Mister Miracle #1 [1971]

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The debut issue of MISTER MIRACLE, “Murder Missile Trap” has young Scott Free come across Thaddeus Brown, the original Mister Miracle, a retired escape artist on the comeback trail, and his assistant Oberon. Scott gets drawn into their world, and shows he has a few tricks up his sleeves as well, thanks to his mysterious orphanage past and inexhaustible supply of gadgets. Unfortunately, Brown isn’t long for the world, as he gets killed by mobster Steel Hand, leaving Scott to take his place.

I’m not terribly fond of this story (which, as it happened, was the last issue of the series I read, some years after finding the rest), although it does have many good features, especially in the art, and it would have been nice to find out more about Thaddeus. I thought the series didn’t really pick up until the Apokolips elements were introduced (including and especially Barda).

Colletta inks the 22 page story and cover. Marv Wolfman writes the text page (used in all the Fourth World first issues), about a visit he and Len Wein had with Kirby some years earlier, where among other things they heard of some ideas that would eventually evolve into Kirby’s then-current work.

Published 1971

2 thoughts on “Mister Miracle #1 [1971]

  1. dave

    Funny, out of all the “New Gods” first issues, this was my favorite! Actually, I think the “Mr. Miracle” series should have had a 3-6 month head start on the rest of the books – all the things Kirby was treating as “mysterious” in those first issues were already plastered all over the pages of “New Gods” and “Forever People”…

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