Animal Man [Member Since: November 21 '07]
I was born in Malden, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston), in 1962. Except for 18 months spent in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania when I was in the sixth grade, I have lived in Maryland (specifically the DC-Metro area) since I was about five years old.
Except for a few temporary absences, I have worked in the animal protection movement since 1989, most recently as an Associate Editor for The Humane Society of the United States (until October 2007). I have been a vegan for all of that time and first became a vegetarian about four years earlier. My wife, Vicki Stevens, and I met working at PETA and were married at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland on April 30, 1994 in a Wiccan handfasting ceremony.* We have five adopted children, all of whom are cats: Brandon, Xena, Nemo, Mina, and Serena (one of our first cats, Cleo, passed away on August 28, 2007).
From January 1999 to September 2006 I served as Director of the Comics for Compassion program of the Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF). This program sought to produce and distribute comic books that promoted humane values to children. In 2000 I was credited as "Creative Consultant" on DC Comics' Superman for the Animals (written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Tom Grummet and Dick Giordano) and in 2003 I worked with Marvel Comics on X-Men Unlimited #44, which contained the award-winning story, "Can They Suffer?"(written by Chuck Austen and illustrated by Romano Molenaar and Danny Miki).
In March 2005, my article "Of Mice and Vermin: Animals as Absent Referent in Art Spiegelman's Maus," was published in the International Journal of Comic Art (you can download a PDF of the paper, as it was published, here). In April 2005 I gave a presentation entitled "Images of Liberation: Comics, Cartoons, and Graphics," at the Grassroots Animal Rights Conference in New York City (you can download a PDF of my essay based on this presentation here). I am also working on a book following the 70 year history of comic book superheroes comics to show how their never-ending battle for truth and justice has reflected that of the American people. My list of 10 Best Graphic "Novels" + 1 can be found in Amazon.com's listmania section.
And there you have it: more information about a total stranger than you could ever possibly want to know.
*When the Maryland Department of Natural Resources decided to open this park to deer hunting a few years after we were married there, Vicki and I, along with two others, were arrested for blocking the entrance to the park by chaining ourselves to the front gate. Unfortunately, we were removed by authorities after causing only a slight delay to the opening of deer season. This remains my one and only act of civil disobedience to date.
Except for a few temporary absences, I have worked in the animal protection movement since 1989, most recently as an Associate Editor for The Humane Society of the United States (until October 2007). I have been a vegan for all of that time and first became a vegetarian about four years earlier. My wife, Vicki Stevens, and I met working at PETA and were married at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland on April 30, 1994 in a Wiccan handfasting ceremony.* We have five adopted children, all of whom are cats: Brandon, Xena, Nemo, Mina, and Serena (one of our first cats, Cleo, passed away on August 28, 2007).
From January 1999 to September 2006 I served as Director of the Comics for Compassion program of the Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF). This program sought to produce and distribute comic books that promoted humane values to children. In 2000 I was credited as "Creative Consultant" on DC Comics' Superman for the Animals (written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Tom Grummet and Dick Giordano) and in 2003 I worked with Marvel Comics on X-Men Unlimited #44, which contained the award-winning story, "Can They Suffer?"(written by Chuck Austen and illustrated by Romano Molenaar and Danny Miki).
In March 2005, my article "Of Mice and Vermin: Animals as Absent Referent in Art Spiegelman's Maus," was published in the International Journal of Comic Art (you can download a PDF of the paper, as it was published, here). In April 2005 I gave a presentation entitled "Images of Liberation: Comics, Cartoons, and Graphics," at the Grassroots Animal Rights Conference in New York City (you can download a PDF of my essay based on this presentation here). I am also working on a book following the 70 year history of comic book superheroes comics to show how their never-ending battle for truth and justice has reflected that of the American people. My list of 10 Best Graphic "Novels" + 1 can be found in Amazon.com's listmania section.
And there you have it: more information about a total stranger than you could ever possibly want to know.
*When the Maryland Department of Natural Resources decided to open this park to deer hunting a few years after we were married there, Vicki and I, along with two others, were arrested for blocking the entrance to the park by chaining ourselves to the front gate. Unfortunately, we were removed by authorities after causing only a slight delay to the opening of deer season. This remains my one and only act of civil disobedience to date.
Blurbs
This is a prime example of how words and art can work in perfect harmony to produce the kind of immediate and intense impact that only graphic storytelling can. Originally published as a two issue mini series, this "comics" masterpiece is now available in a single volume (I would recommend getting the hardcover, although it is also available in paperback). This brief plot synopsis appeared on the back cover of the original first issue:
"Clad in star-spangled rags, a man named Sam wanders the streets of an anonymous American city, struggling to remember his true identity. But he's plagued by inner voices that carry him on a time-traveling journey to the dark heart of America . . . and hint at his own violent past. Is he Uncle Sam-or one of U.S.?"
Uncle Sam is much more than just a revisionist history lesson. Sam's efforts to regain his past reveal the dysfunctional relationship that most U.S. citizens have with their mother country. They mistakenly believe that our government has fallen from the state of near grace in which it was immaculately conceived in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The disjointed memories experienced by Uncle Sam and shared with the readers peering into his soul reveal that, for all its deserved honors as a pioneer for liberty, this nation has always been tarnished by greed and the misuse of power. Facing this painful realization about our nation's past is the important first step in building a better future, because if you believe your country has done no wrong, it's easy to believe that it can do no wrong.
Of course, given the factual basis for this story, Alex Ross uses the photographic quality of his paintings to reinforce the authority of Steve Darnall's text in a way that no other artist could. The horror, both in Sam's haunted face and the tragic scenes of America's equally haunted past, could not have been conveyed so powerfully without Alex's unerring eye for accuracy and realism.
"Clad in star-spangled rags, a man named Sam wanders the streets of an anonymous American city, struggling to remember his true identity. But he's plagued by inner voices that carry him on a time-traveling journey to the dark heart of America . . . and hint at his own violent past. Is he Uncle Sam-or one of U.S.?"
Uncle Sam is much more than just a revisionist history lesson. Sam's efforts to regain his past reveal the dysfunctional relationship that most U.S. citizens have with their mother country. They mistakenly believe that our government has fallen from the state of near grace in which it was immaculately conceived in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The disjointed memories experienced by Uncle Sam and shared with the readers peering into his soul reveal that, for all its deserved honors as a pioneer for liberty, this nation has always been tarnished by greed and the misuse of power. Facing this painful realization about our nation's past is the important first step in building a better future, because if you believe your country has done no wrong, it's easy to believe that it can do no wrong.
Of course, given the factual basis for this story, Alex Ross uses the photographic quality of his paintings to reinforce the authority of Steve Darnall's text in a way that no other artist could. The horror, both in Sam's haunted face and the tragic scenes of America's equally haunted past, could not have been conveyed so powerfully without Alex's unerring eye for accuracy and realism.
2 pts.
Former Animal Man writer Grant Morrison revisits the issue of human inhumanity towards animals in this story published by Vertigo Comics. Beautifully illustrated by Frank Quitely, WE3 is a frightening, hyper-violent science fiction story "suggested for mature readers." It opens in a secret military research laboratory where scientists are working to replace humans on the battlefield with cybernetically enhanced, remotely controlled animals. Their first success is creating a horde of "rat biorgs" able to repair complicated machinery-aided by the drills and other tools that have been surgically grafted to their bodies. But when a senator comes to inspect the scientists' progress, they show him their proudest achievement, an armored dog, cat, and rabbit outfitted with an array of deadly weaponry and electronic voice boxes that allow them to communicate in a crude form of human speech. At the conclusion of his visit the senator orders the animals destroyed--or as he puts it, "decommissioned"--not because he disapproves of the project, but because they were not specifically bred to be used as test subjects and he is afraid the mental strain of their condition may eventually make them uncontrollable. As the "lost" posters that appear before each chapter in this book make clear (the story was originally published as a three issue miniseries), Bandit the dog, Tinker the cat, and Pirate the rabbit are all stolen pets.
Instead of euthanizing the animals as ordered, the doctor in charge of their care removes their restraints and allows them to escape into the night. As described in the ads for the series, what follows is a cross between Terminator and The Incredible Journey, as the three animals try to find "home"-wherever, and whatever, that is-with the U.S. military in hot pursuit.
As the chase continues, this rollercoaster ride of a story touches readers on an emotional level that makes it clear whose side Morrison is on. With the invaluable assistance of Frank Quitely's breathtaking art, Morrison makes the fugitive animals the most "human" characters in the story, without ever forsaking or diminishing their animal nature.
This is simply one of the greatest works of graphic literature to come along in years.
Cautionary note: While I can not recommend this story highly enough, those who are disturbed by comic book images of graphic violence-whether it's human against animal, animal against human, or even animal against animal-should be prepared for some extremely gory scenes. Also, Quitely's innovative panel arrangements, though visually stunning, may be a little challenging for the untrained comic book reading eye to follow.
Instead of euthanizing the animals as ordered, the doctor in charge of their care removes their restraints and allows them to escape into the night. As described in the ads for the series, what follows is a cross between Terminator and The Incredible Journey, as the three animals try to find "home"-wherever, and whatever, that is-with the U.S. military in hot pursuit.
As the chase continues, this rollercoaster ride of a story touches readers on an emotional level that makes it clear whose side Morrison is on. With the invaluable assistance of Frank Quitely's breathtaking art, Morrison makes the fugitive animals the most "human" characters in the story, without ever forsaking or diminishing their animal nature.
This is simply one of the greatest works of graphic literature to come along in years.
Cautionary note: While I can not recommend this story highly enough, those who are disturbed by comic book images of graphic violence-whether it's human against animal, animal against human, or even animal against animal-should be prepared for some extremely gory scenes. Also, Quitely's innovative panel arrangements, though visually stunning, may be a little challenging for the untrained comic book reading eye to follow.
4 pts.