3. Animal Man
Jeff Lemire is an incredible storyteller and one of the best creative minds at DC Comics. He has taken one of the C-Level heroes of the DCU and put him (and his family) in one of the most interesting and awesome books of the relaunch. Buddy Baker is a father and husband first and superhero second. In fact, he is all but retired from superheroing when the title starts. But he gets pulled from retirement when an ancient war between three forces of nature threatens everything and everyone on Earth. These three elements are The Rot, The Red and The Green. The Rot is basically death and decay. The Red is animal life. And The Green is plant life. These three have been at war since the beginning of life on Earth. Buddy gets his powers from his strong connection to The Red. But it is quickly revealed that Buddy's four-year-old daughter is actually the avatar of The Red and thus, she is even more powerful than Buddy. And it is up to Buddy to protect his "Little Wing" while also saving the world. The entire series feels like a nightmare invading the real world. The grotesque Rot creatures and the devastation they cause is some of the sickest stuff I have ever seen in comics. The twisted imagination that it takes to come up with some of the disturbing images in this book frightens me. There are some scenes and creatures that are very reminiscent of the creature from John Carpenter's The Thing. And overall, the enemy seems unbeatable. How do you stop death? And the family dynamics and interactions are so personal and real. Ellen Baker is a mother who wants nothing more than to protect her children. And although she knows that it is not his fault, she blames Buddy for the horrors that have befallen them. Cliff is normal boy who loves that fact that his father is a superhero. And who wouldn't love that? Ever kid sees their father as Superman, but Cliff's dad is a superman. And then, there is Little Wing. She is amazing. She may be four-years-old, but she has the soul of someone much older an much wiser. Although, she still has childish thoughts occasionally. I cannot say enough good stuff about this book. Lemire's writing keeps you guessing and often times frightened for the Baker family. And the art fits the tone of the book perfectly. Animal Man is THE diamond in the rough of the New 52.