In any superhero franchise, before the fans get to enjoy the motion picture or television counterpart of their favorite stories, they are first delighted by the comic books that these narratives are based on. Comic books are an integral part of superhero stories because, without them, showrunners and the production staff will have difficulty relating their adaptation to the source material. With James Gunn and Peter Safran revamping the DCU, some fans have particular comic titles that they want to be translated to the screen; one of them is DC’s, Animal Man.
Buddy Baker, aka Animal Man, made his debut in "Strange Adventures" #180 in 1965. As is customary in comic books, Buddy acquired his superhuman skills from a crashed spacecraft, and as his name suggests, he has animal-like talents. Before Grant Morrison fully reimagined Buddy during their ground-breaking run on "Animal Man," which started in 1988, he appeared intermittently over the years. Animal Man had enough interesting qualities to be deserving of his series, and comic book writer Jeff Lemire believed it too.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Lemire was asked which Marvel or DC project Lemire would like to show run, “Animal Man,” he said. “If James [Gunn] gave me a blank check and creative freedom, that would be the one for sure.” One of Lemire's first works for DC was Animal Man, a critically lauded two-year run starring the titular character. The series, which has 29 issues and various tie-ins, centers on Buddy Baker as he juggles his ordinary family life with the ability to take control of any animal's talents.
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Aside from his works for DC, which includes Superboy, Justice League Dark, and Green Arrow, Lemire is also known for All-New Hawkeye, Extraordinary X-Men, Moon Knight, and Old Man Logan which he wrote for Marvel. He is also the author of critically acclaimed titles including the Essex County Trilogy, Sweet Tooth, and The Nobody.
So far, the initial slate for the new DCU will include movies for Superman: Legacy, The Brave, and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority. It will include the HBO Max television shows Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and an animated Creature Commandos series.
The new DC Universe will kick off with Creature Commandos, whose release date will follow, and Superman: Legacy, hitting theaters on July 11, 2025.
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