Miracleman (originally Marvelman) began in Warrior magazine in 1982 and continued through Eclipse Comics from 1985 to 1989. It is Moore’s first sustained deconstruction of the superhero — preceding Watchmen by several years and establishing many of the themes and techniques he would develop there.
Michael Moran is a middle-aged journalist suffering from migraines and an inexplicable feeling of loss. He discovers that he was once Marvelman — a superhuman being created by a secret British military project in the 1950s, whose memories were suppressed when the project was terminated. By speaking his magic word (“Kimota”), he transforms into a being of almost limitless power. But so do his former companions, including Kid Miracleman — who has been conscious and active for decades, and who has become something monstrous.
The series escalates relentlessly: from the personal (what does it mean to be human when you can become a god?) through the political (what would a superhuman actually do to geopolitics?) to the apocalyptic (Kid Miracleman’s destruction of London, depicted in sixteen pages of the most graphic violence in superhero comics). Moore’s final issues imagine a post-human utopia — Miracleman reshaping the world into paradise — that is simultaneously beautiful and deeply unsettling.
Collecting Miracleman
Original issues (Warrior/Eclipse Comics, 1982-1989): Complex publication history.
Marvel reprints (2014-present): Restored and reprinted editions.
Market values:
- Warrior #1 (first modern Marvelman), high grade: $100–$400
- Eclipse Miracleman #15 (birth issue, Moore), near mint: $50–$200
- Complete Eclipse run (Moore issues #1-16): $200–$600
- Legal disputes made these scarce for decades