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Miracleman: The Red King Syndrome (Marvel Comics, 1982; #5-10)

KIMOTA!

  • “The Red King Syndrome” centers around Miracleman’s wife Liz’s pregnancy and their daughter’s birth.
  • Unfortunately, from there, it gets pretty fridge-y, as Liz spends most of the story kidnapped and imperiled.
  • I wish that weren't the case, because other than that, this arc is a tight, satisfying read.
  • Even the issue that I had with the first arc feeling overwritten is assuaged here, as narration strengthens non-linear storytelling (and Mike Moran spends a good deal of time out of the Miracleman persona).
  • The art team’s work is stunning, although it is difficult to tell where the original work stops and the remastering begins—but unless you’re curious about how it looked originally, I see no reason to avoid the remastered reprints.

Miracleman: come for the historical curiosity, stay for the meta-narrative—unless you leave for the fridginess, which may have been part of the era but is still obnoxious.

Collected in

  • Miracleman, Book Two: The Red King Syndrome (#5-10)

Credits

Writer: The Original Writer* with Cat Yronwode | Artists: Alan Davis, John Ridgway, Chuck Austin, Rick Veitch, with Rick Bryant | Colrist: Steve Oliff | Letterer: Joe Caramagna | Art Restoration: Michael Kelleher & Kellustration

* coughAlanMoorecough

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