One evening in the early 90s I sat down and read the three Miracleman graphic novels in one go – these were the ones published by Eclipse Comics that went out of print for two decades.
This was Alan Moore’s other lost comic strip from Warrior, the first one being V For Vendetta (https://fivemilesout.home.blog/2020/11/06/brain-and-body-melting/ ) but the story starts much earlier.
Marvelman was based on Captain Marvel, better known as Shazam! now (https://fivemilesout.home.blog/2020/06/05/just-take-your-seat-and-hold-on-tight/ ). When legal proceedings from DC Comics stopped Captain Marvel’s publication the British reprint comic faced running out of material. Marvelman was born – the stories were very basic and rather insane – with villains like Young Nastyman and Marvelman’s gang – Young Marvelman and Kid Marvelman (surely Marvelkid would have been better?).
Eventually it was cancelled, but Dez Skinn (owner and editor of Warrior) had Alan Moore and Gary Leach bring him back. It was Moore’s first reinvention of an old character that totally changed the everything about the strip’s concept. He started off with bringing Marvelman back in an episode at a nuclear power station that culminated with this ecstatic panel (originally it was I’m Marvelman and I’m back – more on that soon).
Moore showed the darkness at the heart of this world when Marvelman realised that Kid Marvelman had survived the nuclear explosion that robbed him of his memory. Only his sidekick had used his unfettered power for evil and he had 20 years more experience. The battle between the two of them is scary in its intensity and Marvelman wins by accident when the villain reverts to his human form by mistake (the same way Superman has continually defeated Mr Mxyztplk). Gary Leach left the strip as his work was so slow (though beautiful).
Alan Davis took over on art, making the Moore/ Davis team the creative team behind the UK’s only two superhero strips (Captain Britain was the other). A dozen or so issues more and Marvel comics realised what was going and objected to the name, even though Marvelman had existed long before Marvel Comics. Moore refused to compromise on the name and the strip went on hiatus – with Marvelman rendered powerless for an hour and an augmented Miracledog with his powers chasing him through the South American Jungle.
(Miracleman’s human form loses two fingers)
Eclipse published the stories in America (DC would not touch it due to the Marvel connection) and book two was wrapped up with some substandard art from Chuck Beckum and some wonderful art from Rick Veitch. It included a very graphic depiction of Marvelman’s wife giving birth – his daughter being the first of a new generation of humanity. The title of the above volume gives you a pretty good clue about how Moore linked the whimsical, silly stories of the 50s with the gritty reality of his strips. It also revealed Miraclewoman who had been the villain’s side project – and it was casually mentioned that not only had her life been a manipulated dream but that she had also been repeatedly raped. Moore’s record on the use of rape is questionable.
(Mount Olympus)
The third book, Olympus, takes place mostly as a flashback after the Miracle family have built a supposed Golden Age on Earth (a lovely scene as Thatcher is put her in her place when they destroy the world’s stock of nuclear arms and declare capitalism over).
The physical climax is with a returned Kid Miracleman (whose human form has been tortured by older children in a home for orphans and he finally brings his evil alter ego back when some bullies are about to rape him) who has rampaged through London torturing and killing to get the Miracle family’s attention (they were off world). Truly one of the most disturbing scenes in comics ever and a more realistic portrayal of what a world with omega level supervillains would be like.
Miracleman wins again, just. Unlike their first encounter he does not take the risk of Kid Miracleman coming back and kills his human alter ego, Johnny Bates – a child that has known only fear for years. Founding Olympus on murder and violence. Miracleman leaves his human wife for Miraclewoman and never becomes human again. He lives on top of the world granting boons to humans who can reach his home, though in an unfathomable inhuman way.
(Despite unspeakable crimes Kid Miracleman is loved by some of humanity)
The question of ownership was never really resolved. Marvelman had been co owned by Moore, Leach and Skinn then Moore, Davis, Skinn and Leach, but it turned out that they never obtained the rights from Mick Anglo in the first place (Dez Skinn had been….misleading). Todd McFarlane bought the rights to Miracleman when Eclipse went bust, but as the Warrior copyright holders had never had them to sell to Eclipse in the first place that just made it the situationworse.
Finally Marvel did a deal that brought the character to them. It was tied up with copyright issues that Neil Gailman had with Todd McFarlane, primarily bringing the character of Angela to Marvel, joining the Asgardian pantheon, whilst other characters that Gaiman had created belonged to the Spawn universe.
(Angela)
Moore was unhappy and his name is not on the Marvel reprint books. It’s a shame, but one (of the many) things I admire about Alan Moore is that he holds to his principles.
Even now this is one of the definitive superhero stories and a classic from Moore.
That night I reread it all to a CD single of this track – with seven different versions playing one after another. The techno style seemed a good fit for the book.
Das Boot
Five Miles Out 