The first Vertigo post for this blog is also the first Animal Man post. Ahh, Animal Man. Such a great character raised out of mediocre beginnings. Without getting too mired in details, it’s enough to say that Buddy Baker–Animal Man–can tap into the abilities of animals and make use thereof to fight injustice. Also, unlike most superheroes, he has a family (a wife, Ellen, and two children, Cliff and Maxine). This is important, because the central conflict in Buddy’s life is the tug-of-war that constantly occurs between his desire to live a normal life with his family and his desire to use his powers in the best and most effective way possible (often to try and raise awareness about animal rights and ecological issues).