Classic Comic Compendium: The escalating weirdness of the DC/YOUNG ANIMAL – MILK WARS crossover

This is also essential reading for Doom Patrol fans.

By d. emerson eddy

Then it got weird.

Er…weirder. Because from the start all of the titles under the DC’s Young Animal banner were kind of weird. That was their charm. Tapping into the more idiosyncratic side to the DC Universe that fueled the sophisticated suspense series in the ’80s into the mature readers titles of early Vertigo. Tragic heroes manipulated by a mad scientist to rebellious teens escaping from the doldrums of their life with a touch of madness.

Then it all came together with the line’s only crossover, bringing in a few of DC’s familiar faces, running into one of the stranger line-ups of the Rebirth era Justice League, and the DCU’s premiere Trinity: Milkman Man, Father Bruce, and Wonder Wife.

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There are some hilarious moments, really leaning in to the ironic at times, like what happens to the Justice League, Father Bruce’s absurd origin, Wonder Wife’s mommy milkers (that just seems wrong, but it really fits the theme and the oddity of Shade dealing with emotion, what’s almost an antithesis to Wonder Woman’s feminist ideal, and the perfect inclusion of Mirka Andolfo’s art style), and more. The humour balancing out the real terror that underlies the attempt of Retconn to clear out Prime Earth’s reality.

Art by Mirko Andalfo

Classic Comic Compendium: The escalating weirdness of the DC/YOUNG ANIMAL – MILK WARS crossover The Beat, January 6th, 2025