Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » DC Comics » REVIEW: ‘Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom,” Issue #1

REVIEW: ‘Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom,” Issue #1

Collier "CJ" JenningsBy Collier "CJ" Jennings05/25/20214 Mins ReadUpdated:05/25/2021
Mr Miracle The Source of Freedom #1 - But Why Tho?
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Mr Miracle The Source of Freedom #1 - But Why Tho?

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1 is written by Brandon Easton, illustrated by Fico Ossio, colored by Rico Renzi, and lettered by Rob Leigh. It is published by DC Comics. Shilo Norman, the latest person to take up the mantle of Mister Miracle. has become a worldwide celebrity, pulling off death-defying escapes with the help of his sentient Mother Box super-computer. However, a mysterious figure threatens to rip away everything Norman has built up, believing that he is unworthy of the Mister Miracle mantle.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The Source of Freedom marks Easton’ second time writing Mister Miracle following the Future State-Superman: Worlds at War special, and he proves to be just as adept as scripting Norman’s adventures in the modern-day as he is in the far-flung future. Norman literally begins the issue with a massive plummet from the Karman line — better known as the line where Earth’s atmosphere ends and space officially begins. To top it off, he is wrapped in titanium chains and if he doesn’t escape, he’ll hit the ground at Mach 1.5. It’s a nice example of the insane stunts that only Mister Miracle would dare attempt. Easton also writes a nice rapport between Norman and his Mother Box, with Norman’s witty responses to the Mother Box’s clinical observations providing a constant source of humor. A bit about 80s music provided a good chuckle, for example.

Easton isn’t also afraid to tackle more serious issues, however. Early in the issue, a discussion between Norman and his agent brings up an argument over whether and why Norman should publicly unmask. This in turn leads to the discussion that Norman is a Black man, and the implications that going public would bring. Easton does not shy away from the hard truths this conversation brings up, including the fact that white women clutch their purses whenever they walk by him and how Jim Crow laws still exist, in different forms. “When I wear that costume…it’s the only time I ever feel ‘free,'” Norman says, a simple sentence that speaks volumes.

On the art side, Ossio draws immensely creative action sequences that hew close to the groundbreaking imagery that Jack Kirby introduced into the Fourth World mythos. An example of this is the aforementioned space drop. Within the space of five pages, Norman tumbles through the air, friction and heat surrounding him as he cleaves through the atmosphere. Adding to the tension, page four features interlocking panels with concerned viewers watching Norman’s stunts on their television sets and iPhones. This leads to an ending I won’t spoil but is full of the pomp and circumstance that usually accompanies these death-defying stunts. Ossio also designs a new foe for Mister Miracle that hews fairly close to another piece of Fourth World mythology and presents a new challenge for the escape artist.

Rounding out the artistic team is Renzi on colors. Renzi brings the same eye-popping palette that he did to his work on Spider-Gwen, for scenes both heroic and normal. Mister Miracle stands out the most due to his red, yellow and green costume, but the various environments have their own flair as well. Metropolis at nighttime has a deep purplish hue to it, while in the daytime it still feels like the shining beacon of the future that Superman calls home.

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1 is packed full of all the death-defying thrills and Kirby Krackle that you’ve come to expect from the titular escape artist. With a jaw-dropper of a cliffhanger, the creative team may have placed Shilo Norman into a trap he can’t easily escape from. I hope to see what else this series has in store for the rest of its run.

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1 is available wherever comics are sold.

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1
5

TL;DR

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1 is packed full of all the death-defying thrills and Kirby Krackle that you’ve come to expect from the titular escape artist. With a jaw-dropper of a cliffhanger, the creative team may have placed Shilo Norman into a trap he can’t easily escape from. I hope to see what else this series has in store for the rest of its run.

  • Buy now via ComiXology

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘To Your Eternity,’ Episode 7 — “The Boy Who Wants To Change”
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Stargirl Spring Break Special,’ Issue #1
Collier "CJ" Jennings
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)

Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. He currently resides in Seattle.

Related Posts

Cover art for advanced review of Batman Issue 2

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Batman’ Issue 2

08/02/2025
Cover art from Batman Issue 1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Batman’ Issue 1

07/31/2025
Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special’ Issue 1

07/30/2025
Justice League Unlimited Issue 9

REVIEW: ‘Justice League Unlimited’ Issue 9

07/23/2025
Cover art of Absolute Wonder Woman Issue 10

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Wonder Woman’ Issue 10

07/23/2025
Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 5

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Martian Manhunter’ Issue 5

07/23/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here