DC COMICS – @DCComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
WRITER: Tom King
ART: Barnaby Bagenda
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Trevor Hutchinson
VARIANT COVER: Toby Cypress
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2015)
Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
The Omega Men created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton
The Omega Men are a team of extraterrestrial superheroes that have appeared in various DC Comics comic book titles. The team first appeared in Green Lantern #141 (cover dated: June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton.
Fans who remember The Omega Men comic book series from the mid-1980s probably remember it as the series in which Lobo debuted. Now, the “DCYou” brings the team back in the new comic book series, The Omega Men. It is written by Tom King, drawn by Barnaby Bagenda, colored by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., and lettered by Pat Brosseau.
The Omega Men #1 opens in the Vega System on Planet Ogyptu, the scene of an impending fight between law enforcement and the Omega Men. You see, the Omega Men murdered White Lantern Kyle Rayner, and the universe wants them to pay for that crime. Ti-Gorr (Toghurrhu)seems to be the most wanted, but he is ready to fight back, as are Broot (Charis-Nar), Scrapps, Doc (Med-Ro model-141D), and even Primus (Pren NuParr). The question becomes, “What is the real story behind these wanted, intergalactic criminals' actions?
With the surprise... really... shocking success of Disney/Marvel's 2014 film, Guardians of the Galaxy, it was probably a no-brainer on DC Comics' part to revive the intergalactic mercenary slash superhero team, the Omega Men. There is a retro feel to this new series that suggests space opera and sci-fi/fantasy adventure from the 1970s and 1980s. Think Heavy Metal (the magazine and the film), Star Wars, Dreadstar, Epic Magazine, etc.
Even the coloring by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., over Barnaby Bagenda's compositions, seems like the painted science fiction comics of the 1980s. At least, writer Tom King offers an easy-to-digest story, and he ends this first chapter in a way that teases the reader into thinking about trying the second issue. This first issue is indeed a tease; it is barely an entire first chapter, but it does intrigue.
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
