Animal Man #63 is an issue of the series Animal Man (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1993.
Synopsis for "Leviathan"
Waiting 'til his family is all asleep, Buddy Baker dives into the ocean, hoping to track the recent occurrences of strange, aggressive animal behaviour to their source. At the same time, as if in a trance, Annie Cassidy wanders up the cliff to the Indian-Head ruins, hoping to find some relaxation and shelter from the violent storm outside. As she sits in the ancient stone chair within, her thoughts become those of a huge entity demanding vengeance.
Ellen Baker wakes in the night to a bird crashing through her window. Several other birds are falling to the ground, and a strong wind is threatening to tear the cabin apart. She hears a banging and cries from outside the door, and finds Lucy Cassidy demanding to get in. Lucy is afraid for her mother, and she begs the Bakers to help to find her.
Buddy swims deep down under the water, past polluting oil cans and poison, until he discovers an entire sunken city. He wonders whether modern cities will be the same one day, when humans destroy themselves and go extinct. He swims further, getting closer to the source from which all of the sea life in the ocean seems to be emanating. As he approaches, he realizes that the vastness that he perceived as the ocean floor was actually the body of an enormous creature, out from whose mouth all the fish are swimming. In terror, he flees back toward the shore.
Ellen, Lucy, Maxine, and Cliff make their way toward Indian-Head, trying to avoid the falling birds and the army of fish and crustaceans pursuing them. At the top of the cliff, Lucy, Ellen and Maxine crawl into a nearby cave for shelter, while Cliff stays outside and waits for Buddy. Maxine reveals that the cave was once used by natives to commune with a "big thing," which she claims has already swallowed them. Deeper inside the cave, Lucy finds her mother in a catatonic state. They manage to rouse her enough that she spouts strange proclamations from the "big thing," warning of humanity's doom. Lucy's cries of upset seem to bring Annie out of her trance.
Buddy swims back toward the shore, once again being consumed by the same rage that all of the fish seem to be feeling. Once again, though, he remembers his family, and must come to grips with the fact that despite all of his animal connections, he can't deny his humanity.
When they explain to Annie that they seem to be under attack by all of the images in her painting, she names the "big thing" as Leviathan. They are surprised to find that she welcomes the destruction, feeling that she's lost everything, including Lucy, who has some kind of leukemia. Lucy is disgusted by her mother's self-pity, not wanting to live her life in a cloud of guilt for having a terminal disease. She refuses to be a symbol to justify her mother's anger. Maxine declares that Annie needs to let go of her anger, and both she and Lucy should be happy with what time they have with each other.
Outside, Cliff is nearly swallowed by a tidal wave, but he is saved by his father just in time. Below them, the Leviathan begins to recede back under the waves, taking the animals with it. Buddy believes it has either changed its mind or that this was all just a warning against mistreating nature.
The next day, Buddy manages to rent a car, but the Bakers are unsure of what to do about Annie and Lucy, whose home was destroyed in the storm. Cliff and Maxine reveal that they have already decided that the Cassidys will come to live with them all on the Frazier farm in Vermont. Cliff quips that after all, sharing resources is good ecology.
Appearing in "Leviathan"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Leviathan
Other Characters:
- Lucy Cassidy
- Annie Cassidy
Locations:
- California
- Malecite Bay
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Animal Man: Flesh and Blood.
See Also