THE OMEGA MEN No. 4, November 2015 |
Considering the extraordinary lengths with which the Omega
Men have gone to in order to ensure Kyle Rayner’s obedience and cooperation, it
must have undoubtedly been clear to this title’s 11,302 followers in September
2015 that the de-powered White Lantern is a rather important piece in Tom
King’s overarching storyline. However few must have been expecting the “ex-CIA
agent” to dedicate the entirety of this twenty-page periodical to exploring the
feelings of the so-called terrorists' prisoner, and even less realised that
“DC’s star Green Lantern into the mid-2000’s” is actually the series’ “main
character”…
Sadly such surprising revelations, the latter ‘exclusively’
told to “Comic Book Resources News” by the American author himself, badly bogs
down the pacing of this particular publication and actually makes Issue Four”
of “The Omega Men” an incredibly painful read as the former Honour Guard
Illustres of the Corps dwells upon his ‘mistaken’ selection as an
intergalactic policeman, the death of “the girl” he loved and his aspiration to bring
closure to “this endless war between the Omega Men and the Citadel; a hope
which lead to his betrayal and current captivity. This depressing ‘summary of past
events’ is simply relentless and although it’s useful to finally understand
just how the White Lantern was so easily abducted (and supposedly murdered) by the
people “who take credit for all the bombings”, that information is soon
smothered by the “Grayson” co-writer having Princess Kalista tearfully agonize
over a royal upbringing which saw her put her sword though “native… armed good
fighters” every morning.
King’s narrative proves additionally disturbing in the
fact that his audience knows this entire situation is a manufactured ruse,
being secretly observed by Primus and Tigorr, specifically designed to disarm
Kyle’s emotional defences and cause him to fall prey to the seductive charms of
the Euphorix nobleman’s wife. Admittedly this book’s cover does display a “Teen
Plus” rating. Yet even so, such blatant voyeurism and unsettling sexual
undertones in a ‘run of the mill’ comic arguably makes for a rather distasteful
experience.
This magazine’s greatest weakness however is undoubtedly
the frighteningly amateurish-looking “expressionistic linework” of Toby Cypress.
Just why editors Brian Cunningham and Andy Khouri decided to have the American
illustrator step in “for regular artist Barnaby Bagenda” is unclear. But just
because the penciller has previously created some “stunning Kyle-centric covers
for the first three issues” does not mean they’re necessarily suitable to draw sequential
juxtaposed panelled breakdowns.
Writer: Tom King, Guest Artist: Toby Cypress, and Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Junior |
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