Is It Good? Animal Man #26 Review

Figures. One of my favorite books from DC Comics, Animal Man, is coming to a close in March. Might as well see it through to the end and hope it closes with a bang. We’ve still got a little time though: right now we’ve got a one-shot story before we get to the big showdown next month! Is it good?

Animal Man #26 (DC Comics)

Buddy Baker has randomly appeared on a strange planet. He has no clue why he is there and where exactly he may be, but he is not alone. There are strange aliens around and they are quite hostile.

This one reminds me of a horned Darkseid for some reason.

This issue feel very much like filler, since the plot does not seem to advance much and it’s more about continuing to build up the mythos of the Red (and also Green) with this issue. However, I also hesitate to call it “simply filler” because of what happens towards the end of the book. As such, this issue will definitely be coming back into play before the series is over and have some serious ramifications.

After months and months of heavy drama and some very serious and dark tones, it feels weird to read something that feels rather light and uneventful. This switch may throw some people and the pacing the series has been building may have come to a dead stop with this one. It’s hard to explain, but this issue is pretty forgettable and not nearly as engaging since there is not much emotion or tension in it. Definitely the weakest issue of Animal Man in a while.

The artwork by Cully Hamner looks pretty good. His aliens and landscape designs are nice looking, his double page spreads are eye-pleasing with a lot of great detail, and the tiny bit of action that took place flowed smoothly. However, there is not much else to it and despite the creativity, nothing here really jumps out at you that much.

6.0

• Even in a subpar issue, Lemire’s writing is good enough.
• Cully Hamner’s art is impressive.

• Feels rather boring and almost uneventful.
• Not as heavy, emotional, or strong as the past issues.

Is It Good?

Animal Man #26 is not bad, it is a serve step down in quality for the series and does break the momentum the comic has been getting over these past few months. It feels like filler, even though it is very clear that what happens in it is very important for later on, and it does not leave much of a lasting impression. Hopefully, the final three issues are more than enough to make up for this slipup.