In the end, everything’s going to be all right.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom King
Art: Mitch Gerards
Colors: Mitch Gerards
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
It’ll be a miracle if you can get through this mind-bending conclusion with your sanity intact! After his epic battle with Darkseid, Scott Free sees life a whole new way: he’s the new Highfather of New Genesis, and he’s madly in love with his wife and child. But what if it’s all a lie? Did Mister Miracle really escape death way back in issue #1? No one really knows but Tom King and Mitch Gerads!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s been quite the trip over the past year or so going through this series. A lot of the appeal is with the creative team as I’m still riding high on Omega Men a few years after it finished and am loving more Tom King work. Mitch Gerards absolutely nailed this book in a way that few artists truly could and I think that was critical for it to really come together here right as it needed a very specific design to it. King and Gerards obviously click very well for this kind of work and every panel on every page held meaning, which isn’t always accomplished well when so much of it is “mundane” or quiet.
As a finale to this run it’s going to be something where you do have to view it as a journey and less a destination, which can be frustrating for some. The book spends a lot of time in showing us how Scott and Barda are living, with him shaving his beard and actually feeling like he’s living again. And his life is definitely undergoing changes considering how his son is in growing up a little bit and that Barda is pregnant again, this time with a little girl. There are interesting journies that they have together with this and the bond between the two of them is great to see alongside the growth of the family. Even Funky gets a little bit of time in the book as he takes care of the kid while Scott and Barda head off to deal with some of the duties of his position, which is certainly fun since it lets Barda shine a bit and we see just how everything there is going.
The other side of this book… that’s where it’s intriguing. We have a lot of instances throughout where we get a range of people that have died in this war, from Granny to Orion and toe Darkseid, who show up as a kind of digitally distorted version of themselves. It’s less that Scott sees them but that they interact with him in a way and provide various kinds of closure as it progresses. It’s amusing that Jacob seems to see them but the gist of it is that we get a way to touch upon what happened, the good and bad of it all, and remind ourselves that we continue to move forward. Change is a big piece of the finale here as it goes on while trying to hold onto the past but also realizing that you really can’t. It’s almost a “live in the moment” approach but with a nod toward the big picture and how you have to plan and think of these things. And as this series goes, it’s a very good message to take from it.
In Summary:
Mister Miracle closes with a lot of things going on and so much detail to take in, especially if you enjoy the whole t-shirt gimmick throughout it and the action figure. Hell, we even get a veggie plate mention. This issue almost serves as an epilogue it while reminding us that this was an escape of sorts for Scott, especially if you take in the view of the multiverse and all it entails. This series can’t exactly stand alone simply because it has so much history to it but it operates on its own as I can’t imagine it being central to anything going forward for the character in a more mainstream side of things. But that’s also part of the charm as it straddles the line, does its own thing, and excels while playing with its connected aspect while also relying on it. It’s a wonderfully done series that accomplishes a lot and is beautifully illustrated. It’s a work that many will revisit in the coming years and discover new things about it and themselves.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: November 14th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
