"The End" Week: OMAC #8!

It's not by design, but the theme this year seems to be surprise cancellations: from 1975, OMAC #8, "Human Genius vs. Thinking Machine" Written and penciled by Jack Kirby, inks by Mike Royer.

OMAC barely appears this issue, as his alter ego Buddy Blank is stranded on a rocky island, then disappears before the satellite Brother Eye can feed him the power to transform. The confused Blank is captured by the monster-making Dr. Skuba, his creepy daughter Seaweed, and her boy-toy Apollo. Seaweed lets slip they, like the creatures Skuba had created, had been transformed by "atomic manipulation," which I think was an extreme cosmetic measure. Brother Eye continues fighting Skuba, defending Blank and turning Skuba's weapons against him. Skuba doesn't go down easy, though, and launches beams into space to attract space rocks to Brother Eye, enclosing it in rock. And in the last panel--not written or drawn by Kirby--Skuba's equipment overloads, destroying his island in a massive explosion! Is this the end of OMAC? Um, it's the last issue, so...

Well, not so much. Sequart has a pretty definitive look at OMAC, and even they aren't sure exactly what happened. Kirby's contract with DC was up at that point, and while he may have had one foot out the door, he may have been willing to do another issue and wrap things up. That didn't happen, but DC has gone back to this well more than once, with varying results. OMAC would return in Kamandi #59: the last issue of that book. Then the rest of his back-up stories went to Warlord. I've more than come around on Kamandi, but I always felt it would've been stronger with an actual ending; now I'm wondering if OMAC wouldn't have as well.
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I was trying to figure out why I thought I had read all of Jack Kirby's OMAC; and unless I borrowed the collection from somewhere, I think it's because part of it was recapped in the back-up features in Warlord. Or maybe I'm just senile, a problem that probably couldn't be fixed by slapping an old brain into a young body, "the most horrible menace in human history," as posited by today's book! From 1975, OMAC #5, "New Bodies for Old!" Story and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks and letters by D.Bruce Berry.

A Peace Agent of the Global Peace Agency (who concealed his face and racial features with a cosmetic spray, leaving him looking not unlike the Question) brings OMAC evidence of a mob's newest, and possibly most dangerous racket: computerized brain transplant surgery, where old criminals can buy new, young bodies. The mob nearly rubs out the agent after his briefing, but Brother Eye had shielded them, and leaves fake bodies to throw off the trail. OMAC then has to work the case to find the "transplant terminal" before the first batch of young people is surgically harvested! But his only lead is a punk who might be convinced to let the mob harvest his girl, if the price is right...

A surprisingly dark book! Although, I think the next issue continues this story but veers off into fighting monsters in the subways. Really should check my bookshelves, maybe I do have the trade...
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Side note: those black covers take a thumbprint like nobody's business.

We close out the week with some books that won't fit in the scanner, but that I waited about twenty-five years to read! From 1991, OMAC #1-4, by John Byrne. It's prestige format, yet black-and-white. (Except for the inside covers.)

This is very much in tribute to Jack Kirby's OMAC, taking place both following and around his series: after 20 years fighting through the wartorn, post-apocalypse world, the One-Man Army Corps has finally caught up with one of the primary causes of said apocalypse, Mr. Big. Who's now a withered old man, but OMAC still snaps his neck. And then things get weird, when time-travelling agents of the facemasked Global Peace Agency come from out of time to get him--and OMAC recognizes them as having died before!

Byrne draws an assload of rubble in this series, which reminded me of his work on Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor; but he also hits on some of Kirby's OMAC highlights like Lila, the Build-a-Friend. And it may be the only comic you'll read where the hero kills Hitler, just to derail his villain's plan!

Even though I'd seen this series here and there over the years, last weekend I found the whole series at once, for a buck an issue! Almost cheaper than a single issue new in 1991.
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I can't recall OMAC's uniform, but I'm betting it was more intimidating than cut-off jean shorts.

Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth was a series cancelled when I was about seven years old and just starting to get into reading comics. I've only read random issues here and there, both from series creator Jack Kirby and some from after he left the title; but I've often thought the book would be better remembered if it had a definitive conclusion, rather than merely ending with Kamandi still questing to bring humanity back from savagery in a world of intelligent animals. Then again, Kirby's OMAC could've done with a proper ending as well, but I don't know if this was the way to do it...

From 1977, Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #50, "The Death Worshippers!" Story by Denny O'Neil, art by Dick Ayers, Alfredo Alcala, and Manuel Auad. Previously, Kamandi had been infected with a disease that caused brutal, killing rage fits; but his friends Dr. Canus (a dog) and Pyra (an alien made of fiery energy) have finally caught up with him to cure him. Unfortunately, Pyra's genetic manipulation sends Kamandi back a couple of generations--she apparently left the machine set on "dog"--and turned him into OMAC like his grandfather! Confused yet super-strong, Kamandi tears off into a forest, and runs into a creepy band of sloth-people! They finish each other's sentences and worship a skeleton, and it's a skeleton of someone they ate, so sloths are apparently way more disturbing after the Great Disaster.

The mutant Ben Boxer knew of OMAC, so Kamandi's friends take Pyra's spaceship to find OMAC's partner, the satellite Brother Eye. (Brother Eye has gotten a bad rap in the last decade or so of DC comics, but he was friendly and helpful back in the day.) Pyra frees Brother Eye from the shell that imprisoned it (which was seen in an issue of OMAC, I think!) and it feeds energy to Kamandi, which also helps him escape the sloths. (Presumably, by walking away briskly.) In the memory of his partner, Brother Eye restores Kamandi to normal, referring to OMAC as "an experiment that failed!"

I've been meaning to pick up the last issue of Kamandi, but it really isn't! #59 was the last one published, although #60 and #61 were completed. We looked at the OMAC back-up that ended up in Warlord, but I don't think the main stories were ever printed. Although you can find them online with a little looking!
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"Future's Mend."

Eight years running, and no one's traveled back in time to stop me yet. So we'll probably keep going a while longer.

I'm looking forward to seeing X-Men: Days of Futures Past this weekend, although I thought I remembered Claremont or Byrne saying they regretted that story for the damage it did: instead of learning from the example of a tight, two-issue story; other creators followed the example of a seemingly inescapable horrible future and to kill off characters whenever possible for the sales boost. I don't think DC's the New 52: Futures End is bringing anything new to the table. In fact, the "Batman builds Brother Eye, and is pretty much responsible for the OMAC's killing a ton of people" plot was done a few years before the reboot, sometime after Identity Crisis, and it was just awful then.

First time I've had my DC figures out for a bit, then. I would've had this done earlier, but it took me forever to find the DC Direct Batman Beyond figure--which is a little oversized for use with DCUC, but I still like it. Makes him seem tougher.


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80-Page Thursday: Countdown Special: Kamandi #1!

Today, another reprint tie-in to Countdown, but this time one I hadn't read at all, unlike the OMAC one we saw a while back: Countdown Special: Kamandi #1, reprinting three Jack Kirby classics. (With inks from Mike Royer and D. Bruce Berry.)

In "The Last Boy on Earth" the series is set up: named after the bunker complex 'Command D,' the young boy finds himself alone in a terrible world after his grandfather (retroactively revealed to be OMAC, which may or may not make a damn bit of sense...) is killed by a pack of scavenger wolf-men. With the exception of Kamandi, mankind appears to have fallen even below savagery, to the level of dumb animals; while animal-men talk, think, and fight in the ruins of man's world. (Not unlike Planet of the Apes, except other animals get in on the action.) Captured by tiger-men, Kamandi is about to detonate the nuclear warhead they worship when he's stopped by the kindly Dr. Canus, who introduces him to Ben Boxer, an intelligent human.

Some of Boxer's history is revealed in the next story, "Killer Germ." Boxer (and his friends Renzi and Steve) were mutated to survive the Great Disaster, gaining atomic powers, but strictly speaking weren't human anymore. Their NASA complex is destroyed this issue in an attack by bat-men and the deadly giant germ Morticoccus.

Next, in "The Legend!" after spying a flying figure, Kamandi and Ben meet a tribe of apes who worship an ancient artifact and have a series of tests to rediscover the 'Mighty One.' The tests are more like a competition, and Kamandi pushes Ben into trying out; even though one of the tests is to be launched by a catapult. The apes had not had a lot of luck yet with that one, but kept trying. They still had the Mighty One's uniform, and after winning it (after a fashion...) Ben decrees it should be held until that hero's return. (This story puts Kamandi in DC continuity, unless you argue the apes were worshiping a movie prop.)

Fun and fast moving, these are great stories. I'm mildly surprised DC hasn't tried for a stand-alone Kamandi movie. Step one: hire some Twilight-style teenage hunk that's willing to go shirtless the whole movie. Step two: Uh, special effects, or something. Step three: Profit! Seriously, it's like Kamandi was allergic to shirts or something.
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80-Page Thursday: Countdown Special: OMAC #1!

I was a big fan of the all-too-brief New 52 O.M.A.C.. I always thought it needed a metal opening theme, possibly with legions chanting his name; possibly kinda like the opening to Metalocalypse.

But today, we have classic OMAC! From 2008, Countdown Special: OMAC #1, with stories and art by Jack Kirby, Jim Starlin, and Len Wein, George Perez, and Pablo Marcos.

That's a great lineup, although I had kinda been hoping this was just going to be Jack Kirby issues, since those were the ones I don't have! I already had two of the Jim Starlin ones, that were intended for use in Kamandi but instead burned off as back-ups in Warlord. (I do wonder how they were received there, but I suspect Starlin may have moved on regardless.) And DC Comics Presents #61 with Superman I have reprinted, in Best of DC #50 digest. (Which is pretty good!) Hell, I probably have the original floating around somewhere too, now that I think about it.

I didn't notice before, but both the original OMAC and the new 52 version only lasted eight issues each. And what did OMAC have to do with Countdown again? Something about the Great Disaster? Well, we're lucky in that these issues read just fine without getting back into that debacle.


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OK, this week's month's comics:

Although I bought some cheap trades and some ninety-nine cent Deadpool Corps and MAX issues; I hadn't picked up the bulk of my comics for the better part of a month. Which you probably guessed by the title. And it was a little gloomy, since there were two second-to-last issues and the end of a mini-series. We aren't going to do a lot of scans this time around, since I'm doing this on the fly, but let's take a quick look.

First, Static #7 was a bit more together than the previous issues, but still felt like too little and too late. On the other hand, O.M.A.C. #7 felt like there was a lot of gas left in the tank; as DiDio and Giffen channel a ton of Kirby and have Superman guest-star for a whopping four pages before going into a straight-up Kamandi tribute. And My Greatest Adventure #6 wraps the series with Robotman, Garbage Man, and Tenga not getting anything they want. Seriously, at all.

Demon Knights is the only DC book I've been reading that'll be around in a couple of months, but as the first storyline wraps I'm not sure if I want to stick with it or not. It's not bad, but the siege seemed to run a little long, and the outcome was a bit of a given. (A seeming traitor wasn't maybe, a character aged to near death is back, and they totally had to destroy that village to save it.)

On the other hand, the end of the Lobster Johnson story in Dark Horse Presents #9 is likewise a given, but it's executed better in less pages. I might have to write up this issue for a much-later 80-Page Thursday; but suffice to say I'm enjoying DHP a lot...but not as much as I theoretically could. Future issues are going to have Nexus, Ghost, and Evan Dorkin; and I selfishly want them all in the same issue. Every month.

There was also Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand #3, which was terrifying and awesome. Tying into an old B.P.R.D. villain; this issue a mobster's new hires burn down a few buildings and fight the Lobster, but they are more than the mobster realizes. Much more. The mobster should have a lot more fear at this point than he does. Artist Tonci Zonjic is killing it, too.

Lastly, the conclusion of Atomic Robo & the Ghost of Station X wraps that series up nicely, although I think I missed an issue. Gotta get back on that. And I picked up the reprint of Adventure Time #1 for the Youngest, but haven't read it yet. Man, that's a bit light for a month; and I'm sure I missed or forgot to mention some stuff, but we'll get to that as it turns up.
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'OMACtivate,' Meaning 'Accept Cancellation.'

O.M.A.C. and Static Shock are among DC's first cancellations in the new 52. Never love anything, comics fans. Never.


From O.M.A.C. #5, "Occasionally Monsters Accidentally Crossover" Written by Dan DiDio and Jeff Lemire, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by Scott Koblish.

I don't think O.M.A.C. was a perfect comic, but it was a perfectly enjoyable comic. I had also seen it referred to occasionally as a "guilty pleasure," and I don't necessarily agree with that label. Still, it's a shame that we won't get to see it grow, either.

I'm just lucky I didn't bring down Demon Knights as well, since ever other book I've read from DC the last few years has gone to an early grave. I have a pretty bad track record for sinking comics--there's a reason I do "The End" week every year, isn't there? In fact, now I'm worried for Atomic Robo, since I recently added that to my pull list...

Ideally, I wish companies would try a trick that maybe worked once: take a low-selling character, and team him up with another, like Iron Fist being folded into Power Man. In that case, I'd at least have Unknown Xombi Warlord Shock Patrol to look forward to every month...

Ugh. Think I'll take tomorrow off, then. Have a good long weekend!

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80-Page Thursdays: Brave New World!

Every Thursday, for as long as I can find more, we'll be looking at an 80-page comic! Not 64, not 100, 80-pagers! And today's kinda sucks. Sorry.

After Infinite Crisis, DC put out Brave New World #1, 80-pages for a dollar! It was a preview of six new series and limited series...none of which took off, at all. I think the most successful of the lot was the All-New Atom, which featured Grant Morrison concepts, Gail Simone writing, John Byrne art on a few issues, and lasted 25 issues. Said new Atom, Ryan Choi, was killed off by Deathstroke, in part of the ongoing pre-reboot attempt to make him seem badass again...but Ryan maybe may return in the new DC.

I'm a fan of the Creeper, but the Steve Niles version didn't do it for me. Possibly because this story continued DC's proud tradition of maybe sorta rebooting a single character, as opposed to a line-wide reboot. That and I hate the gimmick of the main character denouncing his own secret identity. Clark Kent usually doesn't have to say Superman sucks...

This issue also features Skrull-chinned J'onn J'onzz, a new batch of Freedom Fighters to replace the ones murdered in Infinite Crisis, a Shazam! story, and an OMAC intro that was actually better than I'd expected. That's even with the blue, Batman-derived robots as opposed to the good, Kirby version. A former junkie from Gotham finds himself in Vegas with a girlfriend he doesn't remember and on the run from killer robots and Superman. I don't know if the limited series that followed was any good (in fact, I'm willing to bet no, it wasn't) but that was an OK start.
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OK, this week's comics:

I have no intention of doing this every week, especially since I don't necessarily get new books or go to the comic shop every week; and there's only so many times I can tell you to buy Hellboy or whatnot. Anyway, so there's a new Hellboy hardback this week, and you should buy it.

I was almost going to leave it at that, since as a hardback, it's not going to fit in my scanner. But Hellboy: House of the Living Dead continues the tale that began in Hellboy in Mexico or, a Drunken Blur: after befriending three luchadores (who were told by a vision of the Virgin Mary to kill vampires) Hellboy is crushed when one is turned into a monster and he's forced to kill him. He spends some time as a luchadore himself, drinking to forget; until a strange man comes with an offer for a match...

Mignola mentions House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula as inspirations for his one, and while it shows, I think it's a little telling that while those movies were the last gasps of that run of monsters, it's not an unusual day for Hellboy. He's moved past that. There's also a brief appearance by one of the series' main villains, who makes an ominous proclamation tying into future books. Oh, and Richard Corben is 71, and just killing it on the art. While I only have a vague awareness of his own work like Den or Mutant World, I've enjoyed his recent Hellboy stories, and with Garth Ennis he did one of my favorite Punisher stories--in fact, that is one of my favorite single-issues, ever.

I picked up Wolverine and the X-Men #1 from last week, and it wasn't bad. Mainly, I wanted to see what was up with the little Nightcrawler-Bamf-gremlin things pictured on the regular version's cover. But, I have to say I like the idea of Wolvie and Kitty (and Marvel, for that matter) trying to do something different with their new school for mutants. Even if they're in way over their heads. There were a few beats that didn't quite work--I don't think Rachel would ever out a student as a bedwetter, even in psychic self-defense class--and some of the students don't really grab me; but still a good start.

I also tried something a little different with OMAC and Static Shock, reading the first three issues of both. I'm still enjoying OMAC, even if OMAC's alter-ego Kevin really hasn't gotten to do much yet--I don't think he's been on-panel with his girlfriend yet in the series. Meanwhile, Static's horrible big sister Sharon is twice as bad: she's been duplicated somehow, with both of them in the same house claiming the other is an evil clone. Fine, but when the hell did that happen? On-panel? In Teen Titans or Milestone Forever? Again, it's a perfectly fine plot point, but it just strikes me as completely messed up if Milestone Forever is in-continuity and Crisis on Infinite Earths isn't.

The villains seemed a little soft this month in both books as well. I hated the Checkmate Elite--DiDio and Giffen seemed to be trying for a Kirby spin on a paramilitary team but hit the wrong excesses, like terrible names. And when Static passes himself as a gang member from Dakota (the city, not the states, as someone has to be corrected) and the Big Bang comes up; it just reminded me the Blood Syndicate was so much more bad-ass than Virule or the Pale Man, a.k.a. that guy that looks like the Joker but doesn't like you mentioning it. Still, these are just minor nitpicks so far; and I'm enjoying both books.
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"Obliquely Mocking Ares' Costume."

I picked up the first issue of OMAC the other day, and enjoyed it; but I'm not sure where it's going. It's very Kirby-esque, but I think OMAC's deal was spelled out in the classic version's first issue; here it's not clear. I may give that one a little more rope, see where it goes...for some reason, I had the line "OMAC died...so that man might live!" stuck in my head, but I know that's not right.


The title of the first issue is "Office Management Amidst Chaos," and I kind of hope subsequent issues continue that trick. "Origami Mutants Argue Constantly." "Outside Messages Aren't Complimentary." "Ongoing Mistakes Against Continuity." I should stop, they may need some of those...(Story and art by Dan Didio and Keith Giffen, inks by Scott Koblish.)


Also got Static Shock #1, "Recharged" Story by John Rozum, story and pencils by Scott McDaniel, inks by Jonathan Glapion and LeBeau Underwood. Guest-starring Hardware, which is a good sign for a bit of Milestone making its way to the DCU or DCNu or whatever. (Icon probably should've gone to Stormwatch instead of J'onn...) I'm hoping to see Hardware in action at some point, since right now he appears to be in tech-support mode ala Microchip or Oracle.

Mighty God King has a pretty good breakdown of DC's new #1's so far, and a fair criticism of Static Shock reading not as a new #1, but as a continuation of the previous series. Yeah, but OK. I think a lot of that book's sales are going to be either fans of his previous series, or fans of the animated series, neither of whom are going to need a ton of recap. Besides, compared to some of the other 52, this will read like a book where things happen, I do believe.

In other books, I picked up Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human #2, making sure to get the Simonson cover. (GCD hasn't had scans of them all yet, since I think there's been 6+covers for 2 issues.) It's unfair to compare it to the Miller/Simonson version, which I loved to death; so while it's not as good as that, it's not bad...interesting, at least. We'll see where it goes.

And I missed Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X #1, so I finally broke and added it to my pull list. Previously, I picked it up here and there, but I think it's time to go all in. Hopefully, they can back order it for me.
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This Thanksgiving, be thankful you're not Kamandi:

Anyone else feel weird buying a toy of a little boy in jean shorts?

Not only is he a character I never reckoned we'd see a figure of; but I also enjoy the concept of Kamandi. Possibly more than his actual comics, since I've only read a relatively few of them: the occasional random issue of Kirby's run, an appearance in Justice League Unlimited, and his serial in Wednesday Comics. But the idea, of the last boy on earth, facing armies of talking, cranky animals and other weird crap, is a good one. (I want to say Kirby cheats a little: there are other humans still alive, so presumably other boys; but most of them are slaves, on the level of animals, very much not unlike Planet of the Apes...)

I wish DC had reprinted Kamandi and OMAC when I was a kid: I would've been seven when the last issue came out. But, I would've enjoyed both if there had been an end point somewhere; instead of Kamandi endlessly wandering. And it may be just as well if I don't read the actual comics, since like Planet of the Apes, I think I miss the point entirely. I think the authorial intent was to show the carelessness and cruelty of man, and that mankind needs to treat the planet and their animal brothers with more care; yet the message I always get is, animals are dicks and should be killed and eaten at the earliest convenience. (With the exception of dogs, as man's best friend, they'll be eaten last.) I'd love to write a Kamandi story where he goes back to our present...to beat up PETA. "Don't save the apes! Or the tigers! For the good of humanity!"

I also owed Kamandi for mocking him mercilessly, in one of my favorite strips here, "It's the Great Disaster, Charlie Brown." Deadpool and Nightcrawler visit the post-apocalyptic future, and it goes about as well as you'd expect.

That's it for this week: I'm out for Thanksgiving! Hope you all have fun, and have plenty to be thankful for...
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