Each Friday, we'll be letting a different DC.com writer share what they'll be reading over the weekend and why you might want to check it out. Here's this week's suggestion for a perfect Weekend Escape!
 

Animals. We’re surrounded by them every day, but how often do we stop and think about the fine line that separates their world of chaos and our own? Almost no other superhero knows this better than Buddy Baker, a stuntman and animal rights activist better known as Animal Man. For this Weekend Escape, let’s get lost in the wonders and horrors of the animal kingdom with Animal Man Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison, Chas Truog, Doug Hazlewood and Tom Grummett. It spans issues #1-9 of 1988’s Animal Man.
 

The Premise:

Animal Man can tap into the abilities of nearby animals, temporarily giving him their “powers.” For example, if a bird is nearby, he can fly, or if he’s in the vicinity of a spider, he can lift a car above his head like it’s nothing. He’s a bit of an oddball character who’s down on his luck, living with his family in San Diego.

Without the fame that comes with being a member of the Justice League, Animal Man struggles to think of what he can do to support his family. At the same time, he’s called to investigate a series of odd incidents where an eight-foot-tall cockroach has terrorized a research facility. It’s clear that something, or someone, has been transforming the animals of San Diego into something monstrous.
 

Let’s Talk Talent:

Animal Man is written by Grant Morrison, who you might know from All-Star Superman, Batman, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, JLA, Action Comics and much, much more. Grant Morrison first emerged during the “British Invasion” of American superhero comics in the late 1980s. In the wake of the success of Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing, editor Karen Berger recruited other British writers like Morrison, Garth Ennis and Peter Milligan to give a fresh spin on DC’s characters and universe. Morrison chose Animal Man, an obscure character best known for sparse appearances in Strange Adventures during the 1960s. Animal Man highlighted Morrison’s strong sense of voice, offbeat plots and overall meta outlook on superhero comics. More than anything else, this was the series that rocketed them to comic book superstardom.

Penciler Chas Truog steps up to the challenge of drawing a range of different animals—we’re talking hawks, monkeys, rats, tigers, gorillas, zebras, elephants and everything in between—with practiced ease. Truog’s strengths also lie in his characters’ expressions, with each person’s face being unique and consistent from page to page. There is a considerable amount of animal body horror in this book, and Truog nails it all. In addition, the covers for the series are drawn by Brian Bolland, best known for Batman: The Killing Joke. Bolland brings his signature piercing realism to Animal Man’s covers, with issue #5 highlighting the meta nature of the series.
 

A Few Reasons to Read:

• Animal Man has one of the most haunting opening pages of a comic that I’ve ever read. So much of what makes this series shine is evident in its beginning two pages, with Morrison’s disorienting, nightmarish words, Truog’s great costume designs, and a perfect segue into the next scene of the story. A major theme of this story is interconnectivity, reflected principally in Animal Man’s powers. Morrison and Truog establish this right away with the opening of issue #1.
   
• If you’ve ever wanted a more cerebral look on superheroism, that’s less concerned about “might makes right” and more focused on the strangeness of being a superhero in the first place, Animal Man is a perfect match. The man himself, Buddy Baker, feels ordinary without pandering to be seen as an everyman. Thus, when you’re reading Animal Man, Buddy feels less like an ideal you want to embody, and more like your friend who’s fallen on hard times.

• There are some solid fashion moments in this book. The characters’ costumes ground Animal Man in the styles of the late 1980s without ever feeling like it’s providing a stereotypical Hollywood spin on what regular people looked like. The Animal Man t-shirt that Buddy’s manager, Roger, wears in issue #6 is a shirt that I’d love for DC to make in real life. I’m also of the belief that just about every superhero costume can look cooler with a jacket, and Animal Man’s costume is certainly no exception.
   
• Issue #5, also known as “The Coyote Gospel,” is a groundbreaking issue that tells the story of a hunter looking to kill a coyote. This standalone story then devolves into an anguished tale about the futility of life and the cruelty of both God and man, with Looney Tunes-esque art to boot. I kid you not! You’ll have to read it to believe me.
   
• Animal Man is incredibly beginner friendly. You don’t need to worry about confusing multiverse storylines or feeling estranged from existing character relationships here. It’s very much a character study that feels neatly self-contained within the DC Universe.
   

Why It’s Worth Your Time:

With this story, Morrison, Truog, Hazlewood and Grummett changed the trajectory of American superhero comics. To read Animal Man is to witness how superhero comics reinvented themselves in the late 1980s, using long-established characters to talk about contemporary issues. Plus, if you keep continuing to read this series, you will get to the issues (Animal Man #25 and #26) where Grant Morrison makes an appearance in the comic and guides Animal Man through their creative decisions as Buddy’s writer, a watershed moment in comic book history.

Animal Man is a thought-provoking story about cruelty in both the animal and human world. It asks if humanity’s technological innovations can ever truly snuff out our more primal instincts. In this way, Animal Man has a unique perspective on the topic, because of his proximity to animal life. It made me realize that ultimately, we are all animal men. Perhaps it may do the same for you.

Animal Man Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison, Chas Truog, Doug Hazlewood and Tom Grummett is available in print and on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Jules Chin Greene writes about comics for DC.com, and his work can also be found at Nerdist, Popverse and Multiverse of Color. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros., nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.