OMAC #4
DC Comics
Story Title: Cross Roads
Writer: Bruce Jones
Illustrator: Renato Guedes
Letterer: Phil Balsman
OMAC was both the new big-bad of the previous summer event Infinite Crisis, as well as the first intriguing science fiction concept to grace the entire DC Comics imprint since perhaps the Speedforce. Evil computers may be a dime a dozen (from 2001 through War Games) but an evil sentient computer initially built by a paranoid Dark Knight that had enough information to implement countermeasures against any meta-human on Earth? That’s something. Combine that system with its oblivious human soldiers (created through covert nanite injections years ago) and there’s a lot more science than in the standard Batman vs. Joker or Superman fights Metallo plots. That’s a great hook for a faceless, monolithic villain. The previous miniseries hook was that the programming, influence, and abilities of an OMAC soldier had been grafted onto a known DC heroine, Sasha Bordeaux. The conflict between the woman and the machine that had infested her made interesting reading because she was a flawed person trying to do the right thing, despite her ties to espionage as well as the machine intelligence slowly exerting control over her. It made for interesting drama.
This series flips the recipe a bit. The last OMAC soldier is a smack-head from Gotham City, a petty crook with no more reason to be heroic than a bowery bum on the nod. He’s distraught and confused about his situation (since he has no real understanding of the technology involved and only a minimum of conscious thought once he’s transformed) but he’s more concerned for his own free will than the body count he’s racked up over the past three issues. Mike Costa is a slacker sleaze, made old before his time by a misspent youth and way too much contact with the criminal element. Despite being wholly unlikable it’s tough not to care about someone whose life has suddenly veered out of all control.
This issue, another piece of the title’s first arc, gives readers another few hints at what’s going on. The Brother Eye satellite is beginning to self-repair, but it needs whatever hardware Mike has as its last field unit to complete itself. The connection between them is spotty due to both the massive damage done to the satellite (last seen in Blue Beetle #7) and Mike’s drug withdrawal. Mike is stuck in the middle of Nevada after his unwilling flight to the left coast two issues ago. His street smarts have kept him from getting killed by the manager of the stripper he befriended in Vegas, but it’s not nearly enough to make real progress on his situation. And of course, the reconnection of Mike to the satellite at the conclusion of the issue just makes everything an even larger mess.
The art in this series is oddly as split as its lead character. The interpersonal scenes shine. The body language, expressions, and actions of the people involved look great. There’s enough attention to detail to create believable seediness and produce the pathos most would feel in its presence. The settings are a bit too generic, but done well enough to not feel stock or half-done. The real problem with this book is the gizmos and heroes; both don’t have enough majesty or menace to evoke real emotions. The OMAC soldier doesn’t have the visual snap that has been part of its appearances elsewhere (notably Wonder Woman) and the trashed satellite doesn’t look like something sinisterly slowly coming together so much as a compressed cola can. So a bit more focus on the fantastic elements would add depth and zest to the art.
