Origin of the Species (Animal Man, Book 2)

Rating:
Summary: Great stories with unpredicable endings!!!
Review: First of all, Origin of the Species isn't Grant Morrison's first TPB dealing with Animal Man; it's his second, and includes issues 10-17. The first TPB included issues 1-9, and was a pretty good collection all by itself.

To me, however, Morrison didn't figure out what he wanted to do with Animal Man until he began writing Origin of the Species.

The series starts off with a unique twist on the "oh so typical" origin story. Anyone who's read comics for a while knows the cliches involved in a hero's origin, especially if that origin took place in the 60's or 70's. Morrison takes our knowledge of the cliche and runs with it, combining Animal Man's old origin with a new one to make him more modern. If you haven't laughed out loud by the time you finish reading the "origin", then you aren't a true comic fan.

This "muddling up the status-quo" starts a trend that Morrison plays with again and again. The idea that, even though Animal Man is a character in a comic book, he can (and does) have interactions with the real world may sound crazy, but Morrison pulls it off. You actually start to feel sorry for Animal Man by the end of the book, because you start to realize how truly helpless a comic book character is when compared to the all-powerful artist who is drawing him!

One final point to mention: There is a story in this collection that deals with animal rights, and dolphins are used to drive the point home. The story is incredibly powerful, will make you look at animals differently, and may even bring a tear to your eye. Many comic readers count this story as one of their all time favorites, right up there with Alan Moore's and Frank Miller's stuff.

In the big picture, this span of stories is only part 2 in the eventual 3 part Animal Man saga. But if you only buy 1 of the 3 parts, this is the one to buy!