Although he debuted as Marvelman in 1954 as a UK substitute for Captain Marvel created by Mick Anglo, Miracleman as we know him today appeared on the scene in 1982 in a post-modern reboot helmed by Alan Moore and the late Garry Leach.
That makes 2022 Miracleman's 40th anniversary, and Marvel announced big plans to celebrate in October – starting with Miracleman #0, a giant-sized, anthology-style one-shot.
Featuring new work by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham, who took over from Moore with Miracleman #17 in 1990, Miracleman #0 will also feature stories by the likes of Jason Aaron and Mike Carey, Ty Templeton, Ryan Stegman, and more. Gaiman and Buckingham's story will act as a prelude to "their upcoming new chapter," which is ostensibly different than the anniversary reprint that Marvel already announced.
Here's an expanded preview of interior pages from Miracleman #0 with some fresh, lettered pages, including Gaiman and Buckingham's special prelude to Miracleman: The Silver Age #1 (also in October), Young Miracleman versus Miracleman villain Big Ben written and drawn by Stegman; Miracleman meeting his maker by Jason Aaron and Leinil Francis Yu; a revelation of the deadly price of Kimota’s power by Peach Momoko, and the introduction of a new Warpsmith and how dangerous Miracleman’s god-like abilities can be by Carey and Paul Davidson:
Alongside the announcement of Miracleman #0, Marvel teased more news to come, indicating a full-on celebration for the cult-classic hero. Marvel also revealed the cover for the one-shot by Alan Davis, which shows the character coming into his power, surrounded by flame.
And here's a look at all the variant covers by Momoko, Terry and Rachel Dodson, and Skottie Young:
Miracleman has a long, storied history not just 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 aughts, it was revealed in 2009 that Anglo – the original creator of Marvelman – had retained rights to the characters all along.
At that year's San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced it had purchased the rights from Anglo, securing the character for its large roster of heroes. New team-up covers seem to indicate that he'll finally join the Marvel Universe soon, after years of fans waiting for his proper inclusion in the Multiverse.
Alan Moore references Miracleman in his run on Captain Britain, one of the best Marvel Multiverse comic book stories of all time.
