Issue Description

Anima’s father Dwight Mason has become the Shrike, a bird of vengeance, and he is stalking drug dealers in Chicago. Anima and Hawkman fight the Shrike, but Anima refuses to deliver the killing blow, allowing the Shrike to escape. Meanwhile, Anima’s friend Dred’s cousin Ramsey is looking to get revenge on the death of Dred’s brother. Ramsey’s gang has gotten word from some corrupt police officers where the murderer, Dwayne, is being transported to and when. As Ramsey prepares to kill Dwayne, Anima and Hawkman continue to hunt for the Shrike. Hawkman finds Shrike first, and talks Dwight into controlling the beast. Anima finds out about Ramsey’s plan, and stops him before he kills. The four come together, where Ramsey turns a new leaf and Dwight continues to hone the Shrike as a force for good. 

Anima (1994)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

Anima was a 16 issue series produced by DC Comics that ran from 1994 to 1995. The series followed its titular protagonist, Anima, and her alter-ego Animus. Anima, one of the new heroes created during the 1993 Bloodlines annual crossover event, was one of the few heroes that managed to spin off into its own series. Anima first appeared in the New Titans crossover annual of that event.
 
Writing duties for the Anima series were given to science fiction and fantasy writers Elizabeth Hand and Paul Witcover. While Hand and Witcover had collaborated in the past on stories and blogs, this was the first time for both of them writing in the world of comics. According to Witcover, he and Hand had wanted to build a world that “ripped off everyone from Carl Jung to Kurt Cobain in the process.” Witcover called Anima a “gonzo-feminist comic,” visiting a lot of the common feminist themes both he and Hand would explore in their science fiction stories.
 
Hand and Witcover gave Anima a rich supporting cast, including the band Boojum ( Liv, Alison, Judy, Slam, and Dred), Alison’s family, and O.D.D. Agent Woodleaf. The writers also delved into topics such as lesbianism and featured an H.I.V. positive supporting character. In addition, Hand and Witcover created the world of Arkana, filling it with concepts similar to Neil Gaiman’s Dreaming (Hand and Gaiman had been old friends). Hand and Witcover slightly retconned Anima’s origin from New Titans Annual #9, in order to better fit in with their ideas around Arkana. This retcon was explained away as part of the Zero Hour event.
 
Artwork for the majority of the series was handled by Steve Crespo, who up until then had done some one-shot work for DC. Inking duties would rotate through the series, with a lot of DC regulars and up-and-comers providing inking.
 
Anima was cancelled after 16 issues. After the cancellation of her series, Anima would bounce around the DC universe, and eventually wind up as a member of numerous teenage teams, including Young Justice, the Teen Titans, and the Blood Pack.

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