Shilo Norman first appeared in Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle #15 and worked directly with both the original Mister Miracle, Thaddeus Brown and Scott Free. Norman also played a pivotal role in DC's Future State event. Now he takes the stage in the Infinite frontier in an exciting, but exposition-heavy Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1, written by Brandon Easton, drawn by Fico Ossio and colored by Rico Renzi.
Mister Miracle's Infinite Frontier debut begins with him performing a stunt on live television. He leaps from the edges of Earth's atmosphere while chained to a chair. Initially, he appears to be in grave danger, but with the help of his trusty Mother Box, he lands safely on the ground -- much to the astonishment of fans across the world. Despite the consistently miraculous nature of his performances, the fanbase for Shilo's escape-artist act is starting to fade. The issue follows him as he struggles to balance his brand, his duty as a hero and his identity as a black man in a country plagued by systemic racism - all while being harrassed and accused of being a fraud by a mysterious figure.
Brandon Easton crafts a compelling character in Shilo Norman. Readers are exposed to his amazing abilities and his personal struggles in such quick succession that it is easy to empathize with his frustration. The comic's fast pace pushes Shilo from a life-threatening situation to a talk-show appearance and then back into another dangerous adventure. It's overwhelming. Norman can't catch a break, and neither can the reader. This makes the scene where he expresses his frustrations about the state of the world and his place in it all the more emotionally poignant. Easton also includes scenes of protests reminiscent of the real-life Black Lives Matter movement which do a lot to establish the cultural zeitgeist of Infinite Frontier Metropolis and shed light on some of the external pressures Norman is under.
At one point, Norman explains that "the only time [he] ever feel[s] free" is when he is wearing the Mister Miracle costume. This duality is apparent in Ossio's art. The Mister Miracle scenes are expressive and dynamic. He moves with an almost cartoonish fluidity and exudes a confidence that reads as more than performance, but when readers see Norman without the mask even his posture changes. Ossio draws Norman out of costume as a much more tightly wound figure always hunched forward. Even when he's on a date trying to have fun, his discomfort is visible. Subtle changes in Renzi's color palette also help to hammer these distinctions home. Everything looks just a little bit darker when Norman is in plain clothes.
The first issue of Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom lays the groundwork for a series that promises a great emotional and artistic range, as well as a fun new take on a classic character. Readers will surely be anxious to dive into the rest of the story. Easton, Ossio and the rest of the creative team have crafted a thoughtful, dynamic world with room to grow in numerous directions.
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