DC COMICS
STORY: Jeff Lemire
PENCILS: Travel Foreman
INKS: Travel Foreman, Dan Green
COLORS: Lovern Kindzierski
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
COVER: Travel Foreman with Lovern Kindzierski
32pp, Color, $2.99
Animal Man is a DC Comics superhero character. Created by writer Dave Wood and artist Carmine Infantino, Bernhard “Buddy” Baker had the power to borrow the abilities of animals (like a bird’s ability to fly). Baker first appeared in Strange Adventures #180 (cover dated September 1965), and first appeared as Animal Man in Strange Adventures #190.
Animal Man starred in a comic book that ran for 89 issues from 1988 to 1995. The best known lot of that series was a 26-issue run written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Chas Truog. With DC Comics’ revamp of its superhero comics line, “The New 52,” Animal Man once again has his own comic book series, this written by Jeff Lemire and penciled by Travel Foreman.
As Animal Man #1 begins (The Hunt, Part One: “Warning from the Red”), Buddy is reading an interview he gave to a newspaper. He believes that his being an actor and also an animal rights activist and spokesman has been part of the natural progression of his life. Buddy is starting to miss being a superhero when he gets a chance to save the day in a horrible hostage situation. Being Animal Man again, however, leads to a strange situation with his daughter, a trip into The Red, and a meeting with his new adversaries.
I am an admirer of cartoonist Jeff Lemire’s work, in particular the Essex County Trilogy. Still, I had my doubts about him writing a superhero comic book, which Lemire blasted to bits. This new Animal Man is off to an exceptionally good start, mostly because it is so different. In the tradition of past Animal Man writers: Morrison, Peter Milligan, Tom Veitch, and Jamie Delano, Lemire uses the uniqueness of Animal Man’s power to explore themes and ideas not often explored in comic books (if at all).
I don’t want to spoil the goodness for you, dear readers, but Lemire borrows “the Red,” created by Jamie Delano during his Animal Man tenure. As off-the-wall as this comic book seems during its first half, the second half just blew up in my face. You can watch Lemire and Foreman coming together as a creative force with a unique vision and with a distinctive voice with which to proclaim that vision. I can’t wait for the second issue.
Artist Travel Foreman – I mean this honestly – is just taking superhero comics to someplace different. This is evident in the way Foreman executes a graphic narrative and in the way he designs and composes the art for a superhero comic book. Yes, I can’t wait for the second issue.
Note to self: stop babbling; just enjoy.
A
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