[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Mitch Gerads
Reviewed By: Derek McNeil
Summary
The groundbreaking new series from the creators of The Sheriff of Babylon and BATMAN #14-15 continues. The insanity of war is the insanity of Mister Miracle. Darkseid and Orion’s forces clash violently on the battlefields of New Genesis. Stained with blood and glory, the New Gods fight on. As they move closer to victory, Scott and Barda begin to see that every step forward leads them into a deadly trap. Where do you run when the path ahead is your enemy’s triumph and the path behind is your family’s defeat?
Positives
We get some more clues about what the hell is going on in this title, but it’s still pretty vague. There is a general feeling of unreality to Scott’s life. Scott seems shell-shocked from fighting in Orion’s war against Darkseid, but that sense of something being off with reality started before Scott was drafted into that war.
There are also other clues that indicate something strange is going on. It was announced that this title was in the Rebirth DCU continuity, however, there are things that are hard to reconcile. The New Gods made a recent appearance in Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps as they appeared in the New 52. However, in this series they have reverted to their pre-Flashpoint selves. Last issue, Highfather was shown as a white-haired, kindly old man but in Hal Jordan, he was younger, dark-haired, and somewhat ruthless.
Also, the Young Animal books are supposed to be in the main DCU continuity. Forager is still appearing in Bug! The Adventures Of Forager, but Lightray kills him in this issue. Is Mister Miracle set after the events of Bug!, or did this event somehow not actually happen as shown?
Speaking of Lightray and Forager, Lightray seemed to have no qualms at all about killing him. Lightray was never shown to be a killer before. It’s hard to believe he would do so with no hesitation or remorse, even if he was commanded to do so by Orion.
Orion’s leadership seems to be the total opposite of Highfather’s. The gods of New Genesis were always portrayed as free thinkers. It’s hard to believe that they would all fall into line under Orion’s command when he’s behaving like Darkseid.
And since when is Funky Flashman on New Genesis, working for Orion? Flashman is a human from Earth, not a New God.
Scott himself is even questioning his reality. He tells Barda, “Sometimes I don’t know what’s real.” She responds that she is real, but Scott just greets that statement with silence.
I also love the continued use of religious themes. Granny Goodness’ Christmas story that she would tell a young Scott, The repeated phrase “Have you ever seen the face of God?” Despite the lettering being in all caps, you can tell Orion means God with a capital ‘G’ when he takes off his helmet and declares, “This is the face of God.”
And when he does, reality seems to flicker and distort, like an old videotape. I still stand by my theory that Scott is trapped in a false reality that he needs to escape. Mister Miracle may be set in the Rebirth DCU, but it is not that reality that Scott is experiencing. Scott is in the Rebirth reality, and when he escapes it will be the current DCU that Scott will return to.
Negatives
Honestly, I can’t see any way in which the story is lacking, unless it turns out that the mischaracterizations are not hints about Scott being trapped in a fake reality, but just sloppy writing. But I don’t believe that someone who knows the DC lore well enough to include Funky Flashman would be that careless with their writing.
Verdict
This book is a treat to read carefully, looking for hints or clues about what’s really going on. Mister Miracle is faced with the most dangerous trap of his career, and I can hardly wait to see how he escapes.
