The Black Racer and Shilo Norman Special #1 is a really good comic book with a rock solid story, and a plot which had my attention all the way through. The Fourth World was populated with several black characters of which Willy Walker, the harbinger of death for the New Gods was likely the most prominent. Created for a whole new comic, Kirby was instructed to get The Black Racer onto the stands as quickly as possible and so he ends up skiing our way in New Gods #3 no less. He pops up form time to time after and even seems to become an integral part of the mythos. Shilo Norman is a late addition to the Kirby universe, added after Mister Miracle had parted ways with the larger New Gods story and was concentrating on the show business aspect of the series. Shilo became apprenticed to Scott Free and has been Mister Miracle off and on since.
These two dynamic characters meet in this issue by Reginald Hudlin and Deny Cowan which has Shilo atop a rocket about to meet his doom when the Racer suddenly appears and everyone realizes this is the big one. Silo escapes and a merry chase ensues as thanks to his Mother Box he is able to travel in time and space and visits the landscapes of other Kirby creations like Kamandi and OMAC. The problem is solved but it's surprisingly tense and the fact I didn't really know the outcome made this a rare comic book read.
The extras in this issue all feature the Young Gods of Supertown, especially Fastbak who is chased by the Racer himself and we also get a glimpse at Vikyn of The Forever People, the other black character in the Fourth World.
Good one and highly recommend.
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I quite enjoyed this one, which is a miracle in itself as I've never been a great fan of the Black Racer. Interesting that Mister Miracle's original first appearance was strapped to a rocket (MM #1) and that's how we see him here too, in a nod to the past.
ReplyDeleteIt's the escape we never saw and I'm with you, it was well past time.
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