Red Dead Nightmares
With DC's relaunch, we've got a new creative team consisting of Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman working on one of DC's most interesting characters, Animal Man. As a superhero who would give the world for his family, what exactly will Buddy Baker do when his daughter's powers start to manifest?
The Good
This issue's introduction is definitely different, it's not exactly ground breaking but, it is a different take on getting new and old readers up to speed with what Lemire's take on Animal Man will be. I think Jeff Lemire's goal for this book is to make Buddy Baker and his family a group of characters who do their best to hold on to their humanity whilst living in a world filled with fantastic and colorful super-powered heroes. With this goal in mind, Lemire hits it out of the park. The fact that Animal Man thinks of his family while he's fighting crime really shows you the kind of character he is. A family man.
Travel Foreman also does a pretty good job on interiors in this book. His artwork really adds to the tone of horror this book wants to achieve. Some of the things he draws in the hospital scene and in Buddy's nightmare are terrifying. Just plain terrifying
The Bad
The only problem I had with this issue was the inking. I don't know to much about how comic book artist go about doing their work, but the changes to the way the book was inked takes away from making the book feel like a whole. Aside from that, this book is wondrous.
Verdict - 4.5 out of 5
As a first issue amidst DC's September relaunch, this book is new reader friendly. As a completely new reader to Animal Man, you really get a good sense of who he is and what kind of direction this horror/family themed book is going in. Buddy Baker's nightmares come true in front of his own eyes, ending this book with a terrifying cliffhanger. You've got to pick this up.
