Although he debuted as Marvelman in 1954 as a British stand-in for the Mick Anglo-created Captain Marvel, Miracleman as we know him today burst onto the scene in 1982 in a postmodern reboot directed by Alan Moore and the late Garry Leach.
That makes 2022 the 40th anniversary of Miracleman, and Marvel has announced big plans to celebrate it in October, starting with Miracleman #0, a giant-sized, anthology-style one-shot.
Featuring new work from Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham, who replaced Moore with Miracleman #17 in 1990, Miracleman #0 will also feature stories from Jason Aaron and Mike Carey, Ty Templeton, Ryan Stegman and more. Gaiman and Buckingham’s story will act as a prelude to “their next new chapter,” which is ostensibly different from the anniversary reprint which Marvel already announced.
Along with the announcement of Miracleman #0, Marvel teases more news to come, signaling an all-out celebration for the cult classic hero. Marvel also revealed the cover art for the Alan Davis one-shot, which shows the character entering his power, surrounded by flames.
Miracleman has a long history not only in the comics, but also in the courts. After a back-and-forth battle between Gaiman and Todd McFarlane over the character in the late ’90s and early 2009, it was revealed in 2009 that Anglo, the original creator of Marvelman, had retained the rights to the characters all along. .
At that year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced that it had purchased the rights from Anglo, securing the character for its long roster of heroes. New team covers seem to indicate that he will finally be joining the Marvel Universe soon, after years of fans waiting for his proper inclusion in the Multiverse.
Stay tuned for more Miracleman anniversary announcements this week, as well as the full October solicitations for Marvel Comics, coming in July.
Alan Moore references Miracleman in his run on Captain Britain, one of the best marvel multiverse comics stories of all times.
