Mister Miracle #1 (1989)
“Be it Ever So Humble”
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Pencils: Ian Gibson
It’s another crappy…errrr, collectible… FIRST ISSUE! In the mid to late 80’s, one of DC’s certifiable hits was the 1986 re-launch of the “Justice League” franchise. I was in that herd, as the first 12 issues or so of “Justice League” (vol 2) are probably some of my all-time favorites (seriously, I remember drawing my own crap at my desk for hours, spurred on by the energy I got from reading those issues). It really made super heroes “fun” and showed that you could strike a balance between self-parody and the usual monthly adventures. Only a few obligatory villains away from being an all-out humor comic, it became their most popular title and generated several spin-offs. Which is how we got “Mister Miracle”.
Now, since he was created by Jack Kirby as part of the New Gods/Fourth World mess, the character of Mister Miracle had gotten something of a free pass since he debuted in the 70’s. He’s a professional escape artist and; get this; his name is Scott Free. Get it? Scott…Free! See, at his most rudimentary he needs to escape things, so his name is SCOTT FREE! Whoa…I think I might be going too fast, but see, he’s Scott Free. Yes, Jack Kirby did more for comics than most “creators” could ever think of, but let’s face it, if anybody else had pitched a character named “Scott Free”… their pitch would’ve fallen on deaf ears. Or they probably would’ve gotten hired by Atlas Comics.
Crap, I’m rambling. So, while Mister Miracle had his own series in the 70’s, he had pretty much been left alone since Kirby’s departure from DC, circa 1976. He had a Super Powers action figure in 1985, then suddenly appeared in the re-launched “Justice League” the following year. Since JL was an ensemble cast; and Guy Gardner took up a lot of space; Miracle was kinda’ placed in the background as “just one of the guys”, palling around with Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. Somebody figured that since those two had their own cancelled solo titles, they just HAD to get working on a similar thing for Mister Miracle.
Our story opens as Scott, his wife Big Barda (herself a superheroine of sorts) and their dwarf pal Oberon are looking to settle down in the “typial small American town” of Bailey, New Hampshire. Stand back, it’s a superhero comic book in the suburbs! Scott’s purchased “Herb’s Fixit Shop” and is re-opening it with the slogan of “if it’s broke– I’ll fix it”. Barda seems to be enjoying herself, too, moving heavy objects and sun-bathing to the delight of their new neighbors.
Oberon’s not too keen on the idea. He remarks about how it’s all too much “Leave it to Beaver” and that Scott’s not an “average joe”. To prove his point, Oberon clues us in on Mister Miracle’s origin with a helpful vivid flashback. Scott was born on New Genesis and sent to Darkseid’s Apokolips as part of a baby swap. There, he grew up in less-than-ideal conditions until he finally boom-tubed to Earth. Big Barda and her Female Furies came after him, but Barda soon became enamored with Scott and changed her ways, defying all things Apokolips and marrying Scott. Scott met the original Mister Miracle, a stuntman/escape artist named Thaddeus Brown and his assistant, Oberon. When Thaddues was murdered, Scott tracked down the murderer and gained Oberon’s trust to continue on as Mister Miracle.
*sigh* If only my flashbacks had captions and portrait collages
Now, Oberon’s actually kinda’ fun. He’s an ornery little old dude and good for comic relief and advice. Kind of like Fozzie the Bear and Yoda. Or even Fred Sanford. He has more personality than Scott and Barda, combined, but the the name on the cover isn’t “Oberon” and I doubt a comic about an old dwarf would’ve lasted more than 6 issues.
Damn right. It’s a “feh”
Okay, so whattabout the plot?! This is a super hero comic, after all! Well, after a roll-in-the-hay with wifey Barda, Scott heads off to his new job at the Fix-it Shop. There, he gets attacked by a gaggle (a GAGGLE, I say) of electrical cords from various vaccums, blenders and toasters. Then he runs into a buncha’ subconscious demonic illusions and another GAGGLE of “animates”, all sent by Mister Miracle’s old enemy Doctor Bedlam. The animates soon overwhelm Miracle, finally causing him to don his costume in the final pages of the book.
Monthly Mister Miracle Moneyshot!
Meanwhile, Barda and Oberon have a dinner date with their new neighbors. And who should pay a surprise guest, but their “uncle”, Doctor Bedlam himself. Cliffhanger! See you in thirty!
One thing I like about comic books; and particularly DC when I was a fan of theirs; is how they can take such potentially silly concepts and empower them with a sense of wonder. Bottle City? Underwater world of Atlantis? Little Blue Guys Who Guard the Universe? All those sound stupid, but dammit, DC made them work. They’re know for bringing you the exotic and far-fetched escapism. Not a series set in the frickin’ suburbs. Most comic book fans live in the suburbs, so why would we want to read a book about it?
Despite what Michael Chabon might think; Barda’s suburban sex life isn’t entertaining
I can see what they were angling for; an interesting juxtaposition of how a guy from the other side of the galaxy is trying to settle in the suburbs. It’s just not very interesting, though. This might’ve worked as a 7th issue, but you dust off a character who hasn’t been used, you need to start off him with a bang. Not the ordinary. No matter how clever or ironic you think that might be.
On top of this, the trademark humor from “Justice League” feels forced in this title. Oberon was usually fun in “Justice League”, but he’s a curmudgeon in this book. One moment of “humor” occurs when a local kid calls Oberon a Smurf. Huh? Scott even drops a random reference about how Barda’s battle armor is a turn-on for him and later follows up with a joke about how they once banged in the back yard. It doesn’t really carry over the vibe from “Justice League” at all.
I’m also not too keen on the art. Ian Gibson’s style is fairly stylized, which isn’t too bad, but it’s odd how his characters all appear …”shiny”. It’s like everyone has a thin film of gloss slipped over them. Gibson did some work for the outrageous and exaggerated “2000 AD” (the “Judge Dredd Guys”) in the UK, and his style lends itself to that sort of satire. This looks more like an issue of “‘Mazing Man” here.
Like most Jack Kirby creations post-1970, “Mister Miracle” was intriguing, but didn’t have enough to merit a monthly title or even much excitement. Sometimes the background characters in a team book are best when they remain there.
Summary: Scott Free (get it?!) goes to New Hampshire. Oberon bitches and Doctor Bedlam shows up.
Cover Price:1.00
Rating: 0.75
