Hey readers!
Slacks is back for another look at comics that you should be checking out. This week, I'd like to bring an overlooked Marvel title to your attention: Omega: The Unknown. This is a re-imagining of the short-lived and unfinished 1970s series, which I admit that I've never read, so I will not attempt to compare the two books or anything like that. The story follows a young boy named Alex who, after moving to New York City, finds out his parents are robots, keeps running into superheroes (and super villains), and discovers his own power of shooting fire beams out of the palms of his hands. The current Omega: The Unknown was written by Jonathan Lethem, author of acclaimed novels such as Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude, and as the writer's first jump from novels to comics, its very good. I think the style of Lethem's dialogue adds something special to the book because it sounds almost super-literary. Another aspect of the writing that I found interesting is that it feels like a superhero book and an indie book at the same time. There is a typical superhero story, but it is occurring as a small part of our real world. It never strays into the realm of complete fantasy, which is something I found very refreshing.
But what I think gives the book most of its effectiveness is Farel Dalrymple's artwork. His last major work before this was the excellent series Pop Gun War, which is hands-down one of my favorite comics. I have to admit I had some hesitation before picking Omega up because I wasn't sure if Dalrymple's art would fit the story. Turns out it compliments the writing perfectly. The pencils are sketchy, the people (including the super heroes/villains) look realistic and mundane, and the action is pretty subdued. There is a real personal quality to the art that's very warm and gives the book a lot of charm. The panels are not typical for a hero comic -- nary a splash page in sight; Dalrymple doesn't draw to show off his talent - he draws to tell the story effectively and he succeeds. Feel free to disagree, but I think that there are many artists in the industry that strive to draw a certain way instead of finding their own style, which causes many superhero books to look similar and prevents many artists from standing out. It's nice to pick up a book once in a while that looks like nothing else on the shelves.
By the way, feel free to comment and let me know what you think! Agree with me, think I'm crazy, or want to let me know about a book you think I should check out? Drop me a line.
Well, that's all for now. Issue #5 of Omega: The Unknown just came out this past week and is available at Comic Book Jones!
2 comments:
You're right about Dalrymple, man. I don't think i can see anyone else on this book... and i like that it's being pushed on a mainstream imprint like marvel. I think the more you expose hero-comics readers to artists like Farrel the more open they are to other books. that in turn, could give the mainstream publishers the push they need to hire artists similar to Dalrymple.
Absolutely. I mean, while there's nothing wrong with the more mainstream artists, the bulk of them seem to just want to be the next Jim Lee and it eventually becomes harder and harder to differentiate between styles, which I find terrible. And it's not as if readers are averse to artists like Dalrmple, it's just that those guys aren't given a chance to work on books that will given more exposure or press attention. I'm glad Marvel is doing Omega with Lethem and Dalrymple. Its very refreshing.
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