Comic Info
Comic Name: Animal Man (Volume 1)
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chas Truog/Tom Grummett
# of Issues: 8
Release Date: 2002
Animal Man (1) #12
Reprints Animal Man (1) #10-17 (April 1989-November 1989). Animal Man is trying to get his troubled powers under control after the invasion of Earth and the detonation of the gene bomb. When he is pulled to Africa with the animal powered Vixen, Animal Man is about to discover that there may be more to his origin that he ever knew. As Buddy Baker becomes a more militant Animal Man out to stand up for the rights of animals, he begins to paint a target on himself and his family…and a strange lurking figure could be a warning for Animal Man!
Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Chas Truog and Tom Grummett, Animal Man Volume 2: Origin of the Species continues Morrison’s critically acclaimed run on the DC series. Following Animal Man Volume 1: Animal Man, Animal Man 2: Origin of the Species is the second of three volumes collecting Morrison’s run and now published under DC’s Vertigo imprint which wasn’t in existence at the time of the original publication.
Animal Man is just an odd comic. The series at the time was quite revolutionary, and it has held up. Animal Man was a bit of a template for how to write adult content for a straightforward superhero comic in the pre-Vertigo time period…unlike a Sandman and closer to a Swamp Thing, Animal Man was more rooted to the DC Universe.
Animal Man (1) #17
The events in this volume spin out of DC Comics supersized mini-series Invasion! Animal Man’s powers are screwed up, but Morrison not only manages to quickly write his way out of this problem, he does it in a really unique way. Animal Man is literally rewritten and the comic begins to set up the fantastic finale to Grant Morrison’s run in the next volume…it also taps into the classic game changing Crisis on Infinite Earths which makes this a very “DC” comic despite being so “out there” plotwise.
The art for the comic is also great. Many times when you have series banking on extreme plots, you have extreme art. Generally that works, but this classic comic book style of art work is even better for this series because they are a comic book…which is explained and expanded on even more in the next volume.
Grant Morrison’s Animal Man made me fall in love with the lame cheesy character and Grant Morrison. After reading Animal Man, I sought out Doom Patrol and also loved that. The story, the art and the fun all comes together in this series and still after over twenty five years, the comic is still worth picking up. Animal Man 2: Origin of the Species is followed by Animal Man 3: Deus Ex Machina.
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