If the property holders would allow it, Marvel could give us a Star Wars/Miracleman/Aliens/Predator/Planet of the Apes comic.
So as I may have mentioned once or twice in the past on this here weblog thingie that I enjoy Watchmen ephemera and other inappropriate tie-ins. Not that I think they’re important additions to the Watchmen story, but rather I enjoy observing how people who aren’t Alan Moore or Dave Gibbons and their Watchmen creative pals handle characters and situations that were never really intended for usage outside their original context. Sometimes it’s an ill-advised crossover comic, sometimes it’s a big ol’ box of Heroclix game figurines, sometimes it’s a poster featuring even more merchandise. But whatever it is, I’m invariably interested in it.
Similarly, I have an interest in Marvelman/Miracleman and whatever weird tie-ins exist beyond the original comics themselves. There’s not nearly as much as there is for Watchmen (I mean, there’s the button, and this wacky series) which makes things a little easier on me trying to track down all this nonsense.
One that nearly got past me was Marvel’s one-shot Timeless, which hints at a coming meeting between the Marvel Universe and Miracle/Marvelman. By the time I found out about it, all my copies were sold out, which actually worked out since they eventually released a reprint with a nice Miracleman cover by its current-if-decades-interrupted artist Mark Buckingham.
Which leads me to why I called you all here today. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the initial Moore/Garry Leach revival of the character, pairing ol’ MM with a variety of superheroes on variant covers of their titles. I know, I know, I’ve said in the past that I hate these misleading cover images featuring (sometimes) the stars of the book with other folks who don’t appear inside. But I am weak, and have decided that I need one of each of these. “But Mike,” you ask, “why not just download the images from Marvel or wherever instead of taking home even more comics,” and my reasoned response to you is “SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP.”
Anyway, here are a few of those images…I’m quite taken the X-Force one:
And this Captain America one is nice and cheery:
This one is quite busy:
And…I don’t know, your guess is as good as mine:
These are just a few of the many MM variants that are heading our way, and at least a couple make me wish we’re getting actual team-up stories inside (“Miracleman and Sam Wilson go out for a nice flight around the city.” “Wolverine finds himself with a tiny Miracleman lodged in the side of his head.”) but I guess that’ll have to wait ’til we get whatever was teased with that Timeless comic.
While finding these images, I did spot an old solicitation for the Miracleman: The Silver Age #3 from early 2016, which was going to feature at long last the new Neil Gaiman/Buckingham chapters of the story they’d started way back when at Eclipse Comics. Well, apparently at the end of the year we’re finally getting those long-promised stories, no, honest, we mean it this time. Back in 2016, one of the covers promised for that #3 was a “Hip Hop variant,” which alas had no art available with the solicit, but there was this Skottie Young cover that I hope gets offered again:
Once Gaiman/Buckingam finish their run, give Young the book. Or if the Miracleman story has come to its conclusion, have Young redraw the entire series. I’d read it, though the redone childbirth issue would be something else.
It’d be kind of great if, whenever he appears in an actual Marvel comic, he’s referred to by everyone as Miracle/Marvelman. Clearly we need more /s and other punctuation marks in character names. (Bring back Kilg%re!)
I really hope MM doesn’t actually interact with the Marvel Universe. He so, so, SO doesn’t not fit in there.
“doesn’t not” Good Lord. I reread it, too.
It really is weird to see MM interacting with Marvel characters. I keep thinking that they should be careful or he could crush their skulls. The X-Force cover is pretty, though.
So glad they have plans to reprint/finish the Silver Age. I wonder if Buckingham’s art is going to change styles after the second issue? Fingers crossed it actually happens this time!
Ha ha I got suspended permanently from Twitter so I guess I’m going to follow your blog now.
How did I not comment on the Watchmen Clix post back in the day?
Believe it or not, the best figure in the set was… Big Figure, who was so broken from a game play perspective, he was altered within a week of release. The set sold very poorly because of its high cost (and a few other complaints about character selection), and is, I believe, still available from some clearance places for $30-40.
Other than the Colossal Dr Manhattens (one was a Con LE, the other sold to stores), Wizkids would reuse six of the sculpts in a Crimebusters Fast Forces. Those dials were better, especially the 150 point Doctor Manhatten. Ooooh, and they gave away a Mars map that’s one of my favorite maps ever with the colossi.
[…] And one last bit of business…Joseph has a lot to add about Watchmen Heroclix, so I’m just gonna point you to what he wrote. I will say the folks who sent me the Watchmen ‘clix set for review also […]
Have to say, all the missteps Marvel has taken in the decade since buying Miracleman bringing us no closer to continuing the story has pretty effectively dimmed my interest, to the point that now my feeling is that I might read the remaining Buckingham/Gaiman issues only after the last one is published to make sure they all exist.