Animal Man was this month’s selection from the Goodreads group I Read Comic Books and because of it I was introduced to the kitschy awesomeness of Grant Morrison’s 1988 take on this B-level superhero. The graphic novel starts with a lengthy introduction by Morrison that explains how he and other Brits were contacted after Alan Moore’s success with Watchman and Swamp Thing, to give life to DC’s back catalogue of superheros. Morrison choose Animal Man and the rest is history.
The story establishes Buddy Baker as a married “everyman”, who as he nears thirty is having an identity crisis. In this world, heroes are common with Superman and Wonder Woman being the recognized top tier, with the other heroes scrambling to find a niche and a super-group. Buddy struggles to provide for his family, so he wishes to gain recognition, hoping to join a prestigious group and use his powers of temporarily picking up the abilities of animals nearby. Despite the campiness, the stories could be more nuanced than you would think. Animal cruelty, family responsibilities, societal commentary and humanizing villains are all tied into the story lines. However, these themes are inconsistently used, as sometimes they are pulled together in a witty way, but other times they are groan-worthy.
So let’s talk about The Coyote Gospel. OMG- I loved it. The jokes were so sly- starting with the trucker (who looked like Freddie Mercury) and hitchhiker singing the The Modern Lovers song Road Runner right before they accidentally struck the human like coyote in the desert. Animal Man is actually just a secondary character in this chapter as the coyote man and trucker duel it out. This homage to Will. E. Coyote in Looney Tunes, and comparing him to Jesus, was a trip. By coincidence I attended a small anime convention last week and as I was looking through the bins of posters of comic covers, I ran across the picture of Animal Man being painted on the road in an obvious crucifix symbolism. One week ago I would not have known who Animal Man was or the significance of the pose, but now I can claim more credibility as a comics fan!
I also picked up the recent Jeff Lemire version and absolutely hated it. The art was grotesque and I quickly put it down. Which goes to show that no matter how good the story is, art can torpedo a graphic novel. Luckily this first version has strong art with a Golden Age vibe and it elevates the stories. Artists Chas Truog, Doug Hazlewood and Tom Grummett, with some Brain Bolland covers, bring the Baker family to life along with the animal menagerie that Buddy encounters in every chapter. All in all, I enjoyed this graphic novel especially the deeper themes of animal rights activism that Animal Man advocated for.
-Nancy
April 26, 2019 at 9:20 am
Great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 28, 2019 at 8:54 am
Thanks, it was a fun book to review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 26, 2019 at 12:00 pm
Ah Animal Man. This post brought back some grand memories, thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 28, 2019 at 8:56 am
I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it, esp The Coyote Gospel.
LikeLike
April 26, 2019 at 10:45 pm
One of my all time favorite runs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 28, 2019 at 9:09 am
This was my first time reading Morrison, although my writing partner has read several Wonder Woman titles by him. I’ll need to check out more of his work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 28, 2019 at 4:28 pm
If you liked Animal Man I would recommend checking out his Doom Patrol run and also All-Star Superman. I also really enjoy his current run on the Green Lantern.
LikeLike
April 29, 2019 at 11:55 am
This was just recommended to me at the PCA/ACA conference I was at in D.C.! Huh, I can’t believe that. What are the odds? Anyway, you’ve certainly made me even more interested in checking it out. It sounds like a fun/unique read.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 29, 2019 at 4:43 pm
It’s definitely worth a read- if only for the chapter The Coyote Gospel. I think you would find the theology angle fascinating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 10, 2019 at 9:51 am
I’m officially adding it to the ol’ to-be-read pile for summer vacation now :). Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 15, 2021 at 5:14 am
This is a great post tthanks
LikeLiked by 1 person