Omega Men

For the movie, see The Omega Man.

Omega Men
The Omega Men by Pasqual Ferry
Group publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Green Lantern #141 (June 1981)
Created by	Marv Wolfman (writer) Joe Staton (artist)
In-story information
Type of organization	Team
Base(s)	Kuraq in the Vegan system
Agent(s)	Tigorr Broot Elu Ryand'r
Omega Men
	Cover to Omega Men #1 (April 1983). Art by Keith Giffen and Mike DeCarlo.
Series publication information
Schedule	Monthly
Format	(vol. 1) Ongoing series (vol. 2) Limited series
Genre	Science fiction, superhero
Publication date	(vol. 1) April 1983 – May 1986 (vol. 2) December 2006 – May 2007
Number of issues	(vol. 1) 38 (vol. 2) 6
Creative team
Writer(s)	(vol. 1) Roger Slifer (vol. 2) Andersen Gabrych
Artist(s)	(vol. 2) Henry Flint
Penciller(s)	(vol. 1) Keith Giffen
Inker(s)	(vol. 1) Mike DeCarlo
Letterer(s)	(vol. 1) John Costanza (vol. 2) Pat Brosseau
Colorist(s)	(vol. 1) Petra Goldberg (vol. 2) Donimic Regan
Creator(s)	Marv Wolfman (writer) Joe Staton (artist)

The Omega Men are a fictional team of extraterrestrial superheroes who have appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Green Lantern #141 (June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton.^[1]

Publication history

After appearances in Green Lantern, Action Comics and The New Teen Titans, the Omega Men were featured in their own comics series which ran for 38 issues from April 1983 to May 1986. During its run, writer Roger Slifer and artist Keith Giffen created the mercenary anti-hero Lobo. Later creators included writers Doug Moench and Todd Klein (who also lettered later issues in the run), artists Tod Smith, Shawn McManus and Alex Niño, and inkers Mike DeCarlo, Jim McDermott and Greg Theakston.

Members of the Omega Men also appeared in the 2004 eight-issue Adam Strange limited series, as well as the 2005 Infinite Crisis lead-in 6-issue limited series, Rann-Thanagar War and the 2008 follow-up Rann-Thanagar Holy War.^[2]

In 2006 they had their own six issue limited series with Tigorr, Doc, Elu, Broot and Ryand'r - written by Andersen Gabrych and art by Henry Flint.^[3][4]

Fictional team history

The Omega Men hail from the Vegan system, a planetary system with twenty-five habitable planets, which as of the early 1980s had been ruled for millennia by the Citadelians, a race of warriors cloned from the First Citadelian, the demi-godlike son of X'Hal.

cover of Green Lantern #141
art by George Pérez

The Citadelians established a tyrannical regime based in a fortress moon known as the Citadel. The citadel then set about to conquer the younger races of Vega. Originally there were only two races in the Vegan system, the primitive Branx and the pacifistic Okaarans, but the Psions used Okaaran DNA to create the other twenty-three races of Vega such as the Tamaraneans, Euphorixians, Aelloans, Karnans, and the Changralyns.

The Omega Men were assembled as a group of renegades and representatives of conquered Vegan worlds to fight Citadelian aggression. Pre-Infinite Crisis the team was based on the planet Kuraq. The Omega Men are important peacekeepers in their sector because the Green Lantern Corps is not allowed into Vegan space, due to a long standing agreement with the Psions.

The Omega Men made a return appearance in the Adam Strange mini-series. Still led by Tigorr, with veteran members Broot, Doc, Elu, Artin and Harpis. They were joined by a group of new members whose names were given, but not identified in the book. They were still fighting the Spider Empire. One of their new members, a precog, results in them waiting in a Rannian space station for some time; their ultimate purpose to meet Adam Strange. It was in this storyline that the first Doc is discovered to be a Durlan assassin. Doc himself is presumed slain.

In the recent Omega Men mini-series, it had been revealed that upon returning to the remains of Tamaran with Ryand'r (who was not part of the team in the Adam Strange mini-series), the Omegans are attacked by the Darkstar zombies of Lady Styx and all but five of them died.

The Omega Men have been seen fleeing L.E.G.I.O.N. robots during a hostile takeover ousting Vril Dox.^[5]

Current members

• Tigorr
• Broot
• Doc II (Apparently from the same species as Doc I, with green coloring instead of purple)
• Elu
• Ryand'r (Darkfire)
• Felicity (Nebula): the very same Felicity that died during Invasion!, she refused to be converted in one of Lady Styx' Darkstars and stayed in a limbo, from which she later came out changed in a new super-powered form

Founding members

• Primus: Primus is a telepath and telekinetic from planet Euphorix. Dies during Invasion! storyline, shot down by guards.
• Kalista: widow of Primus, sorceress from planet Euphorix.
• Tigorr: Taghurrhu of planet Karna, last of his kind.
• Broot: super strong and durable, born of a pacifist society on Changralyn. Rejected from his society for resorting to violence.
• Nimbus: disembodied agent of reincarnation of Branx warriors, later planetary guardian of Kuraq.
• Harpis: sister of Demonia from planet Aello, mutated by Psions, killed by Lady Styx' Darkstars.
• Demonia: sister of Harpis from planet Aello, mutated by Psions, betrayed the team, deceased.
• Felicity: last female of Tigorr's species, died during Invasion! storyline when shape-shifting Durlans attacked.
• Doc: bio-organic doctor from Aello, killed by Durlan assassin in Adam Strange mini-series.
• Shlagen: team mechanic, from planet Slagg, died in battle against Lady Styx.

Later members

• Elu: energy being
• Ryand'r: brother of Starfire, from Old Tamaran, now goes by the name Darkfire
• Auron: Lambien of Okaara, son of the goddess X'Hal, godlike energy powers
• Green Man: ex-Green Lantern from planet Uxor, died during Invasion! storyline
• Artin: artificial intelligence created by the Psions who holds a recording of Primus' brain in his memory, destroyed by Lady Styx' Darkstars
• Rynoc: male warrior from Okaara, deceased
• Zirral: female from Old Tamaran
• Ynda: Kallista's cousin from Euphorix, died during Invasion!
• Oho-Besh: a Changralyn priest, deceased
• Uhlan: a Gordanian from Karna
• Seer
• Cecilia
• Dark Flea
• Chantale
• Vandal
• Lianna: female member of the Guardians of the Universe

Deceased members

• Primus
• Kalista
• Felicity (resurrected)
• Shlagen
• Rynoc
• Ynda
• Green Man
• Doc
• Seer
• Cecilia
• Chantale
• Dark Flea
• Demonia
• Harpis
• Vandal

References

1. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "DC's newest science-fiction franchise, a band of over one hundred aliens called the Omega Men." " They gave Green Lantern a run for his money in this issue written by Marv Wolfman, with art by Joe Staton, and the Omega Men went on to gain their own ongoing series in 1983." 
2. ^ Dan Didio on R/T: Holy War and Reign in Hell, Newsarama, 2-09-2008
3. ^ Andersen Gabrych on Omega Men, Newsarama, June 9, 2006
4. ^ Alpha & Omega: Gabrych talks "The Omega Men", Comic Book Resources, August 17, 2006
5. ^ R.E.B.E.L.S. #1

Sources

• Omega Men (vol. 1) at the Grand Comics Database
• Omega Men (vol. 2) at the Grand Comics Database
• Omega Men at the Comic Book DB

External links

• Titans Tower: The Vegan Star System
• An index of the Omega Men series
• Welcome to Vega: Omega Men at Cosmic Teams!
• DCU Guide: Omega Men
• Preview pages for issue #1 of the current mini-series and issue #2