Review: O.M.A.C. #1

Written by Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen
Illustrated by Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish

The all-seeing Brother Eye satellite has unleashed a new beast upon the DC Universe in this smashing new series! Kevin Kho has become an unwilling participant in a war between Checkmate and Brother Eye as he is transformed into the One Machine Army Corp known only as O.M.A.C.!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a review so let me explain something up front: if you are looking for an analytic review that weighs the merits of a book’s existence in the medium as compared to the most sophisticated and socially relevant books in the world, then you’re in the wrong place. I will only provide you my honest (sometimes brutally honest) opinion on what I’ve read. At times it is raw in style but it always comes from the heart of a fan, not a fanboy. If that sounds appealing, continue on.

This week I’ve been given the opportunity to review O.M.A.C., written by Dan Didio and arted by Keith Giffen with inks by Scott Koblish. This is a book that when first announced I wasn’t so sure about — but then the electric blue mohawk the lead character sports started to grow on me. I mean, it didn’t, like, literally sprout from my head or anything, but I totally enjoyed it. This led me to start an in-house rally call for the book, that to be honest was more of a joke than anything. But now the book is here and I’m due to review it. How did it fare?

Check out my review after the jump, sucka!

Ok, so let’s get it out of the way shall we? People have had doubts about O.M.A.C. simply because Dan DiDio writes this book. This was not something I felt inclined to have an issue with, as I’ve never actually read anything penned by DiDio aside from his work on Superboy #100, so I was able to come into this with an open mind. I am so glad I did, though, because I felt DiDio nailed the vibe he was going for in a modern-esque Kirby book. It’s got lots of action, adventure and science villainy; it’s very old school and I love that. It just felt right from beginning to end.

As far as the story goes, DiDio has set Brother Eye up as the controller of O.M.A.C. While it isn’t anything new to have Brother Eye in command of O.M.A.C.s, I like the presentation of the dialogue between the two. DiDio also provides us with a main character in Kevin Kho who, by the end of the first issue, has a developing supporting cast whose ties to Kevin are established while the action rages on from beginning to end. Interestingly enough, DiDio does this without ever actually having Kevin interact with them in the book, and Didio’s decision to do this worked out great, although it definitely could have blown up in his face and made the connection between the characters seem less tangible. Instead, the decision allows for the reader to get to see O.M.A.C. in action and get a feel for his surroundings.

On the art side of things, Keith Giffen did what Keith Giffen does best and that’s provide excellent art that keeps the flow of the story engaging. His O.M.A.C. is big and imposing and while he could have easily been a Hulk rip-off (and, to some extent, is), he instead has a unique look that screams, “Kirby!” The design is great because it feeds all the mouths it needs to feed. It has elements from the Buddy Blank version as well as the O.M.A.C. version from Infinite Crisis, and it still maintains a unique enough look that a new reader, which is who DC is making a play for, can find appealing without knowing that it has the other elements.

Giffen’s work on the cover is also worth noting because it’s action packed and is a great representation of what you’ll find in the book. It has the big brooding O.M.A.C. tearing through the cover to get at the reader with his electrifying blue mohawk standing tall in all its glory. It’s a great cover because a reader sees exactly what they are getting on the inside — there is no trickery. It’s not like you get one artist on the cover and another on the interior, and I appreciate that. If you trust the interior artist to sell the book then let him really sell the book by doing the cover.

Now, while everything may seem like sunshine and grapefruits so far, the book does have a fault, with the problem being the book’s charm is also it’s one glaring downside. While it’s quirky and fun because it’s got such a Kirby vibe that a long term fan can appreciate, I don’t feel it’s really something that would appeal to a child of the digital era. If DC is trying to establish a new fan base, then this book really flies in the face of their mission plan. It’s visually a retro feel and the story itself feels old school with science villains and humorous villain satellites telling people to call their girlfriends. I don’t feel this reaches for the target audience that’s out there in digital comics land. Having said that, I know DC’s aim is to have books that attract all types and tell a variety of stories. This is clearly a book that caters to a specific audience; I for one am glad they went the route they went with this book. In the future I am hoping we’ll see some Oolong Island and mad scientists, but in the mean time I am just happy that this book has more going for it than an amazing electric blue mohawk.

In the end I’ll say this: O.M.A.C. was a fun book with a very complimentary visual style. It may not be the best of the relaunch, but it’s a book I have every intention of continuing to pick up. It’s fun, stylistic, fun, and has an electric blue mohawk. Oh, and it’s fun. If you like any combination of these things or any of them by themselves, you’ll dig this book.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy it!