O.M.A.C., Vol. 1: Omactivate!

The non-Fourth World world of Jack Kirby is given the New 52 treatment in this oh too brief miniseries. I'm typically not impressed with the grandstanding style of Dan DiDio. He's self-indulgent and smarmy. Plus, DC Comics wouldn't be in half of the financial mess that they're in right now if not for DiDio. Yet, this time around, I was more than impressed. It's probably because of the assist by Keith Giffen (Larfleeze) on the script. But I will give kudos where kudos are due. 

Not only does this book retool the character of OMAC, this book also ties in another Kirby classic, Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth. Add in Project Cadmus from Kirby's Jimmy Olsen tenure, Max Lord (a Keith Giffen creation) and Dick Giordano's Sarge Steel, this felt like a tribute to classic DC Comics. 

I did not want this book to end. It was so very fun. I would love for this to be turned into a movie. Heck, I would love for there to be a sequel. Though, with this being New 52, I'm not sure how connected to continuity this is and I don't want to support something that would contradict DC canon. But if a sequel doesn't do such a thing- please, oh please, continue the story!

With artwork by Scott Koblish (Scotch McTeirnan's Halloween Party), this is a fantastic story for those who like their DC Comics to be a little off-the-wall. A reluctant sci-fi superhero in the vein of Neo from The Matrix. You don't have to be a Kirby fanatic (of which I am). But it helps. And for those established Kirby-ites, as long as you understand that this book isn't trying to replace Kirby's OMAC, they should enjoy this as well!

Don't ask me why this is listed as Volume 1. There is no volume 2. This sort of oversight infuriates me and is about the only thing about this book I dislike.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

DC's Nuclear Winter Special #1

I've read my share of holiday specials. Okay, I've read a lot of people's share of holiday specials. I must say that 2018's DC's Nuclear Winter Special has got to be one of the most unusual ones that I have ever come across. 

10 stories of the holidays! Each set during times of future calamity by artists and writers such as Paul Dini, Jerry Ordway, Steve Orlando and many, many more. 

I'm not really sure why DC decided to go the dismal route. I've seen quite a few opinions from loyal DC Comics fans online. A majority felt that this was a sort of nose-thumbing to our current presidential administration. Every story does end with hope of a better tomorrow, so possibly DC is trying really hard to say that things might look bad now, but even in the face of a nuclear war or zombie apocalypse or Great Disaster, things can get better. Still, things just weren't quite right with this one-shot.

The 80-page giant begins with Rip Hunter in the future. With his time sphere out of juice, he must fend off a trio of angry techno-barbarians from making him their futuristic Christmas dinner. To buy himself some time, Rip tells the group a slew of stories about other superheroes as they bring a new meaning to 'surviving the holidays.'

My favorite stories include Supergirl, now a woman, trying to save the life of an orphaned girl. Aquaman is tasked by scientists to enter a dead spot in the ocean in hopes of finding a cure for the deadly radiation of a nuclear attack. Firestorm spends Christmas Eve with the Nuclear Family. Plus the Damian Wayne Batman faces ghosts of Christmas past when he is ultimately confronted by grandpa Ra's al Ghul.

Of course, you can't have an apocalyptic holiday special without the Jack Kirby character of Kamandi. His tale is set during Hanukkah and feels like a set-up to a new Last Boy on Earth series.

There's also some fairly decent stories involving Green Arrow and Black Canary as grandparents to a new generation of Justice Leaguers, The Flash stuck in the Speed Force, and others starring Catwoman and J'onn J'onzz.

There's not really a bad story in the bunch. It's just that this year's holiday special wasn't very cheery at all. I hope 2019's edition is much better at this. Nothing says you can't do a holiday special featuring the animated universe. I would pay $13 for a 100-pager featuring the Super Friends, the Max Fleischer Superman, Batman: TAS and The Brave and the Bold and the original Teen Titans Go!

Now let's talk about what was bad- the cover. No, I am not talking about the image of Wonder Woman carrying the corpse of a dead kangaroo. That part of the cover did annoy a lot of fans who claim that Diana was a) a vegetarian and b) an animal lover. I say if in a nuclear winter if food is scarce and you have hungry friends, you change your beliefs a little to save the day. 

No, my issue was with the fact that Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are both on the cover but neither have stories inside the book. DC is big on the Old Lady Harley storyline that takes place in the dismal future. Having a Christmas yarn set during that era would have been an appropriate tie-in to that miniseries. Just as long as you did not make that story be one in which you had to buy the next issue of Old Lady Harley to get the conclusion to the holiday tale, I would be on board with it's inclusion here. The same goes for Wonder Woman. She could have had a place in the book other that being relegated to cover page eye candy.

A good read that promises treats but inside gives coal to fans of Harley and Diana Prince. Great artwork and very good stories. However, it's not as joyful as holiday specials past. DC's Nuclear Winter Special is the sort of thing that would bum out Whoville. Better luck next time, DC and please consider doing an animated series holiday special for 2019!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Joe Kubert Presents

Celebrate the life and art of DC Comics legend Joe Kubert in this collection of stories. Joe Kubert Presents in a decades old project that Kubert had been pitching for quite some time. It features stories starring some of Kubert's most iconic characters including Hawkman and Sgt. Rock. There's also tales of heroes that Kubert dreamed of doing but never got the chance such as the last boy on Earth, Kamandi and Jack Kirby's rhyming hellion, the Demon. 

Some stories are either all-new material or never before published works. His stories of SPIT, an 18th century waif who takes up on a whaling ship hearkens to Kubert's inspiration of Melville's Moby Dick. Then explore the first few chapters of the Redeemer. This era-spanning adventure tells of a man who is constantly reincarnated in order to prove his worth as the redeemer of humanity. This was originally to be a 12-issue maxi-series in the 80s but for one reason or another, it just never got past the initial product stages.

Not all of these stories are of Joe Kubert's. Hoping to share the spotlight with some unsung friends of his, Kubert highlights fellow war illustrator Sam Glanzman and up-and-comer Brian Buniak.

Sam Glanzman was a Navy seaman in the Pacific theatre during World War II. His adventure's aboard the USS Stevens are chronicled here. The level of detail on the ships and planes is amazing. His stories are powerful and tear-jerking. It's amazing stuff.

Brian Buniak was tasked with writing and drawing a multi-issue episode of the Angel and the Ape. Based on an idea by Joe Kubert, Buniak has the unlikely detectives solving a pair of murder attempts on identical twin restaurateurs and then taking on a mad scientist who has created an evil android version of Ape!

Overall, Joe Kubert Presents was a fantastic read. It's tragically poignant that this was Kubert's last work. It's almost as if the art educator knew that his time was coming to a close. If his Sgt. Rock story was the last story to chronicle the DC Comics war hero, I would be more than okay with that. 

With a slew of Kubert pieces along with the long awaited Redeemer chapters and Sam Glanzman's recounts of WWII, this is an essential read for DC fans and collectors of war comics. Who am I kidding?!  This is a must read for any comics fan!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Kamandi Challenge #1

   Have you ever played that game in which you start a story and then the person on your right adds to it and then it keeps getting passed around the group? Your story might start off as a romance and evolves into a horror, comedy, or Bollywood blockbuster. It's all up to the storyteller. Well, that's what Dan Didio and the good folks at DC Comics is doing with the Kamandi Challenge.
    2017 marks what would be the 100th birthday of comic book legend Jack 'King' Kirby. While Kirby is more noted for his work with Marvel, there have been periods where the King worked with DC. Most notably is his time in the early 70s where her created a slew of fan favorite characters including OMAC, The Demon, Darkseid, and the star of this project, Kamandi.

Dale Eaglesham variant cover.
It's sick! I love it!

    Kamandi is the last human boy on earth. A great disaster caused mankind to either die out or de-evolve into uncivilized cavemen. In turn all sorts of animals evolved, become intelligent and bi-pedal. It's Kamandi's mission to restore humanity to it's rightful place as the rulers of the earth.
     In this opening chapter Kamandi is a normal boy, living a seemingly normal life. That is until invaders arrive to kidnap him. It turns out that Kamandi's parents created a world with androids to look over the lad in their absence. However, the weaponry of the attackers is too much for the robots and the boy is swept away into a deep dark void. Now on his own, Kamandi must escape his animal jailers and be reunited with his parents.
    This origin is slightly different from Kirby's version from 1972. But I'm going roll with it for a couple of reasons. For one, I'm a big Kamandi fan. Secondly, I am told that somehow through this series, the last two unpublished (except in the extremely rare Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2) issues are going to be finally released to the masses. Since I am trying to collect the entire original Kamandi run, I need those issues!
     The first chapter of the Kamandi Challenge was very entertaining. I'm not sure where this book is going to go but that's part of the fun. So far the assortment of writers and artists such as Didio, Keith Griffin, and Dale Eaglesham have been impressive. I can't wait to see what happens next.
     On that note, since this is the 100th birthday of Jack Kirby, I have a feeling that both DC and Marvel have some more surprises in store for the rest of 2017. I'm excited at the prospects- I just hope they get Stan Lee involved somehow.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
     

"Kamandi: At Earth's End #4 of 6"

WORTH CONSUMING!

 Kamandi finally finds his man. Just don’t get your hopes up into finding out just why he has to kill Superman. The Man of Steel (now reduced to tin foil due to years of pollution preventing him from receiving the yellow sunlight that gives him his super-powers) appears in the next to last page.

Oh well, you should have expected that. There are 3 issues left to go.

"Kamandi: At Earth's End #3 of 6 (Elseworlds, 1993)"

 

Well, the plot got better. Sadly, the artwork remains quite unrealistic.

Case in point: Kamandi and company find a car with self-refueling power cells (ok, I buy that) and they hit the open road only to be attacked by a gang of car enthusiasts (again, a rip-off of Mad Max, but I with it so far). Then Kamandi comments that these gangs have to salvage parts and fuel from other run-down vehicles and then the cars of shown. They look like the exact opposite of Micro Machines, very squat- but Huge!!!!

The problem with it is that they are all symmetrical and fully loaded.

 What’s up with that?

 At least the Mad Max cars look like 2 trucks crashed into each other. So, why should I believe that on a world with a complete car and gas shortage should there be so many muscle cars? Once again, my readership and intelligence is insulted.

"Kamandi: At Earth's End #2 of 6 (Elseworlds, 1993)"

Kamandi rescues the obligatory last fertile female on earth in issue 2.

That cliché is forgivable. What I don’t understand is why she has to be captured by a wide array of bizarre mutant males. I call this the X-men paradox. You never see an entire race of mutants in X-Men with the same powers. There’s always a different power/body type/ look for each character.

The same goes for Kamandi. No one looks the same. And every mutant male is way too top heavy. (This type of art work is a main reason why I am not a fan of A.D. 2000) I hate it.

The Omega Man, Mad Max, and Night of the Comet are cult classics when it comes to this type of story and they all used uniform looking villains. So, why does anyone how draws post-apocalyptic comics feel that they have to go hog wild and draw a vast array of body types. Carte Blanche is not an excuse. Why, it even insults my readership.

Not worth Consuming.

"Kamandi: At Earth's End #1 of 6 (Elseworlds, 1993)"

Kamandi is one of those titles that I kick myself for not keeping. When I was younger, I’d order those comic books grab bags advertised in back issues and when it would arrive, I would receive dozens of Kamandi’s, New Gods, and Mister Miracles. At the time, I thought they were crap. Nowadays, an issue fetches about $15-30 bucks apiece.

 D’oh!

  This Elseworlds tale involves Kamandi being forced by his computerized “Mother” to kill a mysterious man in Arizona. Along the way, he meets a guy who just happens to have an unlimited supply of gasoline and guns. This is pretty standard fare. Although, there is a mysterious being known of “Ben Boxer” following them, so the real mystery is if he is a friend of foe.

   Worth Consuming, but it needs to get really good by the next issue, or I am really going to hate this entire mini-series.