Jack Kirby's OMAC hardcover

[Agent_Torpor]

Not sure where this might go, so mods, feel free to move accordingly...

Just bought the OMAC hardcover reissue and man, is it some AWESOME reading. I have to admit to not being the biggest fan of older comics, but Kirby's so ahead of the game with this story that it feels almost fresh.

Anyone who likes some insane dystopian future where a one-man wrecking crew has to come in and right the wrongs, all with some great tongue in cheek humor from the King, get this.

About my only gripe with the volume is the use of the gritty, "old school" paper as opposed to the current, glossier version.

[Will.S]

About my only gripe with the volume is the use of the gritty, "old school" paper as opposed to the current, glossier version.
That still continues to really bother me, it makes no sense in this day and age to be releasing remastered material in newsprint paper. Granted it's a higher quality paper than the old ones were but it's just a baffling choice. Perhaps they're trying to be more cost effective in order to keep these Omnibuses in print.

I got the book as well but I've only read the first few pages so I'll definitely get back to this thread once I've read the book in it's entirety. Love Kirby's art in this though and his design of the OMAC.

[Agent_Torpor]

That still continues to really bother me, it makes no sense in this day and age to be releasing remastered material in newsprint paper. Granted it's a higher quality paper than the old ones were but it's just a baffling choice. Perhaps they're trying to be more cost effective in order to keep these Omnibuses in print.

I got the book as well but I've only read the first few pages so I'll definitely get back to this thread once I've read the book in it's entirety. Love Kirby's art in this though and his design of the OMAC.

I hear you. I bought it shrinkwrapped, so I couldn't leaf thru it beforehand. After opening the book, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at the paper quality.

Still, the work itself outweighs my aesthetic format complaints!

[Aaron King]

I'm actually on the other side of the argument. I really don't like glossy paper; light glares off it and if my fingers are anything but bone-dry they leave smudges. I think the colors take to the high-quality newsprint in a really nice way.

[Will.S]

I finally got a chance to sit down and read the book in it's entirety and I have to echo Agent Torpor's sentiments on it, this was freaking AWESOME!

When you first read it you can't help but be majorly weirded out by it's pulp'ish style narration, the futuristic setting, and Kirby's art especially when you're hit with the opening page but once you get into the groove it becomes almost impossible to put down. Buddy Blank gets treated pretty poorly in his job and his supervisors are really negligent and ignorant which is why I found Buddy so identifiable. He's sort of similar to Peter Parker in a way but after he becomes the OMAC the book turns into a totally different animal for the protagonist as it goes full steam ahead. In fact we don't see Buddy's human persona again until the 8th issue which has a hell of a cliffhanger.

I also loved the use of Brother Eye and the GPA, Brother Eye in particular is a lot different than the malevolent sentient death machine that we saw in Infinite Crisis and Countdown. I will say that I found one trait of the book especially hilarious when practically every issue has a character spouting out "He's a ONE MAN ARMY!!!" and Dr. Skuba and his "ocean bars" were so zany that I couldn't help but love it. The Kirby art takes some getting used to but it's absolutely amazing in it's energy and storytelling ability. Great sense of design in pretty much all you see here and he especially excelled at the grotesque monsters and weird ships/architecture.

It's too bad the book was never picked up again by Kirby as I would have loved to have seen the subsequent issues done by him.

[Eumenides]

Perhaps they're trying to be more cost effective in order to keep these Omnibuses in print.

Wouldn't it help to put it out in soft covers then? I know I'm not paying $24.95 for 176 pages, not when a softcover edition of Promethea, for instance, with the same page number (and arguably better art; definitely better writing), costs only $14.99.

[Agent_Torpor]

Wouldn't it help to put it out in soft covers then? I know I'm not paying $24.95 for 176 pages, not when a softcover edition of Promethea, for instance, with the same page number (and arguably better art; definitely better writing), costs only $14.99.

Apples and oranges, my friend. Alan Moore and his overbearing verbosity on metaphysics versus the visceral raw action of King Kirby hitting on all cylinders?

[Froggy]

I will say that I found one trait of the book especially hilarious when practically every issue has a character spouting out "He's a ONE MAN ARMY!!!"


that was a great thing in each issue

Dr Skuba ftw

[TradePaperbackTraitor]

Crap. I was trying to save some money this month on my TPB expenditures but after reading the rave reviews in this thread, I think I'm going to take the plunge. :biggrin:

[Agent_Torpor]

I will say that I found one trait of the book especially hilarious when practically every issue has a character spouting out "He's a ONE MAN ARMY!!!"


that was a great thing in each issue

Dr Skuba ftw

Never failed to elicit a chuckle.

And I still can't get the image of Lila's parts sticking out of the box like that. "Build-A-Friend", lol! King, how right you were.

[Will.S]

Crap. I was trying to save some money this month on my TPB expenditures but after reading the rave reviews in this thread, I think I'm going to take the plunge. :biggrin:
You can actually save some money if your order it from instocktrades Jack Kirby's OMAC Omnibus (http://www.instocktrades.com/product_detail.aspx?id=8c&pid=7423).

:biggrin:

It's definitely worth it.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Wouldn't it help to put it out in soft covers then? I know I'm not paying $24.95 for 176 pages, not when a softcover edition of Promethea, for instance, with the same page number (and arguably better art; definitely better writing), costs only $14.99.

I think this paper helps keep the price of the bigger one's down, I assume with this one, it's a bit of a cash in, hoping to catch those who loved the Fourth World Omnibus'.
Also, there might be some sort of 'try and catch the feel of the originals' in there, and possibly something to do with how the colour and the paper react to each other.
I don't mind it with the Fourth World one's, but I also quite like the glossy paged 'Silver Star' collection that Image put out.

[Agent_Torpor]

One of the greatest intro pages, EVER:
http://img166.imagevenue.com/loc750/th_29324_OMACBusting_122_750lo.jpg (http://img166.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=29324_OMACBusting_122_750lo.jpg)


"YAAAAH, He's TURNED US OVER!"

Fools, he's OMAC! He's a ONE-MAN ARMY, for God's sake! He WILL and CAN do that sort of thing!