Animal Man: Grant Morrison's Thesis Statement - Comic Tropes (Episode 80)

[@GinHindew110]

I loved Animal Man's ending SPOILER: as i neared the end the violence increased and it bummed me how pointless it was, then the author shows up to talk to Animal Man and apologizes to him about making him suffer for shock value just to keep the comic running, the honesty of it made up for the changes and then the author just admits he is cheating to make a happy end because he grew to like the character When i saw his family coming back to life with no explanation i was like "Yeah, i like him too, lets end this in a good note and move on" i felt like i was an accomplice to the comic creators and we were choosing to do good, it was great

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

that is one of the few times were "It was all a dream" trope was put to good use

[@andrewlawless9796]

was the death of his family the violence you ran into trouble with? i dont remember noticing any escalation of violence

[@guiterrorist]

@@andrewlawless9796 When they die, so he starts wearing leather (something he would've never do before) and kills the perps.

[@KyleRayner12]

Honestly, when I hear "British Invasion," I think music of the '60's, not comic books of the '80's. Apparently, they've tried to conquer us repeatedly.

[@MABMGuitar]

Those sons of bitches!

[@tombean-king3486]

Lol too true

[@nachovichoZX]

Also the 90s British Invasion of VideoGames with Argonaut, Rareware, Rockstar, Core Design, Psygnosis and Traveller's Tales.

[@alexandredesouza3692]

It's their national passtime.

[@gouki006ishere]

But we never do. What a shame.

[@noahbawdy3395]

Grant took an obscure character no one wanted to work with and created one of the best comic series ever.

[@TimmHenson]

This is literally my favorite issue of Animal Man and you seem to have found this as profound as I did when I read it. It made me a Grant Morrison fan and a better writer. The layers were crazy and the heartbreaking moment where Animal Man reveals that he cant read the script... I almost cried... I was like 13. That was intense because of the myriad of meanings that you also expressed. While its very common trope in whats considered more cerebral comics now, it was almost never seen at its time of print. Thank you for covering this. Its one of those things I never have anyone to talk to about, so its nice hearing someone voicing any opinions about it. I cant imagine discussing "the comic where 'Animal Man' met the semi-invulnerable werewolf coyote-Jesus from a cartoon world who died on a cross-road" with my wife or anyone else who hasn't seen it.

[@shaunsk]

Well said. I used to work in a comic shop when 5 came out. It literally changed my life. Remember, this was after Dark Knight , and Moore's stuff, and all the other cutting edge comics that had set the scene, but still it's right up there with them. The Bolland covers are fantastic, sadly the art inside was always a hack job, but the tremendous writing and panel design more than compensated. I used to recommend this issue to everyone who came in the shop, and all my mates. It's very druggy like a lot of Morrison stuff. He only did 1-6 if I remember rightly. This and Doom Patrol are fucking brilliant.

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

Discussing Animal Man or Doom Patrol (the Morrison runs, I mean) with someone who hasn’t read them is difficult. I tried with my ex wife, who is an avid reader. These two books are unique and some of the best to come from the British Invasion. Nice to see some other fans and get a little solidarity

[@ahok1937]

@@shaunsk Morisson did like 40 or 50 issues of Animal Man. The ending is really great and meta if you like that kind of stuff.

[@rcct44444]

Grant Morrison is my favorite writer His "All Star Superman" changed how I view comics and his run on Doom Patrol inspires me along with the Animal Man run which introduced me to odd ball side of comics

[@marcusjavier8901]

I love his run on justice league and all star superman!

[@jmlkhan5153]

I also liked we3

[@BloodylocksBathory]

Not gonna lie, the 4th wall break in Animal Man ("I CAN SEE YOU!!") is one of the scariest comic book moments I've ever read.

[@edward2962]

Great video about a great single issue! I always thought it was interesting that right at the point in comics when folks were trying to take comics "seriously" and for "adults" and tried to distance themselves from the sillier aspects of the silver age, Grant openly embraced those things.

[@omegamark9178]

I know definitely one the most thought provoking 4th wall breaks I've ever seen

[@its_uh_bella]

Interestingly, Morrison talks in the intros for one of the collections about how researching animal rights and the mistreatment of animals in labs/livestock industry during the process of writing Animal Man pushed them towards vegetarianism, and Morrison wanted the world of their comic to reflect that change.

[@CoinOpTV]

excellent video - makes me wanna reread this run

[@nohvarr13]

Grant Morrison is my favorite comics writer. His run on the Doom Patrol is epic and my favorite run in comics hands down. His stuff is both so out there and bizarre but there is a method to his madness and there is always some hidden meaning beneath all the psychedelic head trips. His run on JLA breathed new life into DC's main heroes and is the best run of JLA you will find. The Invisibles is very strange, but a lot of fun.

[@matthewcarlton5693]

The best, no question.

[@petersmith9633]

I fucking loved that run of Animal Man. It really got me reading artsy comics rather than the same ol' superhero beat-em'-up comics.

[@sethleoric2598]

Don't know about you guys, but my favorite main DC heroes are Bowanna Beast and Plastic Man

All except for the cringy PETA page at the end.

[@tanyaharmon6739]

@@sethleoric2598 what about mah boi Mr miracle?

[@sethleoric2598]

@@tanyaharmon6739 isn't Miracle Man Marvel?

[@tanyaharmon6739]

@@sethleoric2598 sh@*t wrong guy. Mr miracle, lol

[@joshkaid]

0:54... Grant Morrison looks like he could convince me to drink poison-laced Kool-Aid so I can visit the aliens living behind the moon.

[@ekwah5821]

I forgot that it was Morrison who wrote We3. Loved that mini series. Thanks for bringing my attention to his Animal Man run. I'll have to check it out!

[@MrChupacabra555]

One of the only good things from "Teen Titans Go!" that I can recall is an instance where they were ordering out for pizza (or something), and Beast Boy said "No meat! I've been most of those toppings before!", so that's the first instance of an "Totem Archetype" character being a vegetarian for good reasons.

[@dasuberkaiser6]

That was in the original Teen Titans show.

[@billtree52]

Have any characters been vegetarian for bad reasons? Hahha

[@jaysilverstone7221]

Can you direct me to the best of beast boy please. Just discovered Morrison. Some guy!

[@p.a.r.c1694]

@@dasuberkaiser6 i remember the whole tofu thing beast boy had and it made sense to me as a kid.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@p.a.r.c1694 that ust makes me wonder.... would would characters who are plants (as in like groot) would react towards vegetarians? sure the plant woulnd't care, they have photosyntehsis, but what about those that need to eat? would the be carnivores in return?

[@tentringer4065]

I was a big fan of Grant Morrison's 'Zenith' comic in 2000AD. It touches on a lot of the 'superheroes in the real world' themes of Watchmen and it takes place in a parallel history.

[@gianlucazilio9042]

I love this channel! Watched this video a little more than a year ago and recently read the whole run. Now it's even more engaging to rewatch the video. I'm really happy for the success that you're having! It's all very well deserved!

[@ogJbizz]

I love how Morrison is like, "fuck you comics are weird and they're better that way" love it

[@greysky1252]

Grant Morrison looks kinda badass for a comic writer. Like he's cool enough to actually be in a comic.

[@stuarts9521]

All Star Superman is always the go-to recommendation I give to people who want to start reading Superman comics.

[@richmcgee434]

Absorbing the powers of a cat makes you immensely self-satisfied, not disappointed. Also lets you mind control approximately half the human populace and frighten rodent and bird themed supervillains. Drawback is that you also suffer from severe narcolepsy, but at least you'll be well-rested when the ability wears off.

[@derangel9143]

All-Star Superman is my favorite Superman story bar none. It is a prime example of how to write a Superman story. Though, my favorite Morrison work will always be his New X-Men run. It's weird, sometimes nonsensical, full of tangents, but the stories Morrison tells, the over-arching narrative of the run, and the way he handles characters are so good. In the past 20 years, Morrison is one one of a small handful of writers that I feel really understood the X-men and how to write stories about them. That scene with Esme dying in Emma's arms is what I still point to when I want to give people a perfect example of Emma's character.

[@jmlkhan5153]

I really enjoyed those

[@juliootorren9423]

Good episode, Morrison is a very versatile author, he can make mainstream comics as he can make Weird and bizarrre artsy things, have you read pax americana? Way more interesting than before Watchmen and doomsday clock

[@chancellorpalpatine4035]

Multiversity is an amazing series.

[@sethleoric2598]

Yeah.... i didn't like Doomsday Clock

[@seadawg93]

I LOVE coyote gospel, and the whole animal man run. One my fav single issues of his is “best man fall” from Invisibles, where we go deep into the life of a background bad guy who was killed off in a single panel in the first issue by one of the heroes!

[@moseslovesk]

I haven't finished the video yet, and it's been years since I've read it, but this is one of my favorite runs in comics. I'm excited to hear your take!

[@humbertosilva9600]

Thank you for reminding me one of the most interesting comic books I read when I was a kid. I recall getting sad after the end of it, but my younger self instantly knew there was some deeper meaning on that story.

[@coreyames3365]

Grant credits his turning vegetarian to developing Buddy Baker's character, so actually Buddy Baker's life worked its way into Grant's!

[@prancey227]

What a fantastic video, thanks for making this. I can see a lot of artists who have been so clearly inspired by Mazzuchelli, some of my modern favorites. Michael Lark and Chris Samnee in particular.

[@ComicCollectionComplete]

Man, how did I miss this episode? Oh wait, it was made before I started watching CT. Great job Chris! I am reading this now and it is great!!!

[@fernandoorozco5968]

he is my favorites comic and just my favorites writer ever.

[@LeeLightfoot]

I have only just found you sir, but based on your material I have a hearty man-crush and am going immediately to Patreon to support you!

[@ogJbizz]

Multiversity is my personal favorite Morrison work. Love his view on continuity and his ability to find character's voices.

[@alexharrington4134]

This channel is bloody fantastic, sir! Very in depth and informative. Keep up the great work.

[@spinchsprimkle6541]

When you started with the British Invasion I thought you were going to mention Herman's Hermits and the Dave Clark Five

[@PixelPhantom85]

Been falling down a rabitt hole of your videos lately. I miss this old opening. Love your stuff.

[@Stormcastlecomics]

Not sure if it was an oversight but part of the Messiah theme is the fact when Crafty dies he is on a crossroad and when he pulls back he is crucified in the panel for his people he left. That is my favorite comic of that series which is my favorite Morrison series.

[@theartistknownaszack9234]

Just got the omnibus of Morrison's animal man and it's just so beautiful

[@BastienHell]

I didn't care about Animal Man. Then I read the Morrisson run and changed my opinion.

[@niallreid7664]

To be fair, nobody gave a shit about Animal Man until that run.

[@Pengowirr]

Duh

[@someindividualistdude4645]

9:03 holy shit, Grant Morrison had hair!!

[@Changetheling]

Man. Looking at that Bolland art after watching Liefeld's video is like mana on the desert. Comic readers: REMEMBER BRIAN BOLLAND.

[@prajwaljayaraj5887]

How could we ever forget?

[@Shinigami13133]

He draws his eyes a little too big for my taste, it's off putting to me

[@perpetualloading]

Animal Man is the one of the best superheroes.

[@hcstubbs3290]

I'm reading this run atm, it's so damn good.

[@jakenap7184]

Yes! My favorite writer of all time! All Star Superman is in my opinion the best superhero book ever written.

[@Agamemnon2]

It's a really strong story, balancing the theme of Superman's sudden and imminent mortality with some digressions into silliness like Bizarro World. And even in the middle of that silliness, Morrison manages to create a character like Zibarro and invest him with pathos. ASS (tee hee hee) also has one of my favorite takes on the "Superhero talks to a suicidal person literally teetering on the edge" scene.

[@orurindriibjornsson2254]

Ég er bara 778ára

[@niallreid7664]

@Jess Hanks Perhaps. Maybe leave it down and come back to it a year or two down the line. I find that helps me appreciate pieces of media I may not have before as my perspective has often changed and I go back in fresh. I'm not saying it will blow your mind then either, but maybe it will click with you. But if you don't like it that's ok. I personally love it but I don't expect everyone to.

[@boydegg]

I met Grant Morrison once. He wasn't very talkative or friendly, but he might have just been having a bad day. He signed my Animal Man number 8.

[@nctpti2073]

That entire run really was amazing.

[@ochopantejardinero3327]

I still have the first 3 comics of Animalman. I didn’t know anything about Morrison but as a kid I felt that was a better reading than other comics of that time.

[@supernova1969]

Great Episode. Grant Morrison is a great writer. So lucky to have seen him in 2009.

[@jauregi2726]

One of my favorite comics ever ❤

[@AaronRedding]

Animal Man is probably one of the greatest comic no one is reading still. Grant Morrison also made Constantine and Swamp thing amazing

[@AscendantStoic]

Pretty interesting, thanks for highlighting this comic, i have been planning to read Grant Morrison's older works like Doom Patrol and the likes for a while (since i read All Star Superman, which we both agree is amazing and the best version of Superman) but i didn't hear about Animal Man before, might check it out as well.

[@tinnitusthenight5545]

A lot of great recommendations in this video!

[@DechantMusic]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEO! Animal man is my favorite character of all time. mainly because i read the third string hero books because they take risks with the writing and have more of a loose continuity and are free of the big corporate comic events for the most part. i read Animal man when it was new and loved it's poetic daring and truly at the time it was one of the few books where i had no idea what the hell was coming next. on a similar note regarding Morrison and the cartoon character,The heckler is a parody of Bugs Bunny by keith Giffen check it out it's his mini series is very entertaining.

[@ZorroinArkham]

easily my favorite comic writer

[@nickdirienzo2849]

Flex Mentallo did a great job of expanding on that thought, and in The Filth.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

9:45 the Omega Point

[@chainyrabbit]

I read this series to my kids at bedtime and they really enjoyed it

[@chadsknnr]

Grant Morrison's "Zenith" series . . . .

[@paultapping9510]

The Invisibles is GMs best work imo. Or at least, the one that makes his themes and preoccupations the most explicit. And there's so little love for it in the comments!

[@roymakescomics]

Yes! The Filth as well, great followup piece.

[@AngusRockford]

Would love to see tropes episodes on some of my favorite Bronze Age writers: Steve Gerber, Steve Englehart, Paul Levitz, and the criminally overlooked Elliot S. Maggin, who had a very unique take on Superman, and, especially Luthor.

[@automatwinslaytracks]

One of my favorite comic issues of all time. Holy grail to find in the wild

[@Noms_Chompsky]

Grant Morrison is so awesome he transcends trope post-it's and novelty snacks

[@steveg7000]

I think it would have been astute to comment that the final panels of that story had the creator point Crafty within a cross(road).

[@Crispman_777]

I need to look this up!

[@guitarherofan321]

This is a great episode

[@yourhandleshouldbe]

You missed the part about that comic where the truck driver (a “road runner”) was chasing the coyote to kill it which is a play on their dynamic but also touches on the realism of a cartoon world where roadrunner would eventually get fed up and push back instead. Interesting story!!

[@vincentfranklin17]

Grant Morisson"s Animal Man was nothing short of excellent! I liked the book so much, I stayed with the book even after his run ended. Right up to the ending of the title.

[@flexmentallo9993]

Please do another video on Morrison

[@TheArcSet]

Thanks for this video.

[@noahcaplan7472]

This video made me start reading Animal Man and holy shit! I’m floored!

[@ReaperXC]

Your example of breaking the fourth wall at the beginning with the woman in black, what comic is that from?

[@whyloechoedome8122]

Totally gonna check it out thanks

[@PopeBrandonBrownson]

I loved Grant Morrison in Smashing Pumpkins

[@roymakescomics]

Long time casual viewer, first time subscriber. Just now noticed that the pictures in your background are duct taped to the wall, I'd thought they were all in little neat black frames for ages 😂

[@donovanmontgomery2807]

This was a pretty interesting issue when it came out. I read it a few times. Also have the first 20 issues or so, great run.

[@xtraspecialmango]

My first comic book :)

[@grawakendream8980]

Morrison was the only writer for me who could make stories as interesting as the silver age comics. Also he was the first to pull from obscure comics, now they all do it and don't do a great job of it

[@lo1bo2]

Very nice episode! Have you watched the All-Star Superman animated movie? It's possibly my favorite of DC's animated movies.

[@gurugeorge]

I always thought that Morrison's particular love of the "whacky" phase of DC in the Silver Age was interesting, and in a way a refreshing change from the more common worship of Marvel's turn to "realism" roundabout the same time. I'm fairly old, so I started to read comics from about the middle of the 60s, just as both phenomena were happening, and I always had the same feeling. I loved the attempted realism of Marvel, but I also loved the way-out weirdness of some of the DC stuff that was coming out roundabout the same time. With Morrison as a writer, people tend to think of him as whacky himself, but I always found that his comics made sense on a second reading. I think it's just that on first reading, you were so distracted by the "explosion in the ideas factory" (as someone once said of Morrison's work) that you turned the pages breathlessly and sometimes missed crucial things characters said, whereas on second reading, not being distracted so much by the novelty, you realized that, oh yes, that _does_ make sense in terms of plot or motivation. And even though much of his personal stuff has indeed been very out-there and risky, his respect for the big characters he handled (JLA, Superman, the X-Men, etc.) was quite charming, he never imposed _too much_ of his thing on them and kept it within bounds (meaning, he didn't leave a huge mess that had to be retconned).

[@WalterLiddy]

"The British Invasion" usually refers to rock bands in the 60s.

[@cordellsenior9935]

I would like you to explore and examine Barry Windsor-Smith's Storyteller series where he's injected himself very creatively (and beautifully) across 3 (or 4) different series. It's the BEST.

[@WVLFRVN]

Hopefully getting to meet the dude next month!

[@tonyruby4467]

His work on Flex Mentallo was a total head trip

[@DWNicolo]

You are the dreamer and the dream.

[@naturesquad9174]

I would say *The Invisibles* is Morrison's lasting thesis statement, and he'd agree. Everything he "hints" at in his other work for DC/Marvel, he is completely upfront about in The Invisibles. Especially the apocalyptic "Omega point" theories...in Invisibles, Grant is literally saying: "This is what's going to happen, this is how it's going to go down. Get ready." So it's basically his Bible. And he's said about his post-JLA stuff that "everything i write is the Invisibles" in coded form. So, as ridiculous as it sounds: Morrison is using comics to clue people in to the coming "revelation" of a higher order (which our reality is a sub-system for). he argues this revelation is going to come through the internet and memetics somehow, and will resemble a Lovecraftian invasion or psychedelic trip when it happens.

[@waltervargas57]

Any books or sources on how to breakdown/analysis comics? You’re great!

[@Noms_Chompsky]

I adore Grant Morrison's stuff

[@Superpicl]

All Star Superman is probably the best thing I've ever read. Working on his Batman run now!

[@machomansings-official3466]

the british invasion i know of happened in the 1960s,with the beatles,hermits hermits,etc.

[@RighteousBrother]

The British Invasion actually refers to the 60's British Invasion of the America's pop music scene, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, etc etc.............this was the comics version of the British Invasion - where the name was appropriated.

[@nivaldowesley666]

I think my favorite are the first arc of Actions Comics in New52. but I like a lot of Flex Mentallo too!

[@dawolf856]

Animal Man and JLA.... the 2 best comics by Morrison, hands down

[@timothyvarner6981]

I have been trying to figure out where I knew the title "Coyote Gospel" from for MONTHS. Thank you.

[@arryospeedwagon]

Could you please do a video on Morrison's Arkham Asylum book?

[@juniordunkley2751]

I've always thought Animal man should have become a TV show

[@Swiftey596]

Legends say comic tropes is still hungry for those kibbles

[@corwin32]

We need a list of British Invasions. Comics, music, etc

[@mercurialpuck]

Thank you.

[@wiplash1020]

1. a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression. "he used the two-Americas trope to explain how a nation free and democratic at home could act wantonly abroad" a significant or recurrent theme; a motif. "she uses the Eucharist as a pictorial trope"

[@makoseda]

A cat’s power is to sleep 16 hrs a day.

[@monsterfro712]

Do you have anything on the Preacher series? I'd love to see what you think :)

[@ComicTropes]

GhostVoidSolo I think my second video was Preacher so I was still finding my way. But it’ll be in the Comic Tropes playlist.

[@aldi404]

I would love to see an episode about Morrisons JLA with Howard Porter and John Dell