Animal Man, Book 3 - Deus Ex Machina
When comic books started hooking for an older readership in the 1980s, one approach was to take a forgotten second- or third-string superhero and update him with a modern sensibility and sophistication. One of the most successful such resuscitations was Morrison's revamp of Animal Man, a rather inane 1960s costumed crime fighter who could assume the abilities of various beasties, flying like a bird or swimming like a fish. In Morrison's hands, Animal Man progressed from a standard-issue superhero to a compelling crusader for animal rights in an entertaining run of playful, often bizarre stories. In the final issues of the series he wrote, reprinted here, Morrison puts his hero though Job-like trials before finally inserting himself into the narrative to reveal to Animal Man that he is only a fictional character. In these unprecedented stories, Morrison brought metafiction to comics before the concept entered popular culture. Morrison went on to create increasingly complex comics, such asThe InvisiblesandThe Filth,but it was with Animal Man that he began amassing his sizable fandom.Gordon FlaggCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved