In 1982, Shazam pastiche, turning him into a dark mirror of himself and now Marvel is celebrating the occasion with a massive omnibus. The Miracleman Omnibus, on sale in September, will collect the entirety of Moore’s legendary run, a run that would change the face of comics.
Miracleman (or “Marvelman” as he was originally known) was created by Mick Anglo, as a Shazam pastiche, in 1954. The year prior, Fawcett Publications, the original owners of the Shazam character, ceased publication due to a lawsuit from DC Comics. The Fawcett Shazam comics were being reprinted in Great Britain, and when Fawcett discontinued their line, a replacement was needed. Anglo was tapped to create a new, similar character—enter Marvelman. Marvelman (redubbed “Miracleman” in America), and the rest of his “Marvel” family were thinly disguised versions of Shazam, Mary and Freddy. The character enjoyed a healthy run into the 1960s and was later revived by Alan Moore in the early 1980s.The result was one of the darkest, and most compelling superhero epics of our time. After Moore left the title, Neil Gaiman took over and the character would enter into a lengthy legal battle between Gaiman, Eclipse (the American publisher of Miracleman) and Todd McFarlane. Marvel obtained the rights to the character in 2013. Now in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Moore’s run, as well as the character’s imminent Marvel Universe debut, the publisher is releasing a new omnibus.
According to a press release from 2014’s All-New Miracleman Annual are also collected as is material from 1989’s A1. Miracleman artist Garry Leach will contribute a direct market variant cover, as will Kevin Nowlan. The omnibus will also feature covers, original artwork and other exciting bonus features. Unfortunately, the omnibus will not contain Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham’s acclaimed run.
In comics such as V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, and Watchmen, Alan Moore explored the intersection between our world and the world of superheroes, and he began exploring those themes in Miracleman. Miracleman was designed to be a replacement for the more popular Shazam; Alan Moore took the character and imbibed him with a depth unlike anything seen in mainstream comics at the time. Moore mixed these heavy themes with violence and brutality, creating a masterpiece that still holds up today.
It's a great time to be a Miracleman fan. Timeless #1 revealed that Marvel will incorporate him into their universe, just in time for the 40th anniversary of Alan Moore’s legendary run, which will be collected in the Miracleman Omnibus.
Source: Marvel
