Mister Miracle #7 (2018) – Comic Book Review

Mister Miracle and Big Barda have a lot going on right now. There’s the war on Apokolips – and a recent development in their personal lives. A visit from the Female Furies really isn’t what they need right now.

What could I possibly say about Mister Miracle #7 that you don’t yet know?

If you’ve read up to this point in Mister Miracle (2017-), you’re already aware that it’s one of the best reads today. Period. If, on the other hand, you’re a newcomer following the news that Ava DuVernay will be directing DC’s New Gods film, drop everything and start reading this series now.

In the latest issue of Mister Miracle, we find Scott and Barda on their way to the hospital. I won’t reveal why (in case you haven’t read #6 yet). Reading this series is a complete and utter delight that should be spoiled by No Man™. That being said, each issue of Mister Miracle spans far beyond plot and premise, which I’ll get into later.

Artwork Beyond

It’s easy to forget the importance art brings to storytelling, frequently being overshadowed by the writer. In Mister Miracle (2017-), Mitch Gerads is as integral to story as writer Tom King. The art is inventive, with a form of techno surrealism that resembles anything from fine art to “distortions” like magnets held to a television screen, to a highly textured, sophisticated “cut and paste” aesthetic. Every time the artwork “distorts”, I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of dread for Scott Free, in the same vein of whenever “Darkseid is.” pops up in panel. If the comic’s distortions end up being an element of plot that plays out as an unfortunate twist for Scott’s state of mind/reality more-so than it already is, I’m going to McFreaking lose it.

Tom King, if you’re reading this, just please don’t hurt these precious characters, okay?

Story and Storytelling

The writing is brilliant, and it’s the only way to put it. Discussing in-depth the series’ plot movements seems almost redundant, because it barely measures up to the art of the writing itself.

I remember reading Watchmen #4 for the first time and being fascinated by the way Moore broke up Doctor Manhattan’s complex perspective of time. If you’re unfamiliar with the character, Manhattan is a once-human, now-omnipotent being that sees all of time and space at once. Moore brought a whole other way of  thinking to life by playing with the notion of time in Manhattan’s narration – reading every issue of Mister Miracle feels like that. Batman writer Tom King has crafted narrative in a way that feels unique and untouched.

Despite watching – and for the most part, really enjoying – SyFy’s Krypton pilot, it was jarring to see modern slang being used on an alien planet. In Mister Miracle, Kirby’s New Gods truly feel other-worldly. I cannot imagine a single New God coming from an Earth setting. Tom King and Mitch Gerads are shaping up to be the “Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons” of the 21st century, and I could not be more excited about it.

Mister Miracle #8 hits the shelves April 11th.