Justice League of America: Omega

Justice League of America (2006)

by James Robinson

When the villainous Crime Syndicate of Amerika and a mysterious dark energy attack our world, the Justice League of America is immediately put on the defensive. But as the JLA locks horns with their new otherworldly rivals, Dr. Impossible calls forth the Omega Man, a terrifying alien entity capable of destroying not only the Justice League, but the Earth itself.With the coming of the Omega Man, members of both the JLA and the CSA must choose sides, as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As alliances and friendships are forged and destroyed, can the remaining superpowers unite long enough to put a stop to the Omega Man's rampage?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Action, Batman, Adventure

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.

Reviews

[Jeff]

Hey, you Teen Titan hooligans, get the hell off of the Hall of Justice lawn!!!



Most of DC’s A-list heroes are a little busy, so it’s time for some B-listers from the children’s table to step and fill in at the trenches.

Not to worry, because Batman’s still on the team.



Wait, that’s not Bruce Wayne (he’s “dead”), it’s Dick Grayson.

Crap!

So, what crisis greets the kids?



*sigh* Personal problems.

Before the reader can nod off, it’s those punk-assed bitches, the Criminal Syndicate of Amerika,…



…the through-a-mirror-darkly versions of the Justice League (the A-listers) from another Earth and they’re here to resurrect Alexander Luthor for some reason that I forgot, but the whole resurrection process goes down the toilet and we’re left with…



Omega Man, a Darkseid wannabe, who likes to talk with a cool shadow font (*Jeff cleans off glasses*).



Yes, a shadow font!

The Justice League tale is fine, but if you want to see Robinson at the near top of his game, check out the Congorilla/Starman issue which is loosely pigeonholed into the larger storyline in this volume. He takes marginal characters and instills them with wit, compassion and enough character tics to draw the reader in quickly. There’s a gentle yet unbreakable bond between the two titular characters.



Robinson has a respect and love for DC’s history and when he’s firing on all cylinders (Starman, The Shade), he can dazzle you with the appearance of the odd character or two.



Making The Tasmanian Devil interesting is a feat unto itself.



Bottom Line: Overall, this is a fun collection. Come for the JLA storyline, which is okay, but hang out for the Congorilla/Starman stuff - the one that rounds this up to four stars from three and a half.



Relax! Rex is okay!

[Chad]

I really like the idea of turning the Justice League over to the 2nd generation of heroes. The five main members, Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Jade, Supergirl and Jesse Quick are all former Titans. Congorilla and Starman are off doing their own thing for most of this (which we see in the Starman / Congorilla One-Shot that's included). Having the Crime Syndicate involved is a great addition too. However, this is all really generic with clunky dialogue. The main villain, the Omega Man, is really stupid too and has an awful character design.



Robinson's run has fell really flat for me so far. That hasn't changed here.

[Subham]

This was certainly out there I guess but it was kind of a fun read!

We see Donna and Jennie go against this Bogeyman villain and its an alright story and showing how far Donna has come and then next we have a female GL from another universe on this earth and she tells of what happened to her and the coming of Crime Syndicate and what it leads to so the battle of JLA vs this and then their plans and it backfiring with the coming of "THE OMEGA MAN" and his plans for world domination are show and thus it falls on this JLA to stop this villain and also the evil JL team and the dynamics and things they do is great to see plus a tie into whatevers going on with Congorilla and Starman which was alright!

This was a typical volume tbh, not the greatest but it did have some good character moments as they try to separate the dome and also save Washington from the villains onslaught. One of my major complaints is there was no definitive origins and motivations explained for the villain and so it felt hollow, a water-down Darkseid maybe and yeah the nature of the story is epic playing on the multiversal elements but the execution is somewhat lacking!

But in the end a good moment for Batman (Grayson) and Supergirl with definite hints of big things to come for sure!

[Rylan]

I really like this team I find them quite endearing. Robinson does a good job at getting into the characters heads especially Donna who he writes very well. I also love the friendship with Supergirl and Jesse Quick and Donna and Jade. The Crime Syndicate also make an appearance, I always enjoy seeing them. It was interesting seeing them clash with the second gen heroes rather than their usual counterparts.

[Little Timmy]

I have always enjoyed the JLA, in all it's various incarnations through the decades. This new modern JLA is a very enjoyable read. Great art and plot make this JLA a great read for an older fan or a perfect place for a new fan. Very recommended

[Alan]

A guilt pleasure group of villains for me has been (I'm beginning to think the past tense is appropriate) DC Comics Crime Syndicate of America. An AU version of the JLA's top characters. Between what Marv Wolfman did with Ultraman in Crisis, and Grant Morrison with Owlman and Superwoman in Earth 2 they were a delightfully twisted bunch.

However, little of that is evident here. And, as an aside it looks like little of it will be evident in the current ongoing Forever Evil.

Why three stars then? The little bits. James Robinson's inclusion of the then recently created Sirocco (yes an Iranian super hero who expects that from an American comic book publisher?). The character bits between Mikaal Tomas and Congorilla are very enjoyable. The crash boom is adequate for the story and Robinson does deserve credit for trying to make Donna Troy and Jade worthwhile woman characters.

[Kyle]

Really, this was just an average Justice League story-line, so my initial rating was three stars; however, there are a couple reasons why I added on another star to make it a four-star read.

1) It is a multiverse story featuring the Crime Sindicate of America. Hello! This is what the DCU is all about! Characters traveling through space and time and dimensions to square off on our Earth! Fantastic! Except, it introduces a really lame villain into the mix: Omega Man. I really enjoyed the "New" New Gods, and I was particularly happy to see the Blue Jay story-line wrapped-up.

2) The trade edition includes Congorilla and Starman #1, and I LOVE these guys. In fact, Starman is beginning to replace Batwoman as my favourite gay DC superhero. I enjoy the DC approach to GLBT inclusion so much more than Marvel's, and this issue is no exception. Starman is a wonderful gay character, and Congorilla should be the posterboy for PFLAG.

Robinson still does not impress me with his abrupt endings and choppy dialogue, but his style is growing on me. He's not Geoff Johns, but thankfully, he is not Grant Morrison either.

[Shannon Appelcline]

There’s some great characterization in these issues, and Robinson has better control over his annoying thought dialogue. However, that’s balancing with long fights and a big deus ex machina at the end.

[Dan]

My God, whatever happened to the brilliant James Robinson who wrote the classic STARMAN series...? I think he used up all of his talent on that nearly-forgotten run, because I can't even say that books like this are him phoning it in...This is just pure shit, plain and simple.

[William Thomas]

Since the last issues of Starman, James Robinson has been a pretty inconsistent writer when it comes to super-books. There is still the trademark heart and some of the wit we once knew, and his interactions between characters are still so brilliantly human. thats not where the problems are in this book. His trouble is in writing convincing action sequences is further compounded, and his faults all the more glaringly obvious, when they involve an ensemble cast. It may not be entirely his fault. Could be that he has to jam everything for an arc into just a handful of issues and that makes the action sloppy and confusing. Could be he doesn't really know what he's doing with a traditional capes book. Any way we slice it, this volume leaves us wanting on too many levels to ignore.

As for Bagley's art, it's very typical, very run-of-the-mill, mostly. And partly it is extremely sloppy and lacking in perspective. I'm also not exactly sure who laid out the character design for the Omega Man, but he looks like a low-rent Power Rangers villain.

Writing: C+
Art: C-

[Michael Mills]

Starts off as a sequel to Grant Morrison's JLA: Earth 2 before taking a left turn and becoming something far less interesting.

The new big bad, the Omega Man, is a generic "death incarnate" type and the writer pulls out a lot of familiar tricks to try and make him seem more than that: rendering Superman useless, having characters narrate 'the story of how they died'. None of them have much of an effect and most of the time the characters are just hitting each other.

The characters' speech is so stilted it might as well be delivered on top of a mountain ("But, Batman... that makes you a coward"). For the most part it veers between sententious monologues, Valley Girl call outs and quips that aren't funny ("Your soul, my feast," "Hate to disappoint but my soul doesn't have a whole lot of meat on it. It's more an amuse-bouche." That's not a joke, it's a line written by someone who knows what jokes look like but doesn't understand why they're funny).

Eventually someone presses a button and the baddie goes away. I was glad it ended.

[Kevin Warren]

Reading this felt like watching the last episode of a TV series having watched none of the preceding episodes. Very few of the characters were identified and most of them entered the scene with references to a substantial back story that was just plain unexplained. I persevered and some of the characters could be identified after a fashion but the ending was quite weak. How many times has there been a seemingly impossible to defeat situation/villain that is stopped in a heartbeat leaving you feeling somewhat short changed?

[Dony Grayman]

Con este relleno un agujero que me había quedado de la colección de JLA en tomos de Planeta/ECC, de la cual tenía todos menos el 05, justamente Omega. Me parece que la única diferencia entre ambas es el capítulo extra, tendría que revisar bien.

[Tropo Alegro]

El tomo más difícil de conseguir de la colección, justo entre El día más brillante y el final del universo pre-Flashpoint.

[Guido]

Se acerca el cierre de la Liga de la Justicia de Robinson.

[Kapitol Tank]

Tomo 96 de la CNG de DC. Seis números que se dividen entre cinco de James Robinson (Justice League of America núms. 49-53) anteriores a los New 52 y uno clásico pre-crisis (Justice League of America núm. 87 USA.) publicado en 1971, más los extras habituales de esta colección.

[Hugo Emanuel]

A volume that is very unevenly paced and only midly interesting, with sub-par Marc Silvestri artwork.

The book was so forgettable that I though I hadn't read the last issue collected, and turns out, I had. But it was so forgettable that I had no recollection of what had hapenned in it.

I feel bad for critisizing Robinson, as he was left with writing a title left in shambles, with a JL composed of B-list characters, who, for some reason, kept going in and out of the title before any real connection could be made with them. But it is a incredibly dull read, with nothing of note - not even the artwork.

I'll finish out the run, as there is only one volume left. But it will feel a bit like homework, and I am only doing it because I had purchased the book already.

Not really recommended to anyone.

[Terry Collins]

Mediocre work from Robinson (who is capable of much, MUCH, better) and Bagley (who isn't). One long endless fight sequence and probably the worst version of Donna Troy ever committed to paper. The best story in the entire collection is a one-shot that focuses on Congorilla, the blue Starman, Animal Man and Rex the Wonder Dog ... and the reason it works is because Robinson is in his element here working with supposedly "second tier" characters and Bagley didn't draw it. This alone raised my rating from one star to two.

[Mouse]

Love seeing Grayson as Batman leading the Justice League! It's also pretty cool to see some of the younger heroes stepping up to the big leagues. I'm not a huge fan of Donna Troia...but it makes sense for her to fill in for Wonder Woman. It's almost like they're all substitutes for the big guys: Batman (Grayson), Wonder Woman (Donna),
Superman (Supergirl), Flash (Jessie Quick), Green Lantern (Jade)...but I'm okay with them finally getting their time in the league. I don't really care for the characters of Mikaal: Starman, Congo Bill AKA Congorilla, Blue Jay, and Tasmanian Devil though.

[Nik Havert]

I hadn't read any of the issues that take place before the ones in this trade paperback, so I had no idea what was happening. The story involves some cosmic being who gets trapped in Washington D.C. by Jade and the new version of the JLA has to stop him and the Crime Syndicate from an alternative Earth.

It's not as exciting as it sounds. I've enjoyed a lot of Robinson's scripts, but this whole thing felt dull. One issue features Starman and Congorilla fighting some other gorillas for reasons I don't remember, and most of that issue is Congorilla giving exposition to the reader.

[Steve]

This is a very poor story from James Robinson. it feels very limited in terms of characterization, with a crappy ending that simply fizzles out.

The CSU is wasted as side characters, even though they are entertaining. Omega Man is simply a very lame villain and the story is not up to par at all.

[TJ Shelby]

Not Robinson's best work but it was alright. New team established. It's JLA so I will always read this series but I'm really hoping it gets better.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García]

Omega es el punto central de la historia que Robinson contó en su etapa al frente de JLA, el punto en el que convergen las tramas que Robinson había ido planteando, si bien de forma puntual, con la formación de un grupo de villanos de tercera reunidos alrededor de Mister Imposible y que se basan en dioses del Cuarto Mundo, y cuyo propósito se desvela aquí finalmente. Pero Omega es también la entrada de Robinson en el Multiverso, y así nos encontramos que en este tomo también aparece el Sindicato del Crimen de Amérika de Tierra 3, que vuelven a aparecer para enfrentarse a la Liga. En este caso, el Sindicato llega a Tierra Prima tras haber escapado de una expansión de antimateria que ha destruido su universo, al parecer una bomba de tiempo obra de Alexander Luthor (que había muerto tras la Crisis Infinita en manos del Joker). Después de La Noche Más Oscura y sus numerosas resurrecciones, el Sindicato había llegado a Tierra Prima para colaborar con los ladrones de Mister Imposible y recuperar el cuerpo de Alexander Luthor, ya que Mister Imposible afirmaba ser capaz de recuperarlo. Pero como no hay honor entre ladrones, Imposible y los suyos tienen otros planes, que incluyen la resurrección de Darkseid.

Omega, que además supone la despedida de Mark Bagley de la serie, es un trabajo solvente a nivel narrativo, en el que vemos una Liga principalmente femenina (con Congorilla y Starman fuera momentáneamente, la Liga estará compuesta por Batman, Jade, Supergirl, Donna Troy y Jesse Quick), y con tantos giros, traiciones y planes dentro de planes que en algunos momentos parece una novela de fantasía. Un trabajo que, si bien quizá no llega a deslumbrar, no decepciona.

[Sean]

I think James Robinson's biggest problem is he's full of sound and fury signifying nothing. There are pages/panels with so much dialogue but nothing is happening. No character development, no moving the story along, just words for the sake of words. This story had many chances to be good but falls short. Involving the CSA is a good move but my interest level in them is determined by the writer's ability to do something new and creative and Robinson misses here. The new mega-level threat created here probably won't be seen again and that's fine. Mark Bagley did a really good job with so many characters. Overall, a book that missed the mark but is still worth a look through.

[Emile Rudoy]

Sigue sin gustarme. Tiene dos números interesantes pero en realidad nada mas. A mi nunca me ha gustado el Crime Syndicate, así que el hecho de que casi todo el compilado sea un enfrentamiento con ellos no me agradó. Y me quedé con la idea de que habría una versión "oscura" de Supergirl y al no ser así me decepcionó un poco.

[Paul Allard]

Not having read any JLA for years, this came as a bit of a surprise as to the roster. Entertaining enough and beautifully executed.

[Andy Dainty]

Rather predictable and uninspiring.

[Jason Tanner]

A fun beat-em-up with multiple worlds and multiple double-crosses. Bonus points for Rex the Wonder Dog making a cameo appearance.

[Martinio]

This book consisted of a lot of pointless fighting. Especially Donna Troy vs Superwoman. It was a fun story albeit. It reminded me of the 90’s although the hardcover is from 2011. The Starman/Congorilla issue felt completely out of place and I skipped most of it. In the end this book was an entertaining brain off popcorn event with 4 less prominent superheroes fighting alongside Batman to save the world. 3,5 stars.

[MB Taylor]

Bought this on a whim for the Mark Bagley art and the James Robinson writing. The Bagley art was great (as usual), and the art in the other two stories (penciled by Pow Rodrix and Brett Booth) was better than OK. Robinson's writing was fun and he explained enough back story that I didn't feel completely lost. That was a big help because I wasn't reading much in the JLA section of the DCU when these comics first appeared (2010-2011).

Unfortunately the story didn't really grab me. The cover story was interesting, more interesting, I felt, than main story being reprinted. The first story was more character driven, which is something Robinson seems to do well.

The main story line involved the multiverse, which can be interesting; but I never felt really involved.

Not a bad way to spend an hour or so and I don't regret it; but I don't feel I would have missed anything if I'd never seen it.