Animal Man #25

Issue Details

Synopsis

A monkey sits in a field, under a tree, typing out Shakespeare on a typewriter. Meanwhile, Buddy prepares to leave his house and go journeying through the moody cemetery that has appeared outside. He tells his pets good-bye and promises to be back soon. As Buddy walks through the cemetery, we see that there are several memorial for extinct species, such as the dodo and the T-Rex. Buddy hears a jingling and spies a shadowy figure behind a statue. He tells the figure to show itself. An older man wearing a pink and purple jester outfit walks out and introduces himself as Merryman. He welcomes Animal Man to Limbo and surprises Buddy by telling him that he didn't think he'd be back this soon. Buddy asks him what he's talking about because he doesn't remember ever being in this place. Merryman responds that no one remembers Limbo once they leave. He then explains to the confused Animal Man that he is in Comic Book Limbo; where old, uncared for comic book characters go. Merryman is a cartoonist in his secret identity, so he is unfazed by it all. He goes on to say that he knows he looks stupid, but at least he KNOWS he looks stupid... unlike his teammates who are genuinely stupid. He then introduces Animal Man to his "stupid" teammates; the Inferior Five. Elsewhere, the monkey from the beginning had started typing out this issue of Animal Man, when he suddenly grabs his chest and keels over. The scene switches back to Buddy, where he and the Inferior Five are talking things over beside a decrepit version of the Jokermobile. Awkwardman tells them all that the monkey is dying. When Buddy asks about the monkey, Merryman tells him that it's just a monkey that used to be famous, but now no one is allowed to say his name. He just sits under a tree writing, but there is a legend that one day he'll write everyone out of Limbo. Animal Man remembers Merryman telling him that he was once in Limbo but he just doesn't remember, so Buddy asks him how he got out. Merryman responds by saying...