Marvel's short-lived superstar fought enemies both infamous and obscure, but it took his death to unveil the story of his life! It's demons, depowerment and drama when the Defenders discover the true secret of Omega and his mysterious charge! Plus, the death of a super-villain who, so far, is still dead! When was the last time you saw that? Guest-starring Spider-Man (if you look closely enough)! Collects Omega: The Unknown #1-10 and Defenders #76-77.
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In the 1970s, a number of young writers tried to shake up superhero comics by using them to voice real-world concerns. Foremost among these mavericks was Gerber, whose Howard the Duck became a cult phenomenon. He was less successful with the ambitious Omega the Unknown, which maintained two parallel story lines, one featuring mysterious, mute, superhuman Omega, who comes to Earth to escape his war-torn planet; and the other focused on orphaned, emotionless, 12-year-old genius James-Michael Starling, placed in foster care in Hell's Kitchen. As Omega fights superpowered villains and James-Michael contends with school bullies and inner city life, we learn more about their backgrounds and hidden connection. Too odd and ponderous to find commercial success, and not helped by pedestrian artwork, Omega was cancelled after 10 issues, and another writer tied up its loose ends none-too-satisfactorily in two issues of Defenders, which yet are included in this collection. Omega is fondly remembered by many, including novelist Jonathan Lethem, who has announced plans to revive it. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Steve Gerber's Alpha and Omega of superheroes,
By
This review is from: Omega: The Unknown Classic TPB (Paperback)
I was watching 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 many glowing reviews for them already) and I was especially 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 really believe in heroes" and proceeded to not really elucidate on that statement. I couldn't really figure out what to make of Bruce's assertion. Is he saying that Gerber felt that the superhero genre was becoming crowded and trite, or did he believe in something more pessimistic like that no one could ever make great personal sacrifices for others for purely altruistic reasons? The Batman creative team offered no rebuttal or closure to that ostensible denunciation.
That's why I sought some 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 also includes Howard the Duck and the Man-Thing, certainly not standard 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 initial appearances, and so I picked it up as a test to divine exactly where Mr. Gerber stands on this "hero" business. In the first six pages of the first issue, a caped limber figure that can spew streams of fire from his palms fights for his life on some 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 wonderful world of Steve Gerber, friends! The story of Omega the Unknown is thus about the mysterious and tenuous relation between those two protagonists. The silent alien warrior known only as Omega has fled to Earth from his devastated planet and apparently decided 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 adapt 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 large quantity 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 know the one. The only original foes are the totally unbelievable Hispanic shaman, El Gato, and the eerily believable handyman/unhinged killer, the Wrench. In any case, the series is remembered less for its characters as it is for its greatly philosophical, existentialist message. Gerber clearly uses the nebulous, uncertain link between Omega and JM as a metaphor for the difficulty that ordinary people can experience when searching their souls and trying to define themselves. While I often appreciated the gravity and intelligence of the script (it was certainly more fluid and enjoyable than the excessive navel-gazing in the Essential Killraven), I still felt that it was a little ill-fitting at times in an otherwise typical superhero book. For example, in the scene where Omega actually thinks he has conclusively prevailed in equal combat over the Hulk, there's this passage: "The peril has not yet been put to rest. Congratulations evaporate in panic ... the mind reorders itself ... accepts the necessity of dying, if need be, to obviate further threat to the boy...! Singularity of focus ... detrimental on a world with so diverse a catalogue of hazards...!" Yes, pretty 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 quite 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 first read the opening caption that described the title character as being "garbed utterly inappropriately in garish blue-and-red", I'll admit 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, although it was penned not by the auteur himself but by someone named Steven Grant (of whom I know nothing about and am only assuming that it's coincidental that he shares his name with one of Moon Knight's aliases). Many readers have already expressed their disgust with Mr. Grant's conclusion over the intervening years. I'd rather not reveal anything about it except to say I thought it was a serviceable ending that tied up all of the loose ends I could recognize. It probably was not what Gerber would have preferred, but I've seen many 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 clearly has some fun flaunting conventions of the genre in this series, and ol' silent Sam seems to fight crime out of ennui and warrior instinct instead of for truth or justice. Or perhaps 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 maybe it doesn't really matter. The bottom line is that one of Marvel's most unique series ever is available in verbatim, in color, and on high quality, low gloss paper for a fair price. It's intelligent, it's memorable, but it might not be the perfect read for everybody. In the meantime, I'll just keep on reading Marvel comics and watching 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 first ones to know.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ahead of its time,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Omega: The Unknown Classic TPB (Paperback)
This is one of those rare comic books that actually exceeded my expectations.
Omega the Unknown was created a few decades ago. Many older works are fun it terms of nostalgia, art style, and a more light-hearted tone compared to today's straight-laced grim and gritty works. However, today's explosion of art styles, creative freedom, and high-quality production make many older works seem obsolete. Omega the Unknown seems cutting-edge when read today. It must have really blown some circuits when it first came out. The strength is certainly the writing. It proceeds at a natural pace but never bores the reader. Its sense of mystery keeps the reader intrigued throughout yet never frustrates or loses a reader. The characters are likable and believable. The wording has clearly been carefully-chosen and will force its audience to do some work. Yes, a lot of people will have to get up and find their dictionary, and everyone will have to pause for a few moments and think about the storyline in order to get all they can from this work. Perhaps the reason this comic failed was because the people who originally were buying it only wanted to see some 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 compared to the ten issues of Omega, and the conclusion is far from satisfying. However, Omega the Unknown needed 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 artwork in this book is nearly always polished and professional. I don't think Jim Mooney's name is brought up very often in debates regarding the greatest comic artists ever, but I do think he should feel proud of his contribution to this work. This comic is an early attempt to bring in new elements to the comic book landscape. It examines the human condition, brings in elements of surrealism, and doesn't bore or insult a reader's intelligence. Putting all that in a superhero book is no small accomplishment!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very mixed feelings about this story,
By Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Omega: The Unknown Classic TPB (Paperback)
I remember Omega the Unknown from my childhood - one of the many characters that rode the "Marvel Wave" of the '70s. I recalled little about the series: Omega was a mysterious alien who shot energy from his hands, he was created 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 really 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 immediately 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 character that is not really 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 rightly considered a cult classic. For the time this series was published, it contained a unique style of writing, and after two reads, I still can't quite determine how to describe it accurately. It was certainly like no other comic at the time. Omega serves as a supporting character in the story of a strange boy, James-Michael Starling. A connection exists between the two, but the reader always seems to be one step away from the truth. Gerber's narrative is very engaging, considering 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 between issues, I would have given up like many readers at the time. While Gerber does a great job 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 unworthy 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 really do respect Steve Gerber as a writer, but his Omega the Unknown was so full of navel-gazing and obtuse philosophy 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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