In a world so beautiful that it is untrue – the review of “Miracleman. Golden Era “

From man to miracle

Neil Gaiman ( Sandman , 1602 , American Gods ) and Mark Buckingham ( Fairy Tales , Peter Parker , Spider-Man ) are – as it turns out – a perfect duo. In their latest proposal, they tell a story that will be remembered by readers for a long time. Here it is, a new London world in which good has overcome evil, and only one man has power – the wonderful and irreplaceable Miracleman, looking at his estate from the pyramid called Olympus. And it started very inconspicuously.

Doctor Emil Gargunza turned three orphans – Micky Moran, Dicky Dauntless and Johnny Bates – into creatures with supernatural abilities, superhumans. The researcher had full control over the newborns: Miracleman, Young Miracleman and Kid Miracleman. When the British government began to perceive the Gargunza project as a threat, he fled to Paraguay, where he created two more heroes: Miraclewoman and Young Nastyman. Unfortunately, as a result of an explosion of an atomic bomb, Young Miracleman is killed, Kid Miracleman is corrupted by his power, and Miracleman returns to his original form. The last of the heroes recovers their memories, already in middle age. She learns that she has a daughter, Winter, a child with extraordinary abilities. When Kid Miracleman invades London, no one suspects an imminent end for the people of the world.

Looped in stories

The Miracleman Story is actually a collection of stories. By looking at the pages of the beautifully illustrated album, the reader gets to know heroes whose reality is difficult, strange, and unpredictable. We observe both the world of the young Kid Miracleman and a fragment of the story whose protagonist is Miraclewoman. In addition, the book includes a notebook in which – together with the characters – we go down to the dark and damp undergrounds. In my opinion, it is the most intriguing because of the subject matter. One of the most important characters here is Andy Warhol, whose appearance is in line with the real one. Moreover, some stripes are reminiscent of the painter’s works of art. Winter also makes its first appearance in the dungeons, looking a bit like a five-year-old child with the face of an adult woman. In fact, she is about ten years old.The facade of Stanley Kubrick, the music of John Belushi, the figure of Frankenstein or the legacy of Salvador Dali (a giraffe burning in the vaults). Such a combination of many elements and their travesty mean that the reader sometimes gets lost in the story, does not know what to believe. However, it should be remembered that in the book we read stories from six notebooks, and each of them presents us with a different perspective of looking at the new world. If we do not take breaks in reading Miracleman , probably all the threads will be clear and lucid for us. However, if we don’t take care to maintain the smoothness of the plot, we will easily get lost.

What else do you have for us, Miracleman?

The authors, in addition to the captivating plot and unusual illustrations, made available in the album the traces of their activities before Miracleman – a preliminary plan for a book, sketches of the hero, designs, drawings of individual stripes, the cover of a collective album. The mementos also include a portrait of Neil Gaiman, created by Marc Buckingham in 1995. It should be noted that D’Israeli and Mick Anglo also collaborated with these authors, but their names were not mentioned on the album cover.

It is important not to view the work through the prism of Alan Moore’s script ( The Watchtower , V for Vandetta , Batman: The Killing Joke ) who brought the Nietzschean superman. Miracleman, in the concept of Gaiman and Buckingham, is an individually remarkable work. The authors decided to create their own vision of the world ruled by a superhero . An enduring utopia has consequences, especially visible to mankind. On the one hand, gods are synonymous with prosperity, but on the other hand, they do not understand human weakness and emotional needs. I guarantee that you will be drawn into this world so much that with a smile on your face you will reach for the album more than once.