Review by Booklist Review
Across the New 52, DC's company-wide relaunch, a few titles make a compelling case for such a massive restructuring, most notably Grant Morrison's bold harkening back to Superman's roots in Action Comics and Lemire's (Sweet Tooth) superhorror tale. Buddy Baker is cast as a mellow family man with animal-based superpowers who finds himself in the middle of a secret but escalating war in which the Red (humanity) and the Green (plant-based life) oppose the rapacious Rot. Having found out that his own daughter is the potential savior and that he was given his powers to usher her into this role, Buddy is launched into a horrific world of merciless, flesh-warping monsters. Lemire scripts likable characters and relatable family dynamics, even as he ratchets up the creepiness, ably abetted by Foreman's stark-lined and sinewy art, which basks in the varied ways the human form can be twisted into hideous shapes. Tying in with Swamp Thing, the books weave a new, engaging, and very dark thread into the rapidly growing DC tapestry.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this thrilling reconception of the classic DC character, Animal Man and his daughter attempt to combat the Rot and its representatives-a hideous trio of ravenous otherworldly hunters intent on annihilating all life. Foreman's masterful artistic execution makes for truly engrossing and even terrifying reading. His demented and evocative creations, be they the hideous hunters from the Rot or the Totems-animalistic avatars that inhabit the universal life force called the Red (that are credited with giving him his original powers, rather than aliens)-come to life thanks to a limitless imagination and an inspired flair for horror imagery. The one slowdown to the tale is a damaging feature-length filmic intermission to the story-a collective effort by multiple artists illustrating Buddy Baker's burgeoning acting career-which comes off as trite compared to the main story line. Otherwise, this is an unusually suspenseful and scary comic. Lemire, an award-winning graphic novelist for his Essex County trilogy, has reimagined Animal Man in a way that actually comes close to doing justice to the wicked originality and avant-garde ethos of Grant Morrison's groundbreaking revival, which made the series such a critical success in the late '80s. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
