Tom King+Mitch Gerad To Write/Draw Mister Miracle

[BatmanJones]

that's a very thoughtful reply which indicates that you have found the story pretty engaging on a deep level.

Thanks, friend. Indeed I did.

[CaptCleghorn]

I'm not sure the ending is that undefined. We see the page 2 Barda waking up taken frame by frame with the Dallas Bobby Ewing shower scene. How can we not see "IT WAS ALL A DREAM" is huge neon glow-in-the-dark letter after that? Scott Free is a pop-culture figure in the DC Universe and a Dallas comparison seems very fitting.

The growing list of casualties also previewed a reset button in "it was all a dream" or "the lump is doing its thing" type response. Now, I may not be as fond of an open-ended story as some and more than others, but I don't think that's the case here. Except, maybe, with the suicide attempt. Seeing Oberon and Highfather in the last issue expands the "dream sequence" far back into the first issue.

I'm sure Jacob and Roz exist in the DC Universe. Now I still need to reread this many times as it is deep and detailed. I'm putting my entire assessment of the series on one page,. But that page is swiped from one of the most famous scenes in American television. How is this NOT getting mega comments?

I'm looking for Sheriff of Babylon now by the way.

[TooFlyToFail]

This isn't really comparable to Lost because they introduced many concepts that were never really explained and just made things up as they went along. This, at least, points out Scott could be dead, in another dimension, affected by the anti-life equation, or under the influence of the Lump. It would be more comparable if Lost had multiple characters tied up elsewhere and a continuing story since we know the New Gods have to show up again. So the mystique of this story is gone the moment someone has to acknowledge what happened or ignore it all together, which would mean it wasn't in continuity and just a side story. Open ended stories don't work when the baton has to be passed off.

That's like me thinking Luthor sucks because I can't figure out where/when it takes place.

[TooFlyToFail]

It is what I am frustrated with. I have made no comments about continuity.

He'll just escape, and everything that happened was in his head.

Done.

I see it as an internal character study.

[HsssH]

I think thread has gone off the rails, my few cents to make it even dumber:

1. I don't see how this causes any continuity problems. Whenever some writer wants to use Scott next he can just have him say that he was trapped for a while, but eventually decided to escape. You don't have to start explaining this story or go into details about how Scott escaped just like when Morrison wrote JLA he had Superman Blue saying "interesting times" or something like that when asked about his look and it was never brought up again from what I remember.

2. I don't really see what exactly is open to interpretation here. Scott was trapped, he thinks that he can escape if he decides to. Now, nature of the trap is not clear, was it suicide? Was it Anti-life equation? Was it Lump? Was it something else? All of them combined? Who know, but does it really matter? And shouldn't trap for New God be complicated and hard for us humans to understand?

3. As for internal consistency, I'm not sure what kind of internal consistency do you want from someone dying/getting affected by Anti-Life equation/getting his mind messed up by Lump. This is not reality, this is happening in Scott's head.

4. I don't understand why some people started talking about how every interpretation is valid and how it is more important for art to raise questions than provide answers, as if these things are mutually exclusive. To me this, especially when Lost was used as an example, reeks of an attempt to defend bad art. And I don't think this run was bad at all so I find it very annoying that such tactics are used to "validate" MM.

[Star_Jammer]

Is Scott trapped? Or is he there by his own free will?

[Pohzee]

Is Scott trapped? Or is he there by his own free will?

Trapped by his own free will.

[Spike-X]

Is Scott trapped? Or is he there by his own free will?

Yes .

[Star_Jammer]

Trapped by his own free will.

Scott's main shtick is to be able to escape anything, correct?

So how is Scott ever really trapped...if he can always escape?

Secondarily: What if the "place he went to" was the escape...and reality was (as he felt), the "trap"?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

"I can escape anytime."

[Star_Jammer]

"I can escape anytime."

Yes. My point still stands: if I am a prisoner, but I am able to leave whenever I choose...am I really a prisoner?

Scott can escape traps (be it ones of his one devise, or one placed upon him), but I'm thinking it's a misnomer to ever say that he's trapped.

[Naked Bat]

I think thread has gone off the rails, my few cents to make it even dumber:

1. I don't see how this causes any continuity problems. Whenever some writer wants to use Scott next he can just have him say that he was trapped for a while, but eventually decided to escape. You don't have to start explaining this story or go into details about how Scott escaped just like when Morrison wrote JLA he had Superman Blue saying "interesting times" or something like that when asked about his look and it was never brought up again from what I remember.

2. I don't really see what exactly is open to interpretation here. Scott was trapped, he thinks that he can escape if he decides to. Now, nature of the trap is not clear, was it suicide? Was it Anti-life equation? Was it Lump? Was it something else? All of them combined? Who know, but does it really matter? And shouldn't trap for New God be complicated and hard for us humans to understand?

3. As for internal consistency, I'm not sure what kind of internal consistency do you want from someone dying/getting affected by Anti-Life equation/getting his mind messed up by Lump. This is not reality, this is happening in Scott's head.

4. I don't understand why some people started talking about how every interpretation is valid and how it is more important for art to raise questions than provide answers, as if these things are mutually exclusive. To me this, especially when Lost was used as an example, reeks of an attempt to defend bad art. And I don't think this run was bad at all so I find it very annoying that such tactics are used to "validate" MM.

I agree with your first three points. I don't agree with every part of your last point though. Appreciating open ended stories is not appreciationg bad art. There are good open ending and bad open ending. To me, Mister Miracle is an example of an open ending made right. I agree that not all stories need to be open ended though.

[millernumber1]

He'll just escape, and everything that happened was in his head.

Done.

I see it as an internal character study.

I absolutely reject that as a very interesting story. "It was all in his head/dream" means that all of the people he interacted with are not real, and thus it doesn't matter what life he builds here, since the real people who care about him are suffering.

[failo.legendkiller]

I need your help,
I've heard so many good review about this title that I'm tempted to buy it.
Problem is I'm really hesitant cause I love some King works (Grayson, Omega Men) and less others (Batman and what is released of Heroes in Crisis).
And most of all I've always hated everything about Kirby's fourth world, New Gods, multiverse etc etc.
Should i try anyway?

[Chubistian]

I absolutely reject that as a very interesting story. "It was all in his head/dream" means that all of the people he interacted with are not real, and thus it doesn't matter what life he builds here, since the real people who care about him are suffering.

I take it as him being dead, dreaming, affected by the anti life equation, etc, is at the end of the day irrelevant. The last conversation between Scott and Oberon makes a point on why this reality would be less important that any other, and I took it as a meta commentary about the nature of comicbooks and make me remember Moore’s Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow, that starts by pointing out that it’s an imaginary story, but at the end of the day every story is, and as so, it doesn’t matter if it takes place in continuity or not, just like MM. I don’t care if it’s ever referenced again, it’s a product of imagination and an amazing one at that, a resignification of characters that gave new life to them