Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #1

Writers: Gerard Way and Jon Rivera
Art: Michael Avon Oeming
Interior Colors: Nick Filardi
Letters: Clem Robins
Publisher: DC

The launch of Young Animal has brought some fantastically weird books and Cave Carson is no exception. While the first two books to be launched draw heavily on two Vertigo titles from the 90s, Cave Carson harkens back even further, its titular character being a DC Silver Age creatiom that has only appeared sporadically since the 80s. Like Shade, the Changing Man or Morrison's Doom Patrol this first issue reads like a reinvention of the character, like the rest of the Young Animal line and like the original Vertigo line it still uses DC's continuity but it distances itself from the tropes of DC's bread and butter, the superhero genre.

The clearer emotional core of this book sets it apart. Cave is dealing with his relationship to his daughter and his work in the aftermath of his wife's death. The other books were personally more relatable but they were also more ambiguous. The structure of this issue isn't as nconventional as Way's other title and it doesn't deal in themes as esoteric as Shade. The plot here is easier to follow than it was on Way's Doom Patrol or on Shade, the Changing Girl.

It is a welcome change of pace. So far, all of these books are different while having a similar spirit, the different styles that they've shown on the handful of issues released so far keeps me interested on all of their titles and based on what we've seen. they've done a great job on maintaing the quality of their books.

Cave Carson #1 features some Michael Avon Oeming's finest work. I think being detached from the superhero genre really benefits his art. With a quieter setting, the exaggerated expresiveness of his characters really stands out. Filardi's coloring really brings some of the Oeming's more psychedelic scenes to life and Clem Robins is simply put the best letterer The back-up story written and drawn by Tom Scioli reads a bit like a non-sequitur but it has lovely art and a really charming sense of humour.

Without the option to draw on and allude to a Vertigo title, Gerard Way and Jon Rivera tell a more orthodox story. However, Cave Carson #1 still feels bizarre and inventive like the rest of the Young Animal line, while also maintaining the quality in art, coloring and lettering seen in Shade and Doom Patrol.