OMAC #1 (1974)

OMAC #1 (September-October, 1974)
"Brother Eye and Buddy Blank"
Writer/Artist/Editor - Jack Kirby
Inker/Letterer - Mike Royer
Cover Price: $0.20

Well, that was one quick year... wasn't it?  It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating Jack Kirby's 99th Birthday!  If I thought I was going to still be doing this today, I'd have saved that Mister Miracle Discussion and Review for today!

Instead, we're going to talk about a Kirby-DC book that... I've never read before!  Of Kirby's DC work, there are some titles that I have a harder time locating "in the wild".  I'm talking about Forever People and OMAC.  It's a relative rarity to find them in my neck of the woods.

About a month ago a local shop got a massive influx of Silver and Bronze Age DC... I joked that "future Chris" must've sold his collection, because it was all stuff that I wanted.  Anyhoo, in that collection was... OMAC.  I nabbed it... and decided to save it for today.  Will this be a suitable tribute to the King of Comics?  (Spoiler Alert: Probably Not).

Now, a little Christory.  Growing up... I really wasn't a fan of Jack Kirby's art.  I was a child of the 80's and 90's and would much rather see John Byrne, John Romita Jr., one of the Kubert fellas, or one of the Image Comics founders than Kirby's more "squared" and to my mind "dull" art.  I guess kids will be kids... which is to say, dumb.  Or at the very least, ignorant of history.

Thanks to things like the Marvel Essentials "phone book" sized black and white archive collections that started to be released in the late-1990's, there was finally an affordable way to familiarize myself with the history of the Marvel Universe... and it's creators.  I was afforded a newfound appreciation for Jack Kirby... and I gotta say, seeing it in black and white was quite a treat.  From there, I can't say that I was ever Kirby's #1 fan or anything, but I do appreciate his place, and have come to really dig his work.

In addition to this piece, Reggie and I re-uploaded our Cosmic Treadmill episode (#14) where we discussed Kirby's Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #1 from 1972.



And if that's not enough, here's our Weird Comics History, Episode 17: The Lives and Times of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby:


I'm not the only one celebrating #Kirby100... and so, at the bottom of this Discussion, I'm going to include links to some bloggy buds and poddy pals who are also paying tribute to the King!

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We open on the rather unsettling sight of a Build-A-Friend... named Lila?  She ain't the only Build-A-Friend here, however... we soon find that our man OMAC is standing in a full-on Build-A-Friend factory!  Who?  How?  We'll get there...

OMAC proclaims himself to be empowered by the Global Peace Agency... and chases away the workers for their illegal and dangerous practices.  He then turns to Lila... recognizing her as his friend.  Realizing that she's a terrifying abomination, he transmutes his explosive energy into a wall of Kirbytech and blows the building and the Build-A-Friends to pieces.  This is actually the end of the story... so, let's go back in time.

Earlier, at the offices of the Global Peace Agency Professor Myron Forest believes he has found the perfect candidate for something called "Project OMAC"... Buddy Blank!  A pair of Peace Agents... with hidden faces (thanks to cosmetic spray) order him to immediately link Blank up to the "Brother Eye" satellite.

... and once they leave, that's just what he sets about doing.  He wakes the long dormant satellite, and introduces it to his photo of Buddy Blank.  Forest asks that he change him into OMAC.  Brother Eye understands... and states that he and his new best Buddy will be as brothers.

Now, let's meet the man himself... Buddy Blank.  He's an awkward fella... who doesn't appear to get on all that well with his coworkers at Pseudo-People, Incorporated.  He gets socked and mocked just for trying to say hello to a young lady at the office.  His supervisor witnesses the entire thing... and blames it on him and his "persecution complex".  Wow.  With his shoulders slumped he heads out of the department... and on the way, he gets tripped!  What a bunch of creeps!  Wonder if we might be getting some creative-commentary here.

The supervisor follows and demands he visit the "Psychology Section" to work out his issues.  Turns out this corporation comes fully equipped with a fantastical psyche department... and ooh boy, it's wild!  There are rooms dedicated to various means of "working out one's issues".  There's a room where you can cry... a "Destruct Room" where you can break stuff... and kick "pseudo-people" in the rump... set cars on fire (!!!).  Woof.

He decides that none of these rooms will help him right now... after all, he's not angry... just depressed.  Suddenly, his (only?) friend Lila (from the mysterious Section-D) runs up and wraps her arms around him.  They have a... pretty shallow conversation (on a count of the upcoming... and already-happened revelation). 

A pair of goggled employees are watching the entire exchange... and once Buddy leaves, they collect her... taking her back to Section-D where they prepare her... for shipment!

Some time later, Buddy Blank ventures into Section-D... for the first time.  He is immediately "greeted" by a pair of pistols.  Whoops!  He says he just wants to talk to Lila, which the workers find humorous.  They sit our man down and make him watch a film.  In it, he is introduced to the newest model of "Build-A-Friend"... a female, who is sent to a literary agent (hmm...) who immediately falls in love with her... and then she blows up!  Buddy is mortified... Pseudo-People, Incorporated is selling... murder!!?  Whodathunkit?

Buddy realizes what this might mean on an international scale... world leaders could be assassinated by pseudo-people!  He must put a stop to it before this triggers an atomic war!  It's here that he learns that... dun-dun-dunnnnn... Lila is also a female-bomb!  One of the guards goes to grab Buddy... likely to dispose of him, when Brother Eye connects... transforming our man into a One Man Army Corps!

From here, it's pretty academic... OMAC beats the hell out of everyone.  He's bulletproof, super strong, and has lightning-fast reflexes... we know the deal.

With the baddies out of the way, OMAC turns his attention to Lila... and we're back where we started.  He blows Section-D to kingdom come, and proclaims that his next target will be Mr. Big (who?).

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Hmm... probably not the best issue to cover in tribute to the King's 100th Birthday.  I wish I'd have held on to that Mister Miracle... because this... ehh, I didn't really dig it.  The art was strong, but the story... I dunno.

Being a jerk who overthinks everything, I can't help but wonder if Kirby was working through some stuff with this story.  We've got a fella being mistreated at the office... and whose superiors blame him for everything.  Instead of being given the opportunity to talk things out, he's simply dismissed to the "Psychology Section" to work through his issues.  There's also a case of a "literary agent" being sent a bomb-woman... can't say for sure if there's any significance to that.  I'm sure there is some "commercialism" and "corporate" subtext to all this... but it's more fun to dig a bit deeper, even if it's in vain.

While this provides a ton of fodder for armchair psychologists and fake-ass analysts (like me) to play with... it doesn't feel like a satisfying story... or even a chapter.  At least for me, the story format with the beginning actually being the end didn't help matters... there was no "reveal", we already knew Lila was a bot... and we know that OMAC destroys her, so Buddy's discovery didn't have much "punch".

Let's discuss design.  The first time I saw OMAC I thought he looked incredibly silly... and he kinda does, but I've softened on him.  I do think he's one of those characters who really only looks right when Kirby draws him.  The Build-A-Friend Lila looks horrifying.  Truly something that could haunt your dreams.  Really like the "look" of the book.

The cover... on the other hand?  It's a pretty weird look for a #1, ain't it?  I mean, there's a lot going on in text... but, the image seems an odd choice for a character introduction.  I couldn't imagine seeing this strange mohawked fella throwing a lady-in-a-box at me on the newsstand and feeling compelled to snatch it up.  It's got it's charm... but, still... so weird.

Is this worth a read?  I'd say so!  It's certainly not my favorite DC Jack, but there is a lot of weirdness to enjoy here.  The art is pretty haunting, and (at least I had) a lot of fun trying to "read into" what some of the subtext.  This issue has been collected in the Jack Kirby's OMAC: One Man Army Corps (2008) Hardcover, and is available digitally!

Before we wrap up, I just wanna say something.  If you listen to the Weird Science DC Comics Podcast, you heard me say this a few weeks ago.  I want to thank DC Comics for actually putting out new work in tribute to Jack Kirby's legacy.  It bothers me greatly that Marvel, who it feels like each and every week are trying to bury Kirby's legacy, are only celebrating #Kirby100 by rereleasing "True Believer" reprints... of books already freely available on Marvel Unlimited... and charging a buck for 'em.  It's pretty sad when you stop and think about it.  When I think of the genesis of Marvel... it's Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko that come to mind... and it's DC carrying the torch.

Anyhoo... Happy 100th to the King of Comics!

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(Not the) Letters Page:

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Interesting Ads:

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More #Kirby100 Fun:

The Crapbox of Son of Cthulhu

Fantastic Four #1 Review

Comic Reviews by Walt

Jack Kirby at 100

Between the Pages

The Top 10 Reasons Jack Kirby is the King of Comics

The SuperHero Satellite
Appreciating Kirby

Coffee and Comics Podcast

Episode 9: Phantom Force #0

In My Not So Humble Opinion

This King... This Kirby!

The Pop Culture Palace
Episode 4: 100 Years of Jack Kirby

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Superboy (vol.2) #4 (1994)

Superboy (vol.2) #4 (May, 1994)
"Superboy: The Animated Series"
Writer - Karl Kesel
Pencillers - Mike Parobeck & Tom Grummett
Inkers - Ande Parks & Doug Hazelwood
Colorist - Tim McCraw
Letterer - Richard Starkings
Editor - Frank Pittarese
Cover Price: $1.50

Well, here's another series I'd put off due to my "what volume is this?" neuroticism.  Ya see, this is usually referred to as Superboy, Volume Four... but that includes the series' New Adventures of Superboy, and Superboy: The Comic Book based off the syndicated television show (which would later become Adventures of Superboy)... making this volume technically the second to simply be called Superboy... and so, for the purposes of this blog... I'm gonna refer to it as Volume Two.

Yeah, I'm thinking too hard... but it's kinda what I do.

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We open with a retelling of Superboy's origin, told in very dramatic fashion!  It was the world's darkest hour... and all that jazz, when Superman was killed in battle with Doomsday.  Then, was lit a spark of hope... in the form of Cadmus Labs and their hankering for a hero via the magic of cloning.  Now the world looks to the skies to see... a very stylish (for the time... c'mon, you had that haircut back then too) young hero... Superboy!  It turns out, as if the cover wasn't a dead giveaway, that we're watching the opening credits to the pilot of Superboy: The Animated Series... along with the cast of this comic book!  We've got (a sick) Kon-El, surrounded by Tana Moon, Roxy, Dubbilex, and his agent, Rex Leech.

Tana takes Kon's temperature... and finds it normal, whatever "normal" might be for a Krypto-clone anyway.  He blames his illness on breathing in volcanic gases, and doing battle with Brimstone with The Ray (hey, we read that one!)... though, certainly Roxy blowing cigarette smoke in his face ain't helping matters either.  Dubbilex is dubious of Kon's self-diagnosis... as he knows there are some clone-centric diseases that he may be suffering from.  Rex don't have time for none'a this, however... he's got a cartoon to watch!

In toon-town, we are introduced to a pair of very Peter Davidesque villains going by the names Lock and Lode.  They have mistakenly broken into LexCorp Tower... thinking it to be where super agent Rex Leech lives on a count that it's shaped like a giant letter L.  They argue a bit... and throw a pair of "rent a cops" out the window... likely to their inky celluloid demise.

At "stately" Leech Manor, a very svelte Rex is conducting business with Police Commissioner Henderson... and, this is pretty neat.  In the comics Henderson is a white dude, but in Superman: The Animated Series, he is a black man... so, here, he's a black man.  What a fun touch!  Dubbilex makes his toon-debut as Rex's loyal (and wacky) telepathic D.N.Alien Butler... which is a hoot.  Rex's daughter Roxy is also introduced... as a mass of primordial slime!

As you might imagine, these portrayals are not well received by their real-world inspirations.  Dubbilex doesn't take kindly to being made to look like a silly servant... Roxy damn sure doesn't like the idea of being a puddle of ooze... while Superboy's just annoyed he hasn't shown up yet!

Back onscreen, Lock 'n Lode arrive on the scene and easily neutralize both Henderson and Dubbilex.  In the skirmish, the former's pistol goes flying... crashing through the globe that "held" Roxy's drippy oozy form, spilling her all about the room.

We shift scenes and finally meet, the man of the hour... Superboy!  He's hanging with a young lady at his Super-Grotto... which is sorta like the Batcave, only grotto-ier.  As he shows her his mysterious mineral spring, he notices... well, she notices... some slime dripping in from the ceiling.  Superboy knows that can only mean one thing... Rex has been attacked by super-assassins!

He bursts through the ceiling into the Manor above (way to give it all away, kid!) and finds Dubbilex and Henderson cuffed and seated... and Rex laying spread on a table while a laser pendulum swings above him... growing closer with each pass!

Superboy gets to fighting... and talking about his tactile telekinesis.  Man, I'd love to see a scene of Kon and Mercury from the Metal Men hanging out.  Liquid at room temperature versus tactile telekinesis... ay yai yai.  Everything looks to be going fine, when Superboy finds himself trapped in a super-hard resin... that the baddie lied and said was knock-out gas.  What a jerk!

It doesn't prove to be too detrimental to the Metropolis Kid... just momentarily slowing him down.  He breaks out of the crud... just in time to be ensnared in Lock's whip.  Lode steps in and begins applying the magnetic pressure to it when... Rex, now freed from the trap shoots the baddie in the shoulder.  Wow, what kinda violent cartoon is this?  Police thrown from skyscrapers... good guys using guns... blood (!) wild stuff here!

The day is saved... and we learn that it was all due to Rex's laser-reflective tie-clip (wonk wonnnnk).  Dubbilex enters to interrupt Kon and Rex's... soup feast (?) to inform them that something's going on in the Super-Grotto.  It turns out that Roxy has evolved... into a fungus (wonk wonnnnnk, again).

Back in the real world we wrap up with Kon excusing himself to head to the fridge... and with a TH-UNK, he hits the floor.  Tana Moon runs in to see him sprawled out... and fears him to be dead!

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Well, this was a lot of fun.  Looking back it's hard to believe this issue came so early in the run!  I'd figure a story like this would've come a bit later on... but, here we are!  Such a fun concept to play with... if I'm remembering right, DC did something similar in a later issue of Guy Gardner Warrior.

As much fun as this issue was... there really isn't a whole lot to say about it.  We see that Rex Leech's cartoon self is a suave dude, rather than a frumpy con-man... and he views himself as the "real" hero.  It's silly, and further shows what kinda goofball jerk he is.

I don't feel like the cast is established enough to have these "amped to 11" cartoon versions to be as funny as they're meant to be.  Of course, reading this well after the fact, after having a better idea of who these characters are... it's easy to have the proper appreciation.  It's difficult to say how I would have received this had I read it in 1994.  I'm sure I'd have dug it... but, maybe not as much?  I dunno... my Kon-El mileage was a bit different back then.  Too be honest, he annoyed me... and I was hoping he'd be temporary.

The non-cartoon story here is focused on Superboy's illness... which everyone but Dubbilex writes off as his just being under the weather.  I can't remember what becomes of it... but I'm guessing it's taken care of within the next couple of issues.  The story within a story gives the Kon-is-sick bits some time to organically breathe... and not shove it in our faces.  His collapse at the end was actually a bit of a surprise, simply due to how nonchalantly it was treated up to that point.  Really clever storytelling here... a silly cartoon framed by a serious situation.  Great misdirection.

Overall... this is one I'd definitely recommend.  Though, I would posit that a basic familiarity with Kon's Kast would yield a better appreciation for the exaggerated animated takes.  The art alone, however, makes this more than worth a read.  Grummett's (relatively) realistic take contrasted with Parobeck's "lighter" animated style comes across great!  For your convenience, this is available digitally.

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Justice Society of America (vol.3) #15 (2008)

Justice Society of America (vol.3) #15 (June, 2008)
"Thy Kingdom Come, The Good Fight"
Story - Geoff Johns & Alex Ross
Penciller - Dale Eaglesham & Alex Ross
Inker - Prentis Rollins
Colorist - Alex Sinclair
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Michael Siglain
Cover Price: $2.99

I thought I missed an issue for a second.  This is the only one from this run that isn't the Alex Ross cover.  It's not a bad cover, but really sticks out when flipping through the collection.  Not something I feel an urge to remedy or anything... that would just leave me with a "double"... and those kinda make me itch.

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We open on Earth-22, where a battle rages until... the bombs are dropped!  Superman-22 narrates the utter hopelessness of the thing, and mourns the loss of his Earth and those he held dear.

We return to the here and now, where Gog is about to face off with the Brightest Day and Blackest Night combo from last issue, Green Lantern and Obsidian.  He's able to hold off the onslaught well enough, really... it looks like he's being jumped by a gang here... until, Obsidian uses his shadow powers to enter the baddie's bod.

After providing a psychological assessment of Gog, Obsidian attempts to blind him... this allows for Superman and Power Girl to briefly go on the offense, while Starman and Flash can direct traffic to keep civilians out of harms way.  Gog eventually "evicts" the young fella and regains his footing.

Stargirl and Lightning arrive, with the former instructing the latter to take out all of her frustrations on Gog... which leads to her blasting the baddie with her namesake while kvetching that she can't drive a car.  It's quite a bit cuter than I'm making it sound.  Amid this distraction, Liberty Belle jumps back into her old gimmick and calls upon the speed formula [3X2(9YZ)4A] she used while she was Jesse Quick to bum rush Gog... but gets blasted nonetheless.

By this point, the Justice Society just go ahead and dogpile Gog.  It's really quite the scene!  It's probably worth mentioning that it's the "kids" who are getting the upper hand here... Judomaster, Mr. America, Amazing Man, Citizen Steel, Lance... ya know, the newbies.  When one on one with Judomaster, Gog uses the environment against her... almost as though he'd sussed out her Achilles heel straightaway!

Ma Hunkel watches the whole thing unfold from the busted up brownstone.  Several Society members in various stages of kayo are with her... including her granddaughter Maxine who meets a new friend.  Sandman (who I think I've been calling "Sand" up to this point... because that was his name... it's the former Sandy the Golden Boy) arrives and tells the remainders that the villain is not Gog.

In Battery Park, the Society regains their bearings and heads in to head off Gog... before he can "head off" Judomaster.  Faced with pretty bad offs, Gog realizes discretion is the better part of yadda yadda, and so he activates a Boom Tube (!!!) to retreat.

Unfortunately for him... several Society members manage to teleport with him... in particular, Lance!  It's made pretty clear that Gog recognizes Lance... this will become important later.

Sandman shows up and demands (not) Gog spill the beans.  (Not) Gog reveals that Gog wants to save them all... and needs them to believe in him, and only him.  Suddenly, that giant purple Thanos-looking face from a few issues back activates.

The giant head's giant mouth opens... and (not) Gog is split in two!  It's a really cool visual... it's almost as though he's atomized from the inside out.  At the same time, Lance's... lance starts to glow even hotter than usual.  The rest of the Justice Society arrives just in time to see the mountain come apart.  Power Girl sees the giant head, and asks Sandman what it is she's looking at.  He reveals that, while speaking to the Earth, he learned that this stone head "didn't belong"... as in, it's not from this world!

The issue wraps up with Gog... the real one, stood tall... across an amazing vertical two-page spread.  He reveals to the Justice Society that he has come... in peace.

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Okay, we're getting somewhere!

It's been awhile since I read this, and I was bracing for another cliffhanger with (not) Gog facing off with another Justice Society member... was really glad that wasn't the case.  Not saying that this arc overstayed its welcome or anything... it just felt a bit repetitive over the past two or three chapters.

This issue is mostly an extended fight scene... but it's so well done, both in pacing, and art that it's a pleasure to experience.  While I'm a sucker for "talking heads" JSA stories, this was just as great.  Doesn't hurt that Johns managed to cram a who'lotta characterization into this bit.

Keeping with the fight, let's discuss that crazy dog-pile.  It's almost surreal to see all of these supremely powered characters have to actually bum-rush the threat of (not) Gog.  If I were a fella who got excited by superhero movies (I'm not, by the way) I'd say this would be an interesting scene to watch play out.  I especially liked Liberty Belle tapping into her old persona for a moment.  I feel like a less-invested writer wouldn't have "went there", and I'm glad Johns did.  It's the best kind of (and I hate this term) "fan-service".  If I didn't know about her past, this would have been something that prompted a Google search for sure.

It was neat seeing the newbies get their chance to shine.  Johns did this in a way that didn't cut down the establishment to make his point.  What we see is the new recruits having conviction and willingness to put themselves on the line to live up to the team, rather than bringing the team down to a lesser level.  That whole, if everyone else takes a step backwards... the people who simply stood still look better by comparison type of mentality.  I feel like that's the way a lazy (or agenda-driven) writer would've handled it, and I'm glad not to see that here.

And then there's Maude Gog!  We finally meet the "real" Gog here.  I mean, we saw his giant craggy head a few issues back, but we didn't know it was a living, breathing sorta thing.  I often gush over Dale Eaglesham's work... but, boy oh boy... Gog raising out of the mountain?  Friggin' incredible.  I could almost hear orchestral music... like as though you were about to fight a boss in Final Fantasy or something.  I hate the word "epic" because in the past decade of internetese, it's been rendered meaningless... but, c'mon... this was a pretty epic introduction!

Overall... yet another wonderful issue of Justice Society of America.  We wrap up this leg of Thy Kingdom Come and prepare for One World, Under Gog.  Well worth your time... and as loath as I am to promote a trade collection over single issues (not floppies, dammit), I'd recommend just hopping into the hardcover or tpb.  You're going to get an amazing story all in one bite.

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(Not the) Letters Page:

I'm pretty sure I have every issue with SIGHTINGS on the cover... and still haven't the foggiest idea what it means! 

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