By Justin McCarty

Mitch and Tom continue to elevate comics to the high art we all know it can be. They continue to provide a superb example of literature as comics. Issue four maintains the pace of the previous issues, mostly due to that continuous nine-panel grid. If you aren’t on this comic by now you then it probably isn’t for you. That’s okay. If you have any interest at all in this comic, though, you should be reading it. This is a comic that will be referred to again and again, like Watchmen, as an inspiration for the many comics to come.

Except for Scott’s performance on the train tracks, the story doesn’t leave his and Barda’s home. Orion has accused Scott of treason. Scott is given a choice of trial venues, he chooses home, for convenience. Lightray, who delivered the news of Scott’s accusal and is roughed up by a barely held together Barda, and Orion’s lackey, seems to relish in Scott’s misery. Orion acts as judge, advocate, and jury. It’s clear his only intent is to convict. It almost seems as if his line of questioning is designed to only render a guilty verdict. Scott clearly doesn’t take this process seriously at first. The tension steadily builds, however, and Scott begins to break down. 

This continues to be a great read. It’s not typical superhero comics and that’s a good thing. Every page contributes to the central theme of the book -- how the mind copes with trauma and depression. Scott can’t tell what is real. Gerads and King do such a great job of giving us subtle details that drive home that point. At this point they are really in a groove, the pacing and dialogue flow almost lyrically. The character moments, rendered so well by Gerads, are a scaffolding, a framework supporting the story. 

There are a couple clever devices in this issue that really drive home the ideas of this comic. After learning that they will host this trial of Mister Miracle, Barda questions whether they should have a veggie tray. She purchases one as if they are normal people hosting dinner guests. Barda and Scott truly just want to live a normal life. During the trial, as it gets underway, a package is delivered, once again, it has that hint of normalcy, but what it really does is highlight the absurdity of the events taking place in their home. Finally, there continue to be those purely visual clues that something is wrong with Scott. At pivotal moments the distortion appears. It seems Scott’s world becomes blurry when he lies, or maybe he’s just unsure. It’s almost a tell. There’s, of course, that “Darkseid is.” It’s clearly an invasive thought. Something those with OCD and depression and other brain diseases understand.

We are starting to get a better idea of Scott’s mental state. He’s going to have to come to terms with this problem. It won’t wait for a convenient time. It will have to be dealt with sooner or later. Orion will need to be dealt with, too. Apokalips will need to be dealt with. The anti-life equation, a metaphor, will need dealing with. It represents depression and the lack of choice. How is Mister Miracle going to escape it?

Score: 5/5

Mister Miracle #4
DC Comics