It’s safe to say that nearly every book published under DC’s Young Animal banner meets the alternative standard. Some more so than others, but weirdo weirdo heroes have sort of integrated into the concept of pop-up sigils. It carries on the legacy of the complex mystery novels of the ’80s that helped feed into the ’90s Vertigo series.
One of the hallmarks of the time was taking an existing character or team and putting a new, often well-established interpretation on it. His works range from animal man through Sandman. Sometimes it’s a completely new character, sometimes they’ll work alongside the original and just see them from a new perspective. Young Animal continues this tradition and flips DC Encyclopedia and landed on Kraft Carson.
“Fear makes slaves of us all, so many will help the Whisperers.
Kev Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye – Volume 2: Every Me, Every You go through Jon Rivera, Gerald Way, Michael Evan Oming, Nick Ferradiand Clem Robbins Go on an underground adventure for all reality. The story follows Kev Carson, his daughter, loyal friends, and the few survivors of his wife as they travel across the multiverse in an attempt to stop the Whisperers. It goes without saying that a wacky orgy ensues.
The team kicks off the second half of the series in an interesting way. Rather than immediately learning from the events of volume one, we get what initially appears to be a flashback. There was a sequence in Volume One where Cave met Superman, so we get that story here. A little twisted. As things seem to change, it leads to where the team really is, a different Earth. This theme of different wrinkles in realities continues in this arc, with one reality being one overrun with plant life, one being giants, and another being Little Carson Cave. How Rivera and Way solve this problem is fascinating, even providing a backstory for Cave’s cybernetic eyes.
The artwork by Michael Avon Oeming and Nick Filardi is very psychedelic. I would say that in the second volume it got a little more adventurous as the duo used more unique twists and effects between line art and color. There are many, many points to complete. I feel like OEMing’s animation style is the perfect tool to achieve this. His work evokes the energy and vitality of Alex Toth and Bruce Timm, and when you see fungi and hallucinatory nightmares, it transcends into something new. Perfectly paired with a classic primary color palette and a psychedelic orgy of Filardi color art. And some solid fonts from Clem Robins to match.
“Chloe, in this situation you have to choose between doing good and doing bad. But the worst option is to do nothing.
Rivera, Way, Oeming, Filardi and Robins did some interesting things Kev Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye – Volume 2: Every Me, Every You Taking an old, somewhat obscure and rarely used character in Kraft Carson (and Wild Dogs) and giving him new meaning in DC’s Young Animals. They’re bringing us an old-school Hollow Earth-versus-the-multiverse adventure, mixed with family dynamics, and culminating in a new universe podcast. Because we need more podcasts.
The book also contains additional in-universe material provided by Mark Russell, a scientist and Cave’s mentor, and Benjamin Dewey. Indeed, rocks are interesting.
Classic Comics Compendium: Kraft Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye Vol. 2
Kev Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye – Volume 2: Every Me, Every You
writer: Jon Rivera and Gerald Way
artist: Michael Evan Oming
Colorist: Nick Ferradi
Writer: Clem Robbins
Publisher: DC Comics – DC’s Baby Animals
release date: April 19 – September 20, 2017 (original question)
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