MISTER MIRACLE (2017-2018)
By Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips.
- Collects Issues #1-12
- Publisher : DC
- Release : 2/19/2019
- Softcover : 320 pages
- Dimensions : Standard TPB
- Reading Age : 16 years and up
- MSRP : $24.99
This book deserves the attention.
Like Tom King, this book isn’t for everyone. One of my closest friends didn’t necessarily care for it. Likewise, I didn’t particularly care for Omega Men or King’s Batman run. The themes and direction are unconventional (especially for a superhero book). However, I have been an avid fan of some of his recent DC Black Label projects including Strange Adventures, The Human Target, and (most definitely) Mister Miracle.
I stumbled upon Mister Miracle during the pandemic. I found it a welcoming, truly original story that spoke to me and re-inspired me about the medium. I think the climax of the story (issue #11) is damn near perfect both visually and in its execution.
I was surprised to find out the story was a solicited project and not a pitched labor-of-love by King and Gerards (essentially, DC gave King a short list of three available characters to choose from and he chose Mister Miracle). This book hits on all cylinders and was rightly honored with:
- Nine (9) Eisner nominations through 2018 & 2019 (including five wins for Best Artist x2, Best Writer x2, and Best Coloring).
- Three (3) Ringo nominations in 2018 (winning for Best Series and Best Writer).
- #1 on Goodreads “Best Comics & Graphic Novels of 2019”
This is probably my most recommended series in the past couple years and skyrocketed into my top three favorite runs of all time. 10/10
Like what you've seen so far?
Check out the extensive interview with King and Gerads by one of my real-world heroes (Brian Hibbs with Comix Experience):
3 Responses
I agree with CAP; while definitely not your average comic book tale, it is however packed with drama, humor, action, and poignant thought-provoking panels that takes a look at the trials of our heroes in their day to day lives, not just when they are punching out the baddie of the week.
I’ve been a fan of Mister Miracle since the late 90’s, but have never read more than a handful of his books or stories featuring him. This book does more than do the character justice, it carves out it’s own niche or maybe even defines who the character is.
I read this as an omnibus, and I will have to say “I feel sorry for the people who had to wait for the individual issues to come out.” This is a serious page turner that kept me hooked through the whole story.
As the first line of this review says, “this book isn’t for everyone”. And that being said, I am one of the people that this book did not connect with. Why? I am not entirely sure. But I did have difficulty connecting with and relating to central themes in the book. This was my first foray into Mr. Miracle and Tom King and it was a tough one. I didn’t find this version of him to be a particularly “fun” or “uplifting” character. I found the book and the character to have surprisingly dark tones. I haven’t sworn off either Tom King or Mr. Miracle but it was definitely not love at first read. I do completely agree that this is not your average comic book experience. And while it didn’t hit with me, if you are looking for something different and unique, you might want to give it a try.