Miracleman Revisited

Excellent cover by Alan Davis.

I must admit that when I reviewed Marvel's relaunch of Miracleman No.1 the other week I wasn't intending to continue buying the series. After all, I'd read it back in the 1980s and I have the run in Warrior, but curiosity got the better of me and I've just bought Miracleman No.2 (and a copy of the uncensored version of No.1 as I'd only previously bought the digital edition). 

As I've read it before, I already know how the story turns out, but what makes this reprint series appealing to me are the back up features. As with issue 1 we once again get a peek at seeing scans taken directly from Garry Leach's original art. Personally I find this sort of stuff fascinating to see where bits were whited out or what margin notes were added and suchlike. It's as close as you can get to owning the actual art without paying the fortune these pages generate now.

The other back up features include significant reprints of the 1950s Marvelman strips. In issue 2 we get the origin of Marvelman and the first appearance of Kid Marvelman - which tie in nicely with the 1980s strips at the front of the comic. 

I know that some comic fans have complained about the back-ups because they just want cover to cover 1980s strips. Well, to me being a comic fan has always meant that you're interested in the history and background of the strips not just the story content. As long as Miracleman continues to feature such material I'll keep buying it. 

As mentioned on this blog before, there are two editions available; a censored version and a 'Parential Advisory' uncensored one. So Liz Moran once again has purple knickers added to her bum which is bare in the uncensored version, and a subtle bare nipple is deleted. The big question of course is how are Marvel going to handle the graphic birth scene in an upcoming issue? When Eclipse published it, they ran it uncensored. Will Marvel's owners, Disney, allow the same freedom? Surely, comic readers who rarely bat an eye at depictions of gore and murder in comic books will be able to handle seeing illustrations of a birth scene? Could any adult reader in 2014 seriously object to such a scene in a comic aimed at adults? How prudish would they have to be? Time will tell. 

Miracleman Nos.1 and 2 are available now from comics speciality shops or online comics dealers. 

Marvelman returns today

No mate. You're Marvelman. Welcome back though.

As back stories go, Marvelman tops the lot. It's a Miracle he's back in print!

Marvelman was created in the 1950s for UK publisher Len Miller to replace their top selling Captain Marvel reprints (which had ceased in the USA due to legal hassles from National Periodicals who said CM was too similar to Superman). Marvelman ran until 1963, was revived in 1982 for Warrior comic, and had its name changed to Miracleman for its American reprint (due to more legal hassles from Marvel Comics who objected to the name). After Warrior folded, Miracleman continued in the USA with new stories but from what I understand, it never concluded. I dunno. I'd given up on it long before then. More legal twists and turns occurred between creators and, to be honest, I was too preoccupied with my own life to follow the proceedings too closely.

A few years ago, Marvel proudly announced that they had bought the rights from Marvelman's creator Mick Anglo and would be bringing the character back in print. They published a few reprints of the 1950s material which, let's be blunt, were not exactly highlights in UK comics history. Which brings us to today, and the commencement of Marvel's monthly reprint series of the really good stuff; the strips from Warrior by Alan Moore and Garry Leach (soon to feature the work of Alan Davis). Except that Alan Moore is not credited by his own request (not wishing to have anything to do with Marvel). Marvel have instead dubbed him 'The Original Writer' as though it was his wrestler name or something.

Oh, and Marvel, who were so insistent in the 1980s that no one but them could publish a hero named 'Marvelman', have chosen to call the series Miracleman. But that's the name most American readers will know him as anyway, so that's  understandable. But y'know, for readers this side of the Atlantic, the name's a bit of a nuisance. He's Marvelman to us.

Anyway, is the revived comic any good? It costs a bit more than a 6d copy of Marvelman would have set you back 60 years ago that's for sure. Expect to pay around £3.50 to £3.99 for this first bumper issue. Newly coloured by the excellent Steve Oliff and re-lettered by Chris Eliopoulos, Miracleman No.1 starts off with a Mick Anglo/Don Lawrence short story from 1955, then moves on to the first two chapters by Ala.. the Original Writer and Garry Leach. Even though this is one of the strips that started the whole darker, grittier mood of superhero comics it still comes across as modern due to the high quality of the script and art.

The cover of the paper version carries a 'Parential Advisory' but the digital version (which I bought) does not. The digital version states that it is edited, but the only edit I noticed was that Liz Moran was memorably nude in one panel of the original Warrior printing but someone has drawn purple pants on her for this version. Obviously people who buy Marvel digital comics are unaware of bottoms and the sight of naked bum cheeks could bring about the downfall of western civilisation. Let's risk it and show both versions here...

Expensive as it is, Miracleman No.1 is worth the money because it also features a fair amount of bonus material. There's a behind-the-scenes look at some of Garry Leach's original artwork and preliminary sketches, a brief article on Marvelman by Mike Conroy, snippets from an interview with Mick Anglo, and reprints of the very first Marvelman strips from 1954. And yes, in the case of the historical material, he is still called Marvelman, thankfully.

If you've never seen these stories before, there's no better place to start. Miracleman No.1 is in comic speciality stores today, or available to purchase as a digital comic via the Marvel Comics or ComiXology apps.