Animal Man #19 is a return to form for the series. It was good for the past couple of issues, but it's become great once more.  Read Full Review

What a fantastic issue! ANIMAL MAN #19 does a great job at wrapping up the aftermath of the Rotworld story arc. Lemire does a fantastic job telling this tale and bringing some emotional reality to the book. As far as art goes, this is my favorite issue with Pugh on the book. He really hit it out of the park here. My only problems with the issue is that it's not really new reader friendly and one line of dialogue rubbed me the wrong way.Aside from all that, I'm very interested in where this book is going, after the later events of this issue. This book is going to have a bit of a change. It seems it will be moving more towards a super-hero book than anything else, which will bring in some new readers. Overall, I highly recommend this issue. Read Full Review

It's been a while since an issue of this series has wowed me so greatly. I enjoy every issue, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the title took a bit of a dip in quality recently. I blame it on Rotworld being a bit too drawn out. But now it looks like we're back to A+ material from Jeff Lemire and his crew, and I can't wait to see where he takes Buddy henceforth. Read Full Review

Everything is clicking for Animal Man right now and that includes the visual team who have done a great job with this issue. Once again, Animal Man is not a series you can afford to miss. Read Full Review

Steve Pugh handles the entirety of this issue; he really steps up the plate with a stark, gripping style that could be mistaken for a cleaner version of Foreman's work. If this is the level of storytelling fidelity and clarity we can expect from the book going forward, Animal Man will be in good hands. Read Full Review

Like Swamp Thing, Animal Man continues to be one of the top DC comics right now, and might be one of the best super hero comics of any company. This is a perfect starting point for new readers, and I highly recommend folks check it out. Read Full Review

The last panel of this issue says it all, with a dejected Animal Man standing alone on the plain where the tree of life that he used to access The Red used to stand. It's a stark and disturbing panel, a perfect dark and depressing end to an issue that sets out to break your heart in the most powerful way possible. As with any story-telling device, the loss of a child can be used terribly and awkwardly, and I hate it when it's haphazardly tossed in as an afterthought. Jeff Lemire uses Cliff's demise organically and powerfully, making it feel more real and horribly true-to-life than any comic death in recent memory. Read Full Review

Even with artist changes and such, Animal Man has been able to maintain a decent quality -- especially when you study the artwork of Steve Pugh. With his ability to draw convincing animals (harder than you'd think, and consider here that Pugh has to draw a realistic cat that can also talk) as well as character acting and Animal Man's trademark "weird shit," Pugh is the total package and the book's greatest asset. Read Full Review

Yet there's something to be said about starting strong, and the human drama that dominates the first half of this book is a better Animal Man story than I've seen in quite some time. With Buddy Baker presumably taking a more down-to-earth role after this issue, there's a lot of potential for this superhero without a cause, without a mission, without a family. There's lot of human drama that can be mined here, if the book's creative team can ignore all the animal mythology for a bit. Read Full Review

When Buddy confronts the Red towards the end of the issue, they tell him that he is nothing but "a stopgap". That's precisely how this issue feels. It is very utilitarian, and its ultimate worth will only become evident in later issues when we see what Lemire does with the new status quo he is establishing. Lemire is a talented guy, and I imagine that he'll be able to do some interesting things eventually, but that doesn't make this issue any more satisfying. We're really just moving pieces around, getting them ready for later, which is all well and good, but doesn't do much for the here and now. Read Full Review

Shockingly, it's not the most moving portrayal of a father losing his son you've seen this year, even though it involves some of the ostensibly more grounded characters in the DCU proper. That alone should tell you how desperately this title needs a reset at this point. Read Full Review

If you like your comics somber and depressing, this one is a good choice for you. Animal Man still struggles to build a healthy relationship with his family. Paparazzi and media still annoy him. In the end, he tries to confront The Leaders of the Red. Though, that part was probably the most amusing. It's still a very sad issue though. It can only get better from here I guess … Or rather, I hope. Read Full Review