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Jul 03, 2012 Issue #41 - Yeasayer By J. Nisen

Writer Jeff Lemire’s new version of Animal Man is a fresh, unconventional take, even on a classically unconventional superhero. Buddy Baker, who can tap into the “life web” to access animal abilities (the strength of an elephant, the speed of a cheetah, etc.) seems to have mostly hung up the tights. This New 52 relaunch sees Baker barely tip his toe back into crime-fighting, only to get caught up in a story that is at once personal-hinging almost entirely on his daughter, who is far more than she seems-and way, way over his head. While there are some cape and tights trappings, make no mistake: this is a horror comic. And it’s a good one. Travel Foreman’s art inspires queasiness, so effective is it at being grotesque in its portrayal of otherworldly entities.

The volume leaves us with a cliffhanger-the entire Baker family is on the run from something that promises to put them in contact with another DC property, Swamp Thing. While I admire that this serialized book isn’t “writing for the trade,” a proper ending to an arc might have punctuated the experience a little better. And I know smart four-year-olds can be precocious, but much of Maxine Baker’s dialog took me out of it. Nonetheless, this book is cleverly done and well paced, with some smart flourishes throughout. Definitely toward the top of the DC reboot. (www.dccomics.com)

Author rating: 7/10