We've reached the halfway point of New 52: Year One, and it seems like a good time to go back and look at some of the most outstanding series in total so far. So for the next month, I am going to choose a book each week, read all six issues, and jot down some general thoughts and reactions. This week: Animal Man and Swamp Thing!
Looking back, it seems as if this was DC's plan from the beginning. Even in the world of comics, where big name writers, well known artists, and iconic characters can develop sure-fire followings, DC's Swamp Thing and Animal Man seemed like a lock for success. They took two of the most critically acclaimed characters in their Vertigo roster, paired them with two of their young Vertigo super-stars, and then sat back to watch the accolades rolled in. And roll in they have. From the very first week of the New 52, Swamp Thing and Animal Man have been near the top of many reviewers' weekly lists. I, personally, have spilt quite a bit of digital ink lauding the two series. But, wait, there's more! As if two well written and drawn series were not enough, the subject matter of the two books seems to be driving the characters to an inevitable team-up of epic proportions—the Rot has attacked and now it's up to the agents of the Green and Red to save the day. Animal Man and Swamp Thing, two of DC's hottest books will be crossing over near the end of their first year. So, at the halfway point of New 52: Year One, let's take a look at what makes these two books so compelling.
It may come as a shock but Snyder and Lemire have created two books that are entirely unique despite all of their similarities. One might think that because they are both writing horror stories starring environmental superheroes that are facing the same threat the two books would veer into danger of being too much alike. Yet, the vast differences in Lemire and Snyder's writing styles have carried the two series into very different ground.
Most importantly, the two starring characters, Alec Holland and Buddy Baker, are vastly different and the creative teams have embraced this. Snyder has been steadily presenting Swamp Thing as a reluctant hero recently returned from the dead into a world he only barely recognizes. Slowly forcing Alec into the role he was created to play. Aside from the presence of the Arcane family, the series has been stripped of many of its former trappings—focusing mostly on Holland's choice and presenting Abby Arcane as his opposite number. Despite the presence of the Arcane's in the series, Snyder's Swamp Thing is a solitary hero.
On the other hand, Lemire has built a strangely compelling hybrid of horror and family drama. Borrowing the characters from earlier Animal Man stories, he has cast Buddy Baker as a family man first and a superhero second. In doing so, he has made the crux of the series a family crisis. In six issues, Animal Man has only appeared in one scene by himself. The emphasis is on familial relationships and what happens when a hero's family is drawn into conflict.
Another important part of what separates Animal Man and Swamp Thing is their radically different artistic directions. Swamp Thing artist Yannick Paquette taps into a rich tradition of artists on the book and in doing so references the amazing layouts and storytelling of past greats like Steve Bissette and John Totleben. The art is lush and verdant when the story permits and crackles with a dryness whenever the main villainous presence appears. The frightening monsters that threaten the world are drawn with detail and frighteningly anchored in reality.
In Animal Man, DC took a different tact. Artist Travel Foreman is unlike the earlier artists to work on past series. Grant Morrison's legendary run on the character may have been genre bending but artistically it was fairly traditional—effectively utilizing artists like Chas Truog and Doug Hazlewood. Though “traditional” is not one of the words I would use to describe his work, Foreman's art is fascinating. It can flow from unrefined looking to polished, concrete to surreal without ever seeming inconsistent. So far, he has given perfect form to the insanely nightmarish creatures that Lemire has populated the book with. Unlike Paquette's monsters in Swamp Thing, Foreman's abominations are surrealistic concoctions that seem both amorphous and solid at the same time.
As the New 52 was being announced, Animal Man and Swamp Thing immediately stood out. Thanks to top notch creative teams and fan-favorite characters, the two series seemed to be destined to be two of the best series in the New 52. They have not disappointed. I cannot wait to see how the next six issues play out in both series.
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