ANIMAL MAN (Bernhard 'Buddy' Baker) is a DC superhero who was near an extraterrestrial spaceship when it exploded and who subsequently gained the ability to temporarily borrow the abilities of animals. Animal Man's first appearance is STRANGE ADVENTURES [1950] #180, and he made a measly 11 total pre-Crisis appearances before he was revamped in the late 1980s (with only slight modifications to his origin) for a more mature audience by writer Grant Morrison (during the same period when Alan Moore revamped Swamp Thing and Neil Gaiman revamped Sandman). Animal Man's first self-titled series lasted 89 issues, falling under the Vertigo imprint beginning with issue #57 and moving away from the main DC Universe into Vertigo's growing, little universe of its own. Grant Morrison wrote the first 26 issues of the series. Subsequent writers included Peter Milligan, Tom Veitch and Jamie Delano. After this series ended, Animal Man made minor appearances in the DC Universe proper, usually alongside other less-than-mainstream heroes, until his relaunch in the New 52 to critical acclaim by writer Jeff Lemire. In 1999, Animal Man became an official member of the Justice League, but it was short-lived, as the League disbanded shortly thereafter. Animal Man continues in the DC Rebirth relaunch as a reserve Justice League member.
