Review: Mister Miracle

Quick Summary

Pros: The book tells a tense and entertaining story about a high-stakes war between cosmic forces. The book’s central themes and emotional messaging are approached with a sense of care and are executed perfectly. The artwork is stunning and serves to enhance every aspect of the storytelling.

Cons: Nothing.

Overall: This is an excellent comic book through and through. It tells an entertaining surface story that is filled with tension and is told in a way that is captivating. Then, it layers in and perfectly executed an astonishing level of emotion and meaning. All of this is topped off with artwork that looks incredible on its own and works perfectly in harmony with the narrative. Any comic fan looking for a deep and powerful read should not miss this volume.

Story

Mister Miracle, by Tom King, seriously blew me away. On the surface, it tells the story of a few awesome characters participating in a devilishly tense, cosmic war. Below the surface, it is a metaphor for complex feelings of depression and anxiety that stem from trauma. Both pieces of the book work perfectly in conjunction with one another to create a narrative that is absolutely gripping from start to finish. Out of the many comics I’ve read recently, this is easily one of the best; I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

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On the surface, Mister Miracle has all of the tension and excitement one could want from a comic book. From the very first issue, it is clear something is not right in Scott’s world. His attempted suicide indicates unspoken problems in his life and weird alterations in reality indicate unrevealed problems with the universe. Then, the narrative plunges into a full-blown war, with hundreds of thousands dying at once and the threat of universal domination on the horizon.

This narrative continues to develop as it progresses. Scott’s personal life hits some emotional marks as he and Barda grow closer together and he, eventually, becomes a father. Meanwhile, the situation surrounding the war becomes more dire and, eventually, it seems obvious that Darkseid will win. Then, the twists hit and Darkseid offers to end the war in exchange for Scott’s newborn son. This is a major development on its own but Scott’s response, storming Darkseid’s citadel and killing him, is possibly even more radical. Together, all of this makes for an emotion, tense, and highly compelling narrative.

However, where Mister Miracle achieves the most success is beneath the surface. Mister Miracle’s personal trauma is at the centerpiece of this volume’s thematic development. Scott’s tortuous youth, near-nonexistent relationship with his parents, and participation in a galaxy-spanning war are all analogous to real-world issues: abusive childhoods, emotionally unavailable caretakers, and severe trauma. Thus, his progression in this book is an examination into real-world post-traumatic stress and the way it can impact one’s life.

This examination starts with Scott’s overwhelming desire to escape. This initially manifests in his attempted suicide but, after this, is seen through his warped perception of reality. The visual fluctuations, hints of manipulation by the Anti-Life Equation, and general sense that the world is wrong are all ways in which Scott justifies his deep-seated doubts and anxieties. They are all physical representations of how depression can ravage one’s mind and leave it vulnerable to other illnesses. The book closes on an optimistic note, with Scott refusing to let his anxieties run his life. He decides he is happy with his wife and children and that he will not let his doubts about the world get in the way of enjoying this. It is a beautiful way to end an incredibly well-executed story.

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Art

The artwork in Mister Miracle is absolutely fantastic and has an immense impact on the book’s overall appeal. Mitch Gerads has a unique and beautiful style that works very well with this comic. It brings forward Jack Kirby’s classic aesthetic in this book’s otherworldly character, while also bringing forward a sense of realism that makes the entire comic feel more modern. This allows a galaxy-spanning war to play out on some pages while allowing slices of day to day life to play out on others. The realism also ensures that emotions come across in vivid detail, which is a key piece of this book. All of this is then further enhanced by Gerads’ approach to color, which is simply phenomenal.

In addition to just looking good, the artwork in Mister Miracle goes a long way in developing the story and the themes present in it. The strict dedication to the nine-panel grid format allows for more time with characters and scenes, making small facial expressions or prolonged pauses to come across in ways that are often not seen in other comics. This format also allows for the now-infamous “Darkseid is” panels, which punctuate a few key points and add to the book’s overall sense of tension. Meanwhile, the “glitch” artwork contributes to the book’s sense of unreality and also simply makes the book more unique, especially in the realm of mainstream comics. This is a book where the artwork seriously increases the power of the storytelling.

Continuity

Mister Miracle is an almost entirely standalone comic. It vaguely references elements of Mister Miracle’s origin but, for the most part, can be approached with no prior reading.

As of now, the story here does not continue in any specific comic.

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• This volume makes a number of small references to the first Mister Miracle series, written by Jack Kirby. This entire series is collected in Mister Miracle by Jack Kirby.
• Though not explicitly stated, the “Stareater” story is clearly referencing “The Galactus Trilogy” from Fantastic Four #48–50, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 5 (Review).

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