Animal Man: The Clockwork Crimes of the Time Commander

[alicemacher]

From Animal Man #16 (Oct. 1989).



In Paris, the amnesia-afflicted John Starr becomes increasingly manic as he gradually remembers his identity, a process accelerated when the local man he asks for the time finds his watch has stopped at 11:55. Starr retrieves a clock-themed supervillain costume and an hourglass from a locker he's just recalled, and suits up.

Back in San Diego, Ellen learns that her children's book manuscript has been accepted for publication. Eager to celebrate with her, Buddy arranges for their neighbour Tricia to watch the kids, and for the two of them to enjoy a date in Paris -- by teleporting to the JLE headquarters. Inside said location, Sue Dibny's made an odd discovery.







The "someone," or rather two, who've just beamed in are of course the Bakers. Ellen, woozy from the experience, flops onto a chair... which turns out to be the (formerly) sleeping Metamorpho. "Buddy, this is a madhouse," she says with a smirk as Rex and Ralph rib each other. But that's nothing to what the couple discover while on a walk outside: a rampaging Tyrannosaurus rex. Buddy knocks it out, but soon learns from his JLE teammates of still more anachronistic weirdness.







Ralph tells Buddy to suit up and regroup at the Place de la Concorde. He and the others head there, but not before Dmitri Pushkin (aka Rocket Red 4) politely takes his leave of the Bakers and tells them (while doing the Twist) how much he loves their "English beat music! [...] Fab gear!", leaving the Americans unsure whether he's putting them on.

Meanwhile, a local woman spots the Time Commander in a cemetery.










The JLE tries to stop Starr, but they're unprepared for just how versatile his magic hourglass is.







The Time Commander next deals with Rocket Red 4 by, apparently, reversing his earlier armouring-up, leaving him plummeting in his boxers and socks as the Elongated Man stretches into a trampoline shape to catch him. This leaves Animal Man, who's been quietly observing the various reunions with deceased loved ones.
















That evening, at a fine restaurant, Buddy indicates he still feels bad about Starr. Ellen says one can't always do the right thing, so he decides to focus on the happy things in their lives.







That guy watching them from the car? That's Lennox.


This is one of the more "all-around" entertaining issues from Morrison's run. It includes some much-needed comic relief in the form of the JLE's more eccentric members, while focusing once again on an antagonist who really isn't a "bad" guy. (A welcome refresher after the recent trifecta of thoroughly evil villains, with varying realism levels.) All Starr wants is to make the world happier and more fun. Tragically, his severe mental illness prevents him from understanding that playing havoc with time, ageing and causality wouldn't achieve that goal in the long run. Also welcome, after the anomaly of Issue 15, is the return of Buddy's essential compassion and preference for talking things over instead of violence.

Next post: James Highwater has a crucial -- and dangerous -- epiphany, while Buddy learns the hard way that (to greatly paraphrase Vonnegut) we are whom we associate with, so we must be careful whom we associate with.