A word or two on Miracleman

I don't like reading my comics on a computer screen and I understand enough to realise that downloading scans of comic books illegally isn't going to help the industry BUT in the case of Miracleman I'm willing to make an exception.

I lost my original run of Eclipse reprints some time ago. Bad news because, as anyone who follows comics knows, its impossible to get an affordable set now. I'd buy it in trade format if it was available, but the legal mess surrounding the rights to the Miracleman character mean its been out of print for years.

As much as I want to get that old run again then, I've decided that I'm damned if I'm going to pay some joker on e-bay a fortune for the privilege. So I've downloaded a free piece of comic reading software and am currently reading scans of Miracleman which I obtained from a bit torrent site. It works just fine, not as nice as looking at a comic on paper, but better than nothing.

Just finished issue 2 and reading through Moore's notes in the back I was struck by this paragraph concerning his rediscovery of the Marvelman character...

Wow! That hits it on the head for me. I'm a nostalgiaholic and my comic buying habits are heavily motivated by a ridiculous need to surround myself with the long lost artifacts of my early teens - forget the comics you should see the horde of fighting fantasy books and Games Workshop boardgames I've reacquired in the last few years.

It's interesting to see Moore admitting to such an unhealthy emotion though. A few years after writing the above paragraph he was penning Superman stories that dealt with the destructive power of nostalgia specifically its tendency to stop those who wallow in it from getting anywhere in the present day.

If you're going to read comics you have to be nostalgic though. I find it comforting to know that Moore might not like that but has to accept it's part of the deal.