The Ramones had a catchy rock song called ‘Animal Boy’ (which was the second track off their 1986 album of the same name). I suppose, if an Animal Boy were to grow up he would become an ‘Animal Man’. However, on a more serious note, in the case of the DC Comics universe the character of Buddy Baker aka Animal Man (fully grown) was introduced in 1965.
Animal man was, both immediately after his introduction and for a long time later, one of the more obscure DC superhero characters.
In fact he was so side-lined a character that some people have said that even the thought of a movie appearance for him should be axiomatically ruled out of consideration.
I’m not so sure. You could have said the exact same thing about a movie featuring characters like Star Lord, Gamora or Groot (i.e. the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) around 2010 or so, but we all know what happened with that C-list Marvel group.
In the case of Animal Man, and the character of Bernhard “Buddy” Baker, his fans may arguably face an even bigger challenge in seeing him achieve wider popularity. A look at his history, as chronicled through an overview of his key comics, may help explain why.
Strange Adventures #180 (September 1965) – First Appearance of Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker started out as nobody special - that is, until he was bombarded by cosmic rays from aliens! After that, in grand Silver Age fashion, Buddy learns that the radiation has given him the power of the animals. Much like a combination of the later heroine Vixen (who however relies on magic and can only summon the power of a few token animal spirits), and the Doom Patrol/Teen Titans member Beast Boy (who can physically transform into any animal he can think of), Animal Man has the power to channel and use animal strength and speed. This comic is his first appearance but he is still not a costumed adventurer. As the most valuable comic on this list, expect to pay upwards of $800.00 to get Strange Adventures #180 in high grade. 9.4 is the highest known grade sold of this comic, and that was for $1,553.50 ten years ago in 2008. Current Fair Market Value would be closer to $4,500.00 for the same grade but returns are also up in almost all grade categories.
Strange Adventures #190 (July 1966) – First Appearance of Buddy Baker in Animal Man costume
Granted, the initial appearance of Buddy was dime-novel pulp thriller material, but the saga of Buddy didn’t end there. A year later, he was given a costume and an attempt was made to turn him into a regular DC super-hero. That happens in Strange Adventures #190. Only 94 of these are listed on the CGC census. The last high grade copy, a 9.6 (highest known grade), sold for $1,705 on Comic Connect, March 8, 2018.
Wonder Woman #267 (May 1980) – First modern reappearance of Animal Man
Buddy’s sage didn’t end in the Silver Age. Although he disappeared for a while, in the Bronze Age Gerry Conway and Ross Andru brought back our hero in their Wonder Woman run. Bronze Age Wonder Woman is not in high demand and that makes the possibility of finding a great deal on this forgotten Key very good. Not enough copies on the CGC census to tell what availability is like, but the few sales of 9.8 recorded have been for under $100.00.
Animal Man #1 (September 1988) – Fist issue of self-titled ongoing series
Grant Morrison’s reinvention of the Animal Man character was made all the more impressive by the above inconspicuous starts or, rather, false-starts. Morrison’s achievement shouldn’t be under-rated: he took a borderline joke and C-list super-hero and made him not only interesting, but in many ways excellent. Morrison, as you’ll most likely agree if you read his run starting with this comic, actually transformed the Animal Man character and turned his comic into one of the more innovative and, in many ways, ground-breaking titles published in a period (the late 1980s) that saw many creative highs in the comic world. Simultaneously making him interesting as a character and keeping the comic edgy by doing things like breaking the fourth wall, Morrison’s run is surely the stories that any movie will likely use if they plan to introduce Animal Man to a wider audience. 9.8 copies can be found for under $100.00 and there are 111 of these on the CGC census. Best returns have been on 9.8 which, after 25 sales between 2013 and 2017 stands at a positive (+ 99.1%).
