Mister Miracle #9 marks the beginning of the end for the series, as the war between New Genesis and Apokolips winds down and Darkseid’s larger motivations are revealed.
The entire issue takes place over seven days on Apokolips, as Scott and his “brother” Kalibak negotiate peace between their worlds.
Let’s remember what Mister Miracle is about. It’s about the current state of our world, and the anxiety, depression, and isolation that many people are feeling. It’s about feeling trapped and powerless while everything around us goes to shit.
This issue reminds us that, despite those feelings, there is still work to do if we want things to get better. Sometimes we need to grit our teeth, suppress those feelings, and act as though the monstrosities we witness every day don’t get to us. Especially those of us in a position of power to affect real change. Writer Tom King knows this better than most, having worked for the CIA in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
But it also shows the flip side of that, how those same people act behind closed doors. These things do get to us, obviously, and they take their toll on our souls. Mitch Gerads illustrates a beautifully haunting scene with Scott looking in Granny Goodness’ “special” mirror and wondering if what he sees is his true innermost self. In many ways, this series is holding up a mirror to us, the readers, and making us wonder the same.
Gerads continues to do miracles himself with his artwork. This book challenges everything you know about comics, and Mitch is leading the charge. His work is supercharged with raw emotion – probably the rage he feels towards Tom King for making him draw so many 9-panel grids. He’ll make you laugh, cry, and shake with terror all in this issue, and all through his art.
His interpretation of Kalibak is truly brilliant. He’s monstrous – the source of the aforementioned terror. But also, watching the beast put on his reading glasses is one of the comedic highlights of this entire series. (See below.) It’s this balancing act that makes Mister Miracle such a treat to read each month.
And in typical fashion, King and Gerads never let their reader get comfortable. Even during seemingly innocuous peace talks, there’s something unsettling bubbling just under the surface. The tension and anticipation is unbearable.
Mister Miracle, as always, does an exquisite job of taking the most atrocious sights and making them seem mundane. Only three issues left to go now, and while it’s going to be awesome seeing how this story wraps up, it’s a shame that it ever has to end.
