ARE YOU READY FOR JACK KIRBY'S OMAC -- ONE MAN ARMY CORPS?

A Startling Look Into...The World That's Coming! Are You Ready?


That was the promise with Jack Kirby's OMAC 8 issue series from DC Comics. It was written and penciled by Jack "King" Kirby with inks by Mike Royer (#1, #6, #8) & D. Bruce Berry (#2-#5, #7.)  

Through interfacing with the Brother Eye satellite, via an invisible beam to his receiver belt, Buddy Blank is transformed into OMAC and imbued with an array of superhuman abilities. The base of these abilities involve density control of Blank's body. An increase in density leads to superhuman strength and enhanced durability, while a decrease in density leads to flight and super-speed. Brother Eye could provide other abilities as well, such as self-repairing functions and energy generation.

As envisioned by Kirby, OMAC is essentially Captain America set in the future, an idea Kirby had toyed with some years earlier while at Marvel Comics, but had never realized.

OMAC #1  A Startling Look Into...The World That's Coming!
"Brother Eye and Buddy Blank"
Buddy Blank is transformed into OMAC. 
Essay about the ideas that went into creating OMAC and a request for letters feature.
My favorite cover in the series.

OMAC #2  In the ear of the Super Rich!
"Blood Brother Eye"
Mr. Big can "Rent a City" for assassination.  

 

OMAC #3  He is Special! He is Ready! He Must Fight a Task Force of a "Hundred Thousand Foes!"
"OMAC"
"A Hundred Thousand Foes"
"Three Kill OMAC"
"The Final Moment"
Movies in which we live. Parents picked by computer.  

OMAC #4  The Busting of a Conqueror!
"The Busting of a Conqueror" In the world that's coming -- we'll need OMAC to fight a doomsday monster -- made to order. 

OMAC #5  The Most Evil Racket Ever Created! New Bodies for Old!
"New Bodies for Old"
Criminals are flocking to use a new invention that allows you to change your old body for a new, fresh one.

OMAC #6  Monsters in the Subway! And a Train Ride to Doom!
"The Body Bank"
OMAC manages to infiltrate the Terminal and stop the Crime Cabal.
Cover used for the Jack Kirby's OMAC hardcover edition.

OMAC #7  More Dangerous than a Hundred H-Bombs! The Water He's Stealing All the Water in the World!
"The Ocean Stealers"
Doctor Skuba has figured out how to steal all the water on Earth.
 

OMAC #8  Will OMAC Meet his Fate in The Place of Fear? Take a Good Look, OMAC...in a few Minutes You're Going to be One of Them!
"Human Genius vs. Thinking Machine"
In his headquarters, Skuba's "children" show Buddy his Chamber of Monsters.
The last panel is rewritten and redrawn by someone other than Kirby, as the issue was abruptly cancelled & the story was ended. 
Great Joe Kubert cover!

Kamandi #50  Changing...Changing...Changing...and Kamandi becomes a One Man Army Corp!
"The Death Worshipers"
Written by Denny O'Neil with art by Dick Ayers, Alfredo Alcala & Manuel Auad 
Revealing Kamandi is the grandson of OMAC (placing Kamandi in the same timeline with OMAC.)

Kamandi #59 included a back-up OMAC feature, The Return of OMAC, written & penciled by Jim Starlin & inked by Joe Rubinstein. Kamandi #57 & #59 also sported catchy Jim Starlin covers. 

  
DC Comics published Jack Kirby's OMAC: One Man Army Corps collection in a gorgeous hardcover edition. Included were pages of Kirby penciled artwork from the OMAC comic books. It includes OMAC (Kirby inked by Greg Theakson)  from the Who's Who Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #17 (I must add that this had a George Perez cover.) 

OMAC made a cameo in the Canceled Comic Cavacade #2 from DC Comics, in the previously unpublished Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #60 & #61 stories Into the Vortex & I'll See You in my Nightmares. Jack C. Harris was the writer with Dick Ayers & Dan Bulanadi were the artists. Unfortunately this is an extremely difficult item to procure.

In that same comic book, Jim Starlin wrote a penciled For This is the New Origin of OMAC story also originally intended for unpublished Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #60. Story published in Warlord #37. 

The OMAC back-up feature in Warlord #37-#39, was written & drawn by Jim Starlin, inked by Joe Rubinstein & Romeo Tanghal, it was intended for the never published Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #60. It was great to have Starlin bring it to a new level. I'd recommend searching it out. He also appeared in a later issue of Kamandi. 

Warlord #42-#47 featured another take on OMAC, from writers Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn with artists Greg Larocque & Vince Colletta. 

OMAC was featured in a four-issue prestige format limited series written & drawn by John Byrne, tying up loose ends left from previous stories.  

I came in late to the game with Kirby's Fourth World series, but with OMAC, I got in on the ground floor. I liked it!   

This is because I like Keith Giffen work!!

Live Large My Friends!

Thank You!