THE OMEGA ELEVEN #1 (OF 4)
MONSTROUS BOOKS
STORY: James Aquilone
ART: Zac Atkinson
COLORS: Zac Atkinson
LETTERS: Jeremiah Lambert
FLATS: Thiago Aguiar
EDITOR: James Aquilone
COVER: Zac Atkinson
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Dave Acosta; J.K. Woodward; Zac Atkinson
32pp, Color, $7.99 U.S.
The Omega Eleven created by James Aquilone and Zac Atkinson
The Omega Eleven is an upcoming four issue miniseries from Bram Stoker Award-winning writer James Aquilone and artist-colorist Zac Atkinson. Published by Monstrous Books, the series is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. Letterer Jeremiah Lambert and flatter Thiago Aguiar complete the creative time. The series focuses on a time-traveler who must assemble history's greatest villains in order pull off an impossible heist in an effort to save the Omniverse.
The Omega Eleven #1 introduces Doctor Omega and his partner, 14-year-old Jack Dawkins, a.k.a. “The Artful Dodger.” Aboard Omega's time-traveling ship, “the Cosmos,” they travel to Camelot, circa 1138 AD, to steal “the Philosopher's Stone” from Merlin. However, the first steps in that process begin a series unfortunate, then catastrophic events that create a rift in the Omniverse.
There is a cascade of disastrous convergences, so the question is how does one fix an existential disaster of the ultimate scale? The answer is you gather a band of eleven. So who will be the Eleven?
THE LOWDOWN: James Aquilone provided me with an advanced PDF copy for review of The Omega Eleven #1. I can say that as a literary and comic book editor, James Aquilone delivers the good stuff. Now, he seeks to deliver the good stuff as a comic book writer. I have to admit that I really like The Omega Eleven #1.
This first issue has more than a passing resemblance to the BBC's legendary science fiction television series, “Doctor Who” (1963 to present). There are several appearances and references from vintage literary works. Of note are the works of Maurice Leblanc and Gaston Leroux. The Omega Eleven will remind readers of at least the first volume of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (1999-2000), Terry Gilliam's cult film, Time Bandits (1981), and the beloved Robert Zemeckis film, Back to the Future (1985). Of course, the Arthurian legends play a big role in this first issue and likely will continue to haunt this narrative.
That aside, The Omega Eleven feels like a labor of love. Aquilone has fashioned his influences and beloved storytelling into something that is familiar, but eccentric and contrary in its own unique way. He left me begging for more, and since he provided me with an advanced PDF copy for review, I won't ignore any future links of coming issues that he sends.
I am a little familiar with artist Zac Atkinson, but what he does in this first issue shocks me. He is a gifted storyteller in the medium of comics, and he brings this story to life. I don't know how many artists could match his storytelling here, which is a gumbo of weird fiction, pulp fantasy, vintage literature, pop comics, and popular culture. In modern phraseology, Aquilone and Atkinson have killed it with this first issue. I hope they deliver on the promise and the potential on display here in future issues. In the meantime, run over to the The Omega Eleven Kickstarter and give like your entertainment life depended on it.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: If you miss The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, then, The Omega Eleven is ready to provide you with some reading pleasure.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The Omega Eleven – The Metropolis Job Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manbomb/omega-eleven-2?ref=c49po0
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