despite all the "white god of Kilimanjaro" business (which, to be clear, is very bad!) I actually think the engagement with African settings here winds up by the end of the run being a bit better than what I associate with 90s Vertigo. Bar is not high though

not as good as doom patrol but it features more of the grant tropes i like (e.g. bringing back obscure old characters) and the fourth wall bit is great. there are a few issues that feel a bit forced (like crossover issues) that arent as good, but a fun read ( )

This was FANTASTIC! One of the best Grant Morrison books I've read in a long time. Usually Morrison can get very confusing at times, but this one is written clearly. You can also see all the influences other comic books had after this one was finished, especially with the entire fourth wall concept. I found it funny how the character in the book viewed us as the reader calling us "perverts" sometimes. If you like the fourth wall concept, this one is one of the good ones. Many comics try to attempt it, but it not as well done and kind of just a copy of this book. The only other comic book that came close and succeeded using the fourth wall that I've read before was Alan Moore's book Promethea. That comic made you feel like Promethea actually existed.

I first came to admire Animal Man in the series 52 DC comics did a few years back (not to be confused with the New 52's Animal Man which I have yet to read). I always seem to like his character though. I liked the fact he was a family man and just an all-around good person. Most comics in the late 80s and early 90s just get too weird and always seem to have an emo type of character. I was surprised to see Animal Man is a happily married man with two kids and a couple of pets. It even includes some family friends and neighbors. The artwork worked for the everyman type of comic too. It's nothing that special, but it simple and well detailed at times.

The one thing that stands out with this comic book among other is there isn't one issue that I didn't like. Many single issues stand out the most like Issues 5, 7, 6, 15, 19, and 26. Those are just fantastic reads and really show the power of Grant Morrison's writing. The entire comic you need to read from start to finish to get the point of it, but as I said before no issue that will leave you disappointed.

Whom would I recommend this too? Anyone who read comic books and wants to read a superhero comic that is just pure fun without all the sappy melodrama. The people who might enjoy this the best though are fans of Animal Man (obviously), people who want to read Morrison's first successful comic book, people who like animals, people who like the fourth wall and metafictional books, and mostly (as I said previously) people who just want a fun comic book to read. ( )

A giant collection of all twenty-six issues of Grant Morrison’s Animal Man run, this book is a testament to a kind of comic that may never again exist. DC Comics was willing to take chances with its established characters and to let upstart writers do what they wished with them. Morrison uses a B-list character to explore animal rights issues and to comment on the medium of comics itself, and it’s limitations in telling serious stories. He did similar metatextual things with his run on Doom Patrol and, later, his own The Invisibles.

The results here are a bit clunky, with even Morrison (he appears as a character in the book) admitting that it got silly at times. The art, mostly by Chaz Truog, is workmanlike, but serves the story well, grounding Morrison’s more heady ideas with a solid, action-adventure style.

Morrison couldn’t accomplish everything he set out to do with this comic, but even the attempt is impressive. ( )

After getting to close to an exploding alien spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the power to borrow the abilities of any animal and becomes the superhero Animal Man who is a crime fighter, animal rights activist, and suburban husband and dad. I really liked the idea of a superhero who lives a normal life rather than being a lone outcast and I also liked that he fights for animal rights. There are quite a few storylines in this omnibus that I liked, but, unfortunately, the overall impression is not entirely favorable. The animal rights parts get quite heavy-handed from time to time and when Animal Man is part of other comics' storylines, I get completely lost. I assume that they make sense for someone who has a firm grasp on what everyone in the Justice League is up to at all times, but for me it was just a lot of turning pages and not knowing what on earth was going on. I liked the metafiction parts for their discussion (I didn't know the characters, obviously) and that the supercat can use his laser vision to open food cans (the dream skill of any cat, I think). One thing that I realize irked me more than it perhaps should have is that the typewriter monkey is an ape - how does nobody in a book about animals notice that and keep calling it a monkey? I get the whole infinite monkey theorem thing, but why not then just draw a monkey? So, some interesting storylines, some fun ideas, and some things that just irritated me. Won't rush to find another Morrison, but won't avoid either. ( )