Presentation Type
Oral/Paper Presentation
Abstract
Grant Morrison’s Animal Man debuted in DC Comics in 1988. For seven years as its author, Morrison explored themes of animal rights, conservationism, postmodernism, existentialism, and even free will all through their careful deconstruction of the superhero genre. In “Animal Man: Morrison’s Reflection on the author”, Ellie Harwood analyzes major portions of Morrison’s comic to identify their commentary on the relationship between people, animals, and fictional characters, and the moral ramifications of those relationships. Harwood achieves this through identifying the similarities between how Morrison portrays animals in the comic, as well as how they portray their own characters on a meta level, and the fundamental similarities between both parties. This essay primarily focuses on how the exploitation of animals is unequivocally tied to the process behind storytelling itself, and how both play into humanity’s intrinsic, primal desire for violence. By identifying the line Morrison draws between fiction and reality, then blurring it, the text’s moralistic claims become clear.
Recommended Citation
Harwood, Ellie, "Animal Man: Morrison's Reflection on the Author" (2025). Student Scholar Symposium. 55.
https://digitalcollections.lipscomb.edu/student_scholars_symposium/2025/Full_schedule/55
Included in
Animal Man: Morrison's Reflection on the Author
Grant Morrison’s Animal Man debuted in DC Comics in 1988. For seven years as its author, Morrison explored themes of animal rights, conservationism, postmodernism, existentialism, and even free will all through their careful deconstruction of the superhero genre. In “Animal Man: Morrison’s Reflection on the author”, Ellie Harwood analyzes major portions of Morrison’s comic to identify their commentary on the relationship between people, animals, and fictional characters, and the moral ramifications of those relationships. Harwood achieves this through identifying the similarities between how Morrison portrays animals in the comic, as well as how they portray their own characters on a meta level, and the fundamental similarities between both parties. This essay primarily focuses on how the exploitation of animals is unequivocally tied to the process behind storytelling itself, and how both play into humanity’s intrinsic, primal desire for violence. By identifying the line Morrison draws between fiction and reality, then blurring it, the text’s moralistic claims become clear.