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Reviews
Omega the Unknown by Jonathan Lethem, Paul Hornschemeier, Karl Rusnak, Farel Dalrymple, Gary Panter
bstratton's review
4.0
I think the impulse to return to an incomplete or imperfect work of art that impacted you profoundly in your youth and attempting to “fix” it is almost always a bad idea. But I understand it. And I think this is a much better attempt than most. I think it was also responsible for bringing the original work back into print for a short time, which is admirable. It’s a weird and loving tribute to a much weirder story that helps to bridge the gap between the original and modern sensibilities. I’d recommend reading them both if you’re going to read either.
thehauntedlibrary's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
stegan's review
4.0
Complex, beautifully rendered, well-written. My only qualm is that the ending was almost a little too neat given the setup. That said, it's one of those stories that shines because of the medium, if that makes sense. You can see Lethem writing this as a short story, but it just wouldn't be the same. Dalrymple's illustrations, with his use of stylistic changes and 70s comic book colors that are simultaneously bright and dull, really elevates the work. Enjoyable.
jgkeely's review
2.0
As a child, Lethem was one of the many who were touched by a strange, singular, prescient comic called 'Omega the Unknown', which prefigured the psychological depth, realism, and genre deconstruction of the early Vertigo titles (my review here). As a successful adult, Lethem desired to return to the source of his inspiration, and to make it his own, which he certainly did, but I'm not entirely enthusiastic about the way he went about it.
Lethem decided to rewrite an iconic piece of cult comic history, but for all that he claims to be a fan of Gerber's, Lethem proved himself surprisingly ignorant of who Gerber was, and of what he represents in the world of comics.
Omega was canceled early because Gerber became involved in a struggle over creator's rights--one of the first such struggles in comics, and one which helped to pave the way for later authors and artists. But as the first to throw himself into the gears of the corporate comics machine, Gerber didn't fare well in his one-man revolution. He went bankrupt and never gained ownership of his creations, and so Omega, a work ahead of its time, was taken from him and the characters killed off summarily by another author.
When Gerber heard that Lethem was to reboot the series, he reacted with anger and disbelief that someone who called themselves a fan of his would conspire with the company that he fought with so long, a company that took away his creations. And now here's a young upstart who has decided to remake it, without so much as a by-your-leave. Gerber and Lethem later spoke, and Gerber softened his critique, realizing that Lethem was ignorant and starry-eyed. Like so many new authors, he was pleased enough with the idea of writing that he never thought to ask pertinent questions.
Perhaps his naivete is a defense of his actions, but I don't see how any author can hope to achieve anything when he is working from a fundamental state of ignorance. Perhaps if Lethem truly meant to honor Gerber, he should have asked him how the story was meant to end, and then work to give it some measure of the closure it deserved.
Instead, he chose to rewrite the story as a faux-indy comic, with the requisite awkward pacing, pop-culture references, and outsider art aesthetic. I must admit this last bit confused me somewhat, as Lethem didn't draw it himself, but chose a full-time artist. The level of art I saw here was reminiscent of the artist-creator, who must do double duty to retain control of his vision, and who we forgive for his primitive, idiomatic style. Yet the art here was less studied and charming than most actual indy comics.
I think accusations of 'hipsterdom' are thrown around too often, and meaninglessly, but I will say that any viable critique of the hipster movement is always based in the observation that some people take on the trappings of a group or idea in an attempt to borrow its allure, but without comprehending it, or achieving the same purpose.
So Lethem's book, even apart from the art, seems deliberately odd, as if aberration were a style, and not a natural inclination. Primitive artists develop an idiomatic style by coming to terms with their faults and limits, not by adopting an artificial limitation, which is what Dalrymple seems to be affecting, since I have seen other works of his which did have a singular, intriguing style. Perhaps this book is just the case of a rushed or incomplete experiment on his part, which wouldn't be much of an achievement, but it's better than aping outsider artists in an attempt to capture their mystique.
The book is reminiscent of many earlier comics--not merely Gerber's Omega--with familiar story, characters, and symbols from which Lethem draws freely. The conceptual exploration, deconstruction, and internal psychic progression of the story all resemble great comics like Shade the Changing Man, The Maxx, Madman, The Tick, or Cerebus, but while Gerber was writing those sorts of stories years before anyone else, Lethem is writing them thirty years after the fact.
I must presume, based on Lethem's ignorance about his favorite comic, its original author, and its meaning in the business, that he is naively reinventing the wheel. He failed to recognize that comics didn't cease evolving after Gerber, sitting and waiting for reinvigoration. The ideas explored in this rewrite have been done before, and much better. They have trickled out through the comics industry, and into other media, and the public consciousness, leaving Lethem rather late to the game.
Even after all that time, all the change in how people look at comics, and the introduction of comics as 'art', Lethem still isn't able to improve upon Gerber's original ideas. His writing doesn't have the power, the subtlety, or the sense of poetry. Gerber's characters were human despite being archetypal, while Lethem's are cliche (and rather dull) despite being absurd subversions.
But then, Gerber was trying to write around the limitations and expectations of comic books, trying to maintain his dark tone and introversion despite being forced to include the Incredible Hulk as a secondary character. This would naturally require him to come up with creative solutions, and carefully consider what he was doing.
Lethem, on the other hand, had no apparent limitations except the most destructive ones: his own. One would expect he'd do more to overcome them, being a Certified Genius, and all (having won the prestigious Macarthur Fellowship), but then, the grant is for potential, not for achievement; and like so many other winners, he has apparently done his utmost too keep that potential at a premium by refusing have it confirmed.
Lethem had little humor, despite numerous attempts (and endless references to the book 'rumblefish'). His giant stone author surrogate was transparent, dull, and convenient, and the issue where he gives the backstory in song was more annoying than it was clever. He renamed the main character 'A. Island' (ha ha) and quickly gave in to the temptation to write a brilliant boy in the same way as he wrote the adults, which Gerber danced around, but remarkably, never stooped to.
This book was redundant, and without charm, and to some degree, the arrogance with which Lethem tackled the project is insulting to comic fans, as if a successful literary writer could expect to simply enter a new medium and, without great deliberation, do it as well as men who spent their lives championing the form. Lethem doesn't do it that well, and doesn't do himself any favors by drawing comparison to earlier explorative writers who helped to redefine the comic book.
Steve Gerber died during the run of this reimagining, and it saddens me to think that he lived just long enough to see his own creative struggles drug out again, flaunting everything he tried to do for creators, all in the name of 'honoring' him. I know this wasn't Lethem's intent, but I don't think willfully self-assured ignorance is much of a defense.
Yet there is an irony to the fact that while Gerber's original run prefigured a new, revolutionary reading of comics that would change the way they would be written and thought of in our culture forever, Lethem has took this unpredictable, unusual book, and made it into a stylized story of unexplored symbols.
My Suggested Readings in Comics
Lethem decided to rewrite an iconic piece of cult comic history, but for all that he claims to be a fan of Gerber's, Lethem proved himself surprisingly ignorant of who Gerber was, and of what he represents in the world of comics.
Omega was canceled early because Gerber became involved in a struggle over creator's rights--one of the first such struggles in comics, and one which helped to pave the way for later authors and artists. But as the first to throw himself into the gears of the corporate comics machine, Gerber didn't fare well in his one-man revolution. He went bankrupt and never gained ownership of his creations, and so Omega, a work ahead of its time, was taken from him and the characters killed off summarily by another author.
When Gerber heard that Lethem was to reboot the series, he reacted with anger and disbelief that someone who called themselves a fan of his would conspire with the company that he fought with so long, a company that took away his creations. And now here's a young upstart who has decided to remake it, without so much as a by-your-leave. Gerber and Lethem later spoke, and Gerber softened his critique, realizing that Lethem was ignorant and starry-eyed. Like so many new authors, he was pleased enough with the idea of writing that he never thought to ask pertinent questions.
Perhaps his naivete is a defense of his actions, but I don't see how any author can hope to achieve anything when he is working from a fundamental state of ignorance. Perhaps if Lethem truly meant to honor Gerber, he should have asked him how the story was meant to end, and then work to give it some measure of the closure it deserved.
Instead, he chose to rewrite the story as a faux-indy comic, with the requisite awkward pacing, pop-culture references, and outsider art aesthetic. I must admit this last bit confused me somewhat, as Lethem didn't draw it himself, but chose a full-time artist. The level of art I saw here was reminiscent of the artist-creator, who must do double duty to retain control of his vision, and who we forgive for his primitive, idiomatic style. Yet the art here was less studied and charming than most actual indy comics.
I think accusations of 'hipsterdom' are thrown around too often, and meaninglessly, but I will say that any viable critique of the hipster movement is always based in the observation that some people take on the trappings of a group or idea in an attempt to borrow its allure, but without comprehending it, or achieving the same purpose.
So Lethem's book, even apart from the art, seems deliberately odd, as if aberration were a style, and not a natural inclination. Primitive artists develop an idiomatic style by coming to terms with their faults and limits, not by adopting an artificial limitation, which is what Dalrymple seems to be affecting, since I have seen other works of his which did have a singular, intriguing style. Perhaps this book is just the case of a rushed or incomplete experiment on his part, which wouldn't be much of an achievement, but it's better than aping outsider artists in an attempt to capture their mystique.
The book is reminiscent of many earlier comics--not merely Gerber's Omega--with familiar story, characters, and symbols from which Lethem draws freely. The conceptual exploration, deconstruction, and internal psychic progression of the story all resemble great comics like Shade the Changing Man, The Maxx, Madman, The Tick, or Cerebus, but while Gerber was writing those sorts of stories years before anyone else, Lethem is writing them thirty years after the fact.
I must presume, based on Lethem's ignorance about his favorite comic, its original author, and its meaning in the business, that he is naively reinventing the wheel. He failed to recognize that comics didn't cease evolving after Gerber, sitting and waiting for reinvigoration. The ideas explored in this rewrite have been done before, and much better. They have trickled out through the comics industry, and into other media, and the public consciousness, leaving Lethem rather late to the game.
Even after all that time, all the change in how people look at comics, and the introduction of comics as 'art', Lethem still isn't able to improve upon Gerber's original ideas. His writing doesn't have the power, the subtlety, or the sense of poetry. Gerber's characters were human despite being archetypal, while Lethem's are cliche (and rather dull) despite being absurd subversions.
But then, Gerber was trying to write around the limitations and expectations of comic books, trying to maintain his dark tone and introversion despite being forced to include the Incredible Hulk as a secondary character. This would naturally require him to come up with creative solutions, and carefully consider what he was doing.
Lethem, on the other hand, had no apparent limitations except the most destructive ones: his own. One would expect he'd do more to overcome them, being a Certified Genius, and all (having won the prestigious Macarthur Fellowship), but then, the grant is for potential, not for achievement; and like so many other winners, he has apparently done his utmost too keep that potential at a premium by refusing have it confirmed.
Lethem had little humor, despite numerous attempts (and endless references to the book 'rumblefish'). His giant stone author surrogate was transparent, dull, and convenient, and the issue where he gives the backstory in song was more annoying than it was clever. He renamed the main character 'A. Island' (ha ha) and quickly gave in to the temptation to write a brilliant boy in the same way as he wrote the adults, which Gerber danced around, but remarkably, never stooped to.
This book was redundant, and without charm, and to some degree, the arrogance with which Lethem tackled the project is insulting to comic fans, as if a successful literary writer could expect to simply enter a new medium and, without great deliberation, do it as well as men who spent their lives championing the form. Lethem doesn't do it that well, and doesn't do himself any favors by drawing comparison to earlier explorative writers who helped to redefine the comic book.
Steve Gerber died during the run of this reimagining, and it saddens me to think that he lived just long enough to see his own creative struggles drug out again, flaunting everything he tried to do for creators, all in the name of 'honoring' him. I know this wasn't Lethem's intent, but I don't think willfully self-assured ignorance is much of a defense.
Yet there is an irony to the fact that while Gerber's original run prefigured a new, revolutionary reading of comics that would change the way they would be written and thought of in our culture forever, Lethem has took this unpredictable, unusual book, and made it into a stylized story of unexplored symbols.
My Suggested Readings in Comics
wheems01's review
2.0
Not really my thing. I read it, but I never got into it. I felt like I was coming into the story part way through, and never got interested. I will leave this one to the graphic novel fans.
neven's review
4.0
Very smart and sharp, quirky in just the right way. I can't say I always understood what was going on or why, but I kept reading. A slightly tighter story might help, though I wonder if some of Omega's shaggy-dog charm would then be lost.
rtimmorris's review
4.0
Becomes a bit discombobulated in the last 3 or 4 issues but a strong read for anyone who likes the superhero genre with a twist of Indy. Lethem utilized a few too many literary devices, which detracted from a few of the bigger ideas.
The Mink is such an awesome creation though, and I would definitely not refuse a spin-off limited series by Lethem, even if the character technically died in this one.
The Mink is such an awesome creation though, and I would definitely not refuse a spin-off limited series by Lethem, even if the character technically died in this one.
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