Miracles, The

by Joe Glass (Writer), Vince Underwood (Artist), Harry Saxon (Colors)

High school senior Elliot Morgan is a lot of things: massive nerd; obsessive comic geek, target of the local bigoted bully, but there's one thing he never quite expected to be - a real-life superhero!

When he learns that his parents are secretly characters from his favorite comic book now living as refugees in the real world, suddenly everything he thought he knew about his life is thrown into a new light. What else can he do but take to the skies as the real world's first superhuman her: The Miracle.

However, it turns out the family secrets don't end there...and Elliot even has one of his own, that he hasn't shared with anyone. And secrets have a way of coming out...especially when someone is hunting them down.

Genres: LGBT, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy

Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Joe is a GLAAD Award winning writer from the deepest, darkest South Wales Valleys in the UK. He is mostly known for his ComiXology Originals, LGBTQ+ superhero series, The Pride (now published in print by Dark Horse Comics as The Pride Omnibus). He’s also the writer behind various self-published and crowdfunded comics work such as Acceptable Losses, Glitter Vipers and The Miracles. He won his GLAAD Award for the m/m romance anthology he co-edited for A Wave Blue World, Young Men in Love.

Joe has worked in the past a comics news reporter and critic and has previously worked with Bleeding Cool, Gay Times, WhatCulture and more. Joe remains a staunch advocate of LGBTQ+ representation in media.

He lives in Wales to do his writing, and is a very soft boi.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit! My jaw was left on the floor!! I cannot get over this amazing story! Vince truly brought the story to life! Will there be more?! I feel we could see more of the Miracles, and I would absolutely be here for it!

[Holly Cruise · Rating 3 out of 5]

2022 Read A Graphic Novel Every Week Challenge - 43/52

I backed this as a Kickstarter and I am glad I did. Closeted gay teenager discovers he's also a superhero, along with his parents and cousin, who have escaped from another version of Earth to ours, and his troubled brother. Can he be a superhero without attracting the wrong kind of attention?

There were a bunch of ideas in here which I really enjoyed, and execution was generally pretty darn good, if a tiny bit rushed at some points. I wasn't quite sure why Miracle was so worried about coming out as his family seemed very accepting and caring, but then again we never know what influences have played their part in keeping people closeted so fair enough. I also wanted more on Empathy and Superia, the former with his intriguing and weird powers driven by emotion, and the latter who had a dark back story. In fact, the main character might have been the least interesting of the whole family, although still good.

I would read more of this series, if it ever happens. In fact, I think I would like to see more of the other characters beyond Miracle, including more about how the family got to Earth and who they are.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you back a Kickstarter and end up with more than you could have wished for. Vince Underwood's art is clean, the acting of his characters is clear, and the composition guides the eye and tells the story. (On occasionally we get a glorious, mind-blowing two page spread. If you've read it ... you know the one.)

Joe Glass has created such deep characters, lore, and plot that my only disappointment is not knowing when we'll see more. Elliot and Priya are standouts who I simply want to spend more time with, and even with little screen time Ayden is a complex character I want to see more of.

This is the kickoff to my Pride Month reading, and I couldn't have asked for more. Top-notch, highly recommended.

[Mis_Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes, but this book was a mess. The pacing was terrible, the speech bubbles were wordy and convoluted-- often having to read things more than once, character reactions from one emotion to the next were 0-60mph, the villain was a caricature, betrayals were for shock value but were eye-roll worthy, over-the-top, and had no long game agenda, just a set up for an equally over-the-top display of acceptance. The entire thing was all enthusiasm yet no finesse. The cover and the idea are excellent, but the execution was terrible.

[Jason A · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good! I'm a fan of Joe Glass' and happily helped the Kickstarter to get such an important LGBTQ+ comic published. That said, as enjoyable as Vince Underwood's art is, the writing and storytelling do have their choppy moments, even though both writer and artist have great grasp of character. It feels like a cross between Miracleman and Olympia, doesn't quite achieve what it needs to (although tonally it's lovely), but clearly leaves the door open for subsequent outings for the Elliot and family. I hope it happens.