Marvel Comics
Miracleman no 3 contains:
the next three episodes of Miracleman;
a two-part Warpsmith story;
Garry Leach art;
no Mick Anglo Marvelman.
This Marvel Comics series continues to be a surprise and worth its cover price. The Warpsmith story, like "The Yesterday Gambit," had not been reprinted by Eclipse Comics so we are getting something new. Even those who did read
Warrior magazine in its entirety - not me - are seeing some of the Original Writer's works republished in color for the first time.
Initially, before she becomes alienated, Liz takes a keen interest in Mike's new powers. She reads American comics as "...
research work." (p. 9)
Liz continues:
"I hadn't read any before. When I was a kid I had a girl's comic...'Sally' or something. Some of this stuff's better than you'd expect, but most of it's crap." (
ibid.)
We feel that we could have written that - we have certainly said most of it - but, of course,
we did not think either of writing such dialogue or of putting it into the mouth of a woman whose husband has become super-powered. It is so authentic that Liz does not quite remember the name of her girls' comic. I am not sure whether there was a "Sally"? (
After a google check: There was. Like
Sandie,
June,
Jinty and
Misty, it merged with
Tammy which later merged with
Girl, the former companion title of
Eagle.)
Liz has a check list:
flight - yes;
strength - yes;
invulnerability - yes (Mike feels stupid);
x-ray vision - no;
superbreath - (Mike looks puzzled).
Perfect.
Although the Marvel Families never had Superman's visual powers, Bates, his powers growing, has meanwhile acquired something like the dreaded "heat vision."
Further tests:
flight speed - at least mach two, too fast for stopwatch;
strength - "Very, very strong. Ridiculously strong. Christ." (p. 11)
invulnerable to a massive falling rock.
They seriously discuss the absurdities in a way that Mick Anglo's characters could never have done. Human skin cannot possibly be tough enough to be simply unaffected by that rock which should at least have driven his feet into the soft earth so maybe he has a force field which would explain his twinkling effect? A force field cannot explain the strength but neither can "...muscles like a ballet dancer..." so "Maybe it's all in your mind, Mike, the power." (
ibid.)
In a thought balloon (rare these days), Liz thinks, "God knows I wonder if it's all in my mind often enough." (
ibid.) Here is another possibility, not explored any further but nevertheless present: is one of the characters imagining all these strange events?
In an earlier post, I asked of atomic-powered superheroes: could it be that they mentally control the most basic subatomic forces, thus gaining telekinetic control of their environments which would make it an easy matter to fly, lift heavy objects etc? That sounds almost plausible.
