Mister Miracle by Jack Kirby

Mister Miracle by Jack Kirby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mister Miracle by Jack Kirby collects issues 1-18 of Mister Miracle, written, drawn, and edited by the King himself.

On the heels of Tom King's Mister Miracle, I decided to go back to the Source. I knew the bare bones of Kirby's Fourth World from entries in Who's Who back in the day but this was my first foray into one of the King's last great works.

Mister Miracle is a gadget-driven hero, an escape artist. Consequently, most of the stories start with him escaping a trap of his own devising and feature deathtraps constructed by various villains. Over the course of the book, Mister Miracle and Big Barda go up against Virman Vundabar, Granny Goodness, Funky Flashman, Doctor Bedlam, and a lot of scrubs in one shot appearances. It only intersects with the greater Fourth World saga at the very end and barely scratches the surface of what I know of Fourth World lore.

In many ways, Mister Miracle feels like a silver age Marvel book, not surprising given how much of the foundation of the Marvel Universe was laid by Jack Kirby. Mister Miracle feels like Captain America minus the patriotism at times, a superb physical specimen that relies on strategy and gadgets to beat mightier foes.

Scott Free's relationship with Big Barda is one of my favorite parts of the book, a far more equal partnership than Reed Richards ever shared with Sue Storm. Later in the book, Shilo Norman joins the cast. Shilo, of course, would later adopt the Mister Miracle identity himself decades later. Oberon is a mother hen but still a fun part of the cast. The Female Furies are also an entertaining bunch. It's a shame Bernadeth, Stompa, Lashina, and Mad Harriet don't make all that many appearances once the series is over.

While the dialog is clunky in places, the art is vintage Kirby. The King was still at the top of his game, depicting earth scenes and cosmic vistas with equal skill. I kept imagining what might have been if Kirby had done The Fourth World with Marvel but I think he did pretty well for himself at DC. If nothing else, Mister Miracle has whetted my appetite for more Fourth World action.

Mister Miracle is a fun read and one of Jack Kirby's last great works. Four out of five stars.

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