ANIMAL MAN #2

ANIMAL MAN #2 by Linsay @softlyspokenlas

October 7, 2011, 10:16 pm
Filed under: Comic Reviews, DC Comics | Tags: animalman, blood, DCNew52, jefflemire, lovernkindzierski, travelforeman

After that blood and guts ridden, pet-necromancing family affair of a debut issue, it’s so nice to see that Animal Man’s super-shit-hot team of writer Jeff LeMire, artist Travel Foreman and colourist Lovern Kindzierski have decided to give us a nice light fluffy pink issue #2. Oh no wait, those pink bits are crazy intestine tentacle insides….

Animal Man #2 picks up exactly where #1 left off. It even takes us up a few notches with a deepening and more involving story line, even more blood and gory bits, brilliant black humour and some of the best art this side of the DC Reboot. Its all summed up excellently by TF’s extraordinarily bizarre cover. Buddy and his costumed daughter are running full pelt in between some scraggy buzzard claws which seem to be growing from the recently mentioned fleshy pink tentacle mass. There are some teeth and an eyeball in here too, just for extra horror appeal.

For those of you who did not read my review of #1 I shall now summarise it for you below:

IT WAS BRILLIANT, I LOVED IT.

For those of you who did not read the comic; SHAME ON YOU. Hopefully this review will convince you to pick up #2 and track down a 2nd printing of #1. If it doesn’t then there is no hope for either of us 🙂 I really can’t recommend this comic enough. If you are a comic/ ‘graphic novel’ reader but ‘don’t do capes’, then this is the comic to introduce you to DC mainstream. If you’ve never read comics at all this is a great place to start. Trust me, I write like a doctor. Use it to convert your less interesting pals.

If you can manage to take your eyes away from this weirdly comforting cover you will find all sorts of brilliance within. You’ll be treated to a special spot by the hearth in amongst the Baker family as Maxine’s inheritance of her fathers unusual powers begin to manifest. This allows for further insight into the dynamics of a family whose husband/ father is also a superhero. Maxine seems to hold the key to solving Buddy’s bizarre experiences/ tattoos/ bleeding eyes and so father and daughter embark upon a journey guided by Buddy’s crazy bloody Prison Break style tattoo map.

There are some touching down home scenes in this book. LeMire’s writing really shines out at these points, especially when all four Bakers are together. TF’s art is like a cold hand up your back at these points. Its so wild and brilliant. Really wonderfully dark and a lot of the credit for this needs to land on the man doing the colouring.

Issue #2 of Animal Man progresses superbly from striking first issue into a must read story arc. Scenes away from the Bakers, in the San Diego Zoo set us up for the larger story and make me wonder how Buddy and Maxine’s journey to the Red Place is going to affect the greater world. There is a two page spread in the middle of the book which is reminiscent of  Salvador Dali setting a painting inside the pulmonary artery of the human heart.

The DC Reboot is right on the money for me with this title. It’s mostly what I want in a comic book, and some of what I didn’t know I wanted. Roll on issue #3 and lets see Maxine and Buddy getting right in amongst whatever is going on!

Also, I’ve been trying to find out a bit more about Mr Travel Foreman as I’m afraid I’m a bit spoiled due to many artists having lovely/ disturbing things for me to look at on deviant art et al. Mr LeMire informs me that Mr Foreman can only be reached via carrier pigeon and my parrot is too small/ stupid for serious work.

Linsay @softlyspokenlas

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