Article contributed by David Allen
Jack Kirby is a name that looms large among comic book fans. He helped create hundreds of original characters that have enthralled comic readers for decades. Among those creations one can find such all-time greats like the Fantastic Four, the Hulk and Captain America.
Even some of his lesser-known creations have begun to make their way into mainstream culture: Ego, the living planet, featured prominently in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, while Darkseid and his minions played a prominent role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It seems that Kirby’s creations are truly everywhere these days.
The weight of interpretation
Many of Kirby’s creations were, shall we say, dense and complex. Reinventing some of his stranger concepts for modern audiences can be a difficult task. Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao recently learned this the hard way: her epic adaptation and reinterpretation of Kirby’s The Eternals has received little critical praise.
That is not to say that the movie is not without its fans or its merits.. Reinterpretation, particularly of Kirby’s works, runs the risk of alienating his fans. At the same time, Kirby was a man with big ideas, some so big and ambitious that he himself, arguably, didn’t always execute them all that well. It’s not a stretch to imagine how a mainstream audience may balk at eternally young robots joining in a “uni-mind”. When said robots try to prevent the birth of a giant celestial being growing beneath the earth’s surface, some may get lost altogether.
Jack Kirby meets a YA audience
It stands to reason, then, that Mister Miracle: The Great Escape has a steep mountain to climb. This new, young adult graphic novel is the latest effort from DC Comics aimed at drawing in new, younger readers to its various properties. Written by young adult author Varian Johnson, with art by Daniel Isles, the book attempts to put a new twist on the story of Kirby’s Fourth World characters.
Johnson made a name for himself with his YA novel The Parker Inheritance and the graphic novel Twins. He has proven time and time again that he is a skilled writer. His best works make complex ideas digestible for young readers. Was he able to successfully reinterpret Kirby’s world of Apokolips for a young adult audience? The answer is as complex as Kirby’s legacy.
Meet Scott Free
Scott Free lives on the planet Apokolips, a living hell in the iron grip of the despot Darkseid. While he attends the “school” for new troops, under the auspices of Granny Goodness, he dreams of escape. He may have a real shot at it, too: Free is the only person to ever escape Goodness’s infamous punishment pit. With the help of his mentor, Himon, he plans the ultimate escape to the planet Earth. Then Goodness sends female fury Big Barda to tame Free’s rebellious nature, and, against all odds, they fall in love.
The big-picture elements of Kirby’s original tale are all here: the daredevil hero, the forbidden love, and the struggle against oppression. Despite the fact that Johnson has recast Scott Free as a modern-day Black teenager, the character is not a complete reinvention. He’s still brave to a fault and can’t help but get under the skin of those who try to oppress him. If anything, the changes have re-contextualised some of Free’s defining traits.
What’s not to love?
There’s much to love about Mister Miracle: The Great Escape. For one, Johnson uses his considerable skill to explore race and social class on the planet Apokolips. Some of this focuses on Scott Free, of course. The more interesting character affected, however, is Granny Goodness. Revelations about her background late in the story completely redefine the character in a fascinating way.
Beyond the larger themes of race and class, there is also Free’s mental trauma from his time in the punishment pit. He suffers from unwelcome flashbacks throughout the story. His trauma is nicely juxtaposed with Big Barda’s trauma as the sole survivor of her village. The love story between the two leaps off the page when they share each other’s pain.
The biggest strength of the book, by far, is how it treats its central cast. Each of the major players feels like a real person, with his or her own hopes, dreams, and yes, pain.
Not quite an escape artist
Despite all of these positive elements, Mister Miracle: The Great Escape is not exactly a home run. Much of what holds it back is how Johnson relies on the tropes of dystopian YA fiction. We have the hero who harbours a secret, a school setting, missing or dead parents, an evil government, and even a prophecy. These tropes make the major beats of the story feel all too familiar. Not all of this rests on the shoulders of Johnson; Kirby’s original tale relied on many of these tropes, as well. Moving the story into the realm of YA, where they are so prevalent, makes them stand out like a sore thumb.
A couple of choices artist Daniel Isles makes also detract from the overall experience. Isle’s art crackles. It’s fun and kinetic. This is all the more impressive considering that most of DC’s YA titles feature simplified and streamlined art. Isles makes this work in his favour, reinterpreting Apokolips and putting a unique stamp on each character.
The colours, however, drag the art down. They are extremely muted and washed out. I read the book digitally and initially feared there was something wrong with my screen. It seems that, perhaps, Isles wanted to avoid the bright colours of the original in order to signal the oppression of Apokolips. Regrettably, I don’t think the muted colours achieved the desired effect.
The less said about the odd little “flying disc” Isles uses to convey motion, the better. It was both confusing and distracting.
The bottom line
In the end, Mister Miracle: The Great Escape is a competent retelling of Jack Kirby’s original tale. It shines with Johnson’s excellent character work and Isles fun, distinct art. The presence of countless YA tropes, however, and the odd color choices make it an imperfect package. Mister Miracle: The Great Escape is a graphic novel that is easy to like, but hard to love.
Mister Miracle: The Great Escape is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Mister Miracle: The Great Escape? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Falling in love was never part of the escape plan.
Scott Free is a student at the Goodness Academy, on the planet Apokolips, ruled by Lord Darkseid. Sounds pretty cool, right? Wrong. Scott Free wants nothing more than to leave Apokolips for planet Earth; the only problem is that no one has ever left Apokolips of their own free will…or alive.
Scott Free has a plan, a foolproof plan, a plan that his found family depends on for their own freedom. But that plan never involved falling in love with the head of the Female Furies, Big Barda-the one person tasked with ensuring he never escapes.
From the Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of The Parker Inheritance, Varian Johnson, and afrofuturist artist Daniel Isles (DirtyRobot) comes the story of an escape plan that will take a miracle to pull off. Lucky for Scott, everyone calls him MISTER MIRACLE! Okay, fine, no one calls him that…yet.
