It’s been almost two years since DC relaunched their universe as the New 52 and it’s been almost two years since their Dark line allowed titles like “Animal Man” to exist in the DCU. Jeff Lemire launched “Animal Man” as both a look at the domestic life of a superhero-turned-actor and as a horror comic the likes of which had rarely been seen outside of Vertigo. Two years on and how does it hold up?
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Steve Pugh and Francis PortelaIn the shocking conclusion of “Splinter Species,” Brother Blood and a stunning murder have Animal Man on the brink of extinction!
We’ve seen Buddy Baker go through a lot in the last 22 issues. We’ve seen him lose his home, his time, his body, his family and now, most importantly, his son. That’s a lot for one man to go through and Lemire clearly knows that as his writing here brings about an almost Heart Of Darkness sense of foreboding. It rarely feels like a matter of if, but when Buddy will finally snap and lose it. We see a bit of that in the opening pages as Lemire satirises TMZ-esque celebrity journalism by showing a presenter analysing a clip of Buddy attacking the leader of man-animal hybrid group that has been tormenting him for the last few issues. The theme of a celebrity superhero was seeded by Lemire early on in the series and it has finally come to fruition in the wake of Cliff’s death as Buddy has become a media sensation. While it’s not the focus of the issue, it is a nice change of pace to usual superhero fare. Especially the use of a Twitter-esque feed shown against panels of Buddy, desperate alone in his hotel room, which shows just how isolated he is. It is a very nice touch by Lemire to just compound the layers of suffering inflicted upon Buddy as a mourning father.
However, while the title may say “Animal Man”, Buddy isn’t entirely in the spotlight here. More and more, Lemire has given more panel time to Buddy’s daughter, Maxine, and here she leads her own side-story. Contrasting with Buddy’s tale of desperate mourning and isolation, Maxine’s story is an adventure into the heart of the Red on a quest to bring her brother back. It’s a showcase of two very different types of reactions to the loss of a loved one and while either story would work well enough on their own, played together they become an even better whole. Also, anthropomorphic pirates. Who could say no to anthropomorphic pirates? That’s exactly the kind of thing you want from an “Animal Man” story.
Fittingly enough, with two stories at play, Lemire is joined by two different artists. Steve Pugh, who has handled the series art excellently since Travel Foreman left the book, brings life to Buddy’s story while Francis Portela takes Maxine on her adventure. It should be acknowledged that Pugh and Portela’s styles are quite vastly different, but that’s entirely why it works. Pugh’s rendition of Buddy’s Earth-bound mourning is soaked in atmosphere and simply feels “real” where Portela takes Maxine into the heart of the Red on a pirate ship on the back of a manatee crewed by talking animals. The shift in art styles is totally in-keeping with the shift in writing styles and somehow manages to keep the transition from being jarring. Each section feels wholly removed from the other whilst keeping the whole book feeling connected through shared symbolism.
When “Animal Man” launched as part of the New 52, it pioneered a wave of horror-themed books that previously wouldn’t have been caught dead existing along side books like “Superman”. Along with “Swamp Thing”, it became one of the most effective horror comics to come out in recent years largely thanks to Travel Foreman’s eerie, unearthly art. Thankfully, however, the book hasn’t lost a step as Steve Pugh’s art captures that unreal quality to Lemire’s writing which brings the scares. His interpretation of the Splinter Folk, surgical hybrids of man and animal, are enough to make stomachs turn. And while Portela’s portion of the issue is focused more on the adventure side of things, his rendition of the Red is still as disturbing as it was when we first saw it under Travel Foreman’s pencil. That’s not to mention the finale of the issue, either, which showcases gore the likes of which is rarely seen in a superhero book outside of “Invincible”. Lemire may be focusing on a very human story of loss and mourning, but thanks to the artists on the book the horror has not been lost.
Overall, with nearly two years worth of issues under its belt, “Animal Man” still remains one of DC’s strongest books. The writing is top notch, blending human emotions with grand superheroics and just real, nasty horror that is wonderfully rendered by the artists. After hitting something of a bump in the road with an overly long crossover in ‘Rotworld’, it’s nice to see this book hit its stride again.
Final Verdict: 7.2 – While next issue may be a better jumping-on point, there’s no reason to miss this issue.
