Post by animalbill on Dec 5, 2011 12:40:56 GMT -5
Ok - first off hi there., fellow fans of Buddy Baker. I'm a big fan of the old Animal Man series, but usually I only reread the Morrison issues, which are my favorites, but recently for the first time in at least ten years, I've been rereading the whole thing and I found this site whilst googling a few random Animal Man related phrases. Just got done with the Delano issues, which I like a lot as well, but a few things sprung to mind.
Basically I'm not out to start a big 'Vs' 'which is better type' type thread, because I think both are great, but I couldn't think of a better thread title. Now the thing is I do love the Delano issues - I think they have some spectacular writing and art - but the thing is they are so very, very bleak - almost certainly the most genuinely dark story I've read in an ongoing superhero book.
And thinking how the books original raison d'etre was to host Grant Morrison's eloquent critique of dark, realistic superheros, it just seems slightly inappropriate that that same character, in the same book should be used to tell a harrowing story of a former superhero who becomes obsessed with the damage humankind is doing to the environment, other species and his own long term chances of survival, and eventually driven over the edge by that obsession and the perceived loss of his daughter loses his grasp on sanity and humanity, turns himself into a monster, founds a cult and ultimately goes nuts and kills himself by being eaten alive by animals, however fantastically told that story may be - after all Morrison had long ago provided us with the perfect answer to the comment Delano made in his closing letter- When Delano says 'Be Real. Even a comic book has to maintain some plausibility', all I can think of is Morrison's condemnation of realistic comic books.
So ultimately it seems entirely appropriate that Morrison himself (with a little help from Johns), eventually handwaved away the darker continuity from the Delano era, and returned Buddy to being much as he was at the end of his run (and even bought Skipper who Veitch killed off-panel back to life!). With any other character I'd complain about major chucks of continuity being deleted by writers whim, without explanation - but when it's Buddy, and it's Morrison doing it, and he's wiping out years of Buddy's life which were pretty miserable and twisted, it works!
Not trying to hate on Delano's run. Really. It's brilliant in it's own right. If it weren't I wouldn't care about how much it clashes with Morrison's run on the book.
Anyway thanks for reading. If anyone has any comments on this I'd love to read them.
(Oh and PS - Please may I request no spoilers for the new series? I've got the issues ready to go, but I've haven't read them yet, as I'm trying to finish up my reread of the old series first, and I'm a little bogged down with the slightly too dry for my tastes Prosser issues at the moment)
Basically I'm not out to start a big 'Vs' 'which is better type' type thread, because I think both are great, but I couldn't think of a better thread title. Now the thing is I do love the Delano issues - I think they have some spectacular writing and art - but the thing is they are so very, very bleak - almost certainly the most genuinely dark story I've read in an ongoing superhero book.
And thinking how the books original raison d'etre was to host Grant Morrison's eloquent critique of dark, realistic superheros, it just seems slightly inappropriate that that same character, in the same book should be used to tell a harrowing story of a former superhero who becomes obsessed with the damage humankind is doing to the environment, other species and his own long term chances of survival, and eventually driven over the edge by that obsession and the perceived loss of his daughter loses his grasp on sanity and humanity, turns himself into a monster, founds a cult and ultimately goes nuts and kills himself by being eaten alive by animals, however fantastically told that story may be - after all Morrison had long ago provided us with the perfect answer to the comment Delano made in his closing letter- When Delano says 'Be Real. Even a comic book has to maintain some plausibility', all I can think of is Morrison's condemnation of realistic comic books.
So ultimately it seems entirely appropriate that Morrison himself (with a little help from Johns), eventually handwaved away the darker continuity from the Delano era, and returned Buddy to being much as he was at the end of his run (and even bought Skipper who Veitch killed off-panel back to life!). With any other character I'd complain about major chucks of continuity being deleted by writers whim, without explanation - but when it's Buddy, and it's Morrison doing it, and he's wiping out years of Buddy's life which were pretty miserable and twisted, it works!
Not trying to hate on Delano's run. Really. It's brilliant in it's own right. If it weren't I wouldn't care about how much it clashes with Morrison's run on the book.
Anyway thanks for reading. If anyone has any comments on this I'd love to read them.
(Oh and PS - Please may I request no spoilers for the new series? I've got the issues ready to go, but I've haven't read them yet, as I'm trying to finish up my reread of the old series first, and I'm a little bogged down with the slightly too dry for my tastes Prosser issues at the moment)