Friday, January 6, 2017

Making a Splash: Mister Miracle Volume Two by Rogers and Golden

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove's still in a Fourth World mood, so we're gonna plant our peepers on some sizzlin' splashes from the post-Kirby run of Mister Miracle, namely issues 19-25 (June 1977-May 1978). Issues 19-22 were written by Steve Englehart (he used his pen-name of John Harkness with his final ish, #22) with art by the a-freakin'-mazing Marshall Rogers (aided by a plethora of inkers). With ish #23, Steve Gerber came aboard as writer, joined by yet another a-freakin'-mazing penciler Michael Golden (inked, strangely enough, by Joe Giella, who was replaced by the much more suitable Russ Heath for the final two stories). While both Rogers and Golden's styles were miles away from The King's, they totally knocked their issues outta the park, baby! The proof lies below...










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14 comments:

  1. BuddyJanuary 6, 2017 at 12:33 AM

    Love these artists, love this run. It wasn't long afterward that they followed each other in the criminally underrated Roger Stern era of Dr Strange. If ever artwork deserved a full colour collection...

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    1. The Groovy AgentJanuary 7, 2017 at 8:14 AM

      To me, Stern's Dr. Strange run ranks with the early 80s FF, DD, X-Men, and Pm/IF as Marvel's absolute best. (I just wish Golden had done more than an issue-and-a-half--one half before Rogers and one full ish after. Of course, Paul Smith came along and...WOW!)

      Delete
  2. hobbyfanJanuary 6, 2017 at 9:43 AM

    I had most of these acquired second hand back in the 80's. This is deserving of a TPB, if it hasn't been done already........

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  3. Neil A. HansenJanuary 6, 2017 at 4:49 PM

    This material definitely marked a groovier Mr. Miracle especially with Mike Golden inked by Russ Heath. Has that Heavy Metal feel to it. :)

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  4. The Big Red OneJanuary 6, 2017 at 6:37 PM

    Man, I sure would love to see more than the splash pages of these issues, especially the one's that Golden drew! any chance you will publish these in the near term future?

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    1. The Groovy AgentJanuary 6, 2017 at 8:39 PM

      Here's one of 'em:
      https://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2009/06/mining-for-golden-mister-miracle-in.html

      I'm sure I'll get around to the others! ;D

      Delete
  5. RussJanuary 6, 2017 at 8:45 PM

    According to Englehart, he was already out the door, having finished up his contract with DC and off to work on his novel, when he got a call for help from Larry Hama who needed a last-minute script for #22. In an interview Englehart said the plot was provided by Hama and he basically just followed it to help get the book out on time. Because he didn't regard it as his story he told them to use the pseudonym, but I don't think there was any animus involved. When he used the "John Harkness" signature later on FF...well, that was another story. Englehart talks about it on his own site here: http://www.steveenglehart.com/Comics/Mister%20Miracle%2019-22.html

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    1. The Groovy AgentJanuary 7, 2017 at 8:15 AM

      I remember reading that a few years back now that you mention it. I should amend my post! Thanks, Russ!

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2017 at 12:02 AM

    If we have to have a Mister Miracle without Kirby, then at least DC had enough sense to use Marshall Rogers and Michael Golden and do it with a bit of style.
    But c'mon - no Big Barda either?! Whats with that?

    -sean

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    1. The Groovy AgentJanuary 7, 2017 at 8:17 AM

      Oh, Barda was in each ish, she just wasn't on many splash pages. That's her on the table in #21, and the back of her head on the last page of #24 and the splash of #25. And I totally agree with your sentiments regarding Rogers and Golden.

      Delete
  7. Rip JaggerJanuary 7, 2017 at 1:40 AM

    I don't think this post-Kirby Fourth World stuff has ever been collected, and it should be. With talents like Rogers on Mister Miracle and Don Newton on New Gods these stories, as uncanonical as I consider them, deserved an audience. Darkseid sells, or so I thought.

    Rip Off

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    1. The Groovy AgentJanuary 7, 2017 at 8:19 AM

      Which reminds me that there are a few Return of the New Gods and a few Rogers/Golden MM's I still need to run... Indeed, Rip, one of the dwindling few 70s runs that haven't been reprinted in tpb. Mayhap when Darkseid shows up in the movies...?

      Delete
  8. jeirichJanuary 10, 2017 at 2:58 PM

    Golden was working on a serious Starlin/Warlock vibe here. Especially on the next to last page.

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  9. Gary WareJanuary 11, 2017 at 3:42 AM

    Sweet. That Darkseid splash.

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Special thanks to Mike's Amazing World of Comics and Grand Comics Database for being such fantastic resources for covers, dates, creator info, etc. Thou art treasures true!


Note to "The Man": All images are presumed copyright by the respective copyright holders and are presented here as fair use under applicable laws, man! If you hold the copyright to a work I've posted and would like me to remove it, just drop me an e-mail and it's gone, baby, gone.


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