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14 of 16 persons found the following review helpful.
Steve Gerber’s Alpha and Omega of superheroes
By J. A. Hazelwood
I was looking at the fourth season DVD box set of the Batman Animated Series a while ago (I’d write a glowing review for any of those sets if there weren’t so numerous glowing reviews for them already) and I was in particular struck by a line from one of the creator commentaries. On the “Critters” episode, which was written by veteran comic scribe Steve Gerber, show-runner Bruce Timm claimed that Gerber “doesn’t in truth believe in heroes” and proceeded to not in truth elucidate on that statement. I couldn’t in truth figure out what to make of Bruce’s assertion. Is he saying that Gerber felt that the superhero genre was getting crowded and trite, or did he believe in something more pessimistic like that no one could ever make great personal sacrifices for others for rigorously altruistic reasons? The Batman originative team offered no rebuttal or closure to that ostensible denunciation.
That’s why I sought a good deal of closure myself by checking out the new full color, paperback collection of Gerber’s enigmatic series, Omega the Unknown. As most Marvelites know, Gerber’s canon likewise includes Howard the Duck and the Man-Thing, surely not general superheroic figures, as well as a run on the Defenders which distinguished itself from other teams by being relentlessly self-effacing and tongue-in-cheek (I don’t think the Elf with a Gun would have shown up in even the most lighthearted Spider-Man tale). However, Omega is his most straight-forward, Silver Age-style comic creation, at least by all introductory appearances, and so I picked it up as a test to divine precisely where Mr. Gerber stands on this “hero” business.
In the primary six pages of the firstborn issue, a caped limber figure that may spew streams of fire from his palms fights for his life on numerous war-scorched realm while a thoughtful twelve-year-old boy survives a horrific car crash and learns that his doting parents were robots. Welcome to the wild and terrifi world of Steve Gerber, friends! The story of Omega the Unknown is therefore with regards to the mysterious and tenuous relation amidst those two protagonists. The silent alien warrior known only as Omega has fled to Earth from his devastated planet and apparently decisive to occupy himself with occasional vigilantism (after all, he already has the outfit for it). Meanwhile, the young James-Michael Starling, who sure looks a lot like a younger Omega, tries to adjust to foster life in New York City. It’s no easy order for a kid who is so socially naive, coldly analytical and emotionless that he would make Reed Richards blush. The duo’s lives are buoyed along by a colorful supporting cast including Omega’s curmudgeonly old caretaker “Gramps”, James-Michael’s fussy worrywart nurse Ruth, and Ruth’s roommate Amber, a free-spirited redhead who’s a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle (I know, she’s like Mary Jane Watson with Peter Parker’s resume). The list of villains is a little less inventive with a huge amount of guest stars like Electro, the Foolkiller, Nitro the Exploding Man/Civil War-instigator, and that one strong guy who knocked around Captain America that one time, you recognise the one. The only firstborn foes are the exclusively unbelievable Hispanic shaman, El Gato, and the eerily believable handyman/unhinged killer, the Wrench.
In any case, the series is remembered less for it is characters as it is for it is primarily philosophical, existentialist message. Gerber distinctly uses the nebulous, uncertain link amid Omega and JM as a metaphor for the difficultness that standard humans may experience when searching their souls and attempting to define themselves. While I many times cherished the gravity and intelligence of the script (it was surely more liquid and pleasurable than the exuberant navel-gazing in the Essential Killraven), I still felt that it was a little ill-fitting at times in an other than as supposed or expected typical superhero book. For example, in the scene where Omega genuinely thinks he has conclusively prevailed in equivalent combat over the Hulk, there’s this passage: “The risk has not yet been put to rest. Congratulations evaporate in panic … the mind reorders itself … accepts the requisite of dying, if need be, to obviate further threat to the boy…! Singularity of focus … damaging on a world with so diverse a catalogue of hazards…!” Yes, beauteous much the entire book is written like that, a long string of ten-dollar words and weird syntax and ellipses. Actually, two of the later issues are not written by Gerber, and they have lines like: “Each time he uses the power, it seems to come more easily. What is this world doing to him?” It’s rather a difference. But Gerber’s issues aren’t all heavy and grim; there are still a few avenues for his patented sense of humor. When some irate burglars inform Omega that “you `n your underwear should’a stayed home” and when I basi read the opening caption that described the title reputation as being “garbed perfectly inappropriately in garish blue-and-red”, I’ll confess I chuckled.
Still, the overly dense prose just wasn’t what the `70′s comic-buying public was looking for and the series came to an end at a mere ten issues. Omega’s final bow took place in fellow Gerber vehicle the Defenders, though it was penned not by the auteur himself but by somebody named Steven Grant (of whom I recognise not one thing with regards to and am only assuming that it’s coincidental that he shares his name with one of Moon Knight’s aliases). Many readers have already conveyed their disgust with Mr. Grant’s conclusion over the interposing years. I’d rather not disclose anything in regards to it except to say I thought it was a serviceable ending that tied up all of the loose ends I could recognize. It in all probability was not what Gerber would have preferred, but I’ve seen a lot of worse comic cancellations (*cough* Dr. Strange *cough*).
And so I come back to my earlier question: Does Omega the Unknown prove that Steve Gerber doesn’t believe in heroes? He without doubt or question has some fun flaunting conventions of the genre in this series, and ol’ silent Sam seems to fight crime out of ennui and warrior intuition rather of for truth or justice. Or perchance the author’s disbelief in heroism came because this labor of love of his failed? Maybe it’s a chicken-or-the-egg sort of question, or perhaps it doesn’t genuinely matter. The bottom line is that one of Marvel’s most distinguishable series ever is available in verbatim, in color, and on high quality, low gloss paper for a reasonable price. It’s intelligent, it’s memorable, but it might not be the perfective read for everybody. In the meantime, I’ll just keep on reading Marvel comics and observing DC animated shows on DVD. If in the future Bruce Timm says something like Jim Steranko doesn’t believe in the color yellow, you’ll be the basi ones to know.
4 of 4 persons found the following review helpful.
Ahead of it is time
By Sabu 44
This is one of those rare comic books that in truth exceeded my expectations.
Omega the Unknown was invented a few decades ago. Many older works are fun it terms of nostalgia, art style, and a more light-hearted tone equated to today’s straight-laced grim and gritty works. However, today’s explosion of art styles, originative freedom, and high-quality production make a heap of older works seem obsolete.
Omega the Unknown seems cutting-edge when read today. It must have genuinely blown a great deal of circuits when it basi came out.
The strength is surely the writing. It proceeds at a natural pace but never bores the reader. Its sense of mystery keeps the reader intrigued allround yet never frustrates or loses a reader. The characters are likable and believable. The wording has without doubt or question been carefully-chosen and will strength it is audience to do a great deal of work. Yes, a lot of persons will have to get up and find their dictionary, and everyone will have to pause for a few moments and think when it comes to the storyline in order to get all they may from this work. Perhaps the reason this comic failed was because the people who in the first place were buying it only wanted to see galore spandex-wearing chumps beat up on each other.
Speaking of spandex fight scenes, Steven Grant tries to wrap this up in a two issue arc of The Defenders. I’m not a fan of Grant’s work; I thought the two included issues of the Defenders were painful equated to the ten issues of Omega, and the conclusion is far from satisfying. However, Omega the Unknown necessitated closure, and I have to give the man respect for taking a shot at a very difficult task. It could have been done much worse, and I was glad it was included in this collection.
Regarding the artwork, I have read it being descibed as “pedestrian”. That is far too harsh a criticism. The art in this book is closely always polished and professional. I don’t think Jim Mooney’s name is brought up very many times in argues regarding the greatest comic artists ever, but I do think he ought to feel proud of his contribution to this work.
This comic is an early undertake to fetch in new constituents to the comic book landscape. It examines the humane condition, brings in constituents of surrealism, and doesn’t bore or insult a reader’s intelligence. Putting all that in a superhero book is no little accomplishment!
4 of 5 persons found the following review helpful.
Very mixed sensations when it comes to this story
By Babytoxie
I do not forget Omega the Unknown from my childhood – one of the a heap of characters that rode the “Marvel Wave” of the ’70s. I recalled little regarding the series: Omega was a mysterious alien who shot energy from his hands, he was devised by Steve Gerber (of Howard the Duck and Man-Thing fame), and the series was canceled, incomplete, after only 10 issues. One more thing – a rushed ending was provided by writer Steven Grant 2 years later in The Defenders #76-77. Both Gerber and the readers gave Marvel a lot of grief. At the time, I couldn’t in truth say if it was warranted, for while I had read a few random issues of Omega the Unknown, the X-Men and Avengers were more exciting, so I didn’t worry myself too much with the fate of Gerber’s creation.
Anyway, when the OMEGA THE UNKNOWN CLASSIC trade paperback was announced, I without delay reserved a copy at my local comic shop in order to experience the full story with a more mature perspective. Thirty bucks seemed a high price for a reputation that is not in truth taken seriously, if even remembered, by most comic fans, but as a new series from Jonathan Lethem was on the way, I figured it’d be a good way to get in early.
I came away with 2 observations:
1. Omega the Unknown is justifiedly considered a cult classic. For the time this series was published, it contained a distinguishable style of writing, and after two reads, I still can’t rather determine how to describe it accurately. It was surely like no other comic at the time. Omega serves as a supporting reputation in the story of a strange boy, James-Michael Starling. A connection exists among the two, but the reader always seems to be one step away from the truth. Gerber’s narrative is very engaging, giving careful consideration to that he was stringing the reader along for so long, and that leads to my second observation…
2. It’s no surprise this comic was canceled after 10 issues. Reading this storyline all at once is not too bad, but if I would have had to read this with a month amongst issues, I would have given up like a lot of readers at the time. While Gerber does a outstanding occupation of teasing the reader with what may be to come, he ultimately idles through his time as writer. Some may say that Grant’s work was a random and despicable conclusion to the story, but seriously, when 10 issues go by and the story is going nowhere, I don’t blame Marvel one bit for doing what they did. I in truth do respect Steve Gerber as a writer, but his Omega the Unknown was so full of navel-gazing and obtuse doctrine that it took both the audience and the publisher for granted.
In the end, this trade paperback was somewhat worth the purchase, but I say that from a historical perspective more than anything. Story-wise, there’s not much here.
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