While Marvel Comics goes the PC and parody route with their cosmic titles, DC Comics writer Tom King is promising that The Omega Men will “tell a cosmic story that’s better than anything Marvel or Image can do.”
The Omega Men #1 launches tomorrow as part of the new “DC You” line-up that follows the Convergence event.
Tom King spoke with USA Today offering some space-age details about The Omega Men, which previously hinted at the death of White Lantern Kyle Rayner in the special 8-page sneak peek preview (see below).
“A lot of companies have told the greatest cosmic stories over the past 20 years in comics using concepts invented for DC,” King said. “With this story, DC’s going to take back its stars. We’re going to tell a cosmic story that’s better than anything Marvel or Image can do.”
The following plot is also revealed:
Created by writer
Marv Wolfman and artistJoe Staton ‘s run on Green Lantern in 1981, the Omega Men are a group of intergalactic renegades from the Vega star system. In their new take on the team, King and Indonesian artist Barnaby Bagenda infuse the book with a rebels-vs.-empire concept a la Star Wars but grounded in an impactful reality inspired by King’s work in the CIA as a counterterrorism operations officer.The Citadel rules the Vega system with an iron hand — King figures it’s akin to somewhere between the height of the
British Empire and occupied Europe circa 1943. TheGreen Lantern Corps are cosmic cops protecting the universe but the Citadel is off limits to them thanks to some shady dealings.In an act of revolution, the Omega Men use a video to broadcast the death of Rayner — although the screen turns to fuzz during the killing blow, and we never actually see the
White Lantern ‘s body — and that causes all sorts of problems. The Lanterns are incensed that they can’t come in and investigate, and the power players of the Citadel take it upon themselves to apprehend the outlaws.
Regarding the death of Kyle Rayner:
The Omega Men is definitely an ambitious project for King on the whole. He remembers having three editors on the phone when writing Rayner’s death: “It was like, ‘Oh, you can use Kyle Rayner,’ and I’m like, ‘Great, I’ll kill him!’ ”
King also says the story is on par with Star Wars, Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, and that: “I’m taking that opportunity to write an incredible, epic sci-fi adventure that kicks you in the gut and keeps going.”
THE OMEGA MEN #1
Writer: Tom King
Art: Barnaby Bagenda, José Marzán, Jr.
Description:
The Omega Men are back in an all-new series! They’ve murdered White Lantern Kyle Rayner and now, the universe wants them to pay! Who are these intergalactic criminals – and is there more to their actions than meets the eye?
Sneak peek:
Preview:
