After over fifteen years of reading comics, I think it is fair to say that some things have slipped through the cracks (in fact, I think I said the exact same thing last time I spoke).
It had never been my intention to not read anything but sometimes you get a lot of stuff at the same time or you already have a big pile of comics still to read before this one or even both (as evidence this past Christmas).
Mister Miracle occupies the third of these options, although it also comes with a little extra. Since its release, I've heard nothing but praise from everyone about this series and being a fan of the Vision, it made sense to get a copy. However, it's been 14 months since I received the complete collection soft cover and as time has worn on, this title has been pushed further downstream as I feared that it may not be as good as the hope that has surrounded it.
But no more running, no more hiding, no more escaping (see what I did there). This past week or so has finally been the time to read it.
Mister Miracle (for that other guy in the world who hasn't read it) follows Scott Free, the titular escape artist supreme who. After attempting an escape attempt which nearly kills him, Scott finds himself facing uncertainty everywhere he looks as tries to juggle his career, marriage and even fatherhood with his responsibilities as a New God even as war breaks out between his two homes of New Genesis and Apokolips.
Now I've tried (and most likely failed) to keep my description of this series vague in order to not spoil it for anyone. However, be warned that I will most likely reference a spoiler or two.
As I've already said, this series certainly had plenty of pedigree to it when I first got my hands on it. Writer Tom King has shown great talent thanks to his awesome
Vision run and the praise that this series has been given, especially towards the Activity artist Mitch Gerads, isn't something that even I can ignore.
However, as I started to delve in, I found this series to be quite a tough slog. I don't know whether it was my understanding of the story or my emotional/mental state at the time (when I started reading I was pretty burned out) but I thought that the focus at the beginning on theology and/or spirituality were quite had going for me.
That said, once I reached issue 3 onward, I found my enjoyment of Mister Miracle increased significantly. I think this is because the story seemed to move away from what I deemed as a deep philosophical and theological narrative to something a little more relatable (at least to me) of a man trying to juggle life and family while dealing with the baggage of his past. I think this because the series seems to focus on two things; Scott's interactions with Barda and later Jacob, and the dynamic of being the son (and heir) to two diametrically opposing New Gods. As I read this it made me think about my own life and how, while I carry a lot of baggage from my past, I always try to shield my kids from it to give them a better life.
Anyway, once I reached that third issue, I thought the writing became much clearer, as Tom King produced a poignant and heartfelt story. King gave us pair a wonderful characters in Scott and Barda, as I thought their relationship was beautiful and very genuine in its depiction. Meanwhile watching Scott's journey to becoming a father and his interactions with his son, Jacob, really tugged at my heartstrings as I thought this summed up the book of how Scott wanted to be better than those who came before him, as well as mirrored my my own life (sans the Godhood).
Of course, there were some lighter moments which really kept the book jovial as well, such as the veggie trays and Barda's frequent phrase of "Shut the $#%@ up, Lightray" towards the eponymous who, whether he truly deserved it or not, is depicted as a bit of a bully to start with and so makes the comment feel earned. However, the best, most lighthearted part of this series is the double-team of baby Jacob and Funky Flashman. It is said that back when the New Gods were created, Jack Kirby modelled Funky Flashman on Stan Lee and with Jacob being the Kirby's true first name, it is obvious that King was paying homage to the architects of the modern comics with a dynamic that mirrored that of the Lee/Kirby all those years ago. In truth, I loved it.
I also, adored Mitch Gerads contribution to this series. I remember his work on the Activity and how gritty it was but this was so different and Silver age-y in its look I think I'd be forgiven for thinking they were two different artists. Of course, it's not truly mimicking the Silver age look but its tone feels so similar while the fantastic nine panel grids and the slightly gritty tinge also gives me a reminiscence of David Aja's work on Hawkeye, enhanced by the ever changing superhero t-shirts that Scott wears throughout.
Of course, I still have many questions my the end of this run, chiefly being where is this set? I ask this because, while I'm aware it is out of continuity, I feel that there is some deeper going on.
My theory is that this entire run takes place in a state of Purgatory or death, with Scott imagining or playing out the life he wanted or wish he'd had. I wonder this because throughout the run Gerads puts a sort of 'interference' over some of his panels. If this was a TV show I might not think much of it (although doubtful in the technological age we live in) but in this artistic medium it is a deliberate choice and I wonder if it is to imply a sense of fantasy (or maybe I've watched too much WandaVision). Still, regardless of the setting I do have other questions, such as how did Highfather and Orion die? It's never implied or state the cause but is that because it was Scott or themselves having succumbed to the Anti-Life equation? In that case is this a story about living with depression as much as it is about middle age and fatherhood? Comparing it against my own life (again, sans the Godhood) it certainly seems that way, but I guess there is no way of knowing but asking the creators themselves (and I'm not gonna do that).
Regardless of my questions though, despite the rocky start, I truly fell in love with Mister Miracle, with his journey and his love for his family making me think a lot about myself as much as anything. I think that maybe I expected this to be the Vision 2.0 and that was a mistake but, despite it not matching those heights in my eyes, it was still a really good read and I'm glad I finally got around to it.
I may have to read it again though when I'm a little smarter to see if it's worthy of a place on my best ever list.
Oh, and before I forget ...
Before I delved into Mister Miracle, I got the chance to review for Damsels from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S #1. I have to say, while I thought this would be a fun little read, I didn't expect it to be as enjoyable as I found it. As I've tried to elude to in the review, I thought Damsels had this real energy to it that made it just so much fun to read, along with a subtle sense of parody on the spy genre (predominantly)
I also absolutely loved the art. I likened it to Stephen Byrne's work and that isn't a bad thing. However, while Mauricio Mora's work is a little more muted than Byrne's, I still loved the look, the colour and how both really translated the energy of story.
In shortest of shorts, I absolutely loved this comic and might have to find the necessary pennies when Andrew Clemson launches the Kickstarter for the second issue (next month I think).
So that's another week (and a bit) done. I'm probably going to take a break from my own collection next week in order to catch up/get ahead with my reviews.
But given the amount I've got to read that I keep putting off, that decision may end up changing if I get another Mister Miracle.
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