Now you're asking why should I give two hoots about Miracleman? BECAUSE IT WAS AN AMAZING COMIC! Plus this is one of the things that led to the modern age of comics that we all like so much, yes he started the path to kick ass brooding Batman.
The basis of the story is about a middle aged Michael Moran, married, plagued by migraines, having dreams of flying, and unable to remember a word (noted below) that had such significance in his dreams. In his initial run of Marvelman stories, Moore touches on many themes of his later work, including the superhero as a source of terror, the sympathetic villain, and exploring the mythology of an established fictional character.
Moran is working as a freelance reporter when he gets caught up in a terrorist raid on a newly built atomic power plant. Fortuitously seeing the word "atomic" backwards ("cimota") when being carried past a door with the word written on glass, he remembers the word "Kimota"; Marvelman is reborn and saves the day. As Marvelman, Moran remembers his early life as a superhero, but comic books are the only evidence, and his wife Liz finds his recollections of the adventures ridiculous. Moran later discovers that Johnny Bates (Kid Marvelman), not only also survived, but lived on with his superpowers intact. Bates, however, was corrupted by his power and is now a sociopath. After a brutal confrontation, Kid Marvelman says his magic word ("Marvelman") by mistake and reverts to his alter-ego, the 13-year-old Johnny Bates. The boy, innocent but aware of the evil he committed as Kid Marvelman, mentally recoils in shock and reverts into a catatonic state.
And that is only the first three issues, out of sixteen. Not to mention when issue seventeen rolled around Neil Gaiman took over.
It gets really dark as evident from Issue #15's cover,
but it is so good, and horrifying. Defiantly not for the faint of heart. Another picture to show I AM NOT F#$%ING AROUND!
You can read this entire story on Miraclemen.info but I will include a link to the first issue right here . Heck here is the first page, hint hint I WANT YOU TO READ IT!
Read it and shoot me a PM about how awesome it was. Enjoy!