The Omega Men #3 Review

Written by: Tom King
Art by: Barnaby Bagenda and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: August 5, 2015

One for the Road

I have quickly fallen in love with the Omega Men.  I give Tom King all the credit in the world, because I'm usually not a patient man, but the slow burn story of this team and the Universe it inhabits grabbed me right away and hasn't let go.  Sure, I want to know more about then asap, but that's more because I've loved the little we've gotten so far.  Did this month's issue open the curtain a little bit more?  Was it another great issue?  Let's find out...



This issue opens up on the Planet Euphorix of the Vega System and there is not an Omega Man anywhere...or is there?  Tom King instead shows us the Princess of Euphorix as she goes through her daily sword practice.  The Universe this book takes place in is full to the brim with awful people and you can add another to the long list.  While the Princess claims she is too vain, there are so many things wrong with her and the social system set up by the Citadel that I'm surprised she could narrow her problems down to five, let alone one.

Tom King works overtime here to make us hate the Citadel even more than before.  Sure, you can also hate the Princess and her way of life, but the Citadel has set this all up and makes sure it continues running the way they like it.  What can we do about it, anyway?  WE can't do anything, but the Omega Men can.  They can and they do.

The plan is kidnapping and first up is Tigorr.  After this issue's opening, it's no surprise that the Princess doesn't just lay down and get captured.  She's hardly a damsel in distress and actually bests Tigorr after a pretty cool and intense battle.  Next up is Scrapps and the outer space Harley Quinn goes in guns a blazing, but the battle ends quickly with both the Princess and Scrapps down for the count and bloody.  Things get even more complicated when the rest of the Omega Men and the authorities arrive at the same time.  After some brute (Broot?) force is applied, the Omega Men collect their wounded, but more importantly, make off with the Princess.  First they "kill" Kyle Rayner, now they kidnap a Princess.  No wonder everyone in the Universe hates them!

After all this excitement, King slows things down a bit when we see Kyle Rayner and the newly captured Princess get acquainted and while I love me some ass kicking, this scene was my favorite. That's mainly because of Kyle Rayner and Tom King's grasp of the character.  He is drawing a picture of Carol Ferris and it reminds you he is indeed an artist, but also a lonely man who misses his gal pal.  While it is stressed that Kyle and Princess Kalista are joined at the...neck, the issue ended with a great twist that once again made me love this book all over again.

I don't fully understand the voodoo that Tom King hides within the pages of this book, but it has me in it's spell.  I love losing myself in this Universe and while it seems like an awful place to live, I don't mind visiting it once a month.  Plus, I believed Primus last month when he told Kyle Rayner that they were going to save everyone.  They are at least one step closer to that goal after this issue.

A big part of my enjoyment of this title also comes from the art team of Barnaby Bagenda and Romulo Fajardo Jr.  Everything has a used and lived in look that makes it seem so real.  This is a living, breathing universe and Bagenda and Fajardo present it that way.  Kudos as well for the awesome flip book like sequence between the Princess and Scrapps.  Awesome!

Bits and Pieces:

This was another great issue of a book that continues to surprise the hell out of me.  Tom King is slowly showing us the Omega Men and while I still have no idea of the bigger picture, I don't mind waiting for it.  Barnaby Bagenda's art is great in itself, but is awesome in the way it shows a dirty, and dangerous Universe.  I love this book.

9.0/10