In 1982, Alan Moore took a forgotten ‘50s superhero named Marvelman and gave him a facelift, adding a much darker backstory to the character and incorporating several themes that later made him one of the comic industry’s most unique voices. The hero’s name was eventually changed to Miracleman to avoid legal issues with Marvel. But ironically enough, Marvel has been the home of Miracleman’s publishing rights since 2009. And to mark the 40th anniversary of Moore’s original retcon, the House of Ideas is giving the character a special jam-packed one-shot. Miracleman’s 40th.
The issue will hit comic shops as Miracleman #0 at an unspecified date later this year. Obviously, we shouldn’t expect any contributions from Moore, who retired from writing comics in 2019 and hasn’t had a lot of nice things to say about the superhero genre in the years since. But fortunately, we can expect new stories from plenty of other A-list creators. The guest list currently includes the likes of Jason Aaron, Mike Carey, Ty Templeton, and Ryan Stegman. Marvel will announce more writers and artists for the issue as we get closer to its release.
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However, the one-shot’s biggest draw is that it features a new Miracleman story from Neil Gaiman and artist Mark Buckingham. Once Moore ended his own run with the character in the late ‘80s, Eclipse Comics chose Gaiman and Buckingham to pick up the torch. The two began an ambitious arc that would have encompassed three six-issue volumes. Sadly, Eclipse’s 1994 bankruptcy ended Gaiman and Buckingham’s run after just eight issues. But Marvel is letting them finish the story on their own terms, starting with a prelude in Miracleman #0.
Marvel began teasing a Miracleman revival late last year, when the character’s “MM” insignia appeared in Timeless #1. Earlier this month, they also released several variant several covers for upcoming fall issues that show Miracleman standing alongside various Marvel heroes, including Captain America, Wolverine, and Shang-Chi. Additionally, Marvel offered a first look at at Alan Davis’ full cover for the one-shot, which you can view below.
Are you excited to hear more about Marvel’s Miracleman plans? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Miracleman Book One: The Golden Age
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