Animal Man #27

Writing Jeff Lemire Art Rafael Albuquerque

 

Introduction

 

Animal Man in the new 52 has had a really bizarre journey, which makes complete sense when dissecting the character for all of his eccentric delight. However, weird does not equate to a good comic book series. Over the past nine issues scribe Jeff Lemire has ripped a massive hole in the family of Buddy Baker, and it is not necessary to the story, but also grating to readers. Every creator who ever touches the self proclaimed family man that is Buddy Baker attempts to make him seem noble, but instead of being heroic Animal Man seems selfish. He constantly puts his kids and family in danger with barely any care, when his son Cliff died recently there was a long period of where the hero began drifting through life. The stakes over the past couple of installments have also not been clear. It is frustrating not to get better work out of someone who is definitely capable of writing excellent Animal Man stories, and with Lemire leaving at issue #29, I will remember only half of his run fondly.

 

Writing

 

The plot in this next to last issue of Animal Man does little too negate recent criticisms of the saga. In fact, it only seems to reinforce all the issues I have had with this run. As a recently returned to earth Buddy Baker fights the new corrupt red totem, wife Ellen Baker is at risk because of the mess that is her husband caused. Daughter of Animal Man, and heir to the red Maxine is also picking up the pieces by trying to resurrect her dead brother. She also gets a harsh glimpse of reality when Brother Blood strikes. When looking back on the full scope of these 20 something issues, the best addition to the mythos made by Lemire is the interesting cast of misfit animals that live within the red. Which is another place where Lemire seemingly makes a pretty big mistake here. Turning Animal Man into a horror book is a good idea, killing certain members of the family and supporting cast is not.

 

Art

 

The incredible Rafael Albuquerque joins the Baker family once again to give some gorgeous pencils to the series at large. This is a really important issue, as evident by the great cover for the artist. The extended fight scene fares extremely well here, as each player in the story has a sense of scale that makes the two titans feel like formidable foes. The penciller also deals with the more grounded elements quite well, as scenes with Ellen Baker have some great facial expressions. The extended cast located within the green is drawn with utmost precision as well, as everyone is properly emoting and a great sense of place is properly evoked in those sequences. The artist has an uncanny sense of storytelling that really pays off in this installment. Everything seems to be in fluid motion that makes the story that much easier to read. Albuquerque will delight fans and make some new ones with his mainstream DC work.

Conclusion

Lemire continues heading into a controversial direction in Animal Man that negates the very reason why Buddy Baker is special. Master storyteller Rafael Albuquerque is still on top of his game in this installment, making those only interested in the artwork justified in their purchase of this title.