Summary: <br> Learn the original 1970s origin of escape artist Scott Free. (No, we didn’t make up that name, Jack Kirby did.)<br> Affiliate link included.<br> Transcript: <br> Graham: Meet the world’s greatest escape artist as we review Mister Miracle by Jack Kirby, straight ahead.<br> <br> [Intro Music]<br> Announcer: Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise Idaho, here is your host Adam Graham.<br> Host: In the 1970s, Jack Kirby jumped from Marvel to D.C. Although he will later go back to Marvel, later on in the 70s and write books such as Black Panther. During his run with D.C., his greatest contribution is the so-called Fourth World stories as Kirby created Apokolips, New Genesis, Darkseid and Mister Miracle, who will be discussing today. Last year as part of the Jack Kirby centennial, a new edition of Mister Miracle by Jack Kirby was released, containing his entire 18 issue run on the character. So, we’ll go ahead and talk about the book and we’ll go through it first issue by issue and then I’ll talk about it in general.<br> Mister Miracle number 1 kicks off with Thaddeus Brown as Mister Miracle, the world’s greatest escape artist who has an assistant named Oberon. Scott Free just happens to come upon Mister Brown and they strike up a friendship with Scott sticking around to help out. But Brown is killed by the gangster, Steel Hand and Free takes on the identity of Mister Miracle and get Steel Hand to agree to confess to his involvement in shooting Thaddeus Brown, if Mister Miracle escapes from the trap that is planned. Steel Hand is one of those villains who sounds like a bond villain and literally has a steel hand and of course, Mister Miracle is able to prevail and Scott Free is established as the new Mister Miracle. And it’s worth noting here, that his origin on Apokolips, none of that is discussed in this first issue. He’s just a guy who stumbles by and has a talent for escape aided by his technological aids. <br> Mister Miracle 2 begins to answer many of these questions as Granny Goodness is introduced in this story and is determined to recapture Scott Free and to punish him and so she sends her robot raiders after him and they take Oberon and Mister Miracle goes to a rescue Oberon and has to beat her robot, the Overlord. <br> Issues 3 and 4 are important for Mister Miracle as we see the introduction of Dr Bedlam and in his first story, Dr Bedlam appears on earth in a very cool scene involving things called animates, which are look like robots but one of them is chosen and slowly turns into Dr Bedlam. Dr Bedlam sets a trap for Scott and gets Scott to come up into a building and then releases something into the water that causes everyone in the building to go completely paranoid and Scott’s job is to make it out of the building alive which is a challenge given all of the people who are…with everyone out to kill him. This also allows the introduction of Big Barda in issue 4 as she comes to Scott’s rescue. She is the leader of the female Furies and she is a recognized commander in the armies of Apokolips. So, she’s a trained soldier and she offers her assistance in getting Scott out and ends up teaming up with him.<br> In issue five finds Dr. Vundabar coming in with another plot to get Mister Miracle and we also get more on Barda. When she’s not in her warrior duds, she’s in a kind of a skimpy costume but on her side clip, there’s a stud that she presses and it actually goes ahead and instantly transforms her into her armor within microseconds and it’s a really nice touch and a really good sequence in here. The story also launches the start of the young Scott free stories as we get background on what his life was on Apokolips and want to led up to his decision to leave.<br> Issue 6 sees a promoter known as Funky Flashman come to get Mister Miracle to s...
