Mister Miracle

I was honestly surprised with how much I liked this story by the time it was over.  This is in spite of the fact that Tom King and Mitch Gerads’ take on the New God who is also the universe’s foremost escape artist starts off in a very depressing place:  A depiction of self-harm that will likely make this a no-go for anyone who is sensitive to that kind of thing. While Scott Free is able to come back from that in a physical sense, it’s clear that his mental state is as fragile as ever.  Though he’s supported by his wife Barda, they’re both immediately drafted into the latest war between the forces of Apokolips and New Genesis. It’s all handled in a dreamlike and occasionally hallucinatory way that causes you to wonder if the events of this story are actually happening at all.  Which I was kind of hoping they weren’t because the tone of the early issues is set to “low-key bummer” and there’s no deviation from it. It’s due to this that the story of Scott Free’s sad, depressing superhero life almost comes off like a parody of how a serious adult superhero comic is supposed to be.

And yet…

Halfway through the series, something happens.  It’s not that Scott suddenly finds a way to overcome his depression — in fact, the story’s acknowledgement that impairment isn’t something to be defeated but to find a way to live with is one of its more impressive aspects.  No, something happens that changes the tone and the nature of the series itself as Scott now has a whole new set of issues to contend with. Issues that are easily recognizable and connect directly back to his own problems with the father who gave him up for the sake of peace between worlds.  It also leads to some quality absurdist humor as we get to see the (frankly crazy) inhabitants of Apokolips trying to interact in ostensibly normal settings. The series also manages to be consistently interesting on a purely visual level as its rigorous adherence to a nine-panel-grid layout for 99.9% of its length forces an economy of storytelling and even some innovation.  “Mister Miracle” is definitely not an easy read, but it turned out to be a rewarding one that surpassed my expectations.