Thaddeus Brown, the first Mister Miracle, has returned to the DC Universe, better than ever before.
Warning: contains spoilers for Justice Society of America #2!The first Mister Miracle, Thaddeus Brown, has returned to the DC Universe. In The Justice Society of America #2, Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) is thrown back in time, coming face to face with his protégé Salem the Witch Girl. Doctor Fate has no memory of Salem, or the time he finds himself in–but there is no time to learn what has happened, as Fate must find the first Mister Miracle deep in Slaughter Swamp.
The issue, written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Mikel Janín, Jerry Ordway and Scott Kollins, colored by Jordie Bellaire and John Kaliz and lettered by Rob Leigh, opens with the Huntress waking up in the past at the headquarters of the Justice Society of America. She approaches the team for help and Doctor Fate agrees to magically scan her timeline for clues, but instead he is zapped by an energy beam and thrown backward through time. He finds himself in Slaughter Swamp, circa 1941, with his sidekick Salem the Witch Girl. Doctor Fate has no memories of Salem; he learns they are in Slaughter Swamp, seeking Mister Miracle. Miracle is the head of Justice Society Dark, and Salem feels they can help lift her “curse.”
A few moments later, Solomon Grundy tears through the swamp, chasing Mister Miracle. Fate and Salem help Miracle to his feet, and he is able to detain Grundy. The issue ends with the Huntress cycling through time, and she peers in on 1941; Mister Miracle cannot wait to tell the rest of the Society about Grundy–and decides to go capture the Bride of Grundy.
The First Mister Miracle’s Time Has Come
While Scott Free of New Genesis and his protégé Shilo Norman are the two best known versions of Mister Miracle, they are in fact not the first to hold the name. Thaddeus Brown, escape artist and carnival attraction, originated the name Mister Miracle for his act, including the bright and colorful costume, many years before Scott came to Earth. In 1971’s Mister Miracle #1 by Jack Kirby, Brown met Scott Free and passed the mantle and costume down to him; later, Scott would take Shilo Norman under his wing and he too became Mister Miracle.
Thaddeus Brown may not be the best known Mister Miracle, but he is the first and his time to shine has arrived at last. Thaddeus received character development in the first Mister Miracle series, but it was scant; other series have focused on either Scott or Shilo, leaving Thaddeus out in the cold. This issue corrects that, not only showing Mister Miracle as holding court with members of the Justice Society, but also leading his own version of the Society–Justice Society Dark. While the issue did not give any specifics on this offshoot of the Justice Society, the inclusion of magic-based members such as Zatara would imply it too is a magic-based team, much like Justice League Dark. Mister Miracle might seem an odd inclusion for such a team, but like Zatara, he too had a stage act, one that this issue makes clear was a cover for fighting crime.
The revelation that the first Mister Miracle had ties to the Justice Society of America redefines him, showing there is far more to Thaddeus Brown than initially thought. Before, Thaddeus Brown was just an escape artist, but now it is clear he had a crime fighting career decades before his protégés thought to do the same, and this makes the first Mister Miracle’s return to the DC Universe even more triumphant.
Justice Society of America #2 is on sale now from DC Comics!
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