The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury #295

Welcome to the official commentary for Miranda #295, The Riddle of Rebel Ronin.

Joe Illidge almost made me promise that this wouldn’t be an exhaustive (meaning exhausting) page-by-page accounting of the entire issue, so instead everyone is only talking about the elements that stood out the most for them. Nearly every person that contributed to the launch of the title was able to put down their current Miranda stuff long enough to reminisce over the experience, which for a number of us, was our greatest in comics. Hope you enjoy and thanks again to all of you for the support.

Brandon Thomas (writer/creator): Wow…where to even start? The cover being the first page of the book was something that occurred to me really early on in the dev process, and can be labeled as a “response” of sorts to going into the shop every week and realizing that 75% of the books were looking at me. Nothing against that type of cover, it definitely does the job, but since Miranda was all about experimenting with form and function, it only made sense to start here. Making it “page 0” of whatever story we’re doing gives the book an immediacy that seemed necessary and it gave me an additional page to work with, which I assumed (incorrectly) would alleviate some of the stress of working in the 22-page structure. But seriously…you just can’t go wrong with the title character fighting back a sea of alien bad guys. We wanted to convey the tone, scope, and attitude of the book in one image and this tells you a lot about Miranda Mercury before you even crack the cover.

So many things I love about this opening scene and the way everybody brought it to life--whether it’s the incredible shot of Miranda on the bottom of page one (that’s been reprinted on more stuff than I can name), Lee’s continued dissatisfaction with page two that saw him changing it over and over until it was just right, Abraham’s closing lines on three, Miranda’s magnetic old-school revolver, and the fact I had the audacity to ask Lee to draw “the most complicated page he’s ever drawn” on page 5. Fortunately, this is one of the few scenes I’ve ever scripted in anything that I wouldn’t change given the chance.

Even though Lee and Marc ended up redrawing most of it… And originally, we were going to slowly introduce the creative team, weaving our names and such into the background of the “train-running” portion of the scene, but Lee Ferguson (a.k.a. Mr. No-Ego) thought it unnecessary and that we’d actually be intruding on the characters and their world if our names were splashed all over the place. And he was absolutely correct in this belief, so much so that this discussion ultimately led to our names being yanked off the cover as well. If it wasn’t of service to Miranda Mercury and the telling of her story, then it shouldn’t be on the page. Again, more proof that Lee’s level of contribution to the series extends far past the actual artwork and into the methodology of the universe. The numbering gag…? That was his idea too…I just took it and ran away with it.

Lee Ferguson (artist/creator): Coming into Miranda Mercury, I had been working really hard at rendering things in a more realistic way. Actually, that’s not quite right. I was sort of over-rendering my stuff, trying in vain to fit more in line with what it seemed Marvel and DC were looking for at the time. And the thing is---I was paying more attention to the polish and not enough to the under-drawing. All that good stuff like structure, composition, and storytelling was suffering. So when it came time to start Miranda, I decided that it was time to pare everything down, just get back to basics. And I’m so glad I did. This initial chase scene not only really helped me find my way into Miranda’s world, but it also set the foundation for everything I’ve drawn since.

A real key with Miranda’s world was the design…the feel of it all. B and I both agreed right off the bat that we didn’t want any sort of Star Wars vibe for this, and no Star Trek, either. They’ve been ripped off and done to death. Clearing away any of those notions, it was a lot easier to let my own instincts take over. I don’t know if it’s at all visible to anyone else, but I can see the weird mishmash of Jack Kirby and Flash Gordon all over the place…

Joe Illidge (editor): I look at the cover and first pages, and realize that the first scene is a metaphor. Or maybe it’s just me.

It begins with someone, the “villain” demanding she be stopped, sending enemy after enemy against her. She goes through them all like a tornado, fighting for every inch in her advance, until she reaches the little man pointing a big gun in her face.

After the conversational dance in which the villain’s petty and pathetic desires are revealed, she gives the guy what he deserves…a head butt, and fights to escape and live another day…to live, period.

So it occurred to me that the “villain” is the personification of conventional comic book wisdom: small, deformed, green-skinned and boisterous.

The legions of people attacking her are the servants of said “wisdom”: People of many shapes and sizes who do not wish to let Miranda pass or advance, blocking the way, holding her back. Who are they, I wonder?

And in the end, Miranda hits conventional wisdom right in the head, and leaps fearlessly into the great unknown of the infinite fictional landscape of publication, having barreled through her adversaries, big and small, physical and existential.

The first scene is the story of how Miranda Mercury overcame odds, and came to be.

She is…“The greatest adventurer in this, or any other, galaxy.”

BT: The difference in pacing between the two halves of the book does bother me a bit, as Jack’s introduction brings the frantic, breezy nature of the opening to something of a hard brake. This “sudden stop” has greatly affected every Miranda script that’s come afterwards and is one of the natural consequences from launching with a ten-page chase sequence. Or from being emotionally unable to be quiet, you decide. Whatever the case (or the excuse), there was a massive amount of information to cram into this part of the story as I had to introduce and explain the rationale behind Rebel Ronin, establish some kind of noticeable relationship between Jack and Miranda, and test that bond with some well-timed betrayal that would illustrate things about both characters. Believe it or not, there was a little more text here than what got printed, as my poor letterer Matty Ryan can confirm…but most of it seemed essential since this was (all joking aside) the first issue.

Something else that’s become essential is a moment (usually a two-page spread) that I type into every script which I instantly feel a little guilty about. Because I’m well aware that when I write “Lee, please draw a giant black glass spider attacking a prison facility protected by a half-dozen guards that have used their morphing abilities to turn their forearms into laser cannons,” he’s crazy enough to actually deliver exactly what I asked him for. Which is what happened here, me asking for a layout with more than three dozen panels on it, and telling myself this was okay to do because most of them were repeated shots. Still, I had to include a “key” in the script to keep things straight, but really…how else could we have introduced a samurai genie with a computer brain trapped in a mystical Rubik’s cube?

Rebel Ronin himself is something of a statement about the book, because as cool as Miranda and Jack are, they only remain that way when surrounded by equally cool supporting characters. Every single story is going to introduce new guys like Ronin, Abraham, Carlita Crane, Zamanda Rival, etc. to further populate the world and ultimately help us sell the idea that Miranda has been dashing all over the galaxy making great friends and even greater enemies. It’s the reaction of everyone around her that we’re using to convey her experience and status.

Most important scene in the whole book is obviously the “confrontation” between Jack and Miranda. This is something I scripted over and over again because if it doesn’t strike the right note then the rest of the series is slightly invalidated. The difference of opinion between the two is the foundation for everything that comes after it and is the line that emotionally connects all these self-contained stories. Jack obviously wants his friend to live more than anything else, and will take it more than a little personally if he can’t figure out a way to ultimately save her. Miranda is hard-headed and doesn’t want her “condition” to become an excuse to change her primary focus. If there’s even one life that Miranda could’ve saved while “wasting” time finding a cure for herself, that’s one too many. And deep down in a place that Miranda refuses to acknowledge…she might even be a little afraid to die. But this is obviously going to grow more complicated as we progress through Glass Planet, Time Raiders, Infinity Class, etc.

Believe it or not, all of this hadn’t quite convinced Archaia to sign us up. They loved the idea and the mission statement of the series, but thought it might be too much of a traditional superhero book for them. And they were very concerned that Miranda being black was strictly a surface element and that her ethnicity wouldn’t really affect the kind of stories and issues that her and Jack would be dealing with. What changed their mind, you ask? Well, that would be the script for the next issue---Miranda Mercury and the Doomed Glass Planet. You’ll see why in April and a similar effect was felt by Mr. Marc Deering, as well…

Marc Deering (inker): I think it was 2-3 years ago now that Lee came hunting me down, wondering if I’d be interested in helping him out with a pitch. I knew of Lee from a message board we both frequented and really liked his work, so I thought…why not, could be fun?

So I took on the first cover and 5 pages. No sweat. I was trying out some new things, experimenting a bit with my technique when I did ‘em, and it was fun. Best of all, Lee liked them a lot, but at this time, I had no idea what the story was about, other than what I had seen on the actual pages. An African-American female adventurer, which really impressed me. Then Lee went and showed me the actual proposal, along with the first 2 scripts for what would be issues #295 and #296.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

Knowing what comes next, you guys are in for a great ride. Try to hold on.

Matty Ryan (letters/production): I think I am in a different spot than everyone else. Watching Miranda Mercury unfold is like watching a dream come to fruition. The odd thing is that I feel like I’m viewing it through a window. It’s not a feeling that I’m not included in the overall process or the things that go on. I am simply the last person to get a hold of the pages. I get to see the dream as it is realized. I get to watch all of them amaze us repeatedly with their work.

I have worked with Brandon off and on for the last few years. I am glad the rest of the world is finally able to see what kind of a storyteller he is. And believe me, he is never at a loss for words. I’ve also worked with Lee for a while now and never have I seen pages like this from him. Every page outshines the previous one. Marc comes into play next and the pages become even more amazing, and then Felix makes them sparkle. They are the consummate professionals and simply a joy to watch work.

Finally, I get to play and have my fun. I make a joke about the fact that I am never mentioned (except by Brandon), but I am okay with that. It means that I am doing my job well. If you noticed my work then you, more than likely, are noticing a problem or I’m interrupting the flow of the storytelling. The less you know I am around, the better off we all are. Besides, Brandon has enough words for the lot of us.

LF: Marc, Felix and Matty have been a blessing to us in so many ways. The guys are not only really, really talented, but they’re also a really good fit for Brandon and I and what we’re after…I just pity poor Joe for having to ride herd on all of us!

But this is easily the most excited I’ve been yet to get a comp box. Even though I’ve grown beyond the work in this issue at this point, this is the book where everything started to click for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever looked at something I’ve had published and been able to see where some of the stuff in my head has actually made it to the printed page, and that’s a nice feeling.

BT: Thank you again to all the people (on and offline) that have contacted us with exceptionally nice things to say about the book. You really haven’t seen anything yet and we hope to keep justifying the initial faith that convinced you to pick up the book in the first place. Thanks also to my esteemed colleagues who are hard at work on issue 297 which is just…man, it’s just crazy, and I can’t even tell you why.