ANIMAL MAN #1

Review by: Desaad

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Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by TRAVEL FOREMAN and DAN GREEN
Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN

Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99

This, for me, was a bit of a surprise. I think Lemire’s creator owned stuff has been good, but never in a ‘knock you out’ sort of way; it’s slow, sometimes even plodding, and lacks the kind of density I generally like in my comic books. But over time he builds his characters into incredibly likeable, sympathetic creatures, and I find myself hooked. Still, when up against the rest of the competition, I felt that this would at best be fourth on my list, behind Stormwatch and Swamp Thing. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what made this book somehow more exciting, more satisfying, than those, which undoubtedly were conceptually ‘bigger’ (stormwatch) or more literate (Swamp Thing). And I think I have.

What was so strong about this issue was that he really nailed every level of what a good comic book should be. Writing happy families is an incredibly difficult task for writers, especially writers in comics. Looking at Fantastic Four, we’ve gotten a lot of drama out of trying to fracture them in some way, and the ‘problems’ of having a married hero (Superman, Spiderman, etc) are well documented, or at least writers complaints are. Writing KIDS in any sort of likeable way is even MORE difficult, and only recently have I seen it accomplished with any sort of aplomb (Grant Morrison in Batman and Robin, John Hickman in Fantastic Four). So the first thing that strikes me about this book? I not only love Buddy Baker, but I love his family. The drama here, the tension, isn’t going to come from internal squabbles, it isn’t going to come from Buddy’s urge to taste forbidden alien fruit (Starfire), or Ellen’s jealousy or fear or weakness. Their love for each other is palpable; Ellen is, if anything, a stronger figure in the family than is Buddy, and one can actually BELIEVE that he is madly, irrestibly in love with her, that she is the one that holds the family together. Too often we’re TOLD, but not SHOWN (looking at you, Lois Lane) why these women are incredible. But here the comfort she has with Buddy, with herself, with their relationship is on display. She’s not jealous of his time as a superhero, she knows what he needs almost better than he does, and wants nothing more for him than to have it, to have what he needs to be happy. The children are somewhat wild, but endearingly so, not petulant to the point of annoyance. It’s the small touches – Maxine yells, but then apologies when chastised. Bud is a bit of a jerk, but he loves his dad, wants to impress the Justice League with his audition tape. Just lovely, lovely stuff.

Buddy himself continues to be a wonderful everyman, and is endearing in his own way. He’s been through crazyness, but it hasn’t affected him in the least, not who he truly is; and a lot of that, again, is reflective of what a force his family is. That he’s not angsty, that he’s not losing it. They allow him to be who he TRULY is; they’re not a burden, but a lifeline. It makes the whole cast of characters at once likable and admirable, and it underscores how important they are to each other. As they are undoubtedly tested in the future, this is going to be crucial, and Lemire managed to set it up in A SINGLE ISSUE. That’s an amazing accomplishment.

But you know, great characterization is all well and good, but it’s not enough for me to really LOVE a book, certainly not love a book over some of the others that were offerred this week. I think one of the things that really sets this issue apart from, say, the denser read of “Swamp Thing” was that there was a feeling of ‘newness’ here, of forward thinking. Yes, this is a continuation (in many ways) of the Grant Morrison/Milligan/Delano run. These characters are very much as they were in that book. But everything else – the trapping, the directions – are new. There are a lot of NEW ideas here, new status quos. And I’m not just talking about the villains – although the Hunters Three are fascinating and grotesque and I want to see more of them – or even the big, last page reveal that changes the entire nature of the familial status quo. I’m talking about the LITTLE things, the touches, like Animal Man’s status as a hipster icon, which is almost emblematic of the Grant Morrison run’s status in the comic book world (and, indeed, the entire early Vertigo line’s status). Lemire added a lot of little touches here – he’s a movie star in a Darren Aronofsky film, “Evolve or Die” shirts are all over the place – that are grounded in the character, but feel totally new, and are additionally fun nods to metatextual bits (including, I might add, an interview with the character conducted by the author of the comic book…what does THAT remind you of? Even more impressive in that it’s an affectionate nod, but not at all derivative of what Morrison did).

So the characters are wonderful, the family setting feels real and warm, there are all kinds of new ideas floating about. But more…the craft here is just solid. Strong images from the minds of Lemire (himself an artist) and Foreman (who I’ll get to in a bit), revealed in a timely manner, juxtaposed with just the right dialog to highlight the weirdness. That last page reveal is the strongest of the first 13 books, Detective be damned. The presentation of Buddy’s powers – pulling animal abilities together for battle in interesting ways, but also little things like ‘stealing a cat’s napping ability’ for a bit of rest, the weight of a bumblebee so as not to wake the kids – feels logical, but still new. Not hugely conceptually original, but what we’ve already seen given new life by a deft touch. This feels very much like what Brian K Vaughn has done with so much of his creator owned and mainstream work; it’s not that any one thing blows you away, it’s that all these little elements are done pitch perfectly, and utterly personal.

Travel Foreman on this book is an absolute revelation. In a week with Rags Morales and Yanick Paquette and Keith Giffen, his work is the strongest of the bunch. I love the stylized look of his work on the family scenes, I love his strange perspectives, I love his page designs. And, of course, when we get to the dream sequence or the last page reveal, his work takes on an entirely different look, and is honestly on another level. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.

9/10 book, easily. Pick this up.

Story: 1 - Poor
Art: 1 - Poor

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