[7.3/10] I usually enjoy our trips to the Fourth World, and there’s a lot of interesting moving parts here. The main event is obviously Mister Miracle. This is a good introduction for the character, one that establishes both his Houdini-like abilities to get out of any trap, prison, or straightjacket, but also the “never give up hope” attitude that spurs that power in him. I like the flashbacks we get to him struggling in Granny Goodness’s orphanage, constantly being caged in some harsh way only to try and try again to escape because he refused to accept it. It’s a cool way to convey the character’s backstory and add some depth to his superpower.
I also like the subplot of Flash trying to prove his worth after feeling discarded and disregarded by the rest of the Justice League. Him proving useful in the fight on his own, and even convincing a skeptical Martian Manhunter that it was the right thing to do, is a good beat for the character.
It’s a solid premise too. I like J’onn not wanting to interfere to save one guy and potentially tip the balance of power on Apocalypse, reasoning that the safest thing for Earth is if the various forces jockeying for control after Darkseid’s disappearance continue to turn their attention (and weaponry) on one another rather than on other worlds. They give Mister Miracle a good reason to do otherwise, given that Granny Goodness has his surrogate father, Oberon, imprisoned, and the goal to rescue Kalibak from Virmin Vundabar’s famed prison is a good basic objective.
We even get a bit of continuity, not just the return engagement from Granny Goodness or the power vacuum after Superman defeated Darkseid, but some more shading for Big Barda as a “puppet” of dear old Granny until Mister Miracle “cut her strings.” The sense of the dynamic between her, Mister Miracle, and Oberon is slight but cheering, so it works. Likewise, it’s cool to see Kalibak in action again, and heroes and villains having to team up is almost always interesting. That said, Virmin Vundabar was a pretty ridiculous character.
Overall, this isn’t one of the more exciting or momentous visits with the New Gods, but it’s a cool character introduction episode that hopefully pays off later.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-10-02T04:32:56Z
[7.3/10] I usually enjoy our trips to the Fourth World, and there’s a lot of interesting moving parts here. The main event is obviously Mister Miracle. This is a good introduction for the character, one that establishes both his Houdini-like abilities to get out of any trap, prison, or straightjacket, but also the “never give up hope” attitude that spurs that power in him. I like the flashbacks we get to him struggling in Granny Goodness’s orphanage, constantly being caged in some harsh way only to try and try again to escape because he refused to accept it. It’s a cool way to convey the character’s backstory and add some depth to his superpower.
I also like the subplot of Flash trying to prove his worth after feeling discarded and disregarded by the rest of the Justice League. Him proving useful in the fight on his own, and even convincing a skeptical Martian Manhunter that it was the right thing to do, is a good beat for the character.
It’s a solid premise too. I like J’onn not wanting to interfere to save one guy and potentially tip the balance of power on Apocalypse, reasoning that the safest thing for Earth is if the various forces jockeying for control after Darkseid’s disappearance continue to turn their attention (and weaponry) on one another rather than on other worlds. They give Mister Miracle a good reason to do otherwise, given that Granny Goodness has his surrogate father, Oberon, imprisoned, and the goal to rescue Kalibak from Virmin Vundabar’s famed prison is a good basic objective.
We even get a bit of continuity, not just the return engagement from Granny Goodness or the power vacuum after Superman defeated Darkseid, but some more shading for Big Barda as a “puppet” of dear old Granny until Mister Miracle “cut her strings.” The sense of the dynamic between her, Mister Miracle, and Oberon is slight but cheering, so it works. Likewise, it’s cool to see Kalibak in action again, and heroes and villains having to team up is almost always interesting. That said, Virmin Vundabar was a pretty ridiculous character.
Overall, this isn’t one of the more exciting or momentous visits with the New Gods, but it’s a cool character introduction episode that hopefully pays off later.