Animal Man #25
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artists: Rafael Albuquerque and Dave McCaig
Cover Artists: Rafael Albuquerque and Dave McCaig
Publisher: DC
The Red has been infiltrated by Brother Blood, and Buddy Baker has no way of saving his daughter, who has been stranded there. Jeff Lemire writes another fantastic issue filled with action, suspense, emotional reconnections; this series has everything you could want in a comic book. Buddy’s connection to his family is what makes this book as great as it is. His devotion to being a great father, to be being a great husband, though often hindered by his role as Animal Man, is what makes him such a remarkable, likeable character, and Lemire does a great job of letting that shine, even with the series getting a much darker tone. Rafael Albuquerque’s art hasn’t been this good outside of American Vampire. His illustrations are fantastic and a great match to the direction that Lemire is taking this story. 4.5/5
Forever Evil: Rogue’s Rebellion #2
Writers: Brian Buccellato
Artists: Scott Hepburn and Nick Filardi
Cover Artists: Jordie Bellaire and Declan Shalvey
Publisher: DC
The unfortunate thing about mini-series that are tied to a crossover event, is that no matter how interesting the story is, anything with a lasting impact will undoubtedly take place in the actual event. That isn’t to say that the mini-series won’t be worth reading, but it’s always something to keep in mind. This second of six issues falters a tiny bit from the first issue. A couple of the more climactic scenes had already been shown in Forever Evil #3, which took away from the issue a little bit. The issue is saved by Brian Buccellato’s obvious love for these characters. He does a fantastic job developing these villain-turned-heroes and writing them in a way that doesn’t erase their villainous nature, but also highlights their level of restraint. The Rogues are a fantastic bunch, and hopefully this mini-series ends up being more than a footnote in the Forever Evil saga. 3.5/5
Red Hood and the Outlaws #25
Writers: James Tynion IV
Artists: Jeremy Haun and John Kalisz
Cover Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Javier Mena Guerrero, and Cam Smith
Publisher: DC
Considering Red Hood’s history with Batman and the Bat-Family, it makes sense that this book would be included in the Zero Year crossover. However, it’s still a tad unfortunate how often this series has been overshadowed by Jason’s history, because during these crossovers the rest of the team is often overlooked. That being said, this was a really good issue. The story did a great job of establishing Jason’s ties with Talia, the Untitled, as well as foreshadowing his propensity to doing the right thing. Jeremy Haun, with John Kalisz on colors, did an amazing job with this issue. Haun, who previously illustrated Jason Todd during the Red Hood: Lost Days mini-series, crafts a beautiful issue with wonderful action sequences and gorgeous characters. Overlooking the fact that Roy and Kori are completely overlooked, this issue was a fantastic read. 4/5
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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net