Animal Man #4

While reading DC Comics, I just love to nitpick the little things. Sometimes the writers or editors are making mistakes and other times it's just me getting ahead of the story being told. But since I write these while reading the comic, everyone gets to see when I make stupid guesses at plot or when I say a character isn't acting correctly and then it's explained later. I also like to point out things I think the writer did well when I notice them. This is a bit harder to do because when a writer is telling an engaging story, I may not stop to comment on it.

I really like Animal Man so far. I like a decent amount of the 52 although I'm not sure sometimes how that comes across because it's more fun to complain about stuff.

Um, the point is, I like this bit here:

My first thought as Detective 'Rot' Krenshaw was driving Ellen down the road was "Isn't he going to go weirdo on her again?' And then the next page shows the cutaway of the trunk and the Detective in it. Last issue, the Hunters had mentioned that they can't keep the forms of the people they eat for very long and wish they'd not eaten the zookeepers all at once. So this one shot explains how this Hunter may end up keeping his form for a long while: by eating Detective Krenshaw slowly in bits and pieces.

Sure, that isn't much. But it's a nice tiny non-nitpick to balance out the nice tiny nitpicks. I do miss reading and writing about really bad comics though. Maybe I should read the next Issue of Captain Atom to get my fill!

At the end of my last write-up, I said, "Maxine is yelling, “NO!” which means she’ll probably blast this Hunter into smithereens with her Red Avatar Powers next issue." And then this happens:

See? Smithereens.

Okay, so that was an easy one to guess. I probably won't win any awards for guessing that plot development. Unless someone out there wants to give me one? Perhaps "MOST CHARISMATIC TUMBLREST AWARD!" Or "BEST BLOG NAME EVAR AWARD!" Or "WHY THE FUCK ISN'T THIS ASSHOLE READING ANY MARVEL BOOKS AWARD!"

The Rot's impression of Socrates.

Buddy and Maxine soon get a history lesson from the Totems. And they reveal themselves to be The Parliament of Limbs. Really? Why? So if The Green are Trees and The Red are Limbs, what are The Other? The Parliament of Bones is my guess. That's my guess! You get your own guess! The Hunters Three were members of the Parliament of Limbs who were seduced by the Rot. Now where have I heard that before?

The Hunters goal is to "lay claim to a living avatar" so The Rot's "influence would spread, like a dark cancer in the Life Web." Sounds like a pretty good plan! I think The Rot is some kind of metaphor for something happening within the DC offices! I wonder who the jerk is they're writing about?

After the history lesson, Buddy and Maxine get ready to leave when one of the Totems decides to go with them.

Yay! Another kitty character!

Once it leaves The Red, it can never return. But hopefully it won't die almost immediately like WWII Swamp Thing did!

Meanwhile (What happened to all the Meanwhile boxes that used to litter comics and Super Friend's cartoons? I'm bringing 'em back!), back at Ellen's mother's farm...

Now he reminds me of something from Spirited Away.

While Ellen was inside speaking with her mom, the Hunter made off into the forest with the Detective (still alive) and Cliff. Its head keeps growing and popping out of shape which means it needs to feed. So it sets Cliff down for a moment to eat the Detective's face. And his feet. And his guts. And his bones. And, well, what the hell, his clothing too. Ellen hears the Detective scream, grabs her parent's shotgun, and runs off into the woods to save Cliff. She finds him safe by a river but the Detective is half-eaten and the Hunter has turned into a crazy thing that I won't bother describing because I have a scanner.

Maxine and Buddy return to their home to find Ellen and Cliff missing. And the kitty makes me melt all over my office chair.

I wonder if DC will have a three part miniseries cross-over comic featuring Dex-Starr and Socks Ignatius!?

Who names a cat without socks Socks?! Stupid kids!