It’s the history of The Red, The Green, and The Rot! It’s been a big story in both “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing,” but now we get some context for their roles in the Red and Green, respectively; along with their relationship with the Rot and how they balance. Let’s see if it was worth the $4.99!
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Timothy Green III
- A stand alone tale detailing the history of the epic struggle between THE RED, THE GREEN and THE ROT!- As seen in ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING, these forces will play a major role in the future of the DC Universe!
Quite frankly, this was a story that should have been necessary. Since “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing” debuted in the first week of the DCnU, both have been hinting towards the two coming together to take on what looks like Death itself, or at least, the avatar of Death (Thanos?). In fact, for the past 5 issues it’s seemed that Buddy and crew have been on a road trip to meet Alec Holland, even though Alec Holland himself doesn’t seem to be ready to take on the Rot in his present form. We knew very little about the three factions of creation, and this issue promised to clear it up a bit.
To which is succeeds, somewhat. Do we get the origin of the Red, Green, and Rot? Absolutely not. They’re portrayed as abstract beings as old as time, with no real beginning or end. And mostly, they work together, because life (Red and Green) needs death (the Rot) to keep it in check, and vice versa. These three are meant to be the Three Amigos, but in the case of The Rot, sometimes their Martin Short just goes a bit buck wild. It’s up to Steve Martin and Chevy Chase to rein it in, so to speak.
This issue, which is told in flashbacks, tells the story of the last time the Rot got a little excited and tried to eat…Canada. The Cat Avatar, who was admittedly napping most of the time he was the last Avatar of the Red, told the story about the past war, but what was disappointing about it is the fact it mostly told the same story as the one we’re being told now. Only it was in the 19th century and it was in Manitoba, Canada. It’s a fine story, but it doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself from the story we’re being told month-to-month. There are hints of our Canadian Animal Man in the 19th Century having connections to the animals in the Serengeti, but how much more interesting would it have been to see the entire story take place in the Savanna of Northern Africa?
Much like the story, the art doesn’t do very much to distinguish itself from the main story. Timothy Green III’s art is so similar to Travel Foreman’s that I forgot there was even a different artist with duties this time. For what it’s worth, Green’s art is a bit more comprehensible than Foreman’s, with a much clearer idea of how to fill a panel, as opposed to drawing characters on what amounts to mostly blank backgrounds. The characters are still gruesome, but since they’re meant to be, it works very well.
Unfortunately, even the cover itself is a bit of a cheat. It says right on the front “GUEST STARRING SWAMP THING AGAINST TERROR INCARNATE!” but there’s no Alec Holland in this issue. Sure, there’s A Swamp Thing within the pages, telling the hero in our flashback something of a meta-story about the Red and Green; but it’s no Swamp Thing anyone actually knows or cares about in these pages. That’s still to come. It’s a bit of a rip-off in that sense, seeing as how fans have (or at least I have) been clamoring for Alec and Buddy to meet up since Issue #2 of both series’. And seeing as how this issue is nearly 5 bucks, I really do wish I had gotten more proverbial bang for my literal buck.
While this book was somewhat enjoyable, it, like most annuals, suffers from the fact that they’re for completionists only. There’s nothing here that you don’t need, especially if you’re on a budget. I regret putting it on my “Comics Should Be Cheap!” list in that sense. If you’re a hardcore “Animal Man” reader, you’ve likely bought this already, but if you’re on the fence because it IS an annual, you’re not missing much. In fact, my Three Amigos Analogy is all you really need. It’s just not necessary to understand the story as a whole.
Final Score: 6.5 – Browse
While we’re at it, does it seem bleedingly obvious that Abigail will become the new avatar of the Rot after the crossover? I could be wrong, but that seems like what the writers are heading towards.
