Animal Man: Grant Morrison's Thesis Statement - Comic Tropes (Episode 80)
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- čas přidán 2. 12. 2017
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Animal Man was Grant Morrison's entry point into American comics back in the late 80s. And yet it represented all of the themes that he went on to explore in his comics up through today. I take a close look at these themes through issue 5 of Animal Man, titled "The Coyote Gospel." - Zábava
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
that is one of the few times were "It was all a dream" trope was put to good use
was the death of his family the violence you ran into trouble with? i dont remember noticing any escalation of violence
@@andrewlawless9796 When they die, so he starts wearing leather (something he would've never do before) and kills the perps.
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.
Those sons of bitches!
Lol too true
Also the 90s British Invasion of VideoGames with Argonaut, Rareware, Rockstar, Core Design, Psygnosis and Traveller's Tales.
Grant took an obscure character no one wanted to work with and created one of the best comic series ever.
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.
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
I love his run on justice league and all star superman!
I also liked we3
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.
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.
@@sethleoric2598 what about mah boi Mr miracle?
@@tanyaharmon6739 isn't Miracle Man Marvel?
@@sethleoric2598 sh@*t wrong guy. Mr miracle, lol
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.
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.
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
@@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.
excellent video - makes me wanna reread this run
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.
The best, no question.
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.
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.
That was in the original Teen Titans show.
Have any characters been vegetarian for bad reasons? Hahha
Can you direct me to the best of beast boy please. Just discovered Morrison. Some guy!
@@dasuberkaiser6 i remember the whole tofu thing beast boy had and it made sense to me as a kid.
@@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?
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.
I know definitely one the most thought provoking 4th wall breaks I've ever seen
All Star Superman is always the go-to recommendation I give to people who want to start reading Superman comics.
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!
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.
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.
Animal Man is probably my favorite series of all time. The art really grew on me too!
I love how Morrison is like, "fuck you comics are weird and they're better that way" love it
Grant Morrison looks kinda badass for a comic writer. Like he's cool enough to actually be in a comic.
When you started with the British Invasion I thought you were going to mention Herman's Hermits and the Dave Clark Five
This channel is bloody fantastic, sir! Very in depth and informative. Keep up the great work.
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.
I really enjoyed those
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!
Animal Man is the one of the best superheroes.
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!
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!
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!
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
Multiversity is an amazing series.
Yeah.... i didn't like Doomsday Clock
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!!!
Been falling down a rabitt hole of your videos lately. I miss this old opening. Love your stuff.
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.
Grant credits his turning vegetarian to developing Buddy Baker's character, so actually Buddy Baker's life worked its way into Grant's!
Yes! My favorite writer of all time! All Star Superman is in my opinion the best superhero book ever written.
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.
Ég er bara 778ára
@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.
my favorite single issue of any comic
also i love to see the i'm talking about grant morrison smile
Man. Looking at that Bolland art after watching Liefeld's video is like mana on the desert.
Comic readers: REMEMBER BRIAN BOLLAND.
How could we ever forget?
He draws his eyes a little too big for my taste, it's off putting to me
I didn't care about Animal Man. Then I read the Morrisson run and changed my opinion.
To be fair, nobody gave a shit about Animal Man until that run.
Duh
Man I love the old Grant Morrison stuff. He and Gaiman got me into a second wind of comic collecting in the late 90s. Also if you're ever in Portland, Oregon first beer is on me.
Hey I live near there, is this addressed to me? Let’s talk about comics I’m lonely dawg
Multiversity is my personal favorite Morrison work. Love his view on continuity and his ability to find character's voices.
he is my favorites comic and just my favorites writer ever.
A lot of great recommendations in this video!
That entire run really was amazing.
Thanks for this video.
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.
9:03 holy shit, Grant Morrison had hair!!
Grant Morrison's "Zenith" series . . . .
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.
One of my favorite comics ever ❤
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 😂
This is a great episode
I'm reading this run atm, it's so damn good.
I need to look this up!
Great Episode. Grant Morrison is a great writer. So lucky to have seen him in 2009.
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.
One of my favorite comic issues of all time. Holy grail to find in the wild
Flex Mentallo did a great job of expanding on that thought, and in The Filth.
Just got the omnibus of Morrison's animal man and it's just so beautiful
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).
Totally gonna check it out thanks
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.
I read this series to my kids at bedtime and they really enjoyed it
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.
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.
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.
I have been trying to figure out where I knew the title "Coyote Gospel" from for MONTHS. Thank you.
This video made me start reading Animal Man and holy shit! I’m floored!
Animal Man is probably one of the greatest comic no one is reading still. Grant Morrison also made Constantine and Swamp thing amazing
NIIIICE BACKGROUND FRIENDO
easily my favorite comic writer
Hopefully getting to meet the dude next month!
Hiya, I've been out of the loop as far as comic books go and watching the content available on your
channel has reminded me why I fell in love with the medium to begin with. I'd be interested to know your opinion on ed McGuiness, Garth Ennis and/or Steve Dillon to name a few. Keep it up mate!
I loved Grant Morrison in Smashing Pumpkins
Thank you.
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.
Any books or sources on how to breakdown/analysis comics? You’re great!
Very nice episode! Have you watched the All-Star Superman animated movie? It's possibly my favorite of DC's animated movies.
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.
You seem like such a genuine person. I'd like to try to give you some guidance in understanding some of Sir Grant's more esoteric works. Of course, I am just now starting to actually read his works myself. ;p
Grant Morrison is so awesome he transcends trope post-it's and novelty snacks
Please do another video on Morrison
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!
Yes! The Filth as well, great followup piece.
Didn’t know Happy! was a comic. Gonna have to go read that
My first comic book :)
I think my favorite are the first arc of Actions Comics in New52. but I like a lot of Flex Mentallo too!
the british invasion i know of happened in the 1960s,with the beatles,hermits hermits,etc.
Could you please do a video on Morrison's Arkham Asylum book?
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!!
His work on Flex Mentallo was a total head trip
Legends say comic tropes is still hungry for those kibbles
I adore Grant Morrison's stuff
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).
Your example of breaking the fourth wall at the beginning with the woman in black, what comic is that from?
You are the dreamer and the dream.
omg poor crafty!!!
i am so sad :(!
We need a list of British Invasions. Comics, music, etc
I've always thought Animal man should have become a TV show
love GM and love CT!
"The British Invasion" usually refers to rock bands in the 60s.
I would love to see an episode about Morrisons JLA with Howard Porter and John Dell
Do The Invisibles please.
All Star Superman is probably the best thing I've ever read. Working on his Batman run now!