Animal Man, Book 3 - Deus Ex Machina [Paperback]

Grant Morrison (Author)

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When comic books started hooking for an older readership in the 1980s, one approach was to take a forgotten second- or third-string superhero and update him with a modern sensibility and sophistication. One of the most successful such resuscitations was Morrison's revamp of Animal Man, a rather inane 1960s costumed crime fighter who could assume the abilities of various beasties, flying like a bird or swimming like a fish. In Morrison's hands, Animal Man progressed from a standard-issue superhero to a compelling crusader for animal rights in an entertaining run of playful, often bizarre stories. In the final issues of the series he wrote, reprinted here, Morrison puts his hero though Job-like trials before finally inserting himself into the narrative to reveal to Animal Man that he is only a fictional character. In these unprecedented stories, Morrison brought metafiction to comics before the concept entered popular culture. Morrison went on to create increasingly complex comics, such as The Invisibles and The Filth, but it was with Animal Man that he began amassing his sizable fandom. Gordon Flagg
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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156389968X
• ISBN-13: 978-1563899683
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Grant Morrison is one of comics' greatest innovators. His long list of credits includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, JLA, Seven Soldiers, Animal Man, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles and The Filth. He is currently writing Batman and All-Star Superman.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Morrison at his best!, November 10, 2003

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This review is from: Animal Man, Book 3 - Deus Ex Machina (Paperback)

Grant Morrision wrote Animal Man (issues 1-26) from 1988-1990. I was in college during the time, and became a reader around issue 9. I quickly got back issues, though, because of the surprising strength of this series.

This 3rd volume collects issues 18-26, and it wraps up one of Morrison's best series (the other being Doom Patrol 19-63). What makes this series outstanding is Morrison's usual trademark "weirdness"; however, unlike the "Invisibles", Animal Man and Doom Patrol have strong and symphathetic characterization-Buddy Baker and his family "seem real" even though this series is in part about the unreality of comic books. AM also has a particulaly strong and poignant ending-again like Doom Patrol.

Issues 1-26 form a complete story- the series should have been allowed to end with 26: added issues in a sense were superfluous. Only later with Sandman (allowed to end in 1996) did DC learn when "enough is enough".

To sum up: AM and DP represent Morrison at his magical best. Don't get me wrong, Invisibles, JLA and X-Men are entertaining. But I'm hoping he can pull out another white rabbit...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Morrison's metaphysical swan song to Animal Man, February 14, 2007

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N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Animal Man, Book 3 - Deus Ex Machina (Paperback)

By the time you reach the mind shattering conclusion of Deus Ex Machina, the last volume in Grant Morrison's run on Animal Man, everything he set up from the beginning comes full circle. As Buddy Baker and the strange Highwater go out to the desert, Buddy makes a shocking revelation that will take him to Arkham Asylum to confront the Psycho Pirate; a villain boasting about alternate worlds that no longer exist. Before that though, tragedy strikes Animal Man at the home front in a way he never imagined, and it isn't long before he teams up with the Mirror Master to exact revenge. Just about everything that Morrison has set up from the beginning of his run is tied up here: from the erratic behavior of Animal Man's powers, to the mysterious yellow alien's purpose, to the identity of the apparition stalking his family. All of which reaches the long hinted at conclusion in which Morrison breaks the fourth wall. The art is still take it or leave it, but Morrison's inventive story more than makes up for it. Even all these years later, Morrison's brilliant, at times preachy, deconstruction of this minor DC super hero remains one of his best works, and here's the proof. All in all, if you've never read any of Morrison's Animal Man run, now is the time to give it a look.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ginormous goodness., May 22, 2007

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L. Abate - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Animal Man, Book 3 - Deus Ex Machina (Paperback)

This is without a doubt one of the greatest graphic novels I have ever read. It serves as an incredible culmination of Morrison's Animal Man saga, following Buddy Baker's descent into his own personal hell, and his difficult journey back out again. The art is functional-- not bad, not great either, but that's all been said before. All in all a pretty amazing piece of work. Buddy is such a fundamentally GOOD guy, you can't help but care about what happens to both him and his family. It's smart, it doesn't talk down to you, and it happens to pull off some pretty amazing stunts by the last page. Give it a shot.