Animal Man, Book 1 - Animal Man [Paperback]

Grant Morrison (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2001

Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Chas Truog, Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood This edition collects the bizarre adventures of Animal Man, a second-rate super hero struggling with real-life issues and moral dilemmas. Buddy Baker is a caring husband, devoted father, animal activist and super-powered being. But as he attempts to live up to all of his roles, he soon finds that there are no black and white situations in life. With a strong focus on storytelling, these thought-provoking and innovative tales make the reader question the actions of Animal Man as well as their own behavior in similar situations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Grant Morrison is one of comics' most innovative writers. His long list of credits include JLA, Doom Patrol and Judge Dredd, prior to his masterpiece, The Invisibles. Author of the award-winning Batman: Arkham Asylum, Morrison is currently writing the US' bestselling comic, Marvel Comics' New X-Men. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563890054
• ISBN-13: 978-1563890055
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.7 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The entire Grant Morrison run, back in print! July 6, 2004

By Babytoxie

Format:Paperback

This review is actually for all 3 trade paperback volumes of Grant Morrison's ANIMAL MAN, back for all to conveniently enjoy. After 10 years of having only Volume 1 in print, DC FINALLY printed the rest of Morrison's run in a Volume 2 and 3, giving us the complete story, a defining work for a great comic writer.

To try to explain the entire storyline in just a few paragraphs would be woefully inadequate, but I will say that, while ANIMAL MAN could be defined as Grant Morrison voicing his opinions on animal rights, it is so much more than that:

First, it's a study of how the world of comics interacts with (our) reality - almost mind-bendingly so. Morrison drops hints from the beginning of his run that our perceptions of "reality" in the DC Universe will be challenged with these stories. It takes over 20 issues to make his final point, but brother is it worth it. From the Looney-Tunes-ish antics of "The Coyote Gospel" to the revelations of the villain Psycho-Pirate (the only character who remembers the DCU before the Crisis), this is some very creative work.

Second, these stories are a tribute to the pre-Crisis DC Universe. It's putting it mildly that Grant Morrison misses the timelines and characters eliminated by the Crisis, and in ANIMAL MAN, he does what he can to make sure that we don't forget the richness and fun of the Golden and Silver Ages. His final 3 or so issues made me feel even MORE ashamed that the Crisis ever happened. I will say this, however: if the Crisis created the fertile ground for stories like this, then I'll accept it. It's a case of being thankful for the good and the bad.

Brian Bolland provides excellent covers for the series. I always felt it was a shame that he couldn't do the interiors as well.... The work of Chas Truog, regular series artist, is lacking. The few issues with guest artists were welcome breaks from Truog's visually boring style. Don't let that hold you back, however, as his art does improve somewhat over time, and the story more than makes up for it. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of Grant Morrison's shockingly brilliant run February 5, 2007

By N. Durham HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

One of the early titles that helped Grant Morrison make a name for himself in mainstream comics, Animal Man ended up being a hybrid of Morrison's love for classic comic storytelling, his views on animal rights, and above all, a shockingly brilliant series that broke the boundaries for what could be done in mainstream comic books. Without giving too much away of what else occurs in the later volumes, the first volume of Animal Man finds low level Justice League member Buddy Baker taking a new stance on animal rights as he makes some shocking discoveries at STAR Labs, as well as meets some very interesting characters along the way, including a run in with some of Hawkman's war-like people. There's also some very strange Looney Tunes-style antics going in the middle of the story that may seem not only out of place, but just plain mind boggling. However, once the realization dawns on you just what it all means, it's just another example of the brilliance on display from Morrison. Surprisingly violent (the collected graphic novels are now under DC's Vertigo title) and poignant to boot, what Buddy and his family go through are only hints and cues at things to come. The current Mirror Master is introduced here as well, and he will go on to play a pivotal role as things develop further, as will the mysterious, ghostly man that pops up now and then. If there's any negatives about the book, it's that the artwork doesn't always stand up as well as one would like, but that's only a minor complaint. All in all, Animal Man represents the fact that anything can be done in the comics medium, and if you've never given the series a look, you owe it to yourself to see just what helped make Grant Morrison the Alan Moore of his era.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey, Kids, Comics! June 17, 2002

By Stephen Richmond VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Back in the 1960s, there was something about a minor comic book character appearing in STRANGE ADVENTURES that stuck with me long after his obscurity had become more than mere. That character was Animal Man and apparently he had a similar effect on British comics genius Grant Morrison. This book is a collection of the first nine of Animal Man's contemporary adventures under Morrison's competent pen. While Morrison's ever-present wry humor is present, there are sufficient superheroics as Animal Man and his family, a pretty bourgeois group, come to terms with life in the Eighties, super powers, and the conflict the two can create. This is a must-read and must-have for all graphic novel collections and fans of the other Brit comic masters Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman will find much to enjoy here as well. The art is also fabulous; even the superpeople look like actual human beings.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The dawning of Vertigo June 18, 2001

By Ron Tothleben ([e-mail])

Format:Paperback

What we have here is a TPB that reprints one of the earliest works of Grant Morisson, now famous mostly for "Invisibles". Morisson took an already existing, but underused and relatively anonimous, character that is named Animalman and he tried to make him into something more appealing to people/readers. A goal in which he succeeded reasonably well. This trade makes clear why Animalman later turned out to be suitable for the Vertigo-line, the 'feel' is already here. Overall it is a pretty good read. There are 9 issues in here with 6 of them good, 1 superb and 2 a little less. The flaw of those two issues that aren't that great is that they are both part of a multi-series cross-over DC had going at that time named "Invasion". These issues are a little hard to place without reading the rest of the cross-over. The other issues are a very nice read for both people who are into superheroes as for people who are more orientated outside the superhero-scene. ONE issue named "The Coyote Gospel" stands out because it is THAT good. It's a great tale about an animal who everybody fears but turns out to be the only reason mankind as it is still exists. Full of methaphors and symbolism it's one of the better issues there is from the early days of Vertigo. I'd recommend this trade to people who are into Vertigo and to people who like to read about the more human side of superheroes. If you are in one of those categories you'll probably like this trade.