Revisiting NEW GODS 0

[Dr. Haydn]

Mike Royer's display lettering seems to mimic Artie Simek's scalloped style, here and elsewhere, to duplicate the look of a Marvel Silver Age story. I wonder if this was Jack's idea (or Mike's), or a directive from one of the DC editors?

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1971

Mister Miracle #1 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

Cover by Jack Kirby (inks by Vince Colletta)

Mister Miracle ran bi-monthly during New Gods off months. For me, the first issue didn't have the impact that New Gods #1 did, but the series would consistently pick up steam with each issue. Thaddeus would later be retconned into having trained Bruce Wayne in the ways of escape, when they were both younger. We also know that, Scott Free having escaped Apokolips, is what breaks the 'pact' that has allowed Darkseid to restart his war with New Genesis...

Part ONE:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1971

Mister Miracle #1 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

Part TWO:

[Prince Namor]

In Issue #3 we saw the first letters in response to this story:

[Zonker]

For me, Mister Miracle was often the weakest of the Kirby Fourth World books, about on par with the mid-run Jimmy Olsens.

- As mentioned before, all those super-science escape gimmicks being revealed after-the-fact is just too... convenient for my taste.
- Love the Mister Miracle costume, but doesn't it look like typical New Genesis style rather than something independently created on Earth by Thadeus Brown and his son?
- A wager of ten thousand dollars?   (cue Dr. Evil voice)
- "Hello!  Get me the Secret Inter-Gang Missile Site!" 

[Prince Namor]

On 10/31/2023 at 5:28 AM, Zonker said:

For me, Mister Miracle was often the weakest of the Kirby Fourth World books, about on par with the mid-run Jimmy Olsens.

- As mentioned before, all those super-science escape gimmicks being revealed after-the-fact is just too... convenient for my taste.
- Love the Mister Miracle costume, but doesn't it look like typical New Genesis style rather than something independently created on Earth by Thadeus Brown and his son?
- A wager of ten thousand dollars?   (cue Dr. Evil voice)
- "Hello!  Get me the Secret Inter-Gang Missile Site!" 

I thought it picked up pretty quickly, and of course had a few highlights of his whole DC run... but it was a strange angle he took on it. My understanding was he based the character on his friend, artist, Jim Steranko, who was an escape artist (and magician).

[Zonker]

On 10/31/2023 at 4:03 PM, Prince Namor said:

I thought it picked up pretty quickly, and of course had a few highlights of his whole DC run... but it was a strange angle he took on it. My understanding was he based the character on his friend, artist, Jim Steranko, who was an escape artist (and magician).

The concept of "escape" was probably very meaningful for Kirby, in the context of escaping his previous employment situation.  The character's big jump to freedom in Mister Miracle #9 was likely cathartic.  And the escape artist premise let Kirby create all those fantastic doom traps that were staples of previous super-hero comics and the Batman TV show.  But it did get old after a while, especially after the reader began to realize a never-ending series of previously unrevealed technology from Apokolips could be used to create the escape.  

[Ken Aldred]

Doctor Bedlam is my favourite of the evil Elite gods introduced in the title.  Very interesting character concept. And, very sinister.

One of my first Kirby comics.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Ken Aldred

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MARCH 1971

Mister Miracle #2 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

Cover by Jack Kirby (inks by Vince Colletta)

Issue #2 introduces us to Granny Goodness (and Overlord)...

Part ONE:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MARCH 1971

Mister Miracle #2 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

"Little Worms can look like Sea Serpents when cast on a Vidi-Screen!"

Part TWO:

[Prince Namor]

The letters from issue #4 written about THIS issue. And boy are they some good ones! 

The first could've been written by me (though I'd come to find the cleverness of the name 'Granny Goodness') and then a letter from future Marvel writer Mark Gruenwald (who passed away in 1996) bringing into question who the real creator of the Marvel Universe was! I wonder how he was able to live down this letter while working with the 'no talent Jack Kirby back stabbing hacks' at Marvel in the late 70's?

And Kirby's response!

"As to Marvel, more imagination is used in the credits than in any given story."

WOW.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Prince Namor

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1971

Mister Miracle #3 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

Cover by Jack Kirby (inks by Vince Colletta)

What Kirby does here is create a DC like story... using Marvel style action. This was the issue that first picked up the pace in this series for me...

I can't express enough how much I hate Vince Colletta's style. 

Part ONE:

Edited November 5, 2023 by Prince Namor

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1971

Mister Miracle #3 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

Part TWO:

[Prince Namor]

Letters from issue #5 about THIS issue...

[Zonker]

On 11/5/2023 at 12:53 AM, Prince Namor said:

 This was the issue that first picked up the pace in this series for me...

 

 

 Also my favorite of the early Mister Miracle issues.  This human death trap was a nice change of pace from the usual mechanized doomsday devices. And I just realized the commonality between this story's violent mob and the previous month's Forever People #3 where Glorious Godfrey's acolytes rampage through the streets, burning books, etc.  In Mister Miracle the mob is incited by drugs, in the Forever People it is ideology, but clearly it was something on Kirby's mind at the time.  

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JULY 1971

Mister Miracle #4 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

Cover by Jack Kirby (inks by Vince Colletta)

The introduction of Big Barda!

Part ONE:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JULY 1971

Mister Miracle #4 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta)

Part TWO:

[Prince Namor]

The letters from #6 about THIS issue...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS SEPTEMBER 1971

Mister Miracle #5 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Mike Royer)

Cover by Jack Kirby (inks by Mike Royer)

Kirby's sense of humor throughout this story make it one of my lesser known favorites. At times, the dialogue reminds me of Fighting American. Speaking of dialogue... re-reading these stories yet again... I just am not finding any dialogue that seems weird... it all reads just fine to me.

Part ONE:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS SEPTEMBER 1971

Mister Miracle #5 - Written, Drawn and Edited by Jack Kirby (inked by Mike Royer)

Part TWO: