Warning: The Silver Age is a direct sequel to Alan Moore's original Miracleman stories and unmarked Late Arrival Spoilers for those comics appear on this page.
The trilogy as a whole is a sequel to Alan Moore's run on Miracleman, which ended with the titular superhuman transforming Earth into a new utopia. The Golden Age, the first part of Gaiman and Buckingham's story, explored the lives of ordinary people in that extraordinary world. The Silver Age shifts its focus to Dickie Dauntless, 'Young Miracleman', a long-dead teen superhero who's now revived in a world he no longer recognises.
The first issues of The Silver Age were initially published in 1992-1993 by Eclipse Comics as part of the ongoing Miracleman series, as The Golden Age had been, but Eclipse ceased publication and the series was cancelled just two issues into the arc.
After Marvel Comics acquired the rights to the character, it was announced that the existing issues would be reprinted and Gaiman and Buckingham would then return to finish the arc with new material. In 2022, it was also announced that Buckingham had chosen to completely redraw the two existing issues as part of that republication.
Marvel's version of the arc is published as its own limited series, titled Miracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham: The Silver Age, and the first issue was released on October 19 2022.
The Silver Age contains the following tropes:
- Back from the Dead: The arc centres around Dickie Dauntless, 'Young Miracleman', who's been dead for decades but is now revived in a new cloned body (as shown in the 'Retrieval' story that ran through the Golden Age issues).
- Do You Want to Copulate?: Dickie is advised that Kay will want to have sex with him, and that he should probably say no. Kay does indeed proposition him, in a very direct and casual way. He says no. Meta Maid's later comments suggest that this was wise advice, as Kay's sexual partners are somehow transformed.
- Expy: As part of their superhero games, some of the young superhumans adopt very familiar forms. design sketches in the Marvel reprint directly confirm their inspiration, but it was always pretty obvious:
- 'Klingsor the Galaxatron, Destroyer of Worlds' is clearly Galactus.
- 'Vril-Vrox-Vrang, the Doom from Five Thousand Fathoms' is Fin Fang Foom.
- George Lucas Altered Version: The two issues initially published by Eclipse are completely redrawn by Mark Buckingham for the Marvel series.
- Implied Rape: It isn't directly stated that Dicky Dauntless was molested by men in the orphanage he grew up, but it is strongly implied by his internal narration stating how horrible the experiences were and expressing relief that Emil Gargunza had no interest in kissing or hurting him.
- In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: As with the Golden Age reprints, the Marvel series includes "by Gaiman & Buckingham" as part of its actual title.
- LARP: The superbabies, now grown up, dress as costumed heroes and villains and play at fighting on a pacific island. While in-character, they limit themselves to specific powers. Some of them use their body swapping powers to assume much larger, monstrous forms.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Tom Caxton in the present day is blatantly drawn to resemble Alan Moore.
- Pimping the Offspring: As part of the comic's Cerebus Retcon of the original Miracleman comics from 1950s, the comic reveals that Dicky Dauntless and several other boys from his orphanage were prostituted out to older men against their consent, only given the hollow reward of ice-cream.
- Shipper on Deck: Played for drama. Miraclewoman is sure that Dickie isn't straight, and thinks he has romantic feelings for Miracleman. Miracleman, acting on this advice, kisses the teenager - and Dickie reacts very badly, lashing out and wondering if this is why Johnny, Kid Miracleman, was corrupted into a villain.
- Shout-Out:
- Tom Caxton quotes lyrics from Elvis Costello's Miracle Man.Tom Caxton: [singing] You never asked me what I wanted, you only asked me why...
- When Meta-Maid first meets Tom Caxton, he mentions The Beatles' song Lovely Rita (which has the chorus "Lovely Rita, meter maid"). Meta-Maid doesn't get the reference.
- Tom Caxton mentions that Superman's Fortress of Solitude was one of the things that made him decide to live halfway up a mountain. Jason gets the reference, but has to explain Superman to Meta-Maid, who doesn't.
- Tom Caxton quotes lyrics from Elvis Costello's Miracle Man.
- Talking in Your Dreams: Bates appears in Dickie's dreams, discussing Miracleman's new world and adding to Dickie's discomfort.
- To Be Continued: The ending of the final issue has a caption confirming that "The Dark Age" will continue the story.
