Review: Animal Man #4

Buddy Baker has always known he was special. Animal activist, father, superhero; the man does it all! But when his link to his animal powers begins to grant him with strange new abilities, he begins to question his role in the grand spectrum of things. A role that now casts him in the shadow of the true Avatar of the Red — his own daughter!

 

Jeff Lemire pulls us deeper into the history of the Red with issue four. He exposes the Parliament of Limbs for what they truly are, and reveals the beginnings of some of the most horrific characters ever created — The Hunters Three! But what can Buddy do against such vicious creatures? Ones that can beat him so mercilessly within the very confines of the Red? Can he protect his daughter against the fury of only two Hunters, while the third stalks the rest of his family? Or is it up to four year old Maxine to save them all?

 

Lemire and Foreman have created a book that both excites mentally and nauseates physically! Lemire has brought Animal Man back from the brink of oblivion, and has nestled it atop the best books of the New 52! Cerebral, innovative and hanging on the fringe of brilliance, Lemire has created something classic and desperately needed. A mature book embedded within the world of spandex; it truly shows the scope of what comics can be if guided by the right hand. 

 

And speaking of being guided by the right hand, Travel Foreman drags us into a twisted world of rendered flesh and gnawing insects. His art seethes off the page, sliding into every pore of your body, and leaving a sickly sweet residue that clings to your soul. His undulating images assault the senses, and are the perfect compliment to Lemire's vision.

 

Animal Man is one of those books that begins as a cult following, building by word of mouth, until it eventually becomes a tale that everyone wants and needs to have. Don't wait any longer, this is the time to try out something that all Vertigo fans will instantly crave, and fans of great books will love!