Animal Man

In Grant Morrison’s visionary 26-issue run for Zinco, Animal Man transformed a minor DC hero into a metafictional meditation on comics, reality, and animal rights. With Chas Truog’s grounded, expressive art grounding the wild concepts, the series follows Buddy Baker as he discovers his powers are real and his world is a comic book—leading to a fourth-wall-shattering encounter with his own creator. A landmark of the late-’80s/early-’90s DC, it remains a touchstone for its philosophical ambition and emotional depth, redefining what a superhero story could be.