Review: Animal Man Annual #1(2012)

With the Rot nipping at their heels the Baker family seek refuge, and during that time a tale is told. Does this comic pack the muster to be worth your time and money? Continue reading to find out.

Animal Man Annual #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Pencilled by Timothy Green II
Inked by Joseph Silver
Colors by Lovern Kindzierski
Cover by Travel Foreman
Published by DC Comics

Previously in Animal Man: Buddy Baker aka Animal Man is on the run from Agents of the Rot, who are all about death and decay. These Agents want to corrupt Maxine Baker, Buddy’s young daughter, who is the current Avatar of the Red(the Animal spectrum of the Earth). The Rot will do whatever it can to stop The Red, and The Green from restoring balance.

THE STORY

Like every other issue of Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man there is a intriguing story(well the “movie” issue was a little lackluster) under the creative, and sometimes gut wrenching covers, and this Annual is no different. It is a Animal Man/Swamp Thing story, but that doesn’t mean that Buddy Baker and Alec Holland. There have been many Avatars of The Red, and The Green, this story follow two such Avatars from the latter part of the 19^th Century.

Lemire is quite adept at writing a tale that makes you feel for characters that you have never seen before, and getting that sense of dread that is creeping in like shadows at dusk. But while there are moments that inform, and possibly foreshadow Animal Man’s world, there isn’t that big of a sense of urgency within this story.

THE ART

Timothy Green II’s art is fitting, and he really does capture Maxine Baker’s innocent child visage, which in this day and age is quite hard to do, even for some DC bigwigs. The depiction of the animals in this issue are spot on, and very emotive, as is the 1800’s creepy looking Swamp Thing.

The art on the comic isn’t overly rendered, which seems to happen when some artists don’t believe in their art. These artist think they have to throw too much detail into the work which usually results in cluttered work that is not appealing to the eye. This comic is anything but unappealing. I really did enjoy the gore, and sickness of the rot moving across the plains, which is much better then just your average dead things. This is some nightmarish stuff that’d make Herbert West cringe, so there is that for the sick freaks that love gore art, and gore art alone.

IN CONCLUSION…

If you haven’t read a Animal Man comic before now you will probably be a little lost, but I could easily see this drawing someone in, and having them go out and check out the series. But, if you are a avid reader of either Animal Man, or Swamp Thing this book is a must. It’s a enjoyable, and entertaining read from beginning to end, as a shining example from the best book from the New 52 reboot.

The Animal Man Annual #1 receives 4 out of 5 Harvey Birdmen.