Writer: Tom King
Art & Cover: Mitch Gerads
Colors: Mitch Gerads
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Spoilers
Mister Miracle is one of the few current comic books that I’ve really been excited to read due to the hype surrounding it. Tom King is the writer of this unique book and I’m very impressed with several things he utilized, like his character interaction and nine-panel page layout. I know the nine-panel page layout might not sound exciting but it is to me, this was a layout that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons used for Watchmen. But unlike Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Tom King and Mitch Gerads stuck to nine-panel pages straight through the entire book, Watchmen broke the layout a lot but I won’t complain about that amazing book.
Mister Miracle #9 was a great comic book, I loved it from top to bottom. The art is amazing and depicts a depressed setting and set of characters. The story shows seven days of negotiating terms for a truce with Darkseid. Negotiating with a villain like Darkseid wouldn’t be an easy task and without spoiling any details the cost of a truce might be too much to bear for our hero.
I haven’t read any of the previous Mister Miracle comics so forgive my lack of knowledge on the storyline, so I’ll review what is done well within it. There is a page dedicated to Kalibak unfolding his spectacles and the impatient Mister Miracle watching him in with a glare from across the table. This might not seem action packed but it’s a small part of the character interactions that I loved about this book, it shows small movements emphasized for effect. Which brings me to the nine-panel utilization and how unique it can make your pages. Seeing Mister Miracle and Big Barda talk and wind down after a day of negotiations is so bizarre but normal for their world, like Barda swimming in the Firelakes, and yes it’s exactly what the name is.
I think this book and I assume the entire series run will serve not only as a great story but a training tool for comic book creators. Whether you’re a writer, artist, colorist, letterer or even editor, there are so many great aspects to how they presented this book and paced it. So that being said I highly recommend Mister Miracle #9, this series is something special.
Overall: 9/10
Canadian indie comic book writer, self publisher of scribbles and former managing editor for a small comic book company.
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