Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Trade Marks: Omega the Unknown - Classic

I was fortunate enough to find this collection in a 3 for $10 sale (yup, you read that right). I own more than half of the original series in floppies, but had somehow never gotten around to finishing a full run. The concept is quite intriguing and much of what Gerber, along with Mary Skrenes, was doing here was way ahead of its time. Unfortunately, it no longer seems all that fresh. In addition, the need to shoehorn it into the Marvel universe led to an awkward result. Jim Mooney's artwork is solid throughout. He is a terribly underrated storyteller. Gerber's treatment of youth violence may be a bit over the top, but he should be given credit for having the guts to kill off a child. The series had a lot of promise, and manage to rise above a lot of the mid-70s NYC dialogue, but the wrap up in The Defenders was far from satisfying, and gave me a bit of a headache. All in all, it is an enjoyable read, and is historically significant as it informs much of what would eventually become commonplace in funnybooks. This is an attractive trade, but only has the bare minimum in terms of extras. Trade Mark: B

6 comments:

CPBelt said...

My son purchased this as an Xmas present for me last year. He also got it for a few dollars new at the local shop. I had always wanted to read it. I like it.

Four-Color Kid said...

I am curious, what are the other 2 books you bought for the $10?

Scott M said...

One was Captain America: War & Remembrance ttp://www.comics.org/issue/374805/ and the other was Pride & Prejudice Hardcover http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Marvel-Illustrated-Butler/dp/078513915X. Also did a 3 for $10 on a bunch of Wolverine Classics (stuff from Marvel Comics Presents)

Blair said...

Also curious Scott, did you read the Lethem/Dalrymple do-over of a couple of years back?

Anonymous said...

I've heard the denouement in THE DEFENDERS was kind of a revenge on Gerber for killing off Bloodstone in RAMPAGING HULK. Don't know if it's true, but neither does anyone else.

vancouver mark said...

I read Omega when I was fifteen and it hit all the right teenaged angst notes for me, I totally identified with the animal school fears.

When i was 35, in 1995, I finally made it to Hell's Kitchen. Walking around Tenth Avenue at night, I found a construction site with a development sign. I wrote on it with a black felt "James Micheal Starling, where are you?"
Two days later, I walked by the sign again. Somebody had answered my question, "He left here a long time ago."