"12 months"
Writer/artist: Martin Eden
Publisher: Ominous Comics
The O Men has been one of the small press scene's big successes. The quirky superhero epic, favourably compared to the likes of Zenith, Doom Patrol and Chris Claremont when he was good, notched up twenty-seven issues and a handful of award nominations by the end of the first volume. That's a sizable achievement in itself, especially for a self-published book, and some would have left it at that, but writer/artist Martin Eden has more stories to tell.
What you immediately notice upon reading this comic is how polished it is. If the previous incarnation of the award-nominated superhero comic had a flaw, it was that the quality of the storytelling was occasionally undermined by amateurish presentation. That's not the case here, as writer/artist Martin Eden shows off a new bag of digital tricks. The question, of course, is whether underneath the glitzy new visuals, the title's considerable strengths remain.
It's tempting for comic creators to use the possibilities computers provide as a crutch, but instead Eden uses simple image processing techniques to add a touch of extra depth to his already confident storytelling and unique visual style. There are, as Eden admits in his editorial, some basic glitches, but they'll be easily fixed as he becomes accustomed to his new tools. All that said, I'm a little saddened to see Eden switch to computer lettering, as his own handwriting added to the singular look and feel of the comic, but I understand the reasons behind the change, and it does look good.
The writing is also as impressive as ever, with the usual masterful grasp of characterisation evident, this time based around a fascinating study of central character Kelly, elevated here, in the course of the issue, from an uncertain supporting character to a compelling protagonist. Elsewhere, Eden throws in a bunch of twists and turns that while typically O Men-ish (O-menous?), nonetheless come as highly entertaining surprises. Throw in some neat pop culture references, and a superb script that captures the feel of real speech without descending into Bendisian stammering, and you've got the usual top-notch superhero storytelling.
But with a relaunch like this, it's sometimes not enough to be as good as before, even if the previous work was very good indeed. Perhaps Eden's biggest task with this issue, and the greatest risk for failure, is in setting out the direction and purpose of the new volume. It would be so very easy to just knock out more issues for the sake of it, but here it's clear that Eden has a definite plan in mind and what's more, it's both a development of what's gone before and a distinct and interesting, yet subtle, change of the title's focus.
The O Men is without doubt one of the best superhero books published in recent years, often putting the so-called professional titles to shame, and if anything this new volume looks to be even better. The core quality of the book remains intact, but the subtle improvements add a bit of strictly-unnecessary but nonetheless welcome polish, and the change in the direction of the story is a compelling one. This is recommended without reservation; if you like superhero comics at all, you should be reading The O Men.
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