History ComicBook / Miracleman

* ArtShift: Happens between (and sometimes ''within'') every issue of the Gaiman run. Even more impressive - all of those styles were the work of ''one'' artist!

* Book One: The Golden Age -- A RotatingProtagonist arc dealing with Muggles in the Miracleman world (including a famous MindScrew issue that features Creator/AndyWarhol)
* Book Two: The Silver Age -- This story was interrupted midway by the rights issues. It featured a TimeSkip and reintroduced Young Miracleman (Dicky Dauntless) back into the lives of a very changed Miracle Family, before being CutShort.
* Book Three: The Dark Age -- The last book of Gaiman's run will finally see print in the reissued Marvel volumes.

A young Creator/AlanMoore was one of the readers of the original Mick Anglo run and in one of his first interviews, he stated a desire to write the long-discontinued title, hoping to do a fresh spin for modern audiences. Word of Moore's intentions reached Dez Skinn, publisher of ''Warrior'' magazine. Skinn had gained the rights to Marvelman and had entertained ideas to bring it back into print. Moore's deconstructionist story made the books his BreakthroughHit (particularly in the US once DC Comics noticed him) and Miracleman started selling well. Sadly, ''Warrior'' stopped publication about one-third through his run; the series would have remained lost and unfinished if not for Eclipse Comics, who offered to buy the US rights to the property and let Moore finish the series. Creator/MarvelComics was not exactly thrilled with Moore and the fact that his character was called '''Marvel'''man, though. As Moore pointed out, the original Marvelman (and its inspiration Captain Marvel) dated before Timely Comics started calling itself Marvel and became a major brand. Despite this, Eclipse Comics' lack of legal muscle [[RenamedToAvoidAssociation led to the character's rename]] as [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope Miracleman]]. Miracleman debuted in 1984 to rave reviews, though there would be many problems to come in the course of its publication history: Eclipse Comics had its corporate headquarters destroyed in a flood and Alan Davis (the original artist for the series) left over the fact that Moore's antagonistic relationship with Creator/MarvelComics threatened to get Davis blacklisted from working stateside.

'''Version One'''

'''Version Two'''

* Alan Moore Run:
** Book One: A Dream of Flying -- It was with ''Miracleman'' that Moore started what became part of his SignatureStyle. Take a previously unknown character, RetCon its origins and submit its premise to a GenreDeconstruction. His work with ''Marvelman'' attracted a great deal of attention and this later led to work with DC on titles like ''Comicbook/SwampThing'' which also radically changed the character from the ground-up. The first arc is largely an "origin" story dealing with a grown-up, HappilyMarried Michael Moran who works as a reporter and has dreams of life as a "superhero" but has forgotten his magic word. He rediscovers it ("Kimota") at an atomic power plant and becomes a superhero in the grim 80s of Thatcher's Britain. The DrivingQuestion of the first story is the circumstances of Michael Moran's existence, the tension in his marriage caused by having two different identities in a single body and his reunion with childhood acquaintances Johnny Bates ("Kid Miracleman") as well as ArchEnemy Dr. Emil Gargunza.
** Book Two: The Red King Syndrome -- The second arc dealt with his final confrontation with [[spoiler:his effective creator]] Gargunza, intertwined with the birth of his child. This was the arc that ''Warrior'' folded part-way through; it would take several years for Eclipse to pick the series back up (rebranding it ''Miracleman'' in the process) and finish it with new artists, most notably Rick Veitch and Stephen Bissette.
** Book Three: Olympus -- The third (and arguably most famous) part of the series, drawn by John Totleben. This celebrated arc led the series to undertake a GenreShift into science fiction and CosmicHorror as Moore introduced Miracleman to a mysterious DistaffCounterpart, sent them to outer space to meet the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien extraterrestrial sources]] of their powers, and ultimately examined their drift from humanity. Moore capped it all off with the memorable final two issues of 15 and 16, memorable for the hitherto unseen levels of violence depicted in superhero comics.

* Neil Gaiman run
** Book One: The Golden Age -- A series of vignettes and one-shot dealing with Muggles in the Miracleman world (including a famous MindScrew issue that features Creator/AndyWarhol)
** Book Two: The Silver Age -- This story was interrupted midway by the rights issues. It featured a TimeSkip and reintroduced Young Miracleman (Dicky Dauntless) back into the lives of a very changed Miracle Family, before being CutShort.
** Book Three: The Dark Age -- The last book of Gaiman's run will finally see print in the reissued Marvel volumes.

With the collapse of Eclipse Comics, the rights to the series fell into legal limbo, made worse with Creator/ToddMcFarlane buying up ownership of Eclipse Comics assets when the company went down. [=McFarlane=] drew much controversy in his desire to incorporate Miracleman into the ComicBook/{{Spawn}} universe and holding usage of the character and the chance to finish his story as blackmail material to force Creator/NeilGaiman (who, thanks to Alan Moore, had partial legal ownership claim to the character) to give up his long-standing legal fight over ownership of popular ''Spawn'' character Angela, along with claims to royalties that were being withheld by Todd. This remained the tenuous status quo for a few years, until it was revealed that the real rights were ''still'' held by Mick Anglo, who, due to the vagaries of the British copyright system, had never really signed away his rights to the characters at all - thus the deal with Alan Moore for usage of the character for Warrior and Eclipse Comics had been invalid all along. This allowed, ironically, Creator/MarvelComics to cut a deal to buy the rights to the entire franchise from Anglo (as well as the scripts to the '80s comic series, as the artwork has to be renegotiated since Gaiman still owned the rights to the Miracleman scripts).

* RetGone: Todd [=McFarlane=]'s version of Miracleman, the Mother of Existence, who played a significant role in ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' for several years, was completely removed from his comics' continuity following the revelation that his claims of ownership were invalid.

The first part of Gaiman and Buckingham's ''ComicBook/MiraclemanTheSilverAge'' is scheduled for publication in October 2022. After reprinting the two chapters published by Eclipse, the series will continue and conclude the Silver Age arc.

Despite announcements that the Silver Age issues would be reprinted and Gaiman and Buckingham would return to complete their planned three-arc run, as of June 2022, none of the Silver Age material has been reprinted and no new material has been published.

However, Marvel have stated that there will be some sort of celebration for the character's 40th anniversary later in 2022 - the Miracleman logo has reappeared in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse comic ''Timeless'' and Miracleman will be appearing on a large number of alternate covers for other Marvel titles.

It was revealed at NYCC in October, 2013 that Marvel had fully acquired the rights to Miracleman and, beginning in January 2014, Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's issues began to be reprinted and reissued, with extras including Moore and Garry Leach's ''Warpsmiths'' stories, a variety of production material and even some previously unpublished stories including one by a young Creator/GrantMorrison. In addition, Gaiman was finally going to complete the story left unfinished twenty-five years ago.

As of the end of 2021, none of the Silver Age material has been reprinted, let alone continued, but the Miracleman logo has reappeared in at least one Marvel comic (''Timeless''), suggesting that some version of Miracleman will be integrated into the Marvel Universe.

* WhatTheRomansHaveDoneForUs: [[spoiler:After taking over the world in the finale, the Miracles unleash a Golden Age of world peace, an end to crime, an end to money, health care, superpowers for ordinary people so that they can become like the Gods they admire, and they begin making inroads in raising the dead, it's a utopia under a benevolent kindly dictator, and almost nobody wants to go back to the bad old days]].

** The final issue of course is a parody of CrystalSpiresAndTogas utopia [[spoiler:portraying that such a world can amount to mere EthicalHedonism and a false paradise without any real authenticity and feeling. It's also much harder to resist than any dystopian reality since opponents would come across as either Luddites or regressive and reactionary people]].

* BewareTheSuperman: "He is this lightning... He is this madness!"

* {{Ubermensch}}: The quote from Friedrich Nietzche that serves as an epigraph for the book[[note]]Which, contrary to popular belief, was placed by the editor and not Moore himself, it comes from a later reprint[[/note]] sets this up as a central theme, the desire for man to be more than human and its disturbing implications. In an introduction, Alan Moore noted that Marvelman/Miracleman is unique for actually resembling the Nazi ideal of the blonde, blue-eyed Aryan more closely than Superman and Captain Marvel themselves and he deliberately sought to explore the fascist connections with his character.

** Similarly, when Miracleman announces [[spoiler:that the global economy will be rebuilt from the ground up, Margaret Thatcher insists that "we cannot allow this sort of interference in the market". Miracleman looks at her nonchalantly and responds, "'Allow?'" Thatcher is left so defeated and humiliated that even Miracleman and Miraclewoman feel sorry for her.]]

** Similarly, when Miracleman announces [[spoiler:that the old ways are over, and the world will be remade, Margaret Thatcher insists the world's leaders will not allow it. Miracleman looks at her nonchalantly and responds, "'Allow?'"]]

* SpaceColdWar: One exists between the Qys and the Warpsmiths. [[spoiler:They later make some kind of "peace" when Miraclewoman convinces their respective leaders engage in an orgy.]]

* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Pretty much Miracleman's entire pantheon believes in this, but Huey "Firedrake" Long gives one of the most encapsulating quotes:

** Eclipse Comics - especially after its acquisition by Todd [=McFarlane=] - also tried to link the series to its other properties, with equally abortive results. Now that the series is owned lock-stock-and-barrel by Marvel, it remains to be seen whether there'll be a third attempt.

It was revealed at NYCC in October, 2013 that Marvel had fully acquired the rights to Miracleman and, beginning in January 2014, Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's issues began to be reprinted and reissued, with extras including Moore and Garry Leach's ''Warpsmiths'' stories, a variety of production material and even some previously unpublished stories including one by a young Creator/GrantMorrison. In addition, Gaiman was finally going to complete the story left unfinished twenty-five years ago. As of early 2021, none of the Silver Age material has been reprinted, let alone continued.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Moore's interpretation turned what had originally started out as a British Captain Marvel rip-off into a gritty, ''Fim/TotalRecall1990''-ish, what-is-real head trip, that even turned his Freddy Freeman-esque sidekick Kid Marvelman into a sadistic psychopath, with graphic violence that was unprecedented in the genre at the time and is still shocking today.

** After [[spoiler:Miracleman effectively takes over the world]], there is no power structure anymore. All the former tyrants of the world meet in group therapy to deal with the reversal. One of the members is a gray-haired white guy who tells the rest he got aroused from a dream where he ordered soldiers to kill rabbits and give him money. The group's therapist then thanks [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush "George"]] for his trust, and asks [[UsefulNotes/Muammar Gaddafi "Moamar"]] if he'd like to comment.

* CompletelyMissingThePoint: As Miracleman disconnects from humanity more and more, he starts to do this in regards to people's reactions.

* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: ''Completely'' averted by the Moore run, where Kid Miracleman is the first villain and remains the most dangerous in both physical abilities and [[AxCrazy ambitions]] all the way up to the end. [[spoiler:Gargunza]] needs an army of {{Mooks}} and special gimmicks to put Miracleman on the ropes, while the Qys - though able to keep up physically - are still beaten handily when Miracleman ([[spoiler:and Miraclewoman]]) find a weak spot in their armored forms.

** Among the issues he tackles are how Miracleman's existence wreaks havoc on Michael Moran's personal life and sense of self; what sort of collateral damage would occur in a realistic superhero battle; and what the impact on society would be if Miracleman took over the world as a benevolent dictator.

* TheSingularity: [[spoiler:The Final Issue of Moore's Run, Issue 16, displays a post-Singularity world and its implications on humanity. Neil Gaiman's run explores the new, altered, world and the place of humanity within it.]]

* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: ''Completely'' averted by the Moore run, where Kid Miracleman is the first villain and remains the most dangerous both physical abilities and [[AxCrazy ambitions]] all the way up to the end. [[spoiler:Gargunza]] needs an army of {{Mooks}} and special gimmicks to put Miracleman on the ropes, while the Qys - though able to keep up physically - are still beaten handily when Miracleman ([[spoiler:and Miraclewoman]]) find a weak spot in their armored forms.
* SpaceColdWar: One exists between the Qys and the Warpsmiths. [[spoiler:They later make some kind of "peace" when their respective leaders engage in an orgy.]]

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Miraclewoman is based Marilyn Monroe, while Miracleman is Paul Newman (which can be easier to see when he is Mike Moran).

* CreepyChild: Winter. She mentions that she participated in an orgy with the Qys (and she's ''four years old''), laughing off her father's shock, then casually asks if he "''decided'' to leave the sky that color."

* OverrideCommand: Gargunza has an override word ("Abraxis") which forces Miracleman to change back to Mike for one hour. Miracleman does not allow Gargunza to say it a second time.

** After [[spoiler:Miracleman effectively takes over the world]], there is no power structure anymore. All the former tyrants of the world meet in group therapy to deal with the reversal. One of the members is a gray-haired white guy who tells the rest he got aroused from a dream where he ordered soldiers to kill rabbits and give him money. The group's therapist then thanks "George" for his trust. It's pretty obvious it's George H.W. Bush, who became President the year the issue came out.

* ThoseWackyNazis: A more subdued version. [[spoiler:Emil Gargunza is a Brazilian street-kid whose scientific skills take him out of Brazil to Germany where he worked for the Nazis, but he never built superweapons for Hitler. Rather, he reverse engineered the fallen Warpsmith technology and created the superheroes after the war]].

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: At one point Miracleman refers to the world as "paper" in comparison with his vast power, but it's {{Subverted}} in that he's not talking about how he has to hold back; rather, he's realizing that his power means he no longer has to ''care'' all that much about what's in his way, foreshadowing his growing BlueAndOrangeMorality.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Issue #8 has a set-up [[BreatherEpisode completely different]] from the other issues: [[spoiler:Picking up immediately after having killed Dr. Gargunza, Miracleman begins to reflect on his false memories of his past "adventures"... only for ''one of the comic's writers'' to abruptly show up, interrupt the scene, [[ProsceniumReveal and stop writing the issue]] in order to be honest with the readers. Namely, admitting that this issue is reprinting two of the original 1950s comic because, as a result of the Eclipse offices being flooded, the schedule for the Miracleman comic got shot to shit. "We're not running these 1955 Mick Angelo stories '[[Creator/JohnWayne because you demanded it, pilgrim!]]' We're running them because we desparately need the time to get back on schedule. '''[[LampshadeHanging Too ]]''' [[LampshadeHanging honest?]]"]]

It was revealed at NYCC in October, 2013 that Marvel had fully acquired the rights to Miracleman and, beginning in January 2014, Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's issues began to be reprinted and reissued, with extras including Moore and Garry Leach's ''Warpsmiths'' stories, a variety of production material and even some previously unpublished stories including one by a young Creator/GrantMorrison. In addition, Gaiman is finally getting to complete the story left unfinished twenty-five years ago.

* BewareTheSuperman: "He is the lightning... He is the madness!"

** The Marvel digital remasters of the Moore series keep all the graphic sex and violence, but asterisk out the comic's two uses of the word "nigger". (Once during Evelyn Cream's worries about whether he's falling into primitive superstition, and once when Bates insults Huey Moon during the final battle.)