Miracleman: The Silver Age

Neil Gaiman (writer)
Mark Buckingham (artist)
Marvel Comics

I've waited over three decades to read this story and it's finally in my hands, Gaiman and Buckingham's venture into the world of Alan Moore's Miracleman.

I'm not much of a superhero fan but what I loved about AM's MM was that he took this utterly absurd character entirely seriously and allowed his existence to change the world.  When the torch was passed Gaiman was riding high on his early fame and in 'The Golden Age' he gave us a sympathetic and completely correct continuation of the story.  It's stories are sensitively human and explode the wider world in the most profound way and I return to it as often as I return to the Moore era.

Now, I've never been particularly enamoured of Gaiman's superhero work as I think he's much stronger wandering in more fantastical realms but as I said I loved his MM stories, I think because they inabited an interesting middle ground between the two, and for a long time they were the glaring exception to my antipathy to his spandex work so heading into 'The Silver Age' I was interested to see if he could once again catch my interest and I'm not entirely sure he did.

The story tells of the return of Young Miracleman / Dickie Dauntless, the final member of the 'family' to appear in this new world which he does with some consternation.  Beautifully rendered throughout by the artist, Gaiman handles YM's introduction to the vastly new world with sensitivity and an awareness of how it would seem to a man stepping straight out of the 1950s but his journey around the world is almost perfunctory and his self-discovery telegraphed well in advance.  It's OK but pales in comparison with the darker hued Invention of 'The Golden Age'.  What really doesn't ring true though is the Kid Miracleman / Bates sub-plot which feels like it's been lifted straight out of a clichéd sci-fi romp and it minimised YM's story by subjecting him to yet more abuse.  I don't know whether they'll ever get around to doing 'The Dark Age' but if they do I hope the Bates aspect is relegated to the poor idea file and they give YM his own destiny to decide and give this most innovative of series the finale it deserves.

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