Sep 1, 1965 CE
Animal Man First Appears in Strange Adventures #180
Buddy Baker gains animal-like abilities from an alien spaceship explosion and becomes the superhero Animal Man. He is a B-list DC character with a family. #DC #Comics
Chronological Storyline (37 Milestones)
Nov 1, 1968 CE
Animal Man Joins Justice League of America
Buddy Baker becomes a member of the Justice League of America, featuring in several stories. #JusticeLeague #DC
Sep 1, 1988 CE
Animal Man Vol. 1 #1: Grant Morrison Begins Iconic Run
Writer Grant Morrison launches a new Animal Man series, blending superheroics with metafiction and animal rights themes. #GrantMorrison #Metafiction )
Nov 1, 1988 CE
Animal Man #3: Buddy Discovers He Is a Comic Book Character
Buddy Baker becomes aware he is a fictional character, a landmark moment in comics. #Metafiction #Comics )
May 1, 1989 CE
Animal Man #9: 'The Coyote Gospel'
Morrison introduces the concept of the 'Red' as a morphogenetic field, and Buddy confronts the Coyote. #Morrison #Red )
Jan 1, 1990 CE
Animal Man #18: 'Deus Ex Machina' - Grant Morrison Finale
Buddy meets his creator Grant Morrison at a comic convention; the series ends with #26 but the run concludes this issue. #Metafiction #Morrison )
Aug 1, 1991 CE
Animal Man #26: Final Issue of Morrison's Run
The series ends with #26, but is later revived. #DC )
Oct 1, 1991 CE
Animal Man Appears in 'Invasion!' Crossover
Buddy Baker participates in the DC crossover event 'Invasion!', alien invasion storyline. #Crossover #DC )
Jan 1, 1992 CE
Animal Man Vol. 1 #27-32: Jamie Delano Run
After Morrison, Jamie Delano writes a short run focusing on animal rights. #AnimalRights #Comics )
Jun 1, 1992 CE
Animal Man #32: Final Issue of First Volume
The series is canceled with issue #32. #Cancelled #DC )
Apr 1, 1993 CE
Animal Man in 'DC Universe' Zero Hour Event
Buddy appears in 'Zero Hour: Crisis in Time' crossover event. #Crossover #Crisis
Sep 1, 1999 CE
Animal Man Joins Justice League Europe
Buddy becomes a member of the Justice League Europe, a spinoff team. #JusticeLeague #DC
Aug 1, 2001 CE
Animal Man in 'JLA: Earth 2' Graphic Novel
Appears in Grant Morrison's graphic novel exploring the Crime Syndicate. #GrantMorrison #Elseworlds
Nov 1, 2006 CE
Animal Man in '52' Weekly Series
Buddy appears as a supporting character in the weekly series '52', following DC's Infinite Crisis. #52 #DC )
Apr 1, 2007 CE
Animal Man in 'Countdown to Final Crisis'
Has a role in the lead-up to Final Crisis. #Crisis #DC
May 1, 2008 CE
Animal Man in 'Final Crisis' Event
Appears in the major crossover event Final Crisis by Grant Morrison. #FinalCrisis #Morrison
Sep 1, 2009 CE
Animal Man in 'Blackest Night' Tie-In
Buddy Baker is affected by the Black Lantern ring in the Blackest Night event. #BlackestNight #GreenLantern
Sep 1, 2011 CE
Animal Man Vol. 2 #1: Jeff Lemire's New 52 Run Begins
As part of DC's New 52, Jeff Lemire relaunches Animal Man with a horror bent, delving deeper into the Red. #New52 #JeffLemire )
May 1, 2012 CE
Animal Man #9: 'Rotworld' Storyline Begins
Buddy learns of the Rot, a corruption of the Red, setting up the major crossover with Swamp Thing. #Rotworld #SwampThing
Dec 1, 2012 CE
Animal Man #12: 'Rotworld: The Green Kingdom'
Buddy fights the Rot alongside Swamp Thing in the 'Rotworld' crossover climax. #Crossover #Horror
Mar 1, 2013 CE
Animal Man #17: Buddy's Daughter Maxine Becomes Avatar of the Red
Maxine Baker, Buddy's daughter, gains powers and becomes the Avatar of the Red. #Red #Family )
Aug 1, 2013 CE
Animal Man #21: Jeff Lemire's Run Ends
Lemire's final issue, concluding the horror saga and setting Buddy's status quo. #JeffLemire #Horror )
Feb 1, 2014 CE
Animal Man Vol. 2 #29: Series Cancellation
The New 52 Animal Man series ends with issue #29 due to low sales. #Cancelled #DC )
Jun 1, 2015 CE
Animal Man in 'Convergence' Event
Buddy appears in the 'Convergence' storyline, bringing back Pre-Flashpoint characters. #Convergence #Crossover )
Jun 1, 2016 CE
Animal Man in 'DC Rebirth' One-Shot
Buddy is featured in the 'DC Rebirth' special, hinting at his return to prominence. #DCReBirth #Return
Jan 1, 2017 CE
Animal Man in 'Justice League of America' Vol. 5
Buddy joins the new Justice League of America under Batman's leadership. #JusticeLeague #DC )
May 1, 2018 CE
Animal Man in 'The Terrifics' Series
Buddy joins a team with Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, and Phantom Girl. #TheTerrifics #Team
Sep 1, 2019 CE
Animal Man in 'Dark Knights: Death Metal'
Appears in the epic event 'Dark Nights: Death Metal' by Scott Snyder. #DeathMetal #Event
Aug 1, 2020 CE
Animal Man in 'Infinite Frontier' Event
Buddy is part of the new Infinite Frontier era, exploring multiversal adventures. #InfiniteFrontier #Multiverse
Mar 1, 2021 CE
Animal Man in 'Justice League Incarnate'
Buddy joins a multiversal Justice League team. #JusticeLeague #Multiverse
Nov 1, 2021 CE
Animal Man in 'The Flash' Vol. 16 #775
Guest appearance in The Flash, dealing with the Red. #Flash #Guest )
Apr 1, 2022 CE
Animal Man in 'DC: The Dead Earth' Elseworlds
Appears in the post-apocalyptic Elseworlds story 'DC: The Dead Earth'. #Elseworlds #PostApocalyptic
Jan 1, 2023 CE
Animal Man in 'Dawn of DC' Initiative
Buddy is featured in the 'Dawn of DC' storyline, with a minor role. #DawnOfDC #DC
Jul 1, 2023 CE
Animal Man Appears in 'Knight Terrors' Event
During the 'Knight Terrors' event, Buddy Baker is trapped in a nightmare world. #KnightTerrors #Event
Mar 1, 2024 CE
Animal Man in 'The New Golden Age' One-Shot
Buddy appears as part of the 'New Golden Age' of DC heroes. #GoldenAge #DC
Sep 1, 2024 CE
Animal Man: The Return of the Red Solo Series Announced
DC announces a new Animal Man solo series for 2025, written by a new creative team. #NewSeries #Comeback )
Jan 1, 2025 CE
Animal Man Vol. 3 #1: New Series Launches
The new ongoing series debuts, exploring Buddy's family and the Red in a modern context. #New52 #Rebirth )