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Collecting Mister Miracle #1-18, written and illustrated by Jack Kirby.
In Mister Miracle #1, a young man named Scott Free befriends escape artist Thaddeus Brown. When Brown is killed by Intergang, Scott Free takes up the identity of Mr. Miracle to bring the killers to justice.
I always think that Jack Kirby's art is best when he's drawing epic space stuff so I thought I would check out the Fourth World books that Kirby did for DC. Comixology had The New Gods and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen on sale as well a little while ago. I did some research on the Jimmy Olson title but it seemed a bit too goofy for my taste. I did end up getting the New Gods trade though. This was a pretty fun first issue. I liked how even the characters admit that Scott Free is a silly name.
In Mister Miracle #2, some time ago Scott Free escaped from Granny Goodness' Terror Orphanages and now she has come to Earth with the intent to destroy Scott with the aid of a being called Overlord.
This issue marks the first appearance of Granny Goodness. I never particularly cared all that much about the Fourth World characters. The only reasons that I liked Mister Miracle and Big Barda was because I thought their relationship was cute. The characters are starting to grow on me though. It feels weird to see Oberon talk all fancy. I know him best as a gruff but lovable man. I always assumed that he came from New Genesis, but he it turns out he is actually from Earth.
In Mister Miracle #3, Doctor Bedlam issues Mister Miracle with a challenge. He is to escape from a skyscraper full of brainwashed innocents trying to kill him.
Doctor Bedlam is a being of psionic energy that can transfer himself into powerful androids called animates. He is also a master scientist that specialises in inducing fear in his victims. He takes control of the skyscraper full of people with his Paranoid Pill, which releases a gas that can drive anyone exposed to it insane. Personally, I think Bedlam is a bit of a letdown after a villain like Granny Goodness. The writing is a bit clunky as well, but I try not to let it bother me too much. The art is great so I'm willing to forgive the corny dialogue.
In Mister Miracle #4, Big Barda arrives on Earth to help Mister Miracle with Doctor Bedlam and the building full of maniacs.
This issue was the one I was most looking forward to when I first got this collection. This is the first appearance of Mister Miracle's lover Big Barda. Luckily, Barda arrives just in time to save Mister Miracle after the inhabitants of the building chain him up in a trunk and chucked down a stairwell. Of course, it turns out that Mister Miracle had escaped any way. Scott insists that Barda not help him because of the wager with Doctor Bedlam. Thankfully, Barda ignores that and starts kicking some butt. Big Barda is no simpering fool.
In Mister Miracle #5, Mister Miracle must face Virman Vundabar and his Murder Machine to save Big Barda.
One thing that I think is particularly cute about the relationship between Scott and Barda is that Kirby based it on the relationship he had with his own wife. Bard is really pretty as well. Something that has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that her day-do-day wear is a skimpy bikini. That being said, I was disappointed to see Barda becoming a damsel in distress to soon after making her first appearance. Virman Vundabar is a lot of fun though. He looks like a silly little German man, but he still proves himself to be quite dangerous all the same. I guess you shouldn't underestimate certain villains even if they have silly names like Granny Goodness or Virman Vundabar.
In Mister Miracle #6, Mister Miracle agrees to let bombastic promoter Funky Flashman handle his upcoming tour. Unfortunately, the arrival of the Female Furies soon force a change of plans.
Funky Flashman is one big piss-take of Stan Lee. Jack Kirby clearly wasn't happy about the treatment he received at Marvel. Wouldn't you be pissed off if you co-created all those famous characters and somebody else got all the credit? Flashman's sycophantic manservant is supposedly based on Roy Thomas as well. This issue is also notable for being the first appearance of the Female Furies. They're pretty rad, but we don't get to know much about them just yet.
In Mister Miracle #7, Mister Miracle and Big Barda return to Apokolips to confront their attackers. Unfortunately, Mister Miracle is soon captured by the master assassin Kanto.
Scott and Barda are so fed up with people from Apokolips coming to Earth and trying ti kill them so they head back to put a stop to it once and for all. Scott has been dropping hints about the strange far-off place he and Barda come from, but this is the first time we actually see Apokolips in this title. Well, excluding the short back-up stories about Scott's early years. I haven't even mentioned Jack Kirby's talent for designing elaborate machinery. Having a main character that is an escape artist gives an excuse to come up with fancy machines that he has to escape from and Kirby doesn't disappoint.
In Mister Miracle #8, Big Barda enlists the help of the Female Furies as Mister Miracle fights a deadly battle in the mind of the Lump.
I was surprised to see Barda working with the Female Furies in this issue. I thought they branded Barda a traitor when she defected to help Scott Free escape. I guess Barda was such an effective leader that the Female Furies were only too glad to help. We see that the group has fallen into chaos without a clear leader. All the business with Barda was more interesting than Mister Miracle's battle in the mind of the Lump. Those sort of things always bore me.
Mister Miracle #9 is the origin story of Scott Free. Young Scott Free's life as a soldier takes and odd turn when he meets Himon, the man who invented Mother Box. Himon teaches a small cell of insurgents how to make wonderful devices to use in the fight against Darkseid. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before Darkseid finds out and targets Himon for elimination.
The part of this issue that I was most interesting in seeing was the first meeting between Scott and Barda. They hate each other on sight, so you know it must be love. It turns out that Himon is also working with Metron towards some mysterious aim. It all seems a bit nebulous to me. Maybe it would have made more sense if I had been reading New Gods alongside this title.
In Mister Miracle #10, Mister Miracle and friends return to Earth only to come into conflict with the Head and the World Protective League that are threatening the planet with a germ bomb.
Mister Miracle seemingly won his freedom in a trial by combat, but things are never that simple on Apokolips. You just know Granny Goodness and the others will be back to try and catch Scott again. Until then they have to deal with a more earthly threat, a rather silly story about a robot head. It was still neat to see the Female Furies working wit the good guys. It's a pity that I know they will end up returning to their evil ways when this series ends.
In Mister Miracle #11, Doctor Bedlam returns with a new trap with which to destroy Mister Miracle.
At the end of the previous issue, Thaddeus Brown's son turned up at Scott's house. Ted Brown is a public relations man and decides to represent Mister Miracle. He certainly seems much more trustworthy than Funky Flashman. The female Furies seem to be taking to a life of being Scott's lovely assistant quite well. Yes, even sour-faced old Bernadeth. Of course, the issue needs a villain for the hero to fight and Doctor Bedlam drops in to spoil all the fun.
In Mister Miracle #12, Mister Miracle is challenged to a duel to the death with an alien robot named Mystivac.
I'm starting to prefer the day-to-day life of Scott and his friends more than the superhero action. Most issues start with Scott trapped to some elaborate machine with Oberon panicking, thinking that Scott is about to kill himself. Naturally, Scott escapes without any harm and then it's off to stop whatever the latest threat is. This time it is some stuffy old colonel pitting Mister Miracle against Mystivac for a bet. There is also a cute moment with Barda and the Female Furies thrashing some snooping sailors when they try to sun themselves on the beach. Mister Miracle enlisted the aid of the Navy to test out a new act while Barda and the girls were at the beach.
In Mister Miracle #13, Mister Miracle and friends find themselves captured by King Komodo, the tyrant who held Ted Brown prisoner during the Korean War.
I was disappointed that King Komodo didn't try to feed our heroes to some Komodo dragons. With a name like that you would expect him to keep some of the giant lizards as pets. Maybe Komodo dragons weren't all that well known when this issue was originally published in 1973.
In Mister Miracle #14, Mister Miracle and Oberon encounter a Satanic cult led by the female mystic Madame Evil Eyes.
Jack Kirby wasn't exaggerating when he named Madame Evil Eyes. She gave me quite a start when I first saw her. All this Satanic business seems more like something that Etrigan the Demon would deal with. At least it gave Kirby an excuse to design a load of rad demon masks for the baddies to wear. It turns out that the Satan Club is all a cover for a hijacking ring. Madame Evil Eyes is having her underlings steal top-secret inventions. That was disappointing.
In Mister Miracle #15, Mister Miracle accepts the job of protecting Shilo Norman from the gang that killed his brother and are after him as well.
Shilo witnessed the gang kill his brother, so now they're out to keep him quiet. Mister Miracle takes Shilo under his wing while the police search for the killer. Scott has his work cut out for him because Shilo is determined to get revenge for his brother's murder. Thankfully, Scott and Barda are quick to follow Shilo to make sure he doesn't do anything foolish. Shilo Norman will appear several more times in the future. I believe that he even takes up the Mister Miracle name at one point.
In Mister Miracle #16, insect creatures keep appearing and Shilo Norman is the only one that can see them.
Shilo has been seeing insect creatures, but they disappear before he can alert the others. Everybody thinks that Shilo is overworking himself until the insect creatures take Barda and Oberon. All the different insect people lets Kirby go nuts designing all sorts of rad creatures. Unfortunately, the whole things turns out to be a dream. Shilo was knocked unconscious and imagined the whole thing. That was a massive cop-out.
In Mister Miracle #17, Mister Miracle and friends make an overnight stop at a motel run by a gangster who mistakes them for three hoods that he has been assigned to eliminate.
Shilo Norman instantly suspects that something is up as soon as the group stop at the motel. Scott and Barda just laughs him off, but end up getting zapped by their beds and dumped down a trapdoor. If I didn't know that this series gets cancelled after #18, then I would start to suspect that Shilo Norman was being set up to be the new lead character.
In Mister Miracle #18, Scott and Barda's wedding day takes a dramatic turn when they are attacked by a hoard of villains from Apokolips led by Granny Goodness.
This is the last issue of Mister Miracle under Jack Kirby. The series is cancelled after this, but does get brought back with a new creative team several years down the line. Unfortunately, the series only lasts for another six issues before getting cancelled again. At least the series gets to finish with a happy ending with Scott and Barda getting married.Of course, no comic book wedding is complete without some uninvited guests. After a series of more earthly threats we finally get some more Granny Goodness. The Female Furies are nowhere to be seen though.
I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this series. I only got this trade on a whim and I'm glad that I did. Things started off well as we got to know Scott Free. Things got better and better when Granny Goodness, Big Barda and the Female Furies made their debuts. Things seemed to dip in quality after the heroes returned from Apokolips. The Head and Mystivac seemed a bit tame compared to Granny Goodness and Virman Vundabar. I did enjoy this collection, so I look forward to reading the New Gods series as well.
My rating: 3.5 stars.
Next time: Hulk Visionaries- Peter David Vol. 2
In Mister Miracle #1, a young man named Scott Free befriends escape artist Thaddeus Brown. When Brown is killed by Intergang, Scott Free takes up the identity of Mr. Miracle to bring the killers to justice.
I always think that Jack Kirby's art is best when he's drawing epic space stuff so I thought I would check out the Fourth World books that Kirby did for DC. Comixology had The New Gods and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen on sale as well a little while ago. I did some research on the Jimmy Olson title but it seemed a bit too goofy for my taste. I did end up getting the New Gods trade though. This was a pretty fun first issue. I liked how even the characters admit that Scott Free is a silly name.
In Mister Miracle #2, some time ago Scott Free escaped from Granny Goodness' Terror Orphanages and now she has come to Earth with the intent to destroy Scott with the aid of a being called Overlord.
This issue marks the first appearance of Granny Goodness. I never particularly cared all that much about the Fourth World characters. The only reasons that I liked Mister Miracle and Big Barda was because I thought their relationship was cute. The characters are starting to grow on me though. It feels weird to see Oberon talk all fancy. I know him best as a gruff but lovable man. I always assumed that he came from New Genesis, but he it turns out he is actually from Earth.
In Mister Miracle #3, Doctor Bedlam issues Mister Miracle with a challenge. He is to escape from a skyscraper full of brainwashed innocents trying to kill him.
Doctor Bedlam is a being of psionic energy that can transfer himself into powerful androids called animates. He is also a master scientist that specialises in inducing fear in his victims. He takes control of the skyscraper full of people with his Paranoid Pill, which releases a gas that can drive anyone exposed to it insane. Personally, I think Bedlam is a bit of a letdown after a villain like Granny Goodness. The writing is a bit clunky as well, but I try not to let it bother me too much. The art is great so I'm willing to forgive the corny dialogue.
In Mister Miracle #4, Big Barda arrives on Earth to help Mister Miracle with Doctor Bedlam and the building full of maniacs.
This issue was the one I was most looking forward to when I first got this collection. This is the first appearance of Mister Miracle's lover Big Barda. Luckily, Barda arrives just in time to save Mister Miracle after the inhabitants of the building chain him up in a trunk and chucked down a stairwell. Of course, it turns out that Mister Miracle had escaped any way. Scott insists that Barda not help him because of the wager with Doctor Bedlam. Thankfully, Barda ignores that and starts kicking some butt. Big Barda is no simpering fool.
In Mister Miracle #5, Mister Miracle must face Virman Vundabar and his Murder Machine to save Big Barda.
One thing that I think is particularly cute about the relationship between Scott and Barda is that Kirby based it on the relationship he had with his own wife. Bard is really pretty as well. Something that has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that her day-do-day wear is a skimpy bikini. That being said, I was disappointed to see Barda becoming a damsel in distress to soon after making her first appearance. Virman Vundabar is a lot of fun though. He looks like a silly little German man, but he still proves himself to be quite dangerous all the same. I guess you shouldn't underestimate certain villains even if they have silly names like Granny Goodness or Virman Vundabar.
In Mister Miracle #6, Mister Miracle agrees to let bombastic promoter Funky Flashman handle his upcoming tour. Unfortunately, the arrival of the Female Furies soon force a change of plans.
Funky Flashman is one big piss-take of Stan Lee. Jack Kirby clearly wasn't happy about the treatment he received at Marvel. Wouldn't you be pissed off if you co-created all those famous characters and somebody else got all the credit? Flashman's sycophantic manservant is supposedly based on Roy Thomas as well. This issue is also notable for being the first appearance of the Female Furies. They're pretty rad, but we don't get to know much about them just yet.
In Mister Miracle #7, Mister Miracle and Big Barda return to Apokolips to confront their attackers. Unfortunately, Mister Miracle is soon captured by the master assassin Kanto.
Scott and Barda are so fed up with people from Apokolips coming to Earth and trying ti kill them so they head back to put a stop to it once and for all. Scott has been dropping hints about the strange far-off place he and Barda come from, but this is the first time we actually see Apokolips in this title. Well, excluding the short back-up stories about Scott's early years. I haven't even mentioned Jack Kirby's talent for designing elaborate machinery. Having a main character that is an escape artist gives an excuse to come up with fancy machines that he has to escape from and Kirby doesn't disappoint.
In Mister Miracle #8, Big Barda enlists the help of the Female Furies as Mister Miracle fights a deadly battle in the mind of the Lump.
I was surprised to see Barda working with the Female Furies in this issue. I thought they branded Barda a traitor when she defected to help Scott Free escape. I guess Barda was such an effective leader that the Female Furies were only too glad to help. We see that the group has fallen into chaos without a clear leader. All the business with Barda was more interesting than Mister Miracle's battle in the mind of the Lump. Those sort of things always bore me.
Mister Miracle #9 is the origin story of Scott Free. Young Scott Free's life as a soldier takes and odd turn when he meets Himon, the man who invented Mother Box. Himon teaches a small cell of insurgents how to make wonderful devices to use in the fight against Darkseid. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before Darkseid finds out and targets Himon for elimination.
The part of this issue that I was most interesting in seeing was the first meeting between Scott and Barda. They hate each other on sight, so you know it must be love. It turns out that Himon is also working with Metron towards some mysterious aim. It all seems a bit nebulous to me. Maybe it would have made more sense if I had been reading New Gods alongside this title.
In Mister Miracle #10, Mister Miracle and friends return to Earth only to come into conflict with the Head and the World Protective League that are threatening the planet with a germ bomb.
Mister Miracle seemingly won his freedom in a trial by combat, but things are never that simple on Apokolips. You just know Granny Goodness and the others will be back to try and catch Scott again. Until then they have to deal with a more earthly threat, a rather silly story about a robot head. It was still neat to see the Female Furies working wit the good guys. It's a pity that I know they will end up returning to their evil ways when this series ends.
In Mister Miracle #11, Doctor Bedlam returns with a new trap with which to destroy Mister Miracle.
At the end of the previous issue, Thaddeus Brown's son turned up at Scott's house. Ted Brown is a public relations man and decides to represent Mister Miracle. He certainly seems much more trustworthy than Funky Flashman. The female Furies seem to be taking to a life of being Scott's lovely assistant quite well. Yes, even sour-faced old Bernadeth. Of course, the issue needs a villain for the hero to fight and Doctor Bedlam drops in to spoil all the fun.
In Mister Miracle #12, Mister Miracle is challenged to a duel to the death with an alien robot named Mystivac.
I'm starting to prefer the day-to-day life of Scott and his friends more than the superhero action. Most issues start with Scott trapped to some elaborate machine with Oberon panicking, thinking that Scott is about to kill himself. Naturally, Scott escapes without any harm and then it's off to stop whatever the latest threat is. This time it is some stuffy old colonel pitting Mister Miracle against Mystivac for a bet. There is also a cute moment with Barda and the Female Furies thrashing some snooping sailors when they try to sun themselves on the beach. Mister Miracle enlisted the aid of the Navy to test out a new act while Barda and the girls were at the beach.
In Mister Miracle #13, Mister Miracle and friends find themselves captured by King Komodo, the tyrant who held Ted Brown prisoner during the Korean War.
I was disappointed that King Komodo didn't try to feed our heroes to some Komodo dragons. With a name like that you would expect him to keep some of the giant lizards as pets. Maybe Komodo dragons weren't all that well known when this issue was originally published in 1973.
In Mister Miracle #14, Mister Miracle and Oberon encounter a Satanic cult led by the female mystic Madame Evil Eyes.
Jack Kirby wasn't exaggerating when he named Madame Evil Eyes. She gave me quite a start when I first saw her. All this Satanic business seems more like something that Etrigan the Demon would deal with. At least it gave Kirby an excuse to design a load of rad demon masks for the baddies to wear. It turns out that the Satan Club is all a cover for a hijacking ring. Madame Evil Eyes is having her underlings steal top-secret inventions. That was disappointing.
In Mister Miracle #15, Mister Miracle accepts the job of protecting Shilo Norman from the gang that killed his brother and are after him as well.
Shilo witnessed the gang kill his brother, so now they're out to keep him quiet. Mister Miracle takes Shilo under his wing while the police search for the killer. Scott has his work cut out for him because Shilo is determined to get revenge for his brother's murder. Thankfully, Scott and Barda are quick to follow Shilo to make sure he doesn't do anything foolish. Shilo Norman will appear several more times in the future. I believe that he even takes up the Mister Miracle name at one point.
In Mister Miracle #16, insect creatures keep appearing and Shilo Norman is the only one that can see them.
Shilo has been seeing insect creatures, but they disappear before he can alert the others. Everybody thinks that Shilo is overworking himself until the insect creatures take Barda and Oberon. All the different insect people lets Kirby go nuts designing all sorts of rad creatures. Unfortunately, the whole things turns out to be a dream. Shilo was knocked unconscious and imagined the whole thing. That was a massive cop-out.
In Mister Miracle #17, Mister Miracle and friends make an overnight stop at a motel run by a gangster who mistakes them for three hoods that he has been assigned to eliminate.
Shilo Norman instantly suspects that something is up as soon as the group stop at the motel. Scott and Barda just laughs him off, but end up getting zapped by their beds and dumped down a trapdoor. If I didn't know that this series gets cancelled after #18, then I would start to suspect that Shilo Norman was being set up to be the new lead character.
In Mister Miracle #18, Scott and Barda's wedding day takes a dramatic turn when they are attacked by a hoard of villains from Apokolips led by Granny Goodness.
This is the last issue of Mister Miracle under Jack Kirby. The series is cancelled after this, but does get brought back with a new creative team several years down the line. Unfortunately, the series only lasts for another six issues before getting cancelled again. At least the series gets to finish with a happy ending with Scott and Barda getting married.Of course, no comic book wedding is complete without some uninvited guests. After a series of more earthly threats we finally get some more Granny Goodness. The Female Furies are nowhere to be seen though.
I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this series. I only got this trade on a whim and I'm glad that I did. Things started off well as we got to know Scott Free. Things got better and better when Granny Goodness, Big Barda and the Female Furies made their debuts. Things seemed to dip in quality after the heroes returned from Apokolips. The Head and Mystivac seemed a bit tame compared to Granny Goodness and Virman Vundabar. I did enjoy this collection, so I look forward to reading the New Gods series as well.
My rating: 3.5 stars.
Next time: Hulk Visionaries- Peter David Vol. 2
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 78 x 120px
File Size 12.8 kB
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