Mr. Miracle (12 ish miniseries by Tom King) letter

Miracle Workers:

Mr. Miracle once again escapes the fetters of the market and graces DC pages! Wahoo! And, it has been a loooong time since I got a Mr. Miracle that I really liked. Thanks Mr.s King and Gerad. By the by, if Gerad ever gets sick of Mr. Miracle, don’t hesitate to give Derrington interiors; his covers are right in style for the slick costume and regality of New Gods stories.

I got in late, but caught up quick and I am really impressed with the design.  On one hand, I was concerned and heard comments to the effect, “I don’t want to spend twelve issues with no splashpage, long phone sequences, and little action.”

Ok, legitimate gripe. So, let’s take to some Gary Groth style critique. What works overall? Gerad’s work would benefit from a larger scale, but the panels are almost always clear, fully detailed, and render costumes and coloring that seem fitting to superhero comics tradition and New Genesis, Apokolips and Earth. Mr. Gerad, you are a hardworking man. It is obvious that by doing pencils, inks, and colors, you have a tremendous amount of control and have made what could have been tedium into something that reads well without oversimplification. Even your textures help by differentiating battle action and rest.

As for Mr. King’s writing; all my comic geek friends have been raving about your Superman and Batman, and I was curious how you’d treat my favorite hero. I am fully satisfied.  While you include much of Giffen’s near silly elements of the Barda-Scott relationship, you also allow for the grim nobility of their grinding ubiquitous war with Darkseid. #2’s opening sequence, with its increasing “jump-cuts” raises the stakes above the petty day-to-day that tends to drain the heroic from Mr. Miracle. The death of Highfather, and later, Orion, will be difficult to resolve in future New Gods materials, although, we all know and realize that DC owns these characters, so no one ever dies. As per “the trinity”, “He’s dead”, “You of all people should know that doesn’t mean anything.” I really enjoyed Orion as Highfather, but Scott Free now has something new to escape.

I was unsure of the nine-panel page design, expecting tedium.  And getting it. But what is the effect? It measures the time, moment by moment, a purposeful tedium that suggests and unending war, the wearing effect of continuous battle that grinds at Scott and Barda’s relationship, supercedes earthly conflicts and creates an eternal background for the New Gods. The aforementioned #2 opening sequences set the grim mood that informs even the lightest moments that follow. The sequence of Barda and Scott moving through the traps of Apokalips, while suggestive of  video games, added a bit of humor while recognizing the characters recognition of necessary duty. Ironically, Barda works most of the escapes. The layout works especially well in the treaty meeting scenes between Kalibak, a unique choice for a diplomat, and Scott where, again, the tedium reminds us just how difficult such discussions must be.

I would have enjoyed a few large splash pages, some release from the march, but still an audacious choice. You can get away with it in a miniseries better than an ongoing. Won’t keep me from getting the last two. All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Miracle so far.  Can’t wait to see how Scott doesn’t kill Darkseid! ‘Cuz you can’t.

We’ll see.

Griffin Mauser

Griffin.mauser@gmail.com

Kamandi Challenge Letter

Griffin Mauser

908 Stoneoak ln

78745

Kamandi-ers:

So here I am at the end of the Kamandi Challenge; one issue left, and by the time you read this, I will have read it. What do I love so far? Kamandi’s pride, independence, perseverance, sense of justice and fairness; animal men with their own naïve societies; monsters, ruins and ruined human survivors.

Each issue is a treat, a fun sort of game, and that is great, but, soon, there will be no more Kamandi. There is so much to explore here in an ongoing title!

The challenge strikes Kamandi on the nose in much of its content.  I like Kamandi’s naivete and childishness; he is, after all, a child that has, in a way, been indulged then released into a nonsensical world.  He will have learned and inculcated human values but will have the pride and patience of a youth. But Kamandi needs more consistency than was available in the challenge as well. I want Kamandi to have noble values and to struggle to maintain those standards in the face of almost universal prejudice.

And how topical is the blue-eyed blond-haired white male suddenly upended into the bottom of society with all of his sense of entitlement, but stripped of even the hope of being treated specially. The tough question is, who can write so that Kamandi retains both its absurdity and humor while using it as a commentary on our own societies? I don’t know, but I do know who I would most like to see on the series: Steve Rude! While the other teams had so much going for ‘em that I won’t even go into it, Rude’s art was the most fun! His simplicity points up the four-color feel of Kamandi’s high adventure.

Here’s the plan: Pick teams like for SuperBatman, explore the societies of the animal men and meet new ones, any cargo-cults based on human artefacts, and keep all the craziness of the challenge, but let’s see Kamandi with a clear set of values and beliefs, have them continuously challenged by this new world, see him humbled again and again while refusing to compromise. When and arc ends, send in a new team.

We have the rest of the world, Ben Boxer and company, mutations, ruins, the whole cataclysm to explain, come on, for ol’ Jack, can we get an ongoing Kamandi?

    Still reading,  

Griffin Mauser