Geiger #6 // Review
A Boy and His Dog had a telepathic canine named Blood. Mad Max had a dog named, “Dog.” The hero of Fallout had a dog named Dogmeat. The latest post-apocalyptic pooch is a two-headed dog named Barney. The stereophonic black dog gets a close-up in Geiger #6. Writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank deliver the single best issue of the series with the aid of Brad Anderson. Johns, Frank and Anderson finally manage a look into a post-apocalyptic hellscape that feels truly fresh and invigorating on a variety of different levels that mix after-the-bomb sci-fi with animal-based allegory.
Barney isn’t eating. Nate suggests that he’s lost his bark AND his bite. Geiger has just made a couple of huge steaks for the two-headed dog. He’s not eating, though. Totally unresponsive until he’s awoken later-on to the sound of rats devouring the steaks. Barney’s spooked, so he wanders off. Ends-up in a zoo that has become overrun with human hunters looking to hunt mutant animals. It’s not always easy to spot the mutations, but Barney’s got two heads. He’s a big target. A large primate suggests that he might want to stay hidden, but Barney’s got instincts that might just prove dangerous...for the hunters.
Johns boldly moves the entire narrative away from humans for long enough to explore the nuclear wasteland from the eyes of a mutant dog. It’s not often that a post-apocalypse is given this kind of perspective. Occasionally the world after the bomb is given a non-human perspective, but even Bradbury’s human-less There Came Soft Rains had a kind of human intelligence lingering about in the absence of humans. Johns’ extended look at animal instinct in the irradiated wasteland is a fun departure from the standard perspective of the post-apocalyptic genre.
The success of an issue that leans so heavily on animals requires an artist who can bring them to the page in a way that feels compelling. Frank’s art is vividly researched. The two-headed dog. The three-eyed zebra. The parrots. The primate...it all feels strikingly realistic. One can practically hear the voice-over narration by David Attenborough somewhere in the background. It’s all quite well-executed...and through it all, Frank finds the deeper emotional connection in all animals as they deal with life after a major trauma for the ecosystem. It’s beautiful stuff.
The biggest success here is probably Barney himself. The two-headed dog has always been one of the more charming aspects of Geiger. He’s a really expressive mascot who never comes across as being all that anthropomorphized...but still manages to be the emotional center of the series. The identical twin heads amplify the emotionality of the comic book the an intense degree. It’s really, really cool to see him more in the center of the panel...even if it’s only for a single issue before Zdarsky and company get back to more of the same next month.
Grade: A+
