Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Mister Miracle #12 Review


The End?

Written by: Tom King
Art by: Mitch Gerads, and Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 14, 2018

Mister Miracle comes to an end and while a have received a lot of shit for not liking every issue of this series, my main problem has always been reviewing it as individual issues.  I've repeatedly said in my reviews and on our podcast that the nature of the book and the mysteries that seem to be going on throughout the series have kept me from saying it's an instant classic like most other reviewers, but that could all change with the last issue.  Well, here is the last issue and the question is, does Tom King stick the landing and answer the ton of questions that he has thrown out there?  Let's find out...

The issue opens with Mister Miracle performing a stunt while Tom King, Mitch Gerads and a bunch of real-world people watch on in amazement.  I don't know what you all think of breaking the Fourth Wall, but I hate it here.  It makes it all seem like a joke from the start here and it really rubbed me the wrong way.  It's not a big deal, though, because as you will see, I have many more things to get mad at in this issue.



First, though, there is a funny nod at Bobby Ewing getting out of the shower.  Me and Eric have joked that this was going to happen and it is funny...but it just ends up being thrown in here.  I am not sure how many people will get the joke so I won't consider it a full-on red herring, but I got a chuckle out of it.

Now, after the last issue, most fans of the book have been waiting and praying that Scott, Barda and especially Jacob will remain as a family.  I mean, last issue's cliffhanger had Metreon pretty much declare that everything Scott was involved with wasn't real so there was a reason for concern.  Until there wasn't!  After a glitched out Granny Goodness tells Scott nothing is real, we get to see that it is.  Or is it?  It is...or is it?!?!  That is one of the questions that will be left hanging.



After Funky arrives to babysit, Scott and Barda head off to continue fighting the war and while Barda fights Kanto, Scott talks to a glitched out Forager.  We get more cryptic dialogue about Hell and then the scene shifts to Barda and Scott finding out they are having a girl.  Okay. 

We continue with some scenes that are skewed versions of previous scenes from the series, and see more characters that are dead, but are now glitched out "ghosts" to Scott.  Orion, then Darkseid...but they just are never explained.  I know that some people will likely tell me that I shouldn't expect my hand to be held, but after twelve issues, I would like maybe one answer.  Jacob does seem to see these ghosts as well, but why?  Who knows?!?!?

We do get two big scenes near the end.  Scott gets to confront the glitch-ghost Highfather for being a father in name only and then gets some personal time with glitch-ghost Oberon who actually was there for him.  All of this felt like it was part of the tie-it-up checklist that Tom King wrote out for himself but that list was very incomplete!



Yea, Oberon does try to tie things up by saying that Scott shouldn't believe that other world of superheroes was the real one, but I never got the idea that was Scott's problem.  He just was told that last issue and it wasn't like he had a decision of which was real or better...in fact, Scott doesn't even reference it himslf in this whole issue.  And the idea of it being hunky-dory...he tried to commit suicide!  Plus, this issue has them return to Apokolips to continue the war as if nothing changed anyway.  This just felt like it was supposed to explain it all, but it just doesn't make much sense.  The issue ends with Scott trying to explain things to Barda and then it ends.  It just ends.



I personally don't think this issue lands the ending at all.  Going back through the series, there were so many things set up that aren't resolved, but really, my biggest problem is that all of this could have happened in 6 issues tops.  Having it string out over 12 issues and end with such a non-ending is ridiculous.  I did love the art throughout the series and do think that if you were all-in this entire time and don't care about resolutions in your story, you will likely think more highly of this finale.  That said, I pretty much hated it and am so glad this is over so now I never have to read or talk about it ever again!

Bits and Pieces:

A non-ending does seem like it was meant to be for this series, but it doesn't sting any less reading it.  After last issue's big reveal, this felt like a cop-out that I am sure every score above mine will praise as the best thing ever.  Whether anyone will believe me, I was hoping Tom King would nail this ending so that it didn't feel like I wasted over a year on this book.  While others will praise this as an all-time classic, I want my year back.

5.0/10

20 comments:

  1. This book was a travesty since the beginning, and I new it was going to end bad, but it ending on a non ending makes even worse. Not for me, but for those who like what feels like a completed story for the time and money they put into reading this. I hope that when this story is concluded that King makes it that this was all just a bad dream, so everyone can see what a Trash ass writer who has no business writing characters who he never plans on writing in Character. Jimmy boy you where far to kind considering this is not just another issue but the ending.
    2/10

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  2. King's MM is the result of a bored(and boring) person and their suburban concerns. I'm sure King imagines(hopes?) this will be received as some sort of deep commentary-but it comes across as tedious and tiring. A boring soap opera about two unlikable people. And is it me or is Big Barda becoming more mannish by the issue (she has a dad gut now? and dad face?)..

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    1. Unfortunately, I think he did succeed...but of showing that some will gladly call a series an all time classic before its finished and no matter what happens, won't waver

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  3. I don't read this shit (King is garbage), but I see some CBB cameos in that first image. Lauren Lapkus and Paul F. Tompkins in middle, I think Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott on the right, and Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas and an off-model June Raphael from How Did this Get Made on the bottom. Of course Dan Didio and Jim Lee on the left.

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    1. you are right on...Tom King right under Jason Mantzoukas and Mitch Gerads right next to him, because, you know...it has to be made even more pretentious!

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  4. What the hell did i just read? If this is what a 'groundbreaking', 'must read' series is about then I'm going back to the funny books.

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    1. lol...we all should go back to the funny books!

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  5. I totally agree. As for me the run started well, but became boring pretty fast. Many characters were out of character& Darkseid was just dumb. I think they could have done this story in 4 issues. I assumed this might not be real, but I actually was waiting for Scott breaking out of it& fight whoever was responsible for it. I also think the way Scott talked didn’t fit his character. He& Barda never would be so rude to Highfather/ Orion etc.

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    1. I have talked to a few people who were all-in for a couple of issues and then got bored. I also see a ton that just kept saying the same things over and over (instant classic, story for the ages) without being able to explain things and even when they still can't, now say it's all about the moments than the story.

      This should have been 6 issues tops and i dare anyone to say that you couldn't insert last issues cliffhanger and this issue at any point in the series and have it mean (or not mean?) the exact same thing and get the same nonsense story!!!!

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  6. I'll admit after the batman "wedding" issue I was down on tom king. If I'm being honest I haven't really enjoyed his batman since that point. That being said I still enjoyed this mister miracle series. I understand were people see that it failed, but to me it made me like care about a character I didn't really know before. It made me go back and read his series. I'll end with if I had to choose between reading a tom king book or say a grant Morrison book (I picked 2 batman writers I know lol) I'd still choose king. I hope he picks up a swamp thing series sometime soon. or Firestorm. both my favorites!

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  7. Really? You wasted a year reading 12 issues of Mister Miracle? Wow. You are either a re-a-a-allyyyy slow reader or someone who needs to get out of the house. Dude, you shouldn't have wasted more than 4 or 5 hours AT MOST on MM, especially if you didn't like it!

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    1. and just because you are so hilarious, I will put part of my review from issue #6 to show you why I did waste my time since then...

      https://www.weirdsciencedccomics.com/2018/01/mister-miracle-6-review.html


      "Six issues in and I still don't have any idea of what the overall narrative of this book is. I am starting to suspect that this is just the way it's going to be and by the end, I will be left with a "you make the call" ambiguous ending that Tom King seems to revel in. I don't want to make the call! I don't want to fill in the blanks! Am I the only one who thinks this is a story that is written only to be clever? I am telling everyone right now...if this story ends with a non-ending where Scott gets out of the shower ala Bobby Ewing, I may lose it! However, I would take that a million times over what I suspect we will get and that is a nonending which will be praised as perfect but will show that we wasted our time and money for little mundane moments and nothing more! I bet we will get both just to drive me totally insane! Alive? Dead? Captured? Free? I know it won't explained in the end so why do I care so much?!?"

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    2. Thanks, and your prior review was very prescient. But I still don't think 12 issues of a comic book should total your year!

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    3. and I still think you are hilarious

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  8. I think Tom King is a hack. I held out massive hope that this last issue would tie the series up and answer some questions but it was just a non ending. Tom King writes really good single issues but like Jim and Eric always point out he never sticks the landing and ends an arc well. Every single Tom King story arc I've read has either started off really good or had 1 off 10/10 issues but ended like rubbish.

    So disappointed. I was saying from issue 1 this whole series depends on the ending and it failed horribly. Never buying a Tom King book again. Cancelled Batman after issue #50 and soon to cancel Heroes in crisis if issue 3 is as bad as 1 and 2.

    Scott Snyder is a much better writer.

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    1. I argued with people that I was waiting for the ending and then it happened...non-ending makes this far from an "instant classic" for me

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