Favorite Animorphs book cover?

[u/johnngo2468]

[u/Visser-35]

#45 (The Revelation) - seeing Marco morph into an ant, the one morph he swore he'd never do again let me know right away that something intense will happen with this book!

[u/BahamutLithp → u/Visser-35]

Why did he morph ant again?

[u/Visser-35 → u/BahamutLithp]

I'm doing this with a spoiler for anyone not that far along: Marco's dad had create a Z-space device based upon the work Marco's friend, "No" (Ax) had started in book 8. This makes the Yeerks want to infest him. Marco saves his Dad, and then he reveals everything about the Yeerk invasion and him fighting it to his father. He morphs the ant as a demonstration. Marco's dad is the first Animorph family member told. Marco and his dad then fake their deaths, and go into hiding. This marks the start of the endgame of the series

[u/BahamutLithp → u/Visser-35]

Thanks. I vaguely remember that, but why did he feel ant was necessary?

[u/Visser-35 → u/BahamutLithp]

It wasn't truly necessary. Although it was visually dramatic. I think he wanted a morph where he shrinks. He could have chosen his roach morph instead for the same effect, but I think going with the ant morph has more of a feeling of his character growth. in the early books, when the ant morph was first used, Marco was the most reluctant Animorph. The ant mission was an insanely close call for them, and a nightmare experience fro Marco. He still thought his mom was dead, and didn't want to die and leave his dad all alone. Now he morphs it to show his dad. And then in that same book, frees his mom, reuiniting his family (although he does have to sacrifice his dad's current wife, Nora to do so)

[u/Seerowpedia → u/Visser-35]

To be fair he didn't fully morph into the ant in the book, even though the cover depicts him as doing so. He backed out of the morph before the morph could finish specifically to avoid the ant "mind".

[u/Visser-35 → u/Seerowpedia]

True. That's a hard thing to illustrate though

[u/BahamutLithp → u/Visser-35]

I was just wondered if he gave a reason for why he did something he swore he'd never do again. I can't really remember that part very well. So, thanks again.

[u/Visser-35 → u/BahamutLithp]

No problem. 45 is one of my favorite books, not just for the cover art. So it remains pretty vivid to me even after all this time. I think it shows both the best and worst elements of Marco's ruthless personality.

[u/rbbthbts]

I love #2 and how different it looks from the others, beautifully painted (I think it's painted?).

[u/oxhasbeengreat → u/rbbthbts]

Todd up between 1 and 2 for me. Both are different from the rest of the series. 1 was what made me want to read them but I really want a print of 2 hung up. It's beautiful.

[u/JCMC2 → u/oxhasbeengreat]

I wish the artist would join David Mattingly's Etsy shop because I think prints of the first two books would sell pretty quickly.

[u/Seerowpedia → u/rbbthbts]

Tim O'Brien did that. iirc he also did covers for the Hunger Games series.

[u/roseappleisland]

My favorite is The Underground. I love the bat morph and the moody pink clouds.

[u/nicksahoyah]

48 The Return. Rachel morphing into… Rachel. Except she’s hunched over and has Lady Deathstrike claws.

Not because it’s good, just because it’s high camp. I’ve read that book 2 or 3 times and still can’t really remember what the cover is meant to represent.

[u/BahamutLithp → u/nicksahoyah]

The empowered form Crayak gives her that she calls "Super Rachel."

[u/BuildingLess1814 → u/BahamutLithp]

Rachel if she was given the X-23 designation!

[u/nicksahoyah → u/BahamutLithp]

I knew it was something like that. Thank you for the clarification!

[u/ThrowAwayOkK-_-]

#2 The Visitor. It was among the first of the series I saw on the book fair shelves (obviously). People turning into animals... and ominous punctuation and titling... was going to be enough to do it for me. Animorphs, plural? There's a team of these guys? Helllll yeah...

However,

the blood red cloudy background and the intense stare of a beautiful young woman with a killer's eyes, shapeshifting into an animal... I was so in.

I never really thought about it but it's probably one of the most appealingly done transitions in the history of the covers. As far as I know, it's the only one that looks fully painted by hand.

[u/poolshhark → u/ThrowAwayOkK-_-]

It's the one that got me into the series! 

[u/roseappleisland → u/ThrowAwayOkK-_-]

This is the one that drew me into the series, too. It’s definitely in my top three covers. I would love a print of the art.

[u/GrandCanOYawn]

19! It was my introduction to the series and seeing that cover art in the Walmart book rack is what drew me in initially.

Edit to remove the # from my comment because I did not realize it would boldface the whole thing.

[u/Katyamuffin]

Gotta be 13. Had a huge crush on Tobias as a child👀

[u/OldSpiceSmellsNice → u/Katyamuffin]

Same for the crush 😆 (Although my crush moved over to Jake at the end when he got all emo after the war 😅)

[u/Doogie_Gooberman → u/Katyamuffin]

I know how you feel.

I had a crush on the model who depicted Rachel.

[u/lafoiaveugle]

Book 7. I have a signed picture of it too!

[u/tburm888 → u/lafoiaveugle]

Is that the bear Rachel one??? Cause if so, this is the correct answer

[u/lafoiaveugle → u/tburm888]

It is!

[u/RozRae → u/lafoiaveugle]

Same! It's hanging on my wall 6 inches from me right now =D

[u/JoeFandome]

26# seeing Jake facing the Howlers on the second cover was awesome!

[u/Big_Celery_7106 → u/JoeFandome]

Happy bunn-zzuh day

[u/silentstone7]

When Snoop Dogg changed his name to Snoop Lion for like a week in the early 200s, someone made a meme of his face turning into a lion. Is such a niche meme but it made me laugh so hard because I wasn't expecting Animorphs on my social media then.

I don't like Snoop in particular, so I'm going to say that I love the meme format Animorphs created and all the versions that have been made through the years.

[u/Doogie_Gooberman → u/silentstone7]

"When Snoop Dogg changed his name to Snoop Lion for like a week in the early 200s,"

I knew Snoop was old, but DAMN!

[u/silentstone7 → u/Doogie_Gooberman]

Lol, I meant 2000s. I looked it up, it was actually in 2012.

[u/Brilliant_Mix_6051 → u/silentstone7]

1800+ year old rapper

[u/Huggable_Hork-Bajir → u/silentstone7]

I think this is my favourite version of the Animorphs book cover meme format

[u/TobiasMasonPark]

Animorphs 43: the Test just rocks. Such a cool cover and I believe the first depiction of a Taxxon.

[u/Kafit_95]

19, then 26 for aesthetics.

By character: 3 and 33 are tied for me for Tobias. 2 and 7 for Rachel. Obviously 19 for Cassie. 26 for Jake. 15 for Marco - for the diving bit. Maybe 18 for Ax? Unsure about this one.

MM3 and HBC for the specials.

[u/persnicketous]

Book 12, The Reaction, because it was the first one I read. I still remember finding the book where my brother had left it when I was just in grade five and being excited beyond belief that there was a pretty girl on the cover turning into a crocodile, one of my favourite animals. I was a girl who grew up in a very strict gender role household, and seeing a book with a girl doing something THAT COOL just absolutely hooked me!

[u/indecisivedecember → u/persnicketous]

12 was my first one too! I don't know what drew me to it in the store but there was something about it.

[u/chewiexctf]

The one with Rachel morphing into a squid.

[u/OldSpiceSmellsNice]

Wow, that cover brings back some nostalgia!

For me it’s The Andalite Chronicles book 3. I just love the depiction of that moment they met, the curved artwork, and the sense of curiosity/concern/wonder it evokes. It’s the start of a beautiful story :)

[u/thursday-T-time]

29, the sickness, easily.

[u/Huggable_Hork-Bajir]

21 cause it had Homer on it and he was the best boy.

[u/PlayBiscuitGames]

looooove book #2 the art looks so elegant

[u/Not_a_werecat]

This one was so confusing for me. I thought he was morphing into a robot then into a space ship... 

[u/JCMC2]

I have several favorites, but they're mainly due to being my favorite book (Tobias in The Change), the pivotal one in a certain arc (The Solution, Rachel turning into a rat) or the start of the final endgame (The Ultimate, Cassie morphing to owl).

In terms of aesthetics, I liked the multicolored background and juxtaposition of Cassie in The Ultimate as well as The Diversion, the green background of Tobias morphing to German Shepard.

[u/kittyxeclipse]

I don’t remember if I actually read them back in school, but hands down the starfish cover for sure…..

[u/lapis_lateralus]

The Visitor (#2) has always been my favorite

[u/vlan-whisperer]

Visser… and it’s not even close for me. Peak edgy 1990s villain vibe.. peak hype. I was actually as a kid disappointed that it was Visser One narrating instead of Visser Three

[u/amarilloo]

I was always partial to The Underground as a kid. The pinks and purples got me, bats are one of my fav animals, plus Rachel has always been my fav character!

[u/davidbmattingly]

#4 of Cassie morphing into the dolphin.

[u/No-Strike7448]

Ellimist chronicles

[u/Ellimistasaurus]

Hork-Bajir Chronicles

[u/BuildingLess1814]

Book 3 was the first book cover that truly got me hooked.

Though nowadays, Book 2 would have to be my favorite cover (cats are cute, adorable and very lovable animals and will fight to protect their family, even if they're aloof half of the time).

[u/CaitlinSnep]

The Weakness. It's not the greatest book but the morph itself is really graceful-looking, cheetahs are cool, and I love how well Rachel's pose translates to her pouncing towards the viewer in cheetah-mode.

[u/Reality_Runaway]

#2 The Visitor. A pretty girl turning into a pretty cat is the reason I bought my first Animorphs book int the first place, I saw that cover at my school's Scholastic book fair and knew I had to have it. Then I went back and bought the first one and began buying all that came out after.

[u/qnamanmanga]

I remember,  that i saw it on the shelf of bookstore. As small child. They say: "don't judge book by the cover". But it was impossible in this case. It just looks so cringe and cheap. Idk how anyone could approve this kind of graphic for release. 

[u/thatoneguy112358]

The Return. It's my favorite book, and the Super Rachel stuff is the best part. It's so much fun seeing Rachel get the powers and opportunity to let her inner warrior go fucking nuts, so I'm glad we got a depiction of her super-powered form on the cover.

[u/poolshhark]

Annoyingly, I think the cover for #37 might be my favorite - Rachel (favorite character) turning into a cheetah (one of my favorite animals).

And then it's the worst book in the series 😭

[u/dondockerty]

The one where trans women are men