Mister Miracle: The Complete Series

Think of this less of a cohesive story (though there is a story in here) and rather as a series of connected set-pieces with each chapter dedicated to doing one thing well. This means that Mister Miracle sometimes feels like a TV show where each chapter is directed by a different director. There's the one where they escape, the one where they have a baby, the one where they go on a trip. It does all add up though to a satisfying, surprising ending.What does hold it together is the 9 panel grid structure found on every page. It does get a bit monotonous when every page has the same layout but King and Gerards do everything they can to keep it fresh. The art also grates a little with too much photo-ref used (the likeness of Danny Devito appears at one point, and it's quite jarring) making some of the art repetitive and stiff. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. But it is a beautiful book and the covers by Derrington really amaze. Like wise, dialogue sparkles and King really gives every character their own personality. But don't expect depth, this is a simple story, well told, but there aren't any layers to it and no deeper meanings to be found. In short - this is different, pretty, amazing and pretty amazing. Buy it!.

Bought this on the strength of various reviews. After managing to get to the end, I realized I had very little idea what the book was about. All the characters were there, but I was never sure what was happening. If there was a point to this work, it was buried so deeply as to be non-existent.

This comic book by Tom King reads like the blue print for a Hollywood movie. However, the gratuitous violence, at times, leaves a sour taste. I'd not recommend this book for 12 year olds, but would place it more firmly in the adult only category.The main character, Scott, is a celebrity escape artist with mental health issues. He lives in a condo in Los Angeles with his foul-mouthed hulk of a wife, Barda. The opening sequence starts with a TV show detailing the background history of The New Gods and Mr Miracle. In this initial sequence the artwork is cartoony (and therefore perhaps designed to appeal more to children,) but as the story then takes on darker undertones, the art switches to a grimy dirtier style, (reminiscent of the work of Alex Maleev.)For those familiar with other award winning comic books, Tom King's Mr Miracle has all the grittiness of Brian Michael Bendis' Daredevil and Alias (Jessica Jones), but with the added comic quirkiness of Mike Allred's Madman also thrown in. The main character, Scott Free, has a similar personality to Marvel's Scott Lang, Antman, or the X-men's Jamie Madrox. He's portrayed as a slightly geeky, hipster, riddled with self doubt.Some reviewers have said that they found the story difficult to follow. I did NOT find this to be the case, at all, but then, I'd previously read Jack Kirby's original Mr Miracle series from the early 1970's. Most issue/chapters of Tom King's Mr Miracle end or begin with Jack Kirby text taken directly from the original comics. This may have confused readers who were unfamiliar with the original series.For those who have read the original Jack Kirby 'Mr Miracle' series, there are numerous inconsistencies - the New Gods were meant to be semi immortal, living for millennia and in the original series the character Lightray was said to be one of the youngest of the New Gods. However, in Tom King's run Lightray's age has somehow seemingly trebled. He only appeared to be in his late teens/early 20s in the original Jack Kirby stories, whereas Tom King's version of Lightray now looks more like an OAP. In contrast, the human, mortal character, Funky Flashman (a parody of Stan Lee) has suddenly become much younger and now appears to be no older his 20's. (He was portrayed as a toupee-wearing, late middle-aged man in the original Jack Kirby comics.)The characters in this book are all based on Jack Kirby creations. However, it's unclear from Tom King's rendition whether the characters are meant to actually exist in reality or whether they are actually just hallucinations in the head of the main (disturbed) character. Perhaps he just happens to be a huge fan of the original comics? The writing suggests this is the case - particularly towards the end when various deceased characters return to converse with himIf this comic book was adapted into a movie, it would have censorship campaigners such as the late Mary Whitehouse turning in her grave. There are a number of distressing scenes - such as the sight of a brutal she-hulk beating an old granny to a bloodied pulp etc. One reviewer stated that the character Big Barda was his favourite, to me she was the worst. Scott's wife is a foul-mouthed, heavy handed brute. I did not appreciate the 'humour' in seeing her beat up the frail-looking Lightray, nor did I enjoy watching her subsequently intimidate and bully him. Similarly, I did not feel it necessary to show Scott beating up his God/Father in the last chapter. Maybe such scenes appeal to the mind of an ex-CIA war vet, such as Tom King. However, for me, seeing the young and the strong violently beat up the old and the frail left a very sour taste.

This reworking of Kirby's Mr Miracle is nothing short of magnificent. This from a jaded comics reader of many years. The design of the book in 'Watchmen' 9 panel works really well. The storytelling is terrific and the art, when you've sort of got used to it, is extremely well suited to the story.A very brave story to tell, but Tom King tells it in a way that is new in approach, but pays massive homage to the Kirby years. Great to see Funky Flashman back, and the discourse on 'Fourth World' is just sublime.Highly recommended to any reader who is prepared to be challenged by comics as a medium.

King and Gerads do some amazingly clever things in this book, both with the art and the writing, though I found it impenetrable in parts, a problem I found with King’s writing on Batman too. It’s as though he’s trying to be desperately clever all the time, and push boundaries, but at times it just gets confusing and I felt left behind as a reader. His dialogue is a similarly mixed bag - sometimes great, sometimes stilted or jarringly inappropriate to the scene.All that said, the good outweighs the bad in the writing and the art is great throughout. Definitely worth any comic fan’s time. I just wish King had restrained some of his excesses, so I could give a five star review.

I found the story hard to follow. It could be I’m getting it led but I never really got the point. Graphics were great but I wouldn’t say there was any substance to it.

Complex and clever. Tom King continues to be one of the most interesting comics writers around, and Mitch Gerards' art is distinctive and powerful. If you like the mix of the domestic and the cosmic in Saga, you should definitely give this a go.

An excellent and unique story that mixes the down to earth problems of reality with the epic cosmic worlds of Jack Kirby.The story and art are some of the best examples of the medium right now, collected in this with some bonus materials (variant cover gallery and rough sketches).