[Concluding my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]
In the final issue of Omega the Unknown, only two word balloons appear. Otherwise, it's a silent issue (some words on TV screens also show up). Mostly, it's a wrap-up issue that relies exlusively on Farel Dalrymple's art to tell the story. In some ways, it's reminiscent of those 'Nuff Said issues Marvel did back in the early 2000s that were completely silent (though plenty of writers found a way around that). For the most part, the issue shows how, after 'Omega' blew up most of the robots, leaving an omega-shaped crater, the good guys spread the salt via foodcarts and the robots try to deliver objects that will infect new people. The war isn't totally over, but there's enough salt out there to give humanity a chance. All of our characters get their little moment, their kind of happy ending. Alex is left with his robots, two of which look like the copies of his parents. He also throws his costume and Omega book into the river. He doesn't need to be the hero, because he already was and it worked.
What I'm left with are the final pages where we see 'Omega' skinnier than ever, disheveled, homeless, and in a wheelchair. Ultimately, he's taken underground where the homeless people have created their own version of the Mink's gameshow with a former classmate of his who was homeless, then a pawn of the robots, and now free takes on the role of the Mink. The set is like Hollywood Squares and the wheelchair-bound 'Omega' is put in a square. We zoom in on his eye and eventually see the Nowhere Man with his jar that leads to the Nowh-Area, which we enter to see the words 'the end.'
What the fuck?
His place in the 'squares' is to the right hand of the 'Mink,' the remembered and celebrated hero. 'Omega' is simply an unknown, a man that people have some vague awareness of -- or thought has died. So, he sits at the right hand of the real hero... or his stand-in. To live out the rest of his sad existence in obscurity -- in nowhere. He began as an unknown and he winds up as 'Omega the Unknown.' Except, of course, no words are spoken and he doesn't even warrant that name. In the end, life goes on and the hero is forgotten...
In 30 minutes, the first of two posts where I'll apply Raymond Chandler's "Twelve Notes on the Mystery Story" to Grant Morrison's New X-Men story "Murder at the Mansion."
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
Showing posts with label dreaming us. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreaming us. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Blogathon 32: Dreaming Us Part Four
[Continuing my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]
So, the Gary Panter issue...
He draws the cover and five pages of the seventh issue. The pages he draws are meant to be a comic drawn by 'Omega' that tells the story of the struggle: innocent happy creatures live on a planet, spaceships come and kill them and use giant robots; the same thing happens on another world; and another; another world's populace observe what's happened and create the Omega warrior to defend the planet; after he's succeeded, he shakes a politician's hand and nanorobots enter his body and kill him; an entire group of different aliens wear the Omega costumes and fire beams out of their hands at a big ball of robots. It's a neat little five pages that stand out and serve a function. If anything, I think they're more notable than anything for being an example of Panter working for Marvel. That alone is enough to make certain people shit themselves with surprise/shock/glee/horror/other emotions. The final panel of the fourth page, of the first Omega, his face melting from the nanorobots as he looks up is the one that sticks with me. It's so striking and heartbreaking. He sends out his powers to the universe to fight the robots with his dying breath...
The idea of an 'Omega Corps' at war with the robots is an interesting one, especially when they introduce Sillman Renfrew, Earth's previous Omega before Alex. We see an overweight, bearded man in a tube whose story is sung to us by Verth the Overthinker (the sometimes narrator and sentient statue in the park across the street from Alex's new apartment). He's a man who rejected his powers and heritage, drifting around, eventually winding up part of a small crew of conmen, eventually taken to the Mink's labyrynth, made into his sidekick and killed in a mission. Because of his rejection of the Omega's role on Earth, Alex was a last ditch effort to make sure Earth wasn't left unprotected. Now, to me, this supports the idea that the unknown 'Omega' is Alex from the future. Without him, there's no way Alex would have discovered his true self in time to stop the robots. He obviously comes from a future where the robots won and his traveling back in time is a last-ditch effort to save humanity. That's kind of weird.
The use of song by the Overthinker is one of the technical tricks used in the series. Like Panter's pages, the Overthink often comes with little tricks. Like closing the curtains on the issue or guiding us through the events. The song is one of the odder ones and it doesn't entirely work for me. Then again, I find songs in fiction with no music hard to get into. Without the tune, what's the point?
In 30 mintues, I'll conclude my discussion of Omega the Unknown with some thoughts on the final issue.
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
So, the Gary Panter issue...
He draws the cover and five pages of the seventh issue. The pages he draws are meant to be a comic drawn by 'Omega' that tells the story of the struggle: innocent happy creatures live on a planet, spaceships come and kill them and use giant robots; the same thing happens on another world; and another; another world's populace observe what's happened and create the Omega warrior to defend the planet; after he's succeeded, he shakes a politician's hand and nanorobots enter his body and kill him; an entire group of different aliens wear the Omega costumes and fire beams out of their hands at a big ball of robots. It's a neat little five pages that stand out and serve a function. If anything, I think they're more notable than anything for being an example of Panter working for Marvel. That alone is enough to make certain people shit themselves with surprise/shock/glee/horror/other emotions. The final panel of the fourth page, of the first Omega, his face melting from the nanorobots as he looks up is the one that sticks with me. It's so striking and heartbreaking. He sends out his powers to the universe to fight the robots with his dying breath...
The idea of an 'Omega Corps' at war with the robots is an interesting one, especially when they introduce Sillman Renfrew, Earth's previous Omega before Alex. We see an overweight, bearded man in a tube whose story is sung to us by Verth the Overthinker (the sometimes narrator and sentient statue in the park across the street from Alex's new apartment). He's a man who rejected his powers and heritage, drifting around, eventually winding up part of a small crew of conmen, eventually taken to the Mink's labyrynth, made into his sidekick and killed in a mission. Because of his rejection of the Omega's role on Earth, Alex was a last ditch effort to make sure Earth wasn't left unprotected. Now, to me, this supports the idea that the unknown 'Omega' is Alex from the future. Without him, there's no way Alex would have discovered his true self in time to stop the robots. He obviously comes from a future where the robots won and his traveling back in time is a last-ditch effort to save humanity. That's kind of weird.
The use of song by the Overthinker is one of the technical tricks used in the series. Like Panter's pages, the Overthink often comes with little tricks. Like closing the curtains on the issue or guiding us through the events. The song is one of the odder ones and it doesn't entirely work for me. Then again, I find songs in fiction with no music hard to get into. Without the tune, what's the point?
In 30 mintues, I'll conclude my discussion of Omega the Unknown with some thoughts on the final issue.
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
Blogathon 31: Dreaming Us Part Three
[Continuing my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]
If 'Omega the Unknown' is the selfless hero, the Unparalleled Mink is the selfish hero. Self-centred, corrupt, more concerned about public image than getting the job done, and oddly focused on finding things to put in the labyrynth he had built in his headquarters. We've seen heroes in it for the fame and fortune before, but none have ever seemed quite so skeevy, quite so talented at making themselves look good despite being bad at it. His banter during fights is laughable with bon mots like "Note to self: the harder they fall, etcetera, full stop." He travels from mission to mission in a van with a support crew that seems to focus mostly on making sure there's media present to see the Mink in action. The first time we see him, he sticks Alex's robot mom's head on a car engine, hoping to use the battery to make it work and simply fries it. He begins dating the nurse who's taken in Alex so he can keep a closer eye on him. Issue five has him take Alex to a baseball game in an attempt to talk to him and he's such a jerk. Total jerk. Just a person who talks shit. Everything that comes out of his mouth is shit.
So, he's a pretty fun character.
But, he's not entirely selfish. He loses his hand to the robots (a hand that then grows big enough to grow legs and command the robots) and, in the end, dies to subdue it. That veering between heroics and selfishness make the character interesting. He has the desire to help people. There are a lot easier ways to make money and get fame than becoming a superhero. That underlying nobility is there somewhere; it's just buried under shit. Piles and piles of shit. He's a douchebag bully that's grown up to become a bully for justice and money. His best friend is a city councilman that works with him to make sure they both get paid and laid.
His role in the book, besides entertainment, is to represent the capitalist side of society. This is partly a war between mass produced products and homemade, locally owned products. There's a discussion about brands in one issue that's key. The robots' nanovirus is spread through a burger chain, while it's food carts that spread the antedote with a food truck/minister leading the way with 'Omega' at his side. It's greed that allows the robots to spread so easily. They get Fonzie (the Mink's best friend) through a gold chain and the Mink through a statue/action figure of himself (he cuts off his hand to prevent the spread). The Mink is the hero that enables the takeover in a way. His mentality is the disease -- greed that makes everyone the same. All of his henchmen dress like him, all submerging their identities to the Mink. He's not dissimilar from the robots.
But, he redeems himself in the end. He actually goes out a hero.
In 30 minutes, I'll continue my discussion of Omega the Unknown.
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
If 'Omega the Unknown' is the selfless hero, the Unparalleled Mink is the selfish hero. Self-centred, corrupt, more concerned about public image than getting the job done, and oddly focused on finding things to put in the labyrynth he had built in his headquarters. We've seen heroes in it for the fame and fortune before, but none have ever seemed quite so skeevy, quite so talented at making themselves look good despite being bad at it. His banter during fights is laughable with bon mots like "Note to self: the harder they fall, etcetera, full stop." He travels from mission to mission in a van with a support crew that seems to focus mostly on making sure there's media present to see the Mink in action. The first time we see him, he sticks Alex's robot mom's head on a car engine, hoping to use the battery to make it work and simply fries it. He begins dating the nurse who's taken in Alex so he can keep a closer eye on him. Issue five has him take Alex to a baseball game in an attempt to talk to him and he's such a jerk. Total jerk. Just a person who talks shit. Everything that comes out of his mouth is shit.
So, he's a pretty fun character.
But, he's not entirely selfish. He loses his hand to the robots (a hand that then grows big enough to grow legs and command the robots) and, in the end, dies to subdue it. That veering between heroics and selfishness make the character interesting. He has the desire to help people. There are a lot easier ways to make money and get fame than becoming a superhero. That underlying nobility is there somewhere; it's just buried under shit. Piles and piles of shit. He's a douchebag bully that's grown up to become a bully for justice and money. His best friend is a city councilman that works with him to make sure they both get paid and laid.
His role in the book, besides entertainment, is to represent the capitalist side of society. This is partly a war between mass produced products and homemade, locally owned products. There's a discussion about brands in one issue that's key. The robots' nanovirus is spread through a burger chain, while it's food carts that spread the antedote with a food truck/minister leading the way with 'Omega' at his side. It's greed that allows the robots to spread so easily. They get Fonzie (the Mink's best friend) through a gold chain and the Mink through a statue/action figure of himself (he cuts off his hand to prevent the spread). The Mink is the hero that enables the takeover in a way. His mentality is the disease -- greed that makes everyone the same. All of his henchmen dress like him, all submerging their identities to the Mink. He's not dissimilar from the robots.
But, he redeems himself in the end. He actually goes out a hero.
In 30 minutes, I'll continue my discussion of Omega the Unknown.
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
Monday, August 15, 2011
Blogathon 30: Dreaming Us Part Two
[Continuing my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]
Who is 'Omega the Unknown?' Drawing upon the original series, the version by Jonathan Letehm, Karl Rusnak, and Farel Dalrymple never explains who he is. He looks human, but doesn't speak. He goes about his business and refuses to eat anything he didn't kill himself, preferably a bird of some kind. He has some sort of connection to Alex that we assume later is that they're both Omegas. In the first issue we see that his ship has crashed on Earth... but does that make him an alien? The first narration caption of the comic says "You've been here before, however much you might like to pretend otherwise."
Is this Omega Alex from the future come back in time to save the world? That's what makes sense to me. Is that a spaceship or a time machine? Who built the robots? Are these the robots that Alex builds at the end of the series and they follow him back in time -- or maybe go back in time themselves? There's probably no right answer. It reminds me of the theory someone came up with that Woody Allen's character in Anything Else is actually Jason Biggs's character come back in time to make sure his younger self moves to Los Angeles and gets away from the soul-crushing people that destroyed his own youth. Is this Alex from the future come back to change the past? To give his younger self and his friends the tools they need to defeat the robots? The two look incredibly similar.
If that theory is correct, how much of a bummer is the ending to the series? It's already a bit of a bummer with the broken down Omega homeless and suffering flashbacks, but to end up in a wheelchair as part of an underground homeless version of a game show all because you came to the past to save the world?
Then again, look at the title: he's the unknown Omega. We don't know who he is. He's the hero the world needs and the inspiration Alex needs. He sacrifices himself and his mind for the world and, given the choice, would do so again. He's pretty much the definition of a selfless hero. He asks for nothing except the means to fight the good fight. Who he is doesn't really matter, because he's just the job as far as we see. (But, he's totally future Alex...)
In 30 minutes, I'll look at at the polar opposite of a selfless hero...
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
Who is 'Omega the Unknown?' Drawing upon the original series, the version by Jonathan Letehm, Karl Rusnak, and Farel Dalrymple never explains who he is. He looks human, but doesn't speak. He goes about his business and refuses to eat anything he didn't kill himself, preferably a bird of some kind. He has some sort of connection to Alex that we assume later is that they're both Omegas. In the first issue we see that his ship has crashed on Earth... but does that make him an alien? The first narration caption of the comic says "You've been here before, however much you might like to pretend otherwise."
Is this Omega Alex from the future come back in time to save the world? That's what makes sense to me. Is that a spaceship or a time machine? Who built the robots? Are these the robots that Alex builds at the end of the series and they follow him back in time -- or maybe go back in time themselves? There's probably no right answer. It reminds me of the theory someone came up with that Woody Allen's character in Anything Else is actually Jason Biggs's character come back in time to make sure his younger self moves to Los Angeles and gets away from the soul-crushing people that destroyed his own youth. Is this Alex from the future come back to change the past? To give his younger self and his friends the tools they need to defeat the robots? The two look incredibly similar.
If that theory is correct, how much of a bummer is the ending to the series? It's already a bit of a bummer with the broken down Omega homeless and suffering flashbacks, but to end up in a wheelchair as part of an underground homeless version of a game show all because you came to the past to save the world?
Then again, look at the title: he's the unknown Omega. We don't know who he is. He's the hero the world needs and the inspiration Alex needs. He sacrifices himself and his mind for the world and, given the choice, would do so again. He's pretty much the definition of a selfless hero. He asks for nothing except the means to fight the good fight. Who he is doesn't really matter, because he's just the job as far as we see. (But, he's totally future Alex...)
In 30 minutes, I'll look at at the polar opposite of a selfless hero...
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
Blogathon 29: Dreaming Us Part One
[Beginning my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]
I never hear anyone talk about this comic. It was all the rage when it came out back in late 2007/2008 and, now, no one talks about it. You ever wonder about things like that? The movies that get tons of praise but no one watched after they came out, the books with rave reviews that you find in remaindered piles two years later, the comics that make best of the year lists and never get read again. I hadn't read this comic since it came out. In individual issues at that. No big reread upon the final issue shipping. Just stuck the issues in a box and forgot about it. When I was looking for this series to reread for the Blogathon, I even forgot where the comic box it was in was. Shit, it's only been three years...
Rereading this, I was struck by just how damn enjoyable it is. There are some weird parts, but, mostly, it's a straight ahead superhero story. Alien robots are here to assimilate humanity, but there are Omega protectors that can fight them off. Alex is the next human to fit the bill and has been raised by robot parents (different robots) to do the job. Except they die and, now, he's stuck in New York living with a nurse from the hospital he was taken to and struggling to understand anything he didn't learn in a book. Slowly, the truth becomes apparent, so, he and his friends get it together and kick some robot ass with salt until the unknown mute Omega blows up the robots and saves the day, but leaves himself somewhat insane and broken.
Within that pretty basic framework are some incredibly funny moments, some touching ones, some strange ones, and some pages by Gary Panter that just sort of make you go "Really? He drew part of a Marvel comic?" Hell, that's the entire book: this was published by Marvel and, technically, takes place in the Marvel universe. Weird. How did people forget about this?
In 30 minutes, maybe I'll actually say something of value about the comic...
And we're up to $245!
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
I never hear anyone talk about this comic. It was all the rage when it came out back in late 2007/2008 and, now, no one talks about it. You ever wonder about things like that? The movies that get tons of praise but no one watched after they came out, the books with rave reviews that you find in remaindered piles two years later, the comics that make best of the year lists and never get read again. I hadn't read this comic since it came out. In individual issues at that. No big reread upon the final issue shipping. Just stuck the issues in a box and forgot about it. When I was looking for this series to reread for the Blogathon, I even forgot where the comic box it was in was. Shit, it's only been three years...
Rereading this, I was struck by just how damn enjoyable it is. There are some weird parts, but, mostly, it's a straight ahead superhero story. Alien robots are here to assimilate humanity, but there are Omega protectors that can fight them off. Alex is the next human to fit the bill and has been raised by robot parents (different robots) to do the job. Except they die and, now, he's stuck in New York living with a nurse from the hospital he was taken to and struggling to understand anything he didn't learn in a book. Slowly, the truth becomes apparent, so, he and his friends get it together and kick some robot ass with salt until the unknown mute Omega blows up the robots and saves the day, but leaves himself somewhat insane and broken.
Within that pretty basic framework are some incredibly funny moments, some touching ones, some strange ones, and some pages by Gary Panter that just sort of make you go "Really? He drew part of a Marvel comic?" Hell, that's the entire book: this was published by Marvel and, technically, takes place in the Marvel universe. Weird. How did people forget about this?
In 30 minutes, maybe I'll actually say something of value about the comic...
And we're up to $245!
[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]
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