Post by tundra on Jan 16, 2014 6:48:59 GMT -5
They re-printed Miracleman!! B-but... but that's impossible!*
Not sure if this is quite the right place to discuss the newly re-printed Miracleman, but it's really not a new book and it's being published by Marvel, so...
NB. I wouldn't normally worry about spoiling the plot of a 30-year old comic, but since it's been impossible to read for so long I'll avoid spoilers for all those experiencing it for the first time.
Miracleman has a very, very long and complex publishing history - the main story in this issue (by "Original Writer" Alan Moore and Garry Leach) was first published in two issues of the British anthology comic Warrior in 1982. Like most British comics of its time it was originally published in black and white, and Garry Leach's beautiful B&W artwork has not always been sympathetically treated when re-printed in colour. Happily, though, Steve Oliff has done a wonderful job on it this time and it looks refreshed and better than I have ever seen it. The prologue is an original British comic strip from the 50's (re-lettered to keep the names of the Miracleman family consistent). This works well in the context of the larger story unfolding, but for those shopping digitally is unfortunate because the three-page preview Comixology offers is all of this prologue - historically interesting but emphatically not the story that has made Miracleman so famous.
Marvel have also chosen (appropriately, in my opinion) to treat this issue as something of a historical document, including a wealth of extra material on the history of the character and his creator Mick Anglo. There is also some lovely concept and production art that I hadn't seen before - and some more original 1950's Mick Anglo Marvelman strips which, although not honestly to my taste, are fascinating from a historical perspective. All of this explains (and to me, at least, justifies) the rather high cover price.
I have fond memories of reading this series as it was coming out when published by Eclipse (it was always a real hunt to find a copy of each new issue) so I'm sure I'll have a hard time waiting the two years or so until this re-publication gets far enough along to print any new material I haven't already seen - but if it is all re-presented this well it will be a great ride along the way. btw, does anyone know if the reprinting is likely to include the various Miracleman Apocrypha that Eclipse put out? Some of them were really good.
Really looking forward to the responses of people who haven't seen this great series before - what do you all think?
* I couldn't resist a little call back to Miracleman's one-panel Easter egg appearance in the Marvel Universe in Alan Moore's and Alan Davis' classic Captain Britain series of the early 80's where he was one of many alternate Earth heroes defeated by the Fury. One of my most enduring memories from early comics reading!
Not sure if this is quite the right place to discuss the newly re-printed Miracleman, but it's really not a new book and it's being published by Marvel, so...
NB. I wouldn't normally worry about spoiling the plot of a 30-year old comic, but since it's been impossible to read for so long I'll avoid spoilers for all those experiencing it for the first time.
Miracleman has a very, very long and complex publishing history - the main story in this issue (by "Original Writer" Alan Moore and Garry Leach) was first published in two issues of the British anthology comic Warrior in 1982. Like most British comics of its time it was originally published in black and white, and Garry Leach's beautiful B&W artwork has not always been sympathetically treated when re-printed in colour. Happily, though, Steve Oliff has done a wonderful job on it this time and it looks refreshed and better than I have ever seen it. The prologue is an original British comic strip from the 50's (re-lettered to keep the names of the Miracleman family consistent). This works well in the context of the larger story unfolding, but for those shopping digitally is unfortunate because the three-page preview Comixology offers is all of this prologue - historically interesting but emphatically not the story that has made Miracleman so famous.
Marvel have also chosen (appropriately, in my opinion) to treat this issue as something of a historical document, including a wealth of extra material on the history of the character and his creator Mick Anglo. There is also some lovely concept and production art that I hadn't seen before - and some more original 1950's Mick Anglo Marvelman strips which, although not honestly to my taste, are fascinating from a historical perspective. All of this explains (and to me, at least, justifies) the rather high cover price.
I have fond memories of reading this series as it was coming out when published by Eclipse (it was always a real hunt to find a copy of each new issue) so I'm sure I'll have a hard time waiting the two years or so until this re-publication gets far enough along to print any new material I haven't already seen - but if it is all re-presented this well it will be a great ride along the way. btw, does anyone know if the reprinting is likely to include the various Miracleman Apocrypha that Eclipse put out? Some of them were really good.
Really looking forward to the responses of people who haven't seen this great series before - what do you all think?
* I couldn't resist a little call back to Miracleman's one-panel Easter egg appearance in the Marvel Universe in Alan Moore's and Alan Davis' classic Captain Britain series of the early 80's where he was one of many alternate Earth heroes defeated by the Fury. One of my most enduring memories from early comics reading!