ANDERSEN GABRYCH ON OMEGA MEN

[MattBrady]

As a concept, DC's Omega Men are a full 25 years old, but the property's been slowly and steadily making a comeback. The push goes full speed in October with a new six issue miniseries by Andersen (Batgirl) Gabrych and Henry Flint, pitting the Omegans against a new religion sweeping through the Vegan galaxy, with the mysterious "Lady" at its lead.

For folks who may have first encountered the Omega Men in the pages of the recent Adam Strange: Planet Heist miniseries…hoo-boy. That's just the surface - and just the survivors. Originally, the Omega Men were a collection of warriors from the Vegan star system who were united in one mission - freeing their system from the clutches of the Citadel. They members of the team - intially numbering about 100 - were the leaders of the worlds of the Vegan system that the Citadel overtook. Breaking free from their capture, and at first led by Primus, the team stood against the Citadel, and gathered even more members.

As far as the original series went - it was hot in its day. Not bound by the shared nature of the main DCU characters, it was a place where cast members died, changed, and entered with regularity. Oh, and some guy named "Lobo" made his first appearance in issue #3, but that's a whole 'nother story...

As a team, with help from the DCU heroes, the Citadel was finally defeated and driven from the Vegan system, but that was only the start of further instability among the worlds - the Spider Guild quickly assumed dominance in the region, the Sun-Eater gobbled up some stars, and Imperiex had his way with the system as well. The Omegans, their membership barely resembling anything that they started with in '81, were searching for a home among the war-torn worlds, when, as mentioned above, they were drawn into the war between Rann and Thanagar, along with Adam Strange…and that led to Infinite Crisis…

and them getting their own miniseries. We spoke with Gabrych about the six issue story.

Newsarama: Let's go to the beginning on this - how did you get on the gig? Was Omega Men something you pitched, or was it pitched to you?

Andersen Gabrych: A little of both, just as I was winding up my run on Batgirl, I was approached by DC about my ideas on how to revitalize a couple of older properties, and the “motley crew of freedom fighters” aspect of the Omega Men appealed to me right away. I thought about how I could both pare down and expand the concept of the Omega Men in a way relevant to today’s world, as well as challenge my inner “sci-fi” geek, and satisfy my insatiable thirst for huge high-octane action. I wrote up a pitch based on that combo, and after a few fantastic conversations with Bob Schreck and Dan Didio… viola. Here we are.

And also - let me add from the beginning that people are going to be blown away by Henry Flint’s stunning artwork. This guy is unbelievable. And with Dom Regan’s colors? Forget about it. Nothing else looks and feels like this book… You will not be disappointed.

NRAMA: So - who are we talking about as being the Omega Men? These are the guys who we most recently saw in Adam Strange: Planet Heist, right?

AG: Yes, that’s them. Well, some of them…

NRAMA: Okay - well, can you give us a brief character rundown of the folks making up the team?

AG: The team, when we open, consists of the five surviving Omega Men - what happened to the others? Read the book!:

Tigorr, the take-no-BS leader, Broot the pacifist powerhouse, Doc, the TV-Headed team physician who has learned to use his healing powers to devastating results, Elu the living cosmic storm, and Ryand'r, brother to Teen Titan, Starfire, who has a whole new set of powers and a brand-new codename which has everything to do with our story. We also will pick up a new lady-member who has roots deep in the DCU’s cosmic mythos and an old Omegan will return in an entirely new way.

AG: While they were more of an official "team" in the early days, when we last saw them, the Omega Men were, as you said, a motley bunch who were seeimingly as interested in staying under the radar of the authorities while conducting their quasi-legal business. So what holds them together as a "team?" Do they even have an identity as a team?

AG: Elmer’s glue, Wonder Bread, and religious persecution.

NRAMA: Ba-dum-bump!

AG: Seriously - their identity/mission becomes focused at the end of issue #2 with the addition of the new member who proclaims: “The Omega Men. The last hope this universe has.”

NRAMA: And they're still on the outs with the authorities?

AG: Yep - they're being pursued, once again, by LEGION. Vril Dox - the son of Superman foe, Brainiac, and the Commander of L.E.G.I.O.N. - is a major player in the series.

NRAMA: So what are they up against? A dark new religion, headed up by the mysterious "Lady?" Oh come on - you're just trying to cash in on The Da Vinci Code here aren't you?

AG: Yes, I am. I have a holding deal at Imagine.

I don’t want to say much about the nature of the religious threat, except: This goes right to the heart of faith, quantum mechanics, death, God, and the beauty of existential diversity. With lots and lots of kick-ass fighting, featuring guest appearances by Superman, the Teen Titans, Green Lantern, and more!

NRAMA: So what's going on with this religion that's so serious that the Omega Men would stand against it?

AG: They believe they’re right, and all non-believers should either be converted or killed. Simple as that. When we open the entirety of the Vega system has already been indoctrinated. Including, most prominently, the Spider Guild, whose Emperor has been “blessed” with phenomenal cosmic power.

NRAMA: Bt yet not, ironically, an itty bitty living space. What gets the ball rolling in issue #1?

AG: The Omega Men behave very, very badly in Church.

NRAMA: As you've tackled the miniseries, have any characters really speaking to you so far, and becoming your favorites?

AG: I love all these guys so much. I’m having a ball with Tigorr, Doc, and Elu, most. But, honestly, Vril Dox of LEGION is my favorite. He’s such a cold, nasty dick - with deep family and emotional issues and a particularly unusual relationship with his new computer…

NRAMA: Beyond this story, what's you’re history with the characters? Were you a fan of the characters from years back, or are they relatively new to you?

AG: I became a fan of some of the characters when I first saw them back in the New Teen Titans. However, I always, even as a kid, felt the cast was over-bloated and meandering. So I trimmed the fat. Pared it down to five of my favorites to create a peculiarly balanced set of different Alien species, personalities, points of view, and powers. Then made them much more bitter. And maybe more hopeful, too.

I want to make it clear that, while it features largely established characters, you don’t have to know anything about the history of the Omega Men to enjoy this book. However, fans of the original series - which ran for over three years and features work from industry giants Marv Wolfman, Keith Giffen, Dave Gibbons, and Alan Moore among others - will also be rewarded in some really fun ways.

NRAMA: Wrapping things up, speaking to the larger scope - what are you looking to touch on with this miniseries?

AG: I could get on my soapbox, but no one wants that.

For some degree of insight, though, I was largely inspired by the rise of hateful religious dogma throughout the world and by the unfathomable power of natural devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The themes I think I’m exploring are: Science and religion are not mutually exclusive, diversity is necessary to life, and Mother Nature can be a real bitch.

And I want the world to know the incredible genius of Henry Flint.

[nietoperz]

I'm looking forward to this!

[Kevin T. Brown]

Only one thing would make this a perfect return: Shawn McManus providing covers at the very least. I like Henry's work, but it can be a bit over the top sometimes....

[RooJay]

Dare I say it - I'm thinking that maybe this new lady member might actually be Donna Troy.

[Ace]

It's funny. I absolutely love the X-Men in space.

I absolutely HATE the Titans in space.

So I'm sort of biased against the Omega Men.

that said, I loved the heck out of Gabrych's Batgirl run. And Vril Dox is one of my favorite characters in all of comics, so I'm looking forward to this.

I just wish that AG could get an ongoing title.

[kingofcities]

Story sounds fun. That art is great too. What else has Henry Flint worked on?

[c_andrew_s]

Very cool; in the 80s I had a subscription to this title.

[StripedTiger]

NRAMA: So what's going on with this religion that's so serious that the Omega Men would stand against it?

AG: They believe they’re right, and all non-believers should either be converted or killed. Simple as that.

The Lady is Anne Coulter. Now that's a good premise...

Seriously I'm looking forward to this and remember the older versions of the team fondly. I'd love to see this turn into a ongoing series...

[superate]

AG did a stellar job on Batgirl. I'm getting this based on that.

[I am MODOK]

I figure the new member will be Lady Quark. I had been hoping Captain Comet would join though...

I'm not sure about this one. Never read Batgirl or the original Omega Men, so I have no frame of reference...

[Jim Connick]

Originally Posted by kingofcities

Story sounds fun. That art is great too. What else has Henry Flint worked on?

He's mostly worked for 2000AD in the past. Probably best now to non-2000AD readers for being the artist on Judge Dredd Vs Aliens a few years ago.
He also drew Silver Surfer/Rune years and years ago, but best not to mention that as I seem to remember that he hates his art in it.

He didn't do Grimjack or Manbat though, that was Flint Henry, totally different person.

Go here to see what he's done for 2000AD

[kingofcities]

Originally Posted by Jim Connick

He's mostly worked for 2000AD in the past. Probably best now to non-2000AD readers for being the artist on Judge Dredd Vs Aliens a few years ago.
He also drew Silver Surfer/Rune years and years ago, but best not to mention that as I seem to remember that he hates his art in it.

He didn't do Grimjack or Manbat though, that was Flint Henry, totally different person.

Go here to see what he's done for 2000AD

Thanks a lot for the info! This guy has some skills. This book ought to be pretty nice.

[Akcoll99]

Originally Posted by Jim Connick

He didn't do Grimjack or Manbat though, that was Flint Henry, totally different person.

Ah, thanks for clarifying. I know Flint Henry from his Grimjack work, but I'm not familiar with Henry Flint so I kept wondering if they had just inverted his name.
I wasn't too interested in this at first but Gabrych's comments make me want to at least check out the first issue.

[chap22]

never been a huge fan of the Omega Men except for Tigorr (good thing he's now the most prominent member ), but i loved them in the AS: Planet Heist mini, particularly taking a shine to Doc. that said, i am ALL OVER this. other than his Lazara slip-up at the end of the Batgirl run, i have loved absolutely everything i've ever read from Gabrych, and i love the recent DC space-stuff, particularly the Spider Guild as the hot new universal bad guys. looking VERY forward to this.

oh, and Modok, Gabrych also wrote a very good 6-10 issue run of Detective leading into War Games; don't know if you've read any of that either, but it's one more thing you might look at to get a feel for his stuff.

[Punchy]

Um, didn't Doc die in Planet Heist?

[grantg]

Didn't Doc die in the Adam Strage mini?

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by grantg

Didn't Doc die in the Adam Strage mini?

WHAM!

[Dino1963]

I loved the Omega Men when they first came out and also had a subscription. Alot of the characters I liked are now dead unfortunately, but I do like Doc. Tiggor is not one of my favorites because he reminds me too much of Wolverine. But I'm willing to give this a try.

[Hooper]

Originally Posted by RooJay

Dare I say it - I'm thinking that maybe this new lady member might actually be Donna Troy.

I was actually thinking of Lady Quark.

[Spaz_Monkey]

I was first exposed to the Omega Men during Crisis. If I remember right (i could be wrong, i often am) Blue Devil was zapped onto their ship and hilarity ensued.
I didn't see them again until Invasion, but I've always enjoyed seeing them. I look forward to this series, and hope we see them again regularly.

[JonahsWhale]

Originally Posted by Hooper

Quote:
Originally Posted by RooJay
Dare I say it - I'm thinking that maybe this new lady member might actually be Donna Troy.


I was actually thinking of Lady Quark.

I was thinking that Lady Quark would die and transfer her Ionic energy into Donna, creating ... LADY MADONNA!

[Mr Wesley]

Omega Men? Who cares?

But Dox and LEGION? I will be there!

Sometimes I think I just have my paycheck direct-deposited to DC, just to bypass the middle-man (me).

[Hobowatcher]

This is the best pro-smoking drawing I have ever seen. That cat's eyes are crazy as hell.

[MattBrady]

Originally Posted by grantg

Didn't Doc die in the Adam Strage mini?

mmm...and death, or percieved death is always so final and absolute, and always strictly follows what you saw - or thought you saw. But you're okay with the tiger man, right?

MattB

[samnoir]

It's interesting that they didn't play the "Lobo" card in launching this series.

The only parts of the original run that stick in my head are the Teen Titans crossover and the Alan Moore backup stories.

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