Marvelman/Miracleman by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and friends!

[the_original_b_dog]

After I heard that Marvel had acquired the rights to the Marvelman/Miracleman franchise, it sent me scrambling to find my back issues published by Eclipse. I had read the Alan Moore run in TPB form shortly after its U.S. publication and most of the Neil Gaiman/Mark Buckingham issues as they were published. (I originally wrote “monthly issues,” but this book was rarely on schedule —Marvelman might be an eternally cursed property.)

I gave up reading comics in late 1993, roughly the same time that Eclipse went bankrupt and the Gaiman-Buckingham run was suspended. They were about halfway through the second of three six-issue arcs. When I returned to comics this decade, I became aware of the legal wrangling to gain control of Miracleman and the resulting lawsuit between Gaiman and Todd McFarlane. I also learned that many of today’s comics fans had not read Moore’s run, one of his classic works, or even the Gaiman issues because the series had been out of print since Eclipse folded. I never suspected that Miracleman would become the rarest, and probably most valuable, piece in my comics collection.

In this thread, my goal is go through the Moore and Gaiman issues, a chapter or two at a time, with story summaries and comments. There will be spoilers, undoubtedly, so that may keep away some people who wish to wait for republication. But, the series is on my mind now, so I’m starting this thread just the same.

Ready? We’ll begin in the morning!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I passed on the Primer (the good discussion's here, anyway!), but I'm looking forward to the second issue of Marvelman Family's Finest sceduled to ship this week!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Marvelman Family’s Finest #2: Five more tales from 1955-57. This is some really great stuff! Don Lawrence’s art is the best. The hardcover collection ships tomorrow; I’m really looking forward to that!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

A couple of weeks ago I described volume one of Dark Horse’s Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives as “the thickest book I bought today.” That is because, in contrast, the first volume of Marvel’s Marvelman Classic was the thinnest book I’d bought that day. It’s a hardcover, but only 200 or so b&w pages, printed on pulpier paper stock than a DC Showcase or Marvel Essential, with 300 or so fewer pages. A second volume is due February 2, but based on the first I’d say it took this series a while to hit its stride.

A far better sampling of stories are those from the recently-completed Marvelman Family’s Finest mini-series which cherry-picked stories from the respective characters’ entire runs and due to be collected in a hardcover released February 9. At $35 a pop either of these might be off-putting to the casual fan, for whom I recommend Marvelman Family’s Finest #6, which reprints “The Birth of Marvelman.”

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Marvelman Family’s Finest:

There are already three (soon to be four) collections of classic Marvelman stories from the ‘50s: Marvelman Classic Vol. 1, Marvelman Classic Vol. 2 (both chronological reprints), and Marvelman Family’s Finest (collection the mini-series discussed above). The fourth, Young Miracleman Classic Vol. 1, was solicited to ship this past Wednesday, so it ought to be out any week now. If you’re only going to own one, the one to buy is definitely Marvelman Family’s Finest.

Each issue reprinted one Marvelman story, one Young Marvelman, one Kid Marvelman, one Marvelman Family and one chapter of the “Marvelman Serial,” and as I mentioned in above, they cherry-picked from among the best of the stories including origins. In the collection, they’ve grouped them all together, and they’ve even thrown in the Marvelman Primer I mentioned I skipped back on August 2 of last year.

Most of the volume (all of the stories) is printed on pulpy, black and white newsprint, but there’s a glossy section at the end which reprints covers, pin-ups, etc. on glossy paper in color. I recommend this kitschy collection to anyone with young children, the young at heart, or those who might be nostalgic for the simpler comics of an earlier time.

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Has anyone read any of Marvel's recent reprints of the Mick Anglo-era version ?

  I've read some - and they've issued/announced at least three books' worth !!!!!!!!!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

That's what we've been discussing in this thread since May 9 of last year.

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...It seemed to me that this line was concerning itself with the EIGHTIES version , the version published in the United State by Eclipse !!!!!!!!!

[the_original_b_dog]

I can't believe it's been almost two years since I started this thread.

 

And we're still no closer to seeing the Moore/Gaiman runs reprinted. :(

[Jeff of Earth-J]

:(

[Jeff of Earth-J]

BUMP

Marvel Adding Marvelman to Marvel Universe

[the_original_b_dog]

Man, this feels like a bad idea.

The other thread summed up pretty well all the problems inherit with it. Maybe with a hard reboot it could work.

I'll never understand how Marvel was never able to find a way for Gaiman to finish his run.