Omega Men

Ho ho ho, friends! It's the end of the year, and that means that pretty much everyone is running a sale on Comixology right now --- which means that there's actually so much in there that it's impossible to narrow it down to just one. So once you've put the partridge in its pear tree and shipped it off to your true love, why not grab a cup of wassail and treat yourself --- or a friend in need of a last-minute gift --- to a full twelve picks for comics to pick up for as much as 60% off this Christmas?

What may go down as one of the worst years in recent memory is slowly crawling to a close, and while we wish it good riddance and hope against hope that 2017 will be an improvement, there is some small solace in looking back over the year that's passed and figuring out what stuff from it was the best. That's right, it's "Best of..." list time, and today we're taking a look at the Best DC Covers of 2016.

2015's The Omega Men tells the story of a group of freedom fighters (or terrorists, depending on who you’re talking to) in a section of deep space called the Vega System who have taken White Lantern Kyle Rayner as prisoner. This is all part of their big plan to once and for all tear down the oppressive government that controls their star system. Over the course of 12 issues, the book by writer Tom King, artist Barnaby Bagenda, and colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr, brings hard looks on corruption, how the very things that should be enriching or protecting people can rot from the inside, and the assumption that anyone fighting against an evil is then inherently good themselves. Now out in trade paperback, the collection also happens to be one of the more fascinating sci-fi graphic novels of the 2010s.

Since its first issue at the beginning of DC's DCYou initative, Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda's The Omega Men has been one of the most exciting and unique comics to exist as part of a larger superhero universe. A tense political thriller on a galactic scale, it follows the terrorist/freedom fighter team The Omega Men on their quest to depose the corrupt government of the Vega system While Omega Men stands out for its gripping storytelling and Bagenda's inventive use of the nine-panel grid format, it also has some of the most striking covers on comics stands at the moment, courtesy of cover artist Trevor Hutchison. ComicsAlliance caught up with Hutchison to talk all about designing The Omega Men's unique covers --- plus DC has provided an exclusive look at his cover for #10!

There are a lot of really good reasons to read Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda's Omega Men. There's the compelling story that blends political intrigue and sci-fi action, the incredible technique that goes into building the story on the nine-panel grid, and even the fun of witnessing its miraculous resurrection from nearly being canceled halfway through its first arc. Or, if you're a certain type of reader, you might just be into it for its references to obscure '70s Superman comic backup stories. For me, those are all equally appealing, so I was pretty excited to see that the latest issue, this week's Omega Men #8, included a reference to Stellarium, something that definitely falls under that last heading. But just what is that stuff?

Our judges have adjudicated; our readers have voted. We’re proud to present to you the best sci-fi comic of 2015 — and four great runners up.

If you haven't been keeping up with Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda's Omega Men, well, you need to get on that because it's easily one of DC's most compelling comics. It's a space opera with a political twist, a story about cultures trying to conquer each other and an insurgency that's trying to resist a far-reaching government and a compelling character piece about manipulation and duty that still has time for wry jokes and fight scenes involving a giant tiger-man named Tigorr. It's got a lot going for it is what I'm saying. Anyway, the story so far has found the Omega Men kidnapping both Kyle Rayner (after faking his death) and a space princess who turned out to be in on the whole thing, and now, as the series closes in on its forecast halfway point, they're set to ransom her back to her father. The trick is, it might all be a plot to get at the Space Pontifex. If that sounds rad, and it should, check out the pages below!

Barnaby Bagenda, Romulo Fajardo Jr, and Tom King's The Omega Men from DC Comics has become a critics' favorite since its debut in June, though it unfortunately never found the audience it deserved. The book is filled with twists, turns, questions of morality, questions of politics --- and some absolutely gorgeous art and colors. Omega Men has helped elevate the profile of penciller and inker Barnaby Bagenda, making him one of the artists to watch out for in 2016. ComicsAlliance sat down with Bagenda to hear about his inspirations and his thoughts on structure.

Ever since it debuted a few months ago, Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda's Omega Men has been one of the most engaging comics on the stands, and not just because of the story of the title characters and the intergalactic insurgency that has seen them manipulate the power structures of an entire planet and fake the death of Kyle Rayner before the series even started. Don't get me wrong --- all that stuff is interesting, and it makes for a fantastic read, but what really sets Omega Men apart is the visual style that its creators have adopted to tell their story. Or, more accurately, about one very specific and very well-implemented element of the book's visual style: The Nine-Panel Grid.

DC Comics released the above preview image by artist Toby Cypress for its new Omega Men series, and it confirms a few things: One that, the series will clearly be pretty trippy, and two, that the end is here. The third thing would seem to be that this is a very different group of Omega Men than any that readers have met previously.