Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1 spoilers/discussion

[sifighter]

Alright so before I begin I feel I need to give a bit of a warning, so this issue goes a lot into identity and what that means for Shilo Norman as a black man in America. It is very topical to things going on in society today and furthermore it is not just one scene but is actually an important part of the overall story and Shilo as a character himself. I bring it up as a warning not because of people who hate politics in comics, but for those who may see themselves in Shilo in this issue because they see part of what he is dealing with in their own lives. So please be excellent to each other in the conversation following this post okay, because unlike me, a generic 20-something caucasian male, this may mean a lot to people and we should respect their views. Not to mention its just the right thing to do in general.

Now that I got that out of the way, we meet Shilo as he's performing an awesome diving from space stunt and talking to his business manager, because how Shilo differs from some other heroes is that he's trying to be more of a business celebrity. Yes he does save people's lives and stop crime but he's also trying to sell action figures and raise his revenue/brand recognition. Part of that comes a discussion that Shilo should unmask which sets him off, but not because he's ashamed of who he is but in his own words being Mister Terrific is the only time he's ever been free. Because he looks at the state of the world feeling that nothing has changed even since the 60's with how African Americans get treated, police riots, and even how he just goes for a walk and he gets looks as if hes going to steal someone's purse and it gets to him on a personal level. It's very human for a character and its definitely part of the reason I gave the warning that I did.

He then tries to go on a date with a firefighter that he met earlier in the issue after doing some heroing, but it doesn't go well because he talks all business and she leaves him at the park. But it gets worse from there because he gets a call that his bank accounts have been frozen for a fraud investigation. By the way it does get worse from there, because you see this entire time someone has been hounding him calling him a fake mister miracle and that he's using some of the universe greatest tech just to be a showman and it culminates in his house being vandalized and meeting the person who did it which I'm putting in a spoiler box below because its weird and I don't know enough about Mister Miracle lore to get it.

spoilers:

So Shilo gets attacked by a woman in spiked armor who claims that Shilo is a stain on the universe and an imposter because she is the true inheritor of the Mister Miracle name....because she's Big Barda and Scott Free's daughter N'vir Free?!? I'm not sure if that's an actual thing before this and I guess it conflicts with Tom King's mini where he had two kids but hey that story got weird anyway. Not really sure how to feel about this reveal honestly, could be a fake-out for all I know because before this issue I didn't even know Shilo pre-existed.

end of spoilers

Personally I think its a very strong and very fascinating start to learning about Shilo Norman as a character. I think the art for the series is also really good as well and really helps draw some poignant moments here and there for Shilo. I'm probably going to continue following to see what happens after that last page reveal but also just to follow Shilo and learn who he is.

[j9ac9k]

Re: the spoiler character - why would anyone, especially those parents, give their kid that name? I might take a look, but perhaps there's more going on that will be revealed later on about that person's identity. (I've never heard of that character before either)

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Quick Question- was Shilo ever raised by Scott and Barda?

[sifighter]

Quick Question- was Shilo ever raised by Scott and Barda?

I think he was more of his sidekick but again my miracle knowledge is lacking. Shilo was the assistant to Thaddeus Brown who trained Mister Miracle/Scott and then I think Shilo helped Scott occasionally.

Is this meant to be current continuity or Future State? This "daughter" is very out of nowhere.

It’s present day, not only did Easton say it’s his present introduction but Shilo calls out the year as 2021 during this issue.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I think he was more of his sidekick but again my miracle knowledge is lacking. Shilo was the assistant to Thaddeus Brown who trained Mister Miracle/Scott and then I think Shilo helped Scott occasionally.



It’s present day, not only did Easton say it’s his present introduction but Shilo calls out the year as 2021 during this issue.

Oh ok. Because I just thought Shilo being the adopted son of Scott and Barda would've been neat.

[HsssH]

Oh ok. Because I just thought Shilo being the adopted son of Scott and Barda would've been neat.

He was pretty much Scott's Robin. Kirby's run ended few issues after his introduction, but reading those issues it always felt to me that Kirby wanted to write them as a family.

[Artemisfanboy]

It’s present day, not only did Easton say it’s his present introduction but Shilo calls out the year as 2021 during this issue.

Ok. That raises a lot of questions.

[sifighter]

Ok. That raises a lot of questions.

If infinite frontier has done anything is create a lot of questions when it comes to characters, ages, & Family.

[Robotman]

I think he was more of his sidekick but again my miracle knowledge is lacking. Shilo was the assistant to Thaddeus Brown who trained Mister Miracle/Scott and then I think Shilo helped Scott occasionally.



It’s present day, not only did Easton say it’s his present introduction but Shilo calls out the year as 2021 during this issue.

Shilo actually never met Thadeus Brown. Brown died in the first issue of Mister Miracle and Shilo didn't appear until issue 15.

Scott and Barda's police leutenant friend asked them to look after Shilo as he had witnessed the murder of his brother and the killer was looking for him.



While Scott Free is one of my favorite characters, I actually think the day to day superhero role of Mister Miracle works a little better with Shilo under the mask. Scott and Barda's story is one of the corner stones of the New Gods mythos but having a regular human as the World's Greatest Escape Artist makes for a better comic.

I still think that Kirby created the Mister Miracle character separately from the New Gods and just plugged it in as a role for Scott Free (As the story goes, Kirby was inspired to create Mister Miracle because of Jim Steranko's previous career as a magician and escape artist). If you read the first issue of the original book, his origin story with Thadeus Brown is a pretty straight forward superhero origin. The addition of the New Gods mythology makes it a more interesting story that is far grander is scope but it's really not necessary.



Kirby's original design for Mister Miracle.

[OscarDCassio]

t1.jpgt2.jpgt3.jpg
so, in this reality, Thaddeus Brwon was black?

[HsssH]

having a regular human as the World's Greatest Escape Artist makes for a better comic.

This probably goes back to Kirby never really making New Gods all that powerful. Scott in Kirby's run was pretty much peak human and most of the "crazy" things he could do was due to motherbox and not himself having some superpowers. Barda was obviously much stronger, but nothing insane either.

[skyvolt2000]

Re: the spoiler character - why would anyone, especially those parents, give their kid that name? I might take a look, but perhaps there's more going on that will be revealed later on about that person's identity. (I've never heard of that character before either)

Shilo is a Hebrew name that means One to Whom Belongs or Messiah in the Bible. Shilo was an orphan and escaped an abusive orphanage to look for a place o belong to. So in a sense that does fit his name.

He is a Jack Kirby creation.

[sifighter]

Shilo is a Hebrew name that means One to Whom Belongs or Messiah in the Bible. Shilo was an orphan and escaped an abusive orphanage to look for a place o belong to. So in a sense that does fit his name.

He is a Jack Kirby creation.

I think he meant spoilers:

N'vir Free

end of spoilers

[j9ac9k]

Shilo is a Hebrew name that means One to Whom Belongs or Messiah in the Bible. Shilo was an orphan and escaped an abusive orphanage to look for a place o belong to. So in a sense that does fit his name.

He is a Jack Kirby creation.

I think he meant spoilers:

N'vir Free

end of spoilers

Yes I was, not Shilo. It just doesn't seem like a name those two would give their kid.

[Eskana]

Shilo is a Hebrew name that means One to Whom Belongs or Messiah in the Bible. Shilo was an orphan and escaped an abusive orphanage to look for a place o belong to. So in a sense that does fit his name.

He is a Jack Kirby creation.

I think they may have been referring to "N'vir Free."
I agree, I don't know why anyone would name their kid that, but especially Scott Free and Barda. Doesn't work with their backstory or personalities at all.
Especially when in the Tom King run they named their son "Jacob," referencing an escape route from a pit in Apokolips that was called Jacob's Ladder, so essentially their son was named after escaping to freedom. I don't know if the King story is canon (and I kinda hope not,) but it's there just the same.



I like Shiloh and am glad that they're bringing him back. IMO, it's always felt that both he and Scott can share the name, not like one's replacing the other. I hope they allow Shiloh to grow as a character and don't just focus on politics. Give the character a good story to develop him.

So he's kind of like Booster Gold but dealing with racial issues.

My thought as well. I think Sideways also did this kind of thing?