I think this review will probably be pretty short, because I have nothing but praise for Animal Man and I don't want to spoil this issue for those who have not yet read it.
I'll give a quick synopsis of what has happened so far before I review this issue: Buddy Baker (Animal Man) is living the quiet life with his family, having stopped his super heroics. His daughter Maxine begins to exhibit some strange new powers of her own (resurrecting dead animals and turning a man's limb into a chicken claw) so they set out to find "the Red", which is basically the source of Animal Man's powers, so they can find out what's going on. They talk to some totem god things, who tell them that the Red is under attack from "the Rot", or the forces of death. They are then attacked by terrifying creatures called "the Hunters Three". That's where this issue picked up.
Every issue so far has been fantastic, and I actually think that this is my favorite issue so far. Buddy and Maxine have to fight off the two Hunters while his wife and son Cliff have to deal with the third hunter. The art in this book is great, and the hunters look truly grotesque and scary. Lemire continues to balance the horror and family elements admirably, but that doesn't mean this is "family friendly" book. No way; this book is filled with torn flesh and barfy transformations and eaten legs. What I mean is that we get both the horrific super heroics and the human family interactions in the same book, and it’s great. The hunter masquerading as the cop and creepily waiting to make his move on the Baker family is chilling and builds a lot of tension. There are moments when you will feel like you’re watching a horror movie, begging characters not to make classic horror movie mistakes ("No! Don't leave him outside alone with the cop! It’s not really a cop!"), and mere moments later you'll be laughing at young Maxine begging Buddy to let her keep a new pet. There was actual a laugh out loud moment in this issue involving one of the totems coming out of the Red and reverting to his original form, I won't spoil it but I can say that it was funny and I was not expecting it.
Overall, Animal Man is one of the best books of the new 52 without a doubt. It’s horrifying, its heart warming, and it’s original. Jeff Lemire really seems to be setting this book up as long-spanning and epic story, and I am ecstatic to see it play out. So I award Animal Man #4 with my first perfect score.
10/10