The post-‘Rotworld’ wrap up is over. On to bigger and better things!
Well, you can’t get much bigger than a war between the primal forces of life and death, but you can certainly get much better than the dismal state ‘Rotworld’ left Buddy in.
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by John Paul Leon and Timothy Green IIThe battle against the Rot has left Buddy’s family in ruins, and now they must withstand another force trying to subvert him: his own celebrity!
The “realistic” superhero is a trend that is still widely popular — and, quite frankly, has been done to death. So often have we seen characters like Mark Millar’s divisive Kick-Ass get the snot beaten out of them by common thugs as they try to put on tights and fight crime, inspired by their very own comic book heroes. Jeff Lemire’s movie-within-a-comic (that’s technically a comic), Tights, has allowed us to view this sub-genre with a new lens. The previous installment, which came out following the first arc of “Animal Man,” was the part that we are used to at this point — some guy tries to be a superhero, and things don’t turn out so well. This issue cleverly integrates the second half of Red Thunder’s tale into the ongoing narrative of “Animal Man,” as it tells the tale of a man who has hit rock bottom, and has nowhere to go but up.
The problem with many of these supposedly “realistic” superhero comics is that as the story enters its final act, the grounded facade crumbles; one could easily believe that an otherwise normal guy or gal might take up costumed vigilantism, but if so much time is spent driving home the point of how unfeasible is, it is really hard to take it seriously when the protagonist gets their act together and topples the local mob boss. Jeff Lemire doesn’t subject Red Thunder to typical superhero conflicts, though, and instead focuses on problems that are significantly more identifiable. We don’t want to hear about how a “real” hero beats the criminals, we want to know the toll it takes on his personal life, and that is the focus of Tights. This is how you do an average Joe superhero story — which is interesting, considering it’s a fictional story within a fictional world where superheroes are real, adding even more layers to consider.
Beyond the concept, Lemire’s writing is as solid as we’ve come to expect from his stellar track record. Lemire fits a very large amount of content into eighteen pages, all without seeming at all compressed. There are moments where the dialogue fills most of a panel, but it hits that ideal spot where it sounds just realistic enough that it isn’t a bother. This is also a great example of writing for the issue; even if you missed part one of ‘Tights,’ Lemire, whether intentionally or not, gives plenty of context, without being overbearing enough to bother those who haven’t missed an issue since #1.
John Paul Leon has been a great stylistic choice for these two issues, as he stands out from the other artists who have been on the book, marking the difference between the world on screen and the “real world” of the DC Universe. It isn’t that Leon doesn’t stylize his work — far from it — but his approach certainly doesn’t seem at home in the New 52, especially when contrasted with Timothy Green’s final two pages. Normally, this would be a negative quality, but considering the context of the issue, it works incredibly well. It is also neat to see him modify that style further when Chas appears on television interviews; it’s a TV show within a movie within a comic.
Besides style, there is his excellent character acting to consider, which brings a lot of weight to the story-within-a-story’s last few silent pages. There are a few points where the script could easily let the art fall into talking head territory, but Leon avoids this pitfall sometimes adding detailed backgrounds, sometimes keeping the camera tracking, so to speak, and always making sure no page reads dully. And above all, the comic is crystal clear; Leon doesn’t have to rely on ostentatious layouts to make each panel connect sequentially and as part of a whole page.
If crossover fatigue led you to drop “Animal Man” during the perhaps too long ‘Rotworld,’ the second part of ‘Tights’ is a great chance to return to the fold (I know, because I did just that). Jeff Lemire dresses up his expertise with character-driven drama in capes, while John Paul Leon delivers the quality line work his name is synonymous with, resulting in a comic that’s hard to say no to even if superheroes aren’t your typical thing.
Final Verdict: 8.6 – Buy it!
