COMIC BINGE: Animal Man, Vol. 5: Evolve or Die! & Nailbiter, Vol. 1: There Will Be Blood
Well, the inevitable time has finally come. Animal Man is coming to an end in the New 52, and I’m extremely disappointed. It has been by far one of the best books in DC’s lineup in my opinion, and Jeff Lemire deserves some big props for filling some big shoes. The previous champion of the Animal Man universe was Grant Morrison, who we all know now as one of the best comic writers of the previous decade, and made several great runs on titles like JLA and Batman stories out of this world. The premiere volume of Animal Man was phenomenal, and it was clear then that Jeff Lemire was soon a name to be aware of. He’s done a lot of great original work with Sweet Tooth, Trillium, and The Underwater Welder, but this was his shining moment to prove that he deserves the opportunity to write comics for established characters. What he did with Animal Man is more than I could have ever expected after being a fan of Grant Morrison’s original run. He made it darker. So much darker. And it was gruesome, while Animal Man served to be an excellent hero who teamed up with the likes of Swamp Thing and Constantine. His daughter Maxine finding the Red, the matter which life is made of, and his troubles with his son only deepened the story of Buddy Baker and his family.
Unfortunately, this final volume was not the greatest of the five, nor was it any better than any of the four before it. It was still good, and the ending for Buddy was fitting, and especially fitting for Lemire. I really enjoyed this book, and there’s a cool nod to American Vampire because of Rafael Alburquerque’s work on the book. I would of course encourage any reader, even ones who don’t read comics, to give Lemire’s Animal Man a chance. The story is compelling, and the artwork is among some of the best I’ve seen in recent books on the shelves. It has been a consistently amazing title up until the very end, even though it does not take away from its last issue whatsoever. And even if you don’t give this series a chance, I would highly recommend any of Jeff Lemire’s work to any readers looking for some great stories. Mr. Lemire, you should find those Swamp Thing offices and have a seat. Or just somewhere at DC, please. We’ll miss you Buddy Baker.
RATED : ( PG-13 )
STORY : ( 8 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 8 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )
A new comic out of Image got my attention in our catalog, and so I finally was able to get my hands on the first volume of Nailbiter. Of course, the cover immediately grabbed my attention with all of the blood splatter artwork. It’s been pointed out that I tend to favor books with blood splattery artwork, but regardless, I enjoyed this comic. From the moment it starts, there is this lingering dread and darkness that surrounds the story but never casts it completely into darkness. The characters are interesting, as NSA Agent Finch visits Buckaroo to find out why there are so many serial characters born from this overcast city. As Finch uncovers the mysteries of Buckaroo, serial killers new and old run rampant throughout the city leading the Agent on a goose chase. I particularly like the killers and their reasons or methods of killing, as it is something fresh in the comic book world after all of the zombies and vampires we’ve seen. Finch is forced to team up with vindicated and now good guy, ex-serial killer nicknamed the Nailbiter. It’s all extremely gruesome and dark, and the artwork definitely fits the story. Joshua Williamson has crafted an excellent story that draws to mind Chew and some of Jeff Lemire’s personal work. I would highly recommend this title to horror readers, and fans of darker comics. Probably Dexter fans too, but I think those all vanquished from existence after that series finale.
RATED : ( R )
STORY : ( 9 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 7 / 10 )
COVERS : ( 9 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )