N00b Reviews: Animal Man #1, Demon Knights #1, Swamp Thing #1
See, I was going to do this whole thing where I actually tried to review the comics properly but, well, it's taking too long. So, instead, I'm going to try to bash through everything this weekend because, well, I want to read the #2s, dammit, and also pretend I have a life.
And I'll stop talking about this stuff (at least, with this frequency) soon, I promise.
Animal Man #1
How much do I know about this stuff?
Wait… “Animal Man” is, like, a thing?
The review.
This is one of my favourite titles of the relaunch so far.
The premise: Buddy Baker (Somebody actually named their character “Buddy Baker”? This is amazing.) is a family man and animal rights activist who also happens to be a superhero.
One of the things I like most about this concept is the fact he’s Animal Man is, frankly, no big deal. He’s a dad who loves his occasionally whiny kids (god, that boy’s mullet has to be seen to be believed) who sometimes uses his ability to take on the traits of animals to fight crime. And that’s not a secret - heck, he gives magazine interviews about it.
The broader plot offers its share of darker twists and turns, but the story never loses that relatable quality. It’s helped along by the artwork, which isn’t normally to my taste but is nevertheless wholly appropriate to the subject matter. Art in comics is often beautiful, but even at its most realistic it’s rarely as believably human as it is here. Sure, it might not always be easy on the eyes, but I love everything about it - all the way down to the terrible buttery yellow of the Baker family’s kitchen walls.
And that isn’t even touching on the gorgeous, twisted dream sequence. I know it’s the blood red against a stark grey landscape that gets most play with people, but I finished the issue wanting a giant, demonic Mr. Wuffles to call my own. Also, those dead animals were really cute.
My issues, people. Let me show you them.
TL;DR: Animal Man #1 earns an A++ WOULD READ AGAIN and is a great introduction for new readers. I’m a fan.
Demon Knights #1
How much do I know about this stuff?
There’s a demon knight on the cover! My first and only clue.
The review.
Okay, I don’t know that I’d necessarily call this comic good, but it’s sure as hell fun.
From the perspective of someone who has no idea who these people are (read: me), this is a story about a bunch of people having vaguely Dungeons & Dragons-esque adventures in Generic Medieval Fantasy Land. We open with the fall of Camelot and the binding of the demon Etrigan (the eponymous “Demon Knight”) to some unlucky bastard and fast forward some years later to “The Dark Ages” as the evil Questing Queen* and her murderous horde cut a bloody swath across the countryside in search of… some undefined thing.
Basically, that’s about it. There are bar fights and dragons and and it’s all kind of ridiculous, but in a fun way that suggests it isn’t taking itself too seriously. This isn’t high literature, by any stretch of the imagination, and frankly I’m glad it’s not.
Sometimes I just want to read about sarcastic demons, okay? Don't judge me.
LOL.
TL;DR: It’s not the best comic out there, but if you like things that are fun you should probably be reading this book. I’m just saying.
* She’s gunning for Loremaster. Zing!
Swamp Thing #1
How much do I know about this stuff?
I’m aware that “Swamp Thing” is a beloved character with a lot of history, but all I have to go on right now is the title so, uh, he’s a thing in a swamp?
The review.
This book is so pretty, you guys! I mean, just look at this cover (via CBR.com).
Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that, for unknown reasons, rendered in Yanick Paquette’s style Superman looks like a total doofus (dude, that costume ain’t helping), but otherwise everything about the art in this book - from the inks to the colours to the pretty, recurring art deco flower motifs - makes me happy. It’s just beautiful and, as the cuts from the story’s usual lush, green vegetation to something stark and dead and altogether considerably more horrifying would indicate, surprisingly versatile.
Right, the plot. We’re following the story of Dr. Alec Holland, a former botanist killed in a lab accident and recently (and mysteriously) raised from the dead. Now working in construction, he tries to come to terms with new memories from his life after death - of being a monster, the eponymous Swamp Thing. Meanwhile, animal populations are dying off across the country and, in the desert, something not very nice has started to stir.
If it sounds like that’s a lot to digest for a #1, that’s because, well, this issue isn’t a reboot. The story is simply picking up where Swamp Thing’s tale left off and, while it’s probable the relaunch has subtlety changed the character’s backstory, so far as I’m aware all of his old storylines have remained intact.
So this whole “easing in new readers” thing, yeah, not so much.
But despite that, I’m a fan. Sure, I don’t really get what’s going on (that final page - I mean, what the hell) but I’m both interested and invested. Besides, the palaeontologists’ sequence was some of the creepiest reading I’ve come across in a long while and, in my books, that’s a very good sign.
TL;DR: Confusing for new readers, sure, but I loved it anyway.
Also, I want Swamp Thing and Animal Man to team up to punch bad guys in the face. Oh wait, that’s actually happening. ♥
And I'll stop talking about this stuff (at least, with this frequency) soon, I promise.
Animal Man #1
How much do I know about this stuff?
Wait… “Animal Man” is, like, a thing?
The review.
This is one of my favourite titles of the relaunch so far.
The premise: Buddy Baker (Somebody actually named their character “Buddy Baker”? This is amazing.) is a family man and animal rights activist who also happens to be a superhero.
One of the things I like most about this concept is the fact he’s Animal Man is, frankly, no big deal. He’s a dad who loves his occasionally whiny kids (god, that boy’s mullet has to be seen to be believed) who sometimes uses his ability to take on the traits of animals to fight crime. And that’s not a secret - heck, he gives magazine interviews about it.
The broader plot offers its share of darker twists and turns, but the story never loses that relatable quality. It’s helped along by the artwork, which isn’t normally to my taste but is nevertheless wholly appropriate to the subject matter. Art in comics is often beautiful, but even at its most realistic it’s rarely as believably human as it is here. Sure, it might not always be easy on the eyes, but I love everything about it - all the way down to the terrible buttery yellow of the Baker family’s kitchen walls.
And that isn’t even touching on the gorgeous, twisted dream sequence. I know it’s the blood red against a stark grey landscape that gets most play with people, but I finished the issue wanting a giant, demonic Mr. Wuffles to call my own. Also, those dead animals were really cute.
My issues, people. Let me show you them.
TL;DR: Animal Man #1 earns an A++ WOULD READ AGAIN and is a great introduction for new readers. I’m a fan.
Demon Knights #1
How much do I know about this stuff?
There’s a demon knight on the cover! My first and only clue.
The review.
Okay, I don’t know that I’d necessarily call this comic good, but it’s sure as hell fun.
From the perspective of someone who has no idea who these people are (read: me), this is a story about a bunch of people having vaguely Dungeons & Dragons-esque adventures in Generic Medieval Fantasy Land. We open with the fall of Camelot and the binding of the demon Etrigan (the eponymous “Demon Knight”) to some unlucky bastard and fast forward some years later to “The Dark Ages” as the evil Questing Queen* and her murderous horde cut a bloody swath across the countryside in search of… some undefined thing.
Basically, that’s about it. There are bar fights and dragons and and it’s all kind of ridiculous, but in a fun way that suggests it isn’t taking itself too seriously. This isn’t high literature, by any stretch of the imagination, and frankly I’m glad it’s not.
Sometimes I just want to read about sarcastic demons, okay? Don't judge me.
LOL.
TL;DR: It’s not the best comic out there, but if you like things that are fun you should probably be reading this book. I’m just saying.
* She’s gunning for Loremaster. Zing!
Swamp Thing #1
How much do I know about this stuff?
I’m aware that “Swamp Thing” is a beloved character with a lot of history, but all I have to go on right now is the title so, uh, he’s a thing in a swamp?
The review.
This book is so pretty, you guys! I mean, just look at this cover (via CBR.com).
Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that, for unknown reasons, rendered in Yanick Paquette’s style Superman looks like a total doofus (dude, that costume ain’t helping), but otherwise everything about the art in this book - from the inks to the colours to the pretty, recurring art deco flower motifs - makes me happy. It’s just beautiful and, as the cuts from the story’s usual lush, green vegetation to something stark and dead and altogether considerably more horrifying would indicate, surprisingly versatile.
Right, the plot. We’re following the story of Dr. Alec Holland, a former botanist killed in a lab accident and recently (and mysteriously) raised from the dead. Now working in construction, he tries to come to terms with new memories from his life after death - of being a monster, the eponymous Swamp Thing. Meanwhile, animal populations are dying off across the country and, in the desert, something not very nice has started to stir.
If it sounds like that’s a lot to digest for a #1, that’s because, well, this issue isn’t a reboot. The story is simply picking up where Swamp Thing’s tale left off and, while it’s probable the relaunch has subtlety changed the character’s backstory, so far as I’m aware all of his old storylines have remained intact.
So this whole “easing in new readers” thing, yeah, not so much.
But despite that, I’m a fan. Sure, I don’t really get what’s going on (that final page - I mean, what the hell) but I’m both interested and invested. Besides, the palaeontologists’ sequence was some of the creepiest reading I’ve come across in a long while and, in my books, that’s a very good sign.
TL;DR: Confusing for new readers, sure, but I loved it anyway.
Also, I want Swamp Thing and Animal Man to team up to punch bad guys in the face. Oh wait, that’s actually happening. ♥