Listen, Ellen, I've been doing some thinking over the last couple of months... about my Animal Man powers and stuff... and, well, I've come to a decision. I want to go full time into the super-hero business. 
Animal Man #1 is an issue of the series Animal Man (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1988. It was published on June 2, 1988.
Synopsis for "The Human Zoo"
Somewhere in San Diego, a mysterious figure calling himself the Beast seems to be in some kind of pain, and is searching for the source of the sound of screaming monkeys that he hears in his head.
Meanwhile, Buddy Baker, no longer content with operating as a "small-time" hero, strives to make his way into the big leagues. He begins practicing his powers by tapping into the physical characteristics of cats, birds, fish and spiders. To further promote himself, he makes an ill-advised guest appearance on the Dick Griffith Show. Griffith humiliates him on national television and Buddy decides to beef up his look by adding a leather jacket to his costume.
Elsewhere, in an alleyway, the Beast is attacked by a mugger, whom he kills without hesitation, before finding his way to a S.T.A.R. Labs facility, the apparent source of the sound been torments him.
Later, Buddy responds to an emergency at S.T.A.R. Labs. There, Doctor Myers—who had been working on a cure for the AIDS virus—tells him that he was actually hoping for Superman, but will settle for Animal Man regardless. He shows him one of the lab's animal testing facilities, which has been ransacked with broken cages and emptied medical containers all over the floor. All of the test monkeys have somehow been fused together into a gelatinous ball that is still alive.
Appearing in "The Human Zoo"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Cliff Baker (First appearance)
- Ellen Baker
- Maxine Baker (First appearance)
- Roger Denning
- Rufus the cat (First appearance)
- Skip the dog (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- B'Wana Beast
- Tricia Denning (First appearance)
- Dick Griffith (First appearance)
- Flash (Mentioned only)
- Forgotten Heroes (Mentioned only)
- Justice League International (Cameo) (In a photograph only)
- Blue Beetle (In a photograph only)
- Booster Gold (In a photograph only)
- Captain Atom (In a photograph only)
- Mister Miracle (In a photograph only)
- Lew (First appearance)
- Metamorpho (Mentioned only)
- Doctor Myers (First appearance)
- Outsiders (Mentioned only)
- Ray (First appearance)
- Superman (Mentioned only)
- Tarzan (Mentioned only)
- Morris Weidemeir (First appearance)
- Violet Weidemeir (First appearance)
- Stevie Wonder (Cameo) (In a photograph only)
Locations:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Animal Man Vol. 1 and Animal Man Omnibus.
- Stevie Wonder and the members of Justice League International appear as photographs in a copy of Rolling Stone only.
- Roger Denning appears next in Animal Man #6.
Trivia
- This story takes place in the month of May.
- Buddy Baker is twenty-nine years old at the time of publication.
- On page 12, Buddy gets the proportionate strength of a spider, like Spider-Man.
- Maxi reads Where the Wild Things Are.
- Alexis and Blake are characters on Dynasty.