending perfectly proves that Lemire really truly understands how to write this book, and I really can’t wait for more.
On the art side, Foreman really ups his game for this one. Since his stint on The Immortal Iron Fist (the last thing I can recall seeing him draw), he has seriously tightened up his style. Gone is the scratchy, roughshod style that he began his career with and in its place is a sharp, stylized look with character designs much closer to John Cassaday than he has ever managed hit before. However, where he really excels is his rendering of the various forms of animal life and deformed nature present throughout both the waking life scenes of the book and his excellent, otherwordly handling of the dream sequence. If that scene in particular, along with the scene of Buddy tapping into the lifestream are any indication of the genuine, darkly tinged ingenuity Foreman plans to bring to this book, then we are into a fantastic visual smorgasbord moving forward.
Overall, there is so very much to like in this book, however I feel the true high point really is the tone itself. Much like Morrison’s run helped to redefine the way comic book characters function within their fictional world, Lemire focus on the family aspect of Buddy Baker’s life as a lens through which to explore Buddy’s super heroic lifestyle is an absolutely stellar way to begin this new era of the character. A comic has not been able to make me smile due to the completely solid nature of every single aspect of the story in a very long time, and now (about seven hours after my first read), I am still smiling. As far as strong starts go, I can’t imagine another book doing better than this one did.
Final Verdict: 9.8 – Buy for the Love of God
