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iceberg0's review
1.0
Lemire is such a good writer but I guess he felt handcuffed by the superhero thing? This was bad.
cosmodious's review
4.0
An incredible start that is hampered by the it’s inclusion in the larger universe. Without going into spoiler territory, the Rotworld crossover is great in theory but made muddled by the necessity of dealing with its effects on the DC Universe. The brilliant tone and characterisation seriously suffers here but it’s still well worth a read.
joshgauthier's review
4.0
Well, this was an undertaking.
Lemire's work is my first time reading Animal Man, and for large portions of this series, the story works almost as a stand alone rather than an interconnected piece of the DC Universe (with the exception of Swamp Thing) who is closely tied to this story.
And I've read the first handful of issues before now, but I still forgot just how much body horror goes into this character (or at least this version of him). It's delivered with great style across the various artists who worked on these issues, but it's certainly not your standard superhero visuals.
There are essentially three connected story arcs across Lemire's run, along with a bit of connective tissue. The first is the strongest, showcasing distinctive artwork and Lemire's focused specialty of character and family-driven storytelling.
The second arc spinning directly out of the first is significantly more epic in scope. It trades some of the heart of the storytelling for the grandness of the conflict, but even on a large scale, this creative team knows how to deliver.
And just when all seems settled, a new enemy arises, drawing the heroes back into the fray one more time while also resolving pieces that remained from past adventures. (With one notable exception in the form of a plot thread I really wanted more resolution for).
Overall, it's dark, it's gruesome, and it's a wild dose of super-powered adventure. Even for Lemire's early work, his emotionally-engaged storytelling shines through, while a range of distinctive artists leave their lasting marks on these characters as their exploits come to life.
It's a striking series, well worth the time it takes to read as poor Buddy Baker risks it all, just to try and keep his family safe.
Lemire's work is my first time reading Animal Man, and for large portions of this series, the story works almost as a stand alone rather than an interconnected piece of the DC Universe (with the exception of Swamp Thing) who is closely tied to this story.
And I've read the first handful of issues before now, but I still forgot just how much body horror goes into this character (or at least this version of him). It's delivered with great style across the various artists who worked on these issues, but it's certainly not your standard superhero visuals.
There are essentially three connected story arcs across Lemire's run, along with a bit of connective tissue. The first is the strongest, showcasing distinctive artwork and Lemire's focused specialty of character and family-driven storytelling.
The second arc spinning directly out of the first is significantly more epic in scope. It trades some of the heart of the storytelling for the grandness of the conflict, but even on a large scale, this creative team knows how to deliver.
And just when all seems settled, a new enemy arises, drawing the heroes back into the fray one more time while also resolving pieces that remained from past adventures. (With one notable exception in the form of a plot thread I really wanted more resolution for).
Overall, it's dark, it's gruesome, and it's a wild dose of super-powered adventure. Even for Lemire's early work, his emotionally-engaged storytelling shines through, while a range of distinctive artists leave their lasting marks on these characters as their exploits come to life.
It's a striking series, well worth the time it takes to read as poor Buddy Baker risks it all, just to try and keep his family safe.
imakandiway's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
molok's review
4.0
Not as good as the Grant Morrison run or it's sister series Swamp Thing but still pretty great.
bookwormjt's review
3.0
3.5 * I liked what Lemire did with the Baker family. Very true and very emotional. The build up for Rot World was done well in my opinion. I love the horror that was told with this story; however, the actual event of Rot World wasn't so great.
mrpink44's review
3.0
Worth a read, but I don't think it's worth owning. I'll be selling my copy as I don't think I'll read it again. Most likely the least favorite thing I've read from Lemire. After discussion with some friends around this it became clear how some of the characters powers are really undefined or defined and then broken. Long and a bit wordy in places. That said, this does come after reading Grant Morrison's Animal Man run just two months ago and it's probably nearly impossible to top. IMO, I can easily recommend Morrison's run as a buy and would say skip this one.
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