Because often when I make threads I ask the simple question, what do I feel like writing about today? What will guides my hand? I'm a real person? With feelings? But how real are you? How much do you matter? How much DOES your pain matter? This is Animal Man.

Animal man was a silver age character, a d-lister at the best at the time he's somewhere in solid c-list kind of B-list because when you have Grant Morrison write you more people are going to look at your series.

Animal Man was a project given to Morrison to test him out, see after Alan Moore hit it big DC tapped that British talent pool for more people and Grant was one of the one chosen, it was a big deal to all of them, and many of them including Grant tried to be a Moore riff.

The initial plan was a 4 issue miniseries, but a combination of things led it to become an ongoing Grants Run is 26 issues plus the secret origin's issue. This run was Grant coming into his own. and would set up his next runs at DC.

Animalman a unique set up first he has a family, a wife and two kids, so he does stand out from the singles, two his jacket was a unique choice for heroes at the time, and well let's talk about the Moore riff.

The British invasion was primarily for better or worse trying get another Alan Moore, honestly they got more then that but many of those writer were expected to be another Alan and so many OF them contorted their writing to be more like Moore.

Animal man in Particular is almost right at the same place where Swamp Thing was, a character who could become darker and be used to deal with weightier themes like animal abuse seems like a perfect fit for an Alan Moore reinvention.

So the initial 4 issue miniseries, is basically a superhero horror story, but it does have some unique Morrison touches that would define him. For one him figuring out weird uses of powers, and love of the Silver Age.

The story about a superhero being torn apart by the world around him is honestly looking back foreshadowing to later events but this 4 issues is bog standard....but issue 5 is where we get going on this run.

Issue five is the Coyote Gospel a legendary turn around setting the stage for the rest of the series, while it is stand alone as a story it's themes become CENTRAL to the run. The question, is it right to enjoy the suffering of fictional characters? Are they more real then us?

The story is a tragedy, a creature trying to fight against it's own fate as a cartoon character, the character is a stand in for Will E Coyote and this theme of reality and identity become what the series is about.

the iconic last of the coyote struck down by a hunter, dying in Animalman's arms are the cartoonist draws out the blood sets the stage for what Morrison would do. and Paint himself as a villain, but you will see. This issue marks his first major rejection of being just Moore.

Morrison would also get more comfortable with something else, bringing back the silver age, while it's often done NOW back then the silver age was being treated as this red headed step child so Morrison would bring back concepts, and story styles.

While this is a new Mirror Master, that's the only difference, he brings back this character show how dangerous he is, at times Animal Man can be considered a darker take on Silver Age Flash, and Morrison showed these ideas CAN WORK.

Issue 8 introduces John Highwater, a character who realizes on some level, he was JUST created. With a full set of memories. This meta stuff keeps going....

and going....Animalman is not just Swamp Thing.

Still the comic is Grant Morrison finding his feet, while he doesn't get to the point of Swamp Thing's as nature vengeance(well get to later writers) the series does deal with animal abuse and kindness to nature, it's basically the best written version of Captain Planet at times.

Grant also starts also doing something that at the time was kind of wicked, ACKNOWLEDGE Crisis on infinite earths rebooting things. In the Secret Origin's issue we see events happen in two different ways as the yellow aliens try to figure it out.

The Yellow aliens become an author surrogate for Morrison for what it's worth. But not the only ones. They also introduce concepts that would be made into the Red later...fuck the red. Anyway animal as you can see is getting crazier here.

Buddy is tested both morally, psychically, and stretched for all to see. This run is made of funny moments, sad moments, UTTER tragedy and Buddy trying to hold it all together.

This all culminates with issue 19, Buddy on a peyote journey realize something about his world, he see's...something he is not supposed to see. Someone behind the curtain...I wonder who could that be?

but..this is the 80's, a time when comics were darker, and Buddy just lost his family. He peaked at reality, and reality just took his family away...but then again who can we really blame?

there is also a man who remember the crisis the Psycho Pirate. and him an animalman are on a collision course. But right now this brings up to the final thing to talk about with Animal Man the last issue...

In the last issue Buddy meet Morrison and the world was never the same, Animalman meets his creator and what will his creator do to him? I will leave that for you to find out since enough people seem to have not read it. But ask what if you meant God?

the animalman run ends at issue 26 and ends on a high note that many other writers felt that they could not live up to it, to be fair, yeah this run was huge. It plays with the silver age in a unique way where they meant there creators and ask what if they were ticked off at them

Later creators would make Buddy a swamp thing riff, stop making him a superhero and lead to some pretty wonky comics. Animalman never went Meta unless it was Morrison instead it became about the Red. Making him what Morrison moved him away from.