Born On The Fourth World: Part VI
Mister Miracle #1, April 1971
The final title in Jack Kirby’s Fourth World sequence is Mister Miracle.
Billed as ‘The Super Escape Artist’, Mister Miracle is first seen, dressed in a red and yellow full-face mask and costume, with a green, high-collared cloak, secured in seemingly-intractable bondage, both on the cover, and on the first page of this debut story; The Murder Missile Trap.
Under instruction, the escapologist’s faithful assistant, Oberon, a silver-haired dwarf, locks Mister Miracle into a complex, metal harness. ‘We must give a flawless performance for that young onlooker,’ says the stuntman, referring to a lone, male figure, watching them practice their death-defying act, in an otherwise empty field. ‘Your timing will have to be flawless, Maestro!’ says Oberon. ‘Your life is at stake!’
Oberon wishes his friend would reconsider. It has been a many years since the escape artist has performed any of his feats, and his reflexes are not what they once were. Mister Miracle is having none of it. He commands his assistant to continue with his duties. Reluctantly, Oberon does as he is told, and guides his enchained maestro into a wooden box, before sealing it with three heavy planks, and setting it ablaze with a flame-thrower.
Horrified, the dark-haired onlooker runs to intervene. Oberon tells the man to keep back. The man ignores him, removing his jacket to try and beat out the flames. But he need not have bothered, as with a crack and a bang, the Super Escape Artist bursts from the burning coffin, miraculously free of his bonds! The young man is amazed; the escape had only taken seconds. ‘Professional “know-how,” son!” says the escapologist. ‘Seconds are all that Mister Miracle needs -- to cheat death!’
Oberon disagrees. As far as he was concerned, the escape took much too long. implying age was the cause of the delay. Seemingly giving some credence to the criticism, Mister Miracle removes his mask, revealing a white-haired head, waxed-moustache and beard. Shaking his would-be rescuer by the hand, the old man introduces himself as Thaddeus Brown. The younger man says that his name is Scott Free, named so by the orphanage in which he was raised as a foundling.
Before the three can become further acquainted, a black limousine arrives. Thaddeus immediately clocks the quartet who emerge from the car for what they are; a division of Inter-Gang, ‘Symbols of organised crime in the Atomic Age!’
After trading insults, the lead gangster pulls a gun on Thaddeus. Scott leaps into action, using the colourful carpet bag he is carrying as a weapon. Fists fly, bodies crunch and skulls crack - all depicted with Kirby’s frenetic glee - and despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Scott, Thaddeus and Oberon are eventually victorious. But why have Inter-Gang got it in for an aging circus act? Thaddeus explains that the beef is personal, between himself and the local Inter-Gang division chief, Steel Hand.
Elsewhere, in a secret location in Metropolis, Steel Hand is charging his signature, metal right-hand with radiation. He takes the news of the failed hit on Mister Miracle very badly, smashing a massive, titanium bar to splinters with his powerful prosthetic and vowing to deal with Mister Miracle himself.
Back at the Brown residence, Thaddeus has invited Scott to stay. Scott feels the room in which he is staying has a younger vibe than the rest of the house. Thaddeus explains that the room had belonged to his son, Ted, who ‘died in Korea.’ He shows Scott Ted’s old scrapbooks of ‘The Great Thaddeus,’ the escapologist’s original stage persona. “It was all Ted’s idea!” says Thaddeus, "He created Mister Miracle and brought the art of escape to a new decade!”
Thaddeus is planning a new, ultimately dangerous escape, enigmatically named, ‘The Big Trap.’ The stunt is so dangerous, “Even if I slip my chains at the perfect time, I may not survive!” Scott says he may be able to help. He reaches into his carpet bag and touches a hidden something which grants him an air of unearthly calm. Oberon and Thaddeus wrap Scott in chains, locking him in and then standing back to watch.
Scott closes his eyes and stands completely still, not even attempting to struggle. Then, in a flash, the chains fly to pieces! Links and locks ping in all directions! “It was like he broke free of daisy chains!” exclaims Oberon. Scott show them both the gadget responsible for his miraculous escape, a tiny device that generates, “intense magnetic repulsion.” Curious about the other contents of the carpet bag, Scott tells Thaddeus and Oberon that the bag is, “My inheritance. Left with foundling by parties unknown.”
The next day, Mister Miracle is rehearsing another daring escape. After chaining the escapologist to a tree, Oberon levers a massive steel ball on to a long shoot, at the top of an incline. The deadly sphere weighs a ton and will shatter the tree “to slivers!” Just as the Oberon sets the ball rolling, Scott hears a shot ring out and Mister Miracle cry in pain. He has been shot by a sniper!
Stepping between the wounded Thaddeus and the hurtling ball, Scott uses another of his gadgets to send a powerful blast of energy from his hand, deflecting the steel sphere onto a harmless trajectory. Quickly, Scott releases Mister Miracle, who is fading fast. “Steel Hand said he could devise the ‘Big Trap’ - The one that was escape proof,” says Thaddeus. “I should have known he meant - death…”
Scott rolls up his sleeve, revealing a hidden arm-brace of complex technology. He detaches a small, box-shaped device from his shoulder and holds it over Thaddeus’ face. The box makes a pinging sound. “A sound,” says Thaddeus. “A voice. Comforting. Easing… the pain… is… gone…” Peacefully, Mister Miracle dies.
Days later, Steel Hand is in his headquarters, enjoying himself by arm-wrestling a robot until it falls to pieces. When, from out of nowhere, Mister Miracle appears! The Super Escape Artis beats up and disarms Steel Hand’s henchmen. The crime boss is shocked to find the escapologist alive. Mister Miracle offers Steel Hand a wager; “If I get out of a trap you set, I claim your written confession to the shooting!” Steel Hand makes a phone call to the Secret Inter-Gang missile site.
Soon, Mister Miracle finds himself chained to the nose of giant rocket, as per the cover illustration. As the countdown approaches zero, the escapologist realises that, “There’s no return from space! The answer is to escape before you reach space!” Steel Hand watches on as the missile soars into the sky and explodes! The wager is won.
Steel Hand returns to his office. Only to find Mister Miracle is already there! Swinging his metal fist at the Super Escape Artist. The following melee completely wrecks the office, as Mister Miracle employs a cavalcade of gadgets to finally subdue Steel Hand, who is gift-wrapped in plastic by the time police arrive, accompanied by Oberon, to take the Inter-Gang director into custody.
What in the Fourth World?
We have now examined opening chapters of all the Fourth World books. What have we learned? Why am I doing this?
As a faithless member of Generation X, the corresponding date of the beginning of the Fourth World sequence with my own birth was the spark. I was born, it seemed, in some kind of pop-culture Age of Aquarius. Am I projecting my own need for significance on this series or is there really something bigger going on?
Why is Thaddeus Brown in Mister Miracle #1? By the end of the book, Thaddeus is dead and the mantel of Mister Miracle has been passed on to Scott. Why not just have Scott Free be Mister Miracle from the start?
We are also given a detail that the ‘Mister Miracle’ persona was created by Thaddeus’ late son, Ted. Thaddeus wants to move with the times - had Ted survived the Korean War, it is pretty clear that he would have taken up the mantel of Mister Miracle himself, eventually. But Thaddeus is old, and while he recognises he must change, he cannot and his past eventually catches up with him.
This changing-of-the-guard theme recurs across all four of the Fourth World titles. Kirby is relishing this. It is so inspiring that as a World War II veteran, who at the time, was in his early fifties, Jack Kirby’s depiction of the future generation is steeped with optimism. Creatively, Kirby is reenergised.
The past is in the past. The future is free.
Next time, back to the bunker, with Jimmy Olsen #136
The point about the guard changing is definitely a good one--it is a very counterculture series, for all DC tries to make the New Gods into Strawman Christian Heaven.
Strikes me a bit that, absent the cosmic background, Mr Miracle with his quips and gadgets could be seen as Kirby doing a Lee character better than Lee could do Kirby...