DC Universe Classics: Mr. Miracle

Mr. Miracle is kind of an obscure character, but I really like him. One of Jack Kirby's New Gods, Mr. Miracle is sort of an alien escape artist. Raised on Apokolips under the name Scott Free, he has no idea he's actually the son of Highfather and heir to New Genesis (at least, I don't think he ever found out).

Personally, I like the escape-artist gimmick. It's an underused paradigm in superhero concepts, and it brings an interesting skill set. He's also one of a small number of happily married heroes in comics. His enemies better think twice before trying to get at him through her: he's married to Big Barda, a former Female Fury of Apokolips who's more than capable of pounding their mutual foes into pulp.

Scott's a decent figure, though the paint's a bit sloppy in places. But underneath it, there's yet another fantastic sculpt courtesy of the Four Horsemen (I know: big surprise, right?).

One area where Mr. Miracle really shines is in his accessories. While he doesn't have anything truly spectacular, Mattel included just about everything you'd think to ask for. First up, he comes with one of Kalibak's legs. I've actually already got Kalibak completed (I ordered a few parts off Ebay a couple years back).

Mattel also included a pair of disks that attach to Mr. Miracle's feet using pegs. He flies on these in the comic, and they're appreciated. Granted, you really need a flying stand or wire to get the desired effect, but it's still cool.

The main accessory is a pair of alien handcuffs for Scott to break out of. From the front, these are extremely cool. From the back... not so much. Hey: I think I figured out how he's always able to escape from Apokolips: their cuffs are one-sided!

While the simplistic nature of these does limit posing options, they work so well as intended you won't mind much.

Now, originally I'd assumed this was it for extras. Then I became curious if they'd remembered to sculpt a Motherbox on his back. I drew back his cape to reveal:

Not only is it there; it's detachable. I wasn't expecting this - it's kind of like coming across an Easter Egg on a DVD.

Sure, it's nothing fancy, but it's pretty cool. Granted, he can't hold it due to having two fists (alternate hands would have been great here), but I love finding extra little details like this. Kudos, Mattel.

Scott had been on my short list of figures I wanted for about a year now. When I came across him on sale at Entertainment Earth for just $4.40, I happily included him on a larger order. You can't beat a price like that for such a cool figure.

One last thing. In the middle of writing this review, I got really depressed I was missing Scott's wife. So I rectified that. She should be arriving in just a few days.