Marvel adding MIracleman to Marvel Universe

[Captain Comics]

Got this in a press release:

Man, this raises a zillion questions. Like, are they ever going to finish the original Miracleman series? And, won't this upset the power balance in the Marvel Universe? And, won't Miracleman want to do in the MU what he did in his own universe (taking over the world to create a Utopia)? And does this mean that Miracleman Jr. and Kid Miracleman are in the offing? (The latter is terrifying.) And why on Earth does Marvel need a faux Fawcett Captain Marvel, when they've already got two faux Supermen (Sentry, Hyperion)? And why not change him back to Marvelman now? Or Captain Marvelman (heh)?

Discuss.

[The Baron]

I am in the (rare?) position of never having read any Miracleman.  I know a little of the character's history, but nothing of  what I've heard makes this announcement particularly thrilling to me.  As far as I'm concerned, not only has the he good ship "Extremely Powerful Hero Goes Bad and Does Lots of Bad Stuff" sailed, it was torpedoed and sunkmwith all ahnmds by a U-Boat when it got a mile out of port.

[The Baron]

Also, did someone at Marvel think, "DC pissed off Alan Moore by bringing the Watchmen characters into their universe, let's get in on some of that action?"

[Jeff of Earth-J]

My main question the one you asked first: Are they ever going to finish the original Miracleman series? I'm ambivalent about the prospect of adding him to the MU proper. On the one hand, I can't see how that can possibly work (I tried to like Sentry, I really did), but on the other I don't really read all that many Marvel comics anymore so let 'em do what they want. 

A couple of years ago, Marvel said they were gong to reprint the entire series up to the point it ended, then conclude it. They didn't. They reprinted all of the previous issues (plus one new standalone one-shot) then stopped. Makes me glad I didn't support the project because I would have felt really cheated if I had (as opposed to merely being lied to). Honestly, I was holding out for a complete omnibus.

Here's another question. The art you posted features the "Timeless" logo. I just passed on the first issue of Timeless yesterday. My question is this: Should I be reading Timeless to get in on the ground floor of the Miracleman reboot? 

And Bob, this isn't the "Extremely Powerful Hero Goes Bad and Does Lots of Bad Stuff" trope (unless you're referring to Kid Miracleman, and even that wasn't quite so well-trodden in the early '80s when Miracleman first come out as it is now); as Cap pointed out, Miracleman created a utopia. If they ever release the omnibus I've been waiting for, you can have my tpbs.

[The Baron]

Ah, interesting.

[The Baron]

I think I got it muddled in my mind because so many "super=hero(es) try to create a utopi" stories end badly.  I'm thinking in particular of the Squadron Supreme.    Also, I think I'd only really heard of the "Kid Miracleman" part of the story.

[Richard Willis]

My only experience with the character(s) is Miracleman: Apocrypha. I think it would be better to treat this as happening in another universe, since Marvel is now getting into the multiverse concept. That way stories set in the supposed utopia can be told without attempting to fully integrate the characters into the Marvel reality. Even having him visit the Marvel reality would be a problem, given his power level.

[Randy Jackson]

I wonder if this has anything to do with Disney about to lose control of some of it's IP: Disney Risks Losing Copyright Protection on Some of Its Most Iconic...

[Captain Comics]

did someone at Marvel think, "DC pissed off Alan Moore by bringing the Watchmen characters into their universe, let's get in on some of that action?"

Ha! Although there's a tale there.At one time Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane fought a court battle over the rights to Miracleman, although it turned out Mick Anglo owned them, and Marvel bought them outright.

Should I be reading Timeless to get in on the ground floor of the Miracleman reboot? 

I'm under the impression Timeless is a one-shot.

[ClarkKent_DC]

At this point, would anybody really care that the original Miracleman storyline isn't finished? Miracleman: Apocrypha ended 30 years ago; I fully expect any attempt to complete that storyline would be met with a loud chorus of "It's not as good as it could have been."

[The Baron]

I'm sure that there are  people out there who care about it.  These "great unfinished works" hold a fascination for a certain type of person.  I mean, some guy published a "completion" of The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 2011.

I do agree that any such  "completion" of the Miracelman saga  most likely wouldn't be met with universal acclamation.

ClarkKent_DC said:

At this point, would anybody really care that the original Miracleman storyline isn't finished? Miracleman: Apocrypha ended 30 years ago; I fully expect any attempt to complete that storyline would be met with a loud chorus of "It's not as good as it could have been."

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"At this point, would anybody really care that the original Miracleman storyline isn't finished?"

I think anyone reading it for the first time would care, yes. I think anyone who read it for the first time ten years ago would care. I care. As I understand it, then ending is already plotted, maybe even scripted. It "just" needs to be drawn and published. 

Michael Fleisher's old "Spectre" scripts which were finally drawn by Jim Aparo in 1988 were a welcome addition to the canon, however Kirby's Hunger Dogs was a bit of a disappointment. Each project must be judged on its own merits, but I have high hopes for Neil Gaiman's Miracleman. 

[Randy Jackson]

I think people who buy comics in the USA, mostly adults over 40, would care. Kids 12-18 who've never heard of the character before? Not so much. 

ClarkKent_DC said:

At this point, would anybody really care that the original Miracleman storyline isn't finished? Miracleman: Apocrypha ended 30 years ago; I fully expect any attempt to complete that storyline would be met with a loud chorus of "It's not as good as it could have been."