Miracleman: The Red King Syndrome, Book Two

Rating:
Summary: Breaks the mold and then kicks its puppy
Review: Second volume in Moore's Miracleman series, The Red King syndrome is an almost mythic superhero adventure, but as in all things Moore, with as many twists and turnabouts as feasibly possible.

Begin with a Miracleman rendered utterly powerless by his arch-foe, Dr. Gargunza. He's been led there because his wife's been kidnapped. Too pedestrian? Add to it a genetically altered dog that's sent to hunt down the now-powerless superhero. Still not impressed?

Now have the dog eat Miracleman's companion and bite off two of our hero's fingers. Couple that with the hero's subsequent killing of the supervillain...and then a graphic (censored in many, many stores) representation of childbirth, and then the seeds of a story that will change a world, and then...and then...

Well, who am I to spoil it? It's a phenomenal read, deserving of space on anyone's shelf. If you can find a copy, treasure it; we're not likely to see another story of this caliber in a long while.