The Omega Men #5 - DC Comics

THE OMEGA MEN No. 5, December 2015

Misleadingly advertised by “DC Comics” as containing “their most atrocious act to date”, Issue Five of “The Omega Men” doesn’t actually depict “the wretched” titular characters besieging “the holy planet of Changralyn” and taking “hostage its ruler, the wise and benevolent Space Pope Pontifix”. Instead it simply shows the “deadly outlaws” strongest member pummelling away at a sacred rock with his bare hands until, bloody and supposedly close to death, the “apostate” frees “the Key of Alpha” from its blessed resting place; “I am… I am dying. I am being only a Broot... I am being condemned… I am knowing truth. I am knowing Omega.”

Such a somewhat lack-lustre narrative is made all the worse by Tom King’s insistence on populating every single panel with as much dialogue as “the ex-CIA agent” can possibly muster. Something which must have proved especially wearisome to the 10,532 buyers of this twenty-page periodical as its ponderous plot progresses and the supporting cast’s convoluted sacrosanct-sounding conversations increasingly focus upon Broot’s “desire to escape sin”. Indeed by the time the grey-skinned behemoth finally smashes the heavily-chiselled, sanctified stone formation hard enough to release the tiny blue “key to salvation” and it becomes clear that the planet’s ‘Holy Father’ has “arranged” for the so-called terrorists “to be destroyed”, few readers could probably stomach even another small speech bubble solely stating “May it please Omega.”

Admittedly once the intergalactic Pontiff’s trap is sprung and the “people see that the Omega Men are humble before the Gods”, the American author’s storyline does momentarily liven up. Yet even the few scenes of the Citadel soldiers storming the Temple of Omega en masse and encircling Primus, Tigorr and Scrapps is frustratingly interspersed with pictures of “the high Pontifex of Changralyn” worrying his ‘fallen son’ Charis-Nar with even more perplexing ministerial mumbo jumbo.

Fortunately the one saving grace for this “beloved comic in the brand new DC launch line-up” is Barnaby Bagenda’s terrific breakdowns. The Jakarta Institute of Art freelancer is clearly aware that “sometimes you can’t put too much information in one small panel, otherwise it would looked cramped.” But that doesn’t stop him still creating, in collaboration with Romulo Fajardo Junior’s discerning colours, some exquisite-looking, highly-detailed drawings throughout this papal publication.

Writer: Tom King, Artist: Barnaby Bagenda, and Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Junior

The Omega Men #4 - DC Comics

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

The Omega Men #3 - DC Comics

THE OMEGA MEN No. 3, October 2015

Whilst as action-packed as any of this comic’s 13,246 readers could surely have wanted, Issue Three of “The Omega Men” also contains a conclusion which is as shockingly surprising as it is nonsensical balderdash, and turns what arguably was a genuinely thrilling narrative into a seemingly silly storyline supposedly conceived simply to fool Kyle Rayner (and the audience) into believing that Princess Kalista has been abducted by the so-called “band of terrorists” against her will.

Admittedly seeing Tom King’s “new favourite character to write” for besting the likes of Tigorr and Scrapps in one-on-one combat makes for compelling entertainment, especially when the “former CIA counter terrorism [agent] turned novelist” has previously shown just how despicably evil the “daughter of Alpha” actually is by having “the heir to the throne” bloodily butcher a batch of natives as part of her morning sword fencing routine. But to then reveal that the entirety of this twenty-page periodical has actually been dedicated to nothing more than a ruse, and one that sees both the Karnan feline and his plucky team-mate near to death, makes for a disappointingly dissatisfying experience overall.

Equally as perplexing as “Princess Kalista’s introduction – and the cliffhanger about her relationship to the Omega Men” is the question it raises as to just “who the good guys are” in this “DC Comics” title? For surely Primus’ love for the woman can’t be so overwhelmingly blinding as to allow the Euphorix nobleman to bed such a callous killer of her subjects, and certainly not to the point where he openly declares his wife (at least during the publisher’s “Earth-One era”) “the esteemed leader of the Omega Men?”

Complaints as to the confusing shift in direction for this twelve-issue long “first arc” aside, there is no doubt that the book is beautiful to look at thanks to some incredible illustrations by Barnaby Bagenda. King is perfectly correct when he’s previously stated that the Indonesian is “not a classic sort of DC artist” and that his pencilling is “not what you would expect.” However that is not necessarily a bad thing at all when the inker brings such breath-taking “style” and plenty of dynamic, flowing soundless swishes to all the swordplay on display throughout this magazine.

The variant cover art of "OMEGA MEN" No. 3 by Toby Cypress

The Omega Men #2 - DC Comics

THE OMEGA MEN No. 2, September 2015

Storyteller Tom King has almost certainly achieved his goal in writing a comic book which its readers will remember with this depressingly dark tale of mass murder and anti-heroic selfishness. In fact in many ways it’s actually rather hard to work out just who the ‘good guys’ really are in Issue Two of “The Omega Men”, because having blatantly allowed four thousand innocent inhabitants of the planet Ogyptu be slaughtered in retribution for the renegade band’s resistance against the Citadel’s “honoured viceroy”, it most certainly isn’t the “team of extra-terrestrial superheroes” lead by Pren of Euphorix.

Admittedly Joe Staton’s co-creations aren’t quite as despicable as the world of pleasure and contemplation’s purple-skinned overlord; a bald-headed, heavy, thick-set man who merrily negotiates the exact number of people to be executed whilst sipping tea with the population’s governor. But the Vegan System adventurers aren’t too far behind the Citadelian’s barbaric attitude towards the blameless, especially when they decide not to allow Kyle Rayner to save the hapless occupiers of the Asher Stadium and instead use the tyrannical regime’s preoccupation with the cold-blooded slaughter of their victims as a distraction to steal the viceroy’s space vessel.

Just as hard to stomach as these horrific and chilling atrocities is Primus’ supposedly logical rationalisation of his team’s actions. The nobleman would have the White Lantern believe that by fleeing the somewhat barren world, The Omega Men have somehow stopped the Citadel Fleet from killing “three times the number here… on Ogyptu or on Karna.” But surely if the group of rebels hadn’t abducted (and supposedly murdered) Rayner in the first place in order to draw the Corps attention to their system’s tyrannical plight, then the likes of Tigorr and Broot wouldn’t have had to fight for their lives against the viceroy’s soldiers to begin with?

Theoretical conundrums with King’s storyline aside, artist Barnaby Bagenda makes all the dreadful barbarism of this bleakly grim narrative thoroughly enthralling as a result of some simply outstanding illustrations. Many, such as the scene depicting a young boy being brought to his knees by his executor just before the trooper shots him in the back of the head off-panel, may make many readers unpleasantly uncomfortable. Yet such inferred violence simply reinforces the utter despair of the former CIA operative’s plot, and certainly isn’t as graphic in nature as the Indonesia’s drawing of a man’s brain bleeding onto the stadium’s turf towards the end of the Citadel’s sickening vengeance.

Writer: Tom King, Art: Barnaby Bagenda, and Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Junior

The Omega Men #1 - DC Comics

THE OMEGA MEN No. 1, August 2015

Described by Tom King as “a brutal Space Odyssey that grabs you and twists you and won’t let you go”, this “revamp of a lesser-known DC team” originally created in the Eighties by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton, is a somewhat enthralling experience despite the comic’s opening narrative not actually making it all that clear as to what is going on. Admittedly the “former CIA operative turned author” had previously scripted an eight-page introductory preview story so as to explain the events leading up to this new series. But presumably not all of this book’s 30,158 readers had the opportunity to go online and enjoy “DC Comics” special sneak peek in which the Omega Men supposedly killed White Lantern Kyle Rayner and as a result became hunted fugitives of the Citadel…

Fortunately however the Washington-based writer’s script very quickly establishes that the star empire’s assault rifle-toting soldiers are clearly little more than the murderous minions of Abaetern’s Viceroy, as they shockingly gun down a hapless priest who isn’t expecting visitors to his ‘church’ for another hour. Whilst their prey, hidden by the local inhabitants of the planet Ogyptu, and consisting of a seriously odd-looking assortment of extra-terrestrials equally as armed to the teeth, are the title’s main protagonists; “We are friends. We will not hurt you.”

Having therefore quickly established the good guys from the bad, King then fills Issue One of “The Omega Men” with a series of tense action-packed scenes depicting the various refugees from the Vegan System dispatching their pursuers in a variety of blood-thirsty, rather graphic-looking ways. Foremost amongst these gory sequences has to be that involving the “savage Karnan feline fighter” Tigorr. Whose method of luring his unsuspecting assailants down to a gruesome, painful demise within a dark hole, hidden beneath a trap door “under the carpet” is as grisly as the hulking humanoid Catman is ferocious. Indeed the occasional team-leader’s claws are so formidable that when he corners the Citadel’s last surviving trooper, the squaddie coolly shoots himself in the head rather than be disembowelled by the furry warrior.

Equally as disturbing a killer though is undoubtedly the misguided nobleman Primus, who literally blows off the face of a “poor Citadel citizen” whilst offering the blue-skinned guard his most profuse apologies; “I am sorry. Very. I am very sorry.” In fact “The One Who Leads” appears so unhinged that having slain his foe, he then shouts at his robotic companion Doc, to “give him a look” just to “make sure he’s gone” and is not in any way suffering.

All of these proceedings are simply stunningly illustrated by Barnaby Bagenda. The Indonesian penciller really manages to imbue his pages with plenty of dynamism and life, not forgetting plenty of blood spatters, despite the majority of his breakdowns simply consisting of nine standard-sized rectangular panels.

Writer: Tom King, Art: Barnaby Bagenda, and Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Junior