Comparing Miracleman

It has been almost 30 years since Miracleman #1 has been in print, with a short period of epic story telling published in the issues that followed and a long period of controversy in the discussion of right of ownership after issue #24 was released. Thankfully the publisher Marvel has stepped up and solved all this with a lot of money and great people organizing to bring Miracleman back to print today. I’ve picked up my copies and truly enjoyed rereading one of comic’s greatest tales under Marvel publishing, but then I thought about how this comic has changed since last I saw it. So after pulling out my well loved and over read copy of Eclipse’s Miracleman #1 I had to put it side by side with the Marvel version and compare.

First off, I’ll remind many of you that Alan Moore’s Miracleman was originally Marvelman and saw publication in 1982′s Warrior #1. Warrior was a black-and-white anthology magazine published in the UK, and also saw early renditions of V for Vendetta alongside Marvelman. For likely obvious reasons that can be explained elsewhere in far better detail by comic scholars far greater than me, Marvelman eventually left Warrior and saw reprint and future publication under Eclipse Comics. When most people talk of Miracleman, they speak of Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman’s 24-issue run from Eclipse that came out between 1985 and 1993. It was a brilliant series of comic adventures that explored many topics and some critics even claim is greater than Alan Moore’s Watchmen. I would personally at least put it on par. So for the purpose of this comparison, I am using the Eclipse Miracleman #1 to compare to today’s new Marvel Miracleman #1. I mean, why shouldn’t I when they are so similar in production that they even remastered Garry Leach’s original cover as one of the many variants for Marvel’s new printing of Miracleman #1? I will note that there are 7 variant covers in addition to Garry Leach’s classic piece, including the main cover for the Marvel release by Joe Quesada. But the first big comparison has to be these two classic covers side by side:

First off the key things to notice are obviously the publisher change and logos around Miracleman’s own. No surprise there, nor should one be too stunned by Marvel putting a parental advisory warning in the bottom left hand corner. The price has also gone up a fair bit from the 75-cents of 1985 to $5.99 for 2014. Admittedly this is more than inflation, but the paperstock has upgraded, the coloring has been redone, there are plenty of new extra features, and Marvel paid several hefty sums to obtain the rights to this story and character. Yet the biggest change to this cover is right below the subtitle of Rebirth. On the original Eclipse version we see the names of the comic’s main creators: Alan Moore and Garry Leach. Marvel has altered this to something reminding us that this comic is back in print while leaving out some names. Now this isn’t Marvel forgetting who created this story, but rather it is Marvel paying respects to the creator who no longer wants his name attached or used to promote the book, Alan Moore. Throughout this issue Alan Moore is only referred to as “The Original Writer”, though Garry Leach still gets full credits alongside Miracleman/Marvelman creator Mick Anglo.

In fact, Marvel has filled the interior cover page with credits, noting where each story originally appeared (noting Warrior and the like), who worked on those original pieces, and even who helped restore and re-letter everything. I’m honestly rather impressed with them. It also certainly beats the original back issue ordering options from Eclipses 29-year old equivalent page.

Side by side at first glance the comparison looks beautiful and the art restoration stunning as it almost just looks like a higher quality copy of the original. But paying close attention you can see the changes from the art restoration and lettering by Marvel. One of the biggest parts to notice is the use of Ben-Day dot style coloring for the prologue chapter, which I suppose gives it that 1950′s comic look but is somewhat less appealing than its original printed form. Still, for the most part the opening 11 pages match wonderfully with the original Eclipse release with no other major changes. It isn’t until page 12 that things really start to change, when we get to Alan Moore and Gary Leach’s first page reprinted from Warrior magazine in both editions.

First off, as you can see in the Marvel version on the left, the color has been heavily redone. I can’t complain though as I rather like the new look. It is different, but it looks good. The chapter title from the old Eclipse version has also been edited down in the Marvel version to just the year. I’m not sure why, but it doesn’t change things much. The only other edit seems to be the removal of the credits in the scroll shaped caption that were originally on the page 12 of the Eclipse version. But seeing as these credits and more fill an early part of the Marvel book, I don’t see much worry. The first 3 chapters of Miracleman #1 translate wonderfully to the new Marvel version of the book and seem quite faithfully restored to a modern quality that still respects the original work. Of course, the first 3 chapters aren’t all there was to Miracleman #1 before or now.

Page 26 of both comics is where they part ways in so many of their similarities, as you can see above. In the original Eclipse version of Miracleman #1, the comic continues on with Chapter 4. This is where Marvel’s reprints are to differ, with offset chapter collections that might mean more than just 24 issues before Miracleman catches up to Eclipses print run and Neil Gaiman’s infamous unpublished issue (really looking forward to that, Marvel!). Instead of chapter 4 though, Marvel has a bounty of extra features that include costume designs, sketches, an interview with Mick Anglo before his passing just over 2 year’s ago, and reprints of other older Marvelman (Miracleman) comics.

All in all, when comparing editions of Miracleman #1, I am truly impressed with Marvel’s final product. Well I’m not about to give up my old Eclipse comics, I’ll proudly set the new Marvel editions right beside them. At $5.99 it is a bit of a bite at one’s wallet, and I hope Marvel doesn’t intend to make this price point a regular thing, but I’d consider Miracleman #1 well worth the cost just to see it brought back to print where everyone can now easily purchase their own copy to read and enjoy. The restoration is good and the respect paid to all involved is equally wonderful. So if you can, make the effort to swing by your local comic shop today and pick up Marvel’s new Miracleman #1 by Garry Leach, Mick Anglo, Don Lawerence, and of course the story’s “Original Writer”. KIMOTA!