Miracleman, Book Two: The Red King Syndrome

Miracleman #2

by Alan Moore, Catherine Yronwode (Text), Alan Davis (Illustrations)

Michael Moran has rediscovered the power of Miracleman, but unbeknownst to him, Dr. Emil Gargunza, the man behind Project Zarathustra, has set in motion plans decades in the making. In The Red King Syndrome, Gargunza's intentions for Miracleman's wife and unborn child set the stage for a confrontati on between creator and creation. The origins of Gargunza and Zarathustra will be revealed, and life and death will be decided deep in the jungles of Paraguay. COLLECTING: MIRACLEMAN 5-10

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Marvel, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1990

About the author

Alan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.

As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turn everything off (including your phone), put up your feet and enter the world of Miracleman a masterclass Alan Moore jam! This is an absolutely genius reinterpretation and reimagining of the 1950's comic book and superheroes, continuing in the near genius vein of the first volume and more truths about Project Zarathustra! Make way for the Übermensch! 9 out of 12, fabulous Four Star read.

Collects Miracleman #6 to 10.
2013 read

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The saga of Miracleman continues!


This TPB collects the second storyarc known as “The Red King Syndrome” featuring issues #5-10 of “Miracleman”, plus additional stories “Young Miracleman: 1957” & “The Guerneville Flood”, along with a “Behind-of-Scenes” section with sketches, pin-ups, cover variants, etc…


Warning: This TPB contains “Mature Content”


Creative Team:

Writer: Alan Moore (despicted as “The Original Writer”, based on characters created by Mick Anglo) & Cat Yronwode (for the short story “The Guerneville Flood”)

Illustrators: Alan Davis, John Ridgway, Chuck Austen, Rick Veitch


NO MORE GAMES

It imagines that it is invulnerable. -- …and it isnt.

Michael Moran had its “baptism of fire”, in the first volume, dealing with the wrath of Kid Miracleman. Family reunions always are messy!

Liz Moran (Michael Moran’s wife) is pregnant and her baby isn’t of Michael per se, but Miracleman’s (further explanation, bellow, in the second part of the review).

Miracleman found an ally in the most unlikely of situations and this helped him to discover the not so campy truth behind the reason of his powers.

Miracleman thought that he already knew all about his past and the worst has already happened…

…he thought wrong.

Liz is kidnapped and Miracleman doesn’t know the least of how grave is the menace fallen over the safety of their incoming baby!

The Miracleman Family got bigger and not in the way that Michael Moran imagined to be and he won’t be the same anymore!

And Johnny Bates aka Kid Miracleman isn’t as comatose as everybody else think…


THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH

M-Mike, I think it’s coming… AHH-HHHHHHH

In this second TPB, there is a famous moment in comic books’ history.

In its chapter eleven, Scenes from the Nativity, you are witness of the birth of Miracleman and Liz Moran’s daughter, Winter.

And I wrote intentionally “Miracleman” and not Michael Moran, since when they conceived the baby, it was in a moment where Miracleman was there, while they share a same existence, Mike Moran realized that they aren’t technically the same person. Besides the obvious physical differences (fitness, intelligence level, self-confidence, age, etc…), they even started to think as different individuals (Miracleman doesn’t trust in Moran during crisis moments, Moran is jealous about Miracleman having sex with his wife). Mike Moran and Liz were trying for years of having a baby, but just one night with Miracleman, was enough to have Liz pregnant.

In the classic cartoon, The Flintstones, they did history about presenting Wilma Flintstone pregnant, with a clearly visible swollen belly, and being like that for several episodes. Nowadays, in the new millenium and living in the age of internet, I supposed that there isn’t any kid believing in the old charming tales of storks, lettuces and Paris, but back in the campy 60s, it was quite daring and bold to show in a cartoon (not matter that it was aired in nocturnal prime time, just like The Simpsons nowadays) since the show was watched for all the family, including children, and then they are having an adult pregnant woman in the TV, so the “big secret” of the adults was revealed and kids then knew how babies came to the world.

Obviously in The Flinstones didn’t show the scene of Wilma giving birth to Pebbles in an operating room. There were certain understandable limits in their boldness.

However, Alan Moore has boldness in abundance, in fact you may say that he put the boldness in comic books. So, you may guess right that if Alan Moore would have a birth scene in one of his comics, well, he will be totally bold about how portrait it. Of course, he wasn’t the illustrator, but certainly as writer, he lead the artist of how he wanted the birth scene on the comic book.

And that leading was, well, showing the whole thing!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Miracleman’s run by Moore is famous for many things, and one those things was to show without any shyness in a total graphic way the miracle of birth, presenting Liz’s vagina dilating, the baby’s head coming out, etc… Becoming the first (and very likely the only time) that a comic book showed openly the birth of a baby.

Alan Moore, people. Only him.

And this is only one of many reasons why, in comic books, it’s Alan Moore first, and later the rest of the bunch of writers.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When his pregnant wife is kidnapped by Dr. Gargunza, Miracleman and Evelyn Cream go looking for her. But what is the sinister connection between Gargunza and Miracleman and what plans does Gargunza have for his wife?

The Red King Syndrome collections issues 5-10 of Miracleman, some of which I have vague recollections of reading at some point.

Book Two further deconstructs Miracleman's origins as Captain Marvel's bastard son of sorts. In this case, Doctor Sivana is a short Mexican scientist with thatch of black hair and much more practical plans. Miracleman's origin is further explored. Meanwhile, it seems that Johnny Bates might not be the vegetable we all thought he was.

Back in the day, I bought comics from Mile High Comics whenever I could scrape together enough money for an order. My twelve year old self was puzzled why I would need to be over eighteen to buy Miracleman #9. After reading it, I'm not so puzzled. That was one graphic childbirth scene!

The brutality in Miracleman surprises me. In the last decade or so, we've seen Black Adam and Superboy Prime punch the heads off of more Teen Titans members than I can count and Hyperion inflict mass destruction in the pages of Supreme Power. Pfft! Miracleman was doing that shit in the early days of the Reagan administration. Miracleman does a fantastic job of showing what would happen if Superman-level beings existed in the real world.

People like to point to Watchmen and The Dark Knight as the comics that made everyone go darker. After reading the first two volumes, I contend that Miracleman was that comic instead. Four out of five stars.

2024 reread My thoughts on this one haven't changed much. Now that I've witnessed actual childbirth, I have to say the depiction in Miracleman is about as accurate as you'll see in a comic. This book isn't that thick and 100 pages are extras. I get that they were trying to pad the length but come on!

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shazam! brilliant Alan Moore's saga of a Captain Marvel template being thrust into the real world continues. Shazam! even a magic word can't transform my irritation with this lackluster collection into something more positive, despite how much I admire the author. Shazam! the mishmash of unappealing art could also use a magical transformation. Shazam! an offensively clichéd black character who is self-aware of his clichés does not equal those clichés being transformed into something interesting or challenging. Shazam! apparently there was controversy about how explicit the childbirth scene was; the only controversy I saw on the page was how much the hideous infant resembled a baby Winston Churchill. Shazam! I shall transform this 1 star rating into a 2 star rating because the comparison of Miracleman to an Übermensch, and a full page panel of him floating in front of a glowing cross, and the many images of him tearing and smashing his foes into bloody little pieces... well, all of that really shocked me, I suppose in a good way? Shazam!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Moran can transform into the superhero, Miracleman, by simply uttering the word “KIMOTA!” (“atomic” backwards and misspelled!). Michael’s wife, Liz, is pregnant with Miracleman’s baby which is bothering him, not least because they couldn’t conceive until he transformed into his alter ego.

But he’s not going to have long to moon about it because the evil Dr Emil Gargunza kidnaps Liz away to South America where he believes he will learn the secret of eternal life in Miracleman’s baby. While Miracleman and Cream head off to rescue Liz, we learn the secret origins of the Miracleman Family and Gargunza’s dark role in their past on something called Project Zarathustra…

Marvel continues the reprinting of “The Original Writer” and various artists’ Miracleman comics from the 1980s with Book 2: The Red King Syndrome. Marvel have re-mastered the pages and included colour for the first time, giving these comics a more polished look than they’ve ever had before.

By the way, that’s the only time I’ll refer to Alan Moore as “The Original Writer” because it’s way too pretentious. He may not want his name on any more Marvel or DC books than he can help, but I don’t have to put up with his nonsense in this review.

So, after the promising start in Book 1, I was really hoping the second book would take off and go nuts - I was told the Miracleman comics only get weirder from here on out - buuuut Book 2 felt fairly mundane, like an ordinary superhero comic. I mean, what’s more by-the-numbers than a superhero origin story?

Some of the art is pretty good, especially Alan Davis’ design of the crashed alien spaceship, which was the best part of the book, as well as his rendering of the fantasy-scape that the Miracleman Family find themselves in. This book is also notable - not just for being the first reprint in years - for being the first comic that Chuck Austen worked on.

Austen - at the time working under his birth name, Chuck Beckum - would become a notorious figure in comics for writing the single worst received run on the X-Men ever in the early ‘00s, followed by the worst received run on Action Comics shortly after. Austen would eventually get blacklisted by both Marvel and DC and disappear from comics altogether after 2006 - though this is still some 20 years in the future at this point. Right now, he’s some guy who just left Lucasfilm and is now, somehow, drawing Alan Moore’s Miracleman, providing the worst art the series has had so far.

Rick Veitch would take over from Austen/Beckum to draw a VERY graphic birth scene, so be prepared for that! And it’s also quite a gory superhero book as Moore’s Miracleman has no qualms over murder. It makes him less heroic in my eyes, but I’m sure some readers, who like their superheroes darker and grittier, will get a kick out of seeing that. But, apart from Davis’ work, the art on the whole is pretty poor, though if you compare the newly re-mastered pages to what it looked like before, they look amazing.

Moore’s writing on this book might have suffered from the extra pages given when the title switched between publishers. Miracleman started out at Warrior before it went bankrupt and then passed over to Eclipse Comics for this second book. At Warrior, Moore had to compress his work into 4/5 page episodes so Book 1 has this tightness that made it really good. At Eclipse, Moore was given double the pages so the stories in Book 2 feel looser and less focused.

But it’s more than that - the main story itself, of Miracleman rescuing his wife from the mad scientist Gargunza, simply failed to engage me. It was a weak plotline that doesn’t sustain a full-length book. Moore pads it out with numerous flashbacks to explain how Miracleman came to be, as well as Gargunza’s own backstory, but it never rises to the heights that the title’s reputation promises. It’s not a bad book but it’s nowhere near as brilliant as you might be led to believe.

That said, I’m still interested to see how the fabled Moore/Miracleman trilogy rounds out. Maybe this second book is the low point in the series that sets up the incredible third book? There are a couple of interesting new enemy characters introduced towards the end and I do want to see what happens to Johnny Bates - does the deranged Kid Miracleman take hold of him again or will Johnny somehow defeat him and regain his life?

Definitely give Miracleman Book 2 a read if you’re curious, especially since it’s been out of print for ages, but I would go in with lowered expectations. The Red King Syndrome is a decent superhero book but its reputation for being this incredible lost classic makes it all the more underwhelming once you read it.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first volume of Miracleman. It was essentially everything I'd been promised for so very long. The second volume was, almost inevitably, somewhat disappointing.

It's not that Moore has run out of ideas. There's still some very interesting things happening. But it just isn't as tightly written. I think this might be the mark of a younger and less experienced writer. He might write the same story today, but he would do it in a different way. And then there's the weirdness with Cream. These weird dreams where he's running through a jungle from, I think, Baron Samedi... What was that about? It isn't given any context at all, it's just a weird thing that takes up pages. There's no specific reason given for why Cream would be having voodoo-tinged dreams (and I was waiting for one), which raises the uncomfortable idea that Moore thought that Cream being black would be reason enough. And, um, it isn't, not really.

The art ranges from meh to bad. Yes, there's that infamously graphic birth scene, which was certainly bold. But it's kind of tarnished a bit by the awful facial expressions. And the baby... Yikes. It's like the artist was trying so hard not to draw a romanticized baby that he veered directly into troll territory instead.

There's certainly some compelling ideas here, and enough threads that I'm more than willing to stick around to see where this is going. But this was not the most inspired work that Moore has ever produced.

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is it. This collection contains the infamous childbirth issue. I must admit; although I have a normally iron constitution, that panel of an infant's scalp protruding from the birth canal gave me pause. Not even the magic of modern computer coloring could improve the experience of a childbirth on a two-dimensional page. The graphic nature of the story was not the only reason I set the book aside to be continued later; I was reading it in a public venue and I had second thoughts of inflicting it on an unwary public.

The original writer, Alan Moore, did an excellent job in structuring his Marvelman/Miracleman run into a story with three acts, similar to that of a novel. At the time, Moore was a relative newcomer to writing superhero comics but he was already infusing his work with storytelling devices in ways that comic books haven't been before. Moore was truly ahead of his team and he helped birth mature superhero comic books with this, just like he brought Miracleman's baby into the world.

Moore explored a lot of themes here. As in Book One, it has dreams and life and death. This story though is more balanced. A lot of death here, but it is tempered with the birth of new life, of Miracleman and hi family and his newborn.

It was the section of the birth that stood out for me. It remined me of the Watchmen Mars scene with Doctor Manhattan and Silk Spectre. It felt like that the Watchmen fed off the childbirth scene, especially when it referred to the miracle of new life.

I enjoyed Book One and that was the reason why I rushed getting the next installment. Although the story here was as strong as the first, it suffered from spotty and inconsistent art.

Still, I will be definitely be getting the next one. If I read the flow of the story right, and understood the hints and foreshadowing, the third act is going to be a slobberknocker.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miracleman is certainly a unique vision. Consistently surprising in the direction the plot takes and very unorthodox in the presentation of information in regards to chronological order. Still, this story is truly out there.

Miracleman's wife has been kidnapped. He and Cream team up to find her. It turns out Dr. Gargunza has some twisted and nefarious plans for her. It is also a chance for us to learn Gorgunza's origin story. It's a doozy.
The other big reveal is about Project Zarathustra. It's connection to Gorgunza and his manipulation of the Miracle's through the Dream World are especially interesting and shed a lot of light on the mystery.

The ultimate conflict between Gurgunza and Miracleman was very interesting. The ending might be prosaic and there is even a birth! I must say the splash page where Miracleman returns with the cross in the background is a cool picture. Though the birth sequence was a tad bit more graphic than I expected in a comic. Cool, it's not something you expect to come across every day in a comic.

Miracleman is certainly something different. In fact, it's a rather unique story. The artwork works very well with this story. The implications of what is to come have me heading for Volume three. Whle not for everyone, I think people who enjoy unique comic stories with interesting prose and plot will appreciate this strange gem.

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yawn. The pretentious English twat (original writer) Alan Moore...ugh. ripoff Captain Marvel often? Also, calling it childish tripe in your book isn't a backhanded compliment or acknowledgement of the creators, it's just you being a right cunt.

I haven't read the first volume. So I might not be qualified to comment, but this did pretty much nothing for me...

I just hope the geniuses of today don't disappear up their own assholes like Moore and Miller...

[Issa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miracle man! Some may have heard of this character many others haven't. If you haven't do yourself a favour and find out for yourself why this character is so influential and why it's so imitated but never ever supplanted. You will see the basis of this character in such Hollywood films like Hancock and The Matrix films. Plus you get to see Alan Moore at the peak of his writing game.

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not even going to talk about this because what's left to say? But I am going to complain about some dum-dum.

Some dum-dum commented on an article I wrote speculating on the next possible Marvel movies. Actually, two dum-dums. One dum-dum complained that I put Squirrel Girl towards the end of the article, because I guess that's inequitable. To that person, I would just like to say, "You, madam, are a racist if you think Squirrel Girl should be before Ms. Marvel. I might be unwittingly sexist in including Squirrel Girl after several male characters and Ms. Marvel, Dazzler, She Hulk, Moon Girl, and Black Widow, and also after not including the other female stars who are already slated for movies, but YOU are racist. And also, you're incorrect in saying that Squirrel Girl is getting a TV show. Squirrel Girl will be on The Defenders, but that's a far cry from getting her own show. Harrumph."

Whew! That felt good. You know how sometimes they say you should write a letter and then throw it away and you'll feel better? I think that's what I just did, but instead of throwing it in the garbage, I threw it into the continuous garbage stream that is the internet. 6 of one, half-dozen, etc.

The second person I wanted to address was the dum-dum who commented, bothered to click and type, to inform me that Miracleman is not a Marvel character.

Asshole, check the Wikipedia. Miracleman was the subject of a long legal battle, which Marvel eventually bought out. He's totally a Marvel property, you asshole. ASSHOLE! It just made me so mad. Why comment on something all smarmy and be wrong? That's a completely crazy thing to do.

I probably shouldn't get all worked up over this stuff. But damn it, I can't help it.

[Israel Laureano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como todas las obras gráficas de Alan Moore, el tratamiento narrativo que le da a este personaje de la época de oro de los cómics es soberbia.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Moore creando orígenes es el mejor. En su tiempo era una rareza esta carga dramática, personajes llevados al extremo por situaciones reales.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dark history of Miracleman's origin is told. Nice art and excellent writing make this a very interesting read. Very recommended if you want to try a different comic read.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just comics at their best. We get more of Miracleman's origin here as his creator attempts to destroy him. We also have some interesting subplots developing with the aliens who were instrumental in creating Miracleman. There's an important birth, and another member of the Miracleman family makes an appearance. The art is great, and this book was so ahead of its time that it's hard to describe.

This is one of the rare comics that truly elevate the genre from pop culture to literature. Really any comic fan should read the Miracleman series at least once.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this might be my favorite story from Alan Moore.

So we have the simple story of Miracleman doing superhero things. One issue he even just comes to chit-chat with a little kid. But things take a turn when his wife is kidnapped. We then learn the original plans for Miracleman and why he was created in the first place. The next arc is the birth of Miracleman's daughter and then of course dealing with fatherhood. On top of that we get plenty of foreshadowing of the final evil to rise.

Good: Really enjoyed the stories here. From the simple one shots, to the dark multi-part series of survival and hunt. To watch Miracleman go into rage mode is both scary yet makes perfect sense. A Superman without much of a code, it's intriguing. I also thought this book was actually brave for showing natural childbirth. I mean it sounds silly now days but back when this was written and drawn, you wouldn't expect that. Least I believe so. I liked that. I also thought the raising of their new child is a interesting idea and works well so far.

Bad: Some of the new "villains" are kind of goofy and over the top. I also think the art suffers at times by being too emotional looking and coming off silly.

Overall, really good stuff. I think this series has been a great surprise and I want more. A 4 out of 5.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so nice to have this classic series back in print. Still not sure why Alan Moore's name doesn't actually appear anywhere--they refer, cryptically, to "The Original Writer" when they refer to him at all. I'm sure there's a story there ... This volume is a bit of a let-down after the first, mainly due to its being padded out with sketches and looks at the original artwork. Don't get me wrong: I like this sort of thing, and it can be fascinating to see how the artwork evolves from the first rough sketches to the finished page. But in this case, almost half the book is nothing but art and pinups and so on. I don't mind if there's a section at the end of the book, say a dozen pages or so, but to double the length of the book, especially when I know there's more story coming ...? It just seems a tad much.

[Des Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bummer is that the Miracleman hardcover reprints are needlessly bloated with insignificant supplemental content, hoping to justify the meaty price tag. The good news is that the story is every bit as incredible as you've been led to believe.

Things continue here in "Red King Syndrome" as we get the back story behind Emil Gargunza, and the birth of Micky Moran's child. Some incredible stuff happens, with gorgeously remastered art and a timeless story of superhumanity. Some really challenging ideas are put forward, and some very interesting plot lines are tossed out for future issues. Its a wonderful thing that this ambitious and staggering work is seeing print again. I'm almost happy to pay the ridiculous price of admission.

[Jared Millet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Macaroni, if that wasn't the single most appropriate use of a "Parental Advisory" warning I've ever seen in my life. If you've read it, you'll know exactly what scene I'm talking about. I'd have never guessed that the "edgy" Alan Moore of Watchmen and V for Vendetta was really a watered-down version of the bat$#!t bloody Alan Moore of his early career.

Moore, sorry, "The Original Author" is sure sticking with his 'supermen as monsters' thesis, but he also lets Michael Moran's humanity show through the Miracleman in this volume as well. Maybe the monstrosity is just as human as well?

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moore comienza a soltarse. Todo el enfrentamiento con Gargunza es potente y el nacimiento de la hija de Miracleman hipnótico. Es increíble cómo en 100 páginas el guionista original cuenta historias que ahora se relatan en 400, reciclando y destruyendo arquetipos a velocidad de crucero. Una pena la edición, repleta de materiales prescindibles cuyo principal interés está en multiplicar el precio del volumen por dos.

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of bonus material in this edition, and while less isn't always more, more isn't always more either, if you catch my drift.

The main story itself definitely holds up. Trippy, like good SF.

The Micky Anglo stories, blatant ersatz Captain Marvel, are fourth rate, but I guess that's the entire point of including them.

[Blindzider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hell hath no fury like a superhero scorned! This is what you get when you mess around with the mind of something far more powerful than you. This also contains one of the most graphic (but non-violent) scenes I think I've ever read in a regular comic.

Closer to 3.5 stars for me, but continues the story naturally from the previous volume.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Leonardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

En cierto sentido, los números de Miracelman a cargo de Alan Moore son más un experimento formales que obras valiosas por sí mismas. Lo cual no significa que no están exentos de tramas dramáticas e ilustraciones dinámicas, sino que sus reflexiones metaliterarias y filosóficas tienen mayor peso que el desarrollo de los personajes. Miracleman el superhéroe nos abre los ojos a lo aterrador que resultaría un verdadero Übermensch entre nosotros, pero su contraparte humana es más interesante, con todas sus debilidades, inseguridades y patetismo. Por lo demás, la historia del villano (por una vez, un personaje mexicano que no se dedica a la lucha libre o que utiliza sombrero de charro) lo eleva más allá del estereotipo de científico loco y lo vuelve algo más que el Lex Luthor del Superman de Miracleman. En resumen, las antologías de Miracelman (incluyendo los apéndices con páginas originales en blanco y negro y las portadas de los números originales) son un valioso testimonio de los primeros años de la carrera de Alan Moore y de los años en que los comics comenzaron a madurar, en fondo y forma.

[Britton]

(Minor Spoilers)

Moore continues strong with the second volume of his first major superhero deconstruction Miracleman, where he took a British Captain Marvel/Shazam knock off and turned him into a postmodern reflection on the state of the superhero and how a superhuman would be viewed in a real credible world, and how they ascend into being a god. I could even argue that it rivals its spiritual sequel Watchmen in sense of power and scope that Moore brings to the table, now I'll be the first to admit that it's not a perfect work, and it's actually quite different than Watchmen, in sense of style and what it's about.

While the first arc revolved around a god awakening, the second examines a god learning about where he came from, and how it might not have been as ridiculous as he initially thought. We meet Emil Gargunza, a genius and the man who created the Miracleman family in order to gain godhood himself. He proves to be as demented as he exhibits his perverse plan to Liz Moran, who is now with child, the first naturally born superhuman in the world. Miracleman and his new ally, the assassin Evelyn Cream, who goes through a wonderfully written redemption arc as he sacrifices himself in order to save Miracleman and his wife. Moore's prose, along with Alan Davis' exceptional art, is magnificent, despite Moore's flaws with his habit of telling too much and not showing as much as he could, comics is a visual medium. But, I overlook those rather frivolous flaws in order to talk about Moore's actual storytelling. I'm constantly in awe with Moore's bringing a sense of reason into a concept that's clearly mad, which is what followers of Moore like Grant Morrison would replicate to mixed success. It's almost like nobody else can truly do what Moore can do with his examinations of our modern mythology with the superhero, he brings a sense of rationality to the concept that's rarely ever seen.

But with the awe that comes with the superhero, comes the horror following right along on its tail. Moore puts in subtle and not so subtle hints in how terrifying a superhero could be if thrown into the real world, as Miracleman slaughters his way through Gargunza's goons in increasingly grotesque fashion, and even has a grim sense of enjoyment for the task of murder, as he seems to grow desensitized to the harm that he bestows among the men that's harming his family. He may be justified, but you find yourself starting to question Miracleman's actions. You certainly understand where Miracleman is coming from, but as Moore tends to do, he often has you questioning the hero's actions and making you ask yourself on if you should really root for this man or not.

Moore also begins to plant the seeds for Miracleman's descent into godhood and his slow divorce away from humanity, which will be hit much more harder as soon as we'll get into the third and final trade of Alan's run. Miracleman is a person who wants to do the right thing, as is the case with a lot of Alan Moore's characters, but often tries to do it in ways that are morally questionable, but Moore also shows the fact that Miracleman is not always considering the morality of man, but rather of a being that is, in many ways, 'better' than mundane humanity.

But the question remains, is he really?

[D.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues Moore's reconstruction of 1950s UK superhero Marvelman, and indeed the way we came to look at superheroes in general.
In this book, we find Miracleman's human counterpart Mike Moran's wife, Liz, pregnant with her & Miracleman's (potentially super) baby, as well as witnessing the current whereabouts of MM's mysterious 'father' Emil Gargunza...and his nefarious plans for the future young Moran. We also are introduced to some pivotal new characters, toward the end of the book.
Of the series, this may be the weakest. It feels a little like a placekeeper between the first & final arcs, though Moore apparently was ready to leave the series at the end of this one! (Thankfully he didn't, because the comics world would be a poorer place for lacking his & John Totleben's masterful third book.) The weak links here are mainly the fairly traditionally comic-book type plot (mad scientist Gargunza wants to do something awful to achieve something even MORE awful; though this is understandably contrived to fit what Moore was doing as a whole), and the FOUR artists contributing to a very jumbled look (strange, considering each artist is a strong one, on their own merits).
Still wonderful and engaging stuff, but could understandably put disinterested readers off before the climax of Olympus.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

We learn more about the origin of Miracleman and the Miracleman family and Dr. Gargunza's personal motivations while working for the British on Project Zarathustra. While that chapter of the story is wrapped up new questions arise in the form of two mysterious agents traveling to find the "Miracles" on earth, both those we know about and those we don't yet know. The super being as monster to be feared take on Miracleman and the other super powered beings in this book was more original at the time and Moore's unique take on that story-line is enjoyable if sometimes disturbing. The art was inconsistent, with several different artists of differing abilities, and watch out for some of the death scenes and a birth that leaves little to the imagination. I would rate this book a 3.5 if Goodreads allowed half stars.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong second act in the "Miracleman" series. This volume delves more into his origin and how/why he was created. MM's creator has grand designs on MM's unborn daughter.

I'm a sucker for alien stories/Frankenstein stories/Project Manhattan-like creation stories and I tell you what, this had all three.

Word of warning: Don't be fooled by the old-fashioned look of the artwork; there are some extremely graphic scenes of child-birth, people being ripped in half, and there's even one guy who's turned into an earthbound meteorite against his will. As with Volume one, this book was years ahead of it's time.

[Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this volume more than the last, which apparently isn't a very popular opinion from what I gather reading through the reviews here. The writing is still just a bit rough, and yes, the Mr. Sapphire character is a horrible cliche, but this is practically the first thing Moore ever had published so I can overlook a few rookie mistakes. What I liked most about this story was that I could see Moore toying with a few superhero story elements that he would later perfect in Supreme.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was controversy when this comic was first published as it had detailed drawings of one of the characters giving birth, which Moore and Davis sourced from a book on childbirth to ensure its accuracy. These same detractors didn't seem to mind the graphic violence and sexual content, but "Oh, my God! A comic showing a vagina with a baby coming out of it! Won't somebody think of the children! It must be banned!!"

I was not shocked to see a detailed depiction of a woman giving birth as I am reliably informed it was how I myself entered the world, although I can't honestly say that I remember it. Hey, it was the '60s! If I can't remember it, I must have been there, right?!