Broken Frontier

The conflict escalates as the Batman and Sasha Bordeaux find themselves in a world of trouble when the OMACs arrive for termination.

So we’re now at the half way point of the series and things are really beginning to heat up, despite the slow pace at the outset. Again, my opening statement may seem like a knock against Rucka and crew, but it’s not when I start to explain myself here. You see like a fine wine, The OMAC Project is a series that becomes more interesting as time goes on. I am sure there is a calculated story here destined to finish with a mutually satisfying ending, but it’s just taking the time to savor the moment with every issue that hits the stands. With that now being said, the half way point of the series reveals some startling moments that will no doubt reverberate throughout the DCU.

In this case, Batman was the first of the A-list of heroes to get involved, and now others like Superman and Wonder Woman have joined him in hopes of unraveling the mystery. There is also an unexpected appearance of Guy Gardner, who shows up incensed upon hearing the news of Blue Beetle’s passing. All he cares about is going off with Booster Gold and kicking some ass without the help of any of the A-list heroes mentioned above. I don’t think this is the best tactic to take, when you consider how all-encompassing the OMAC Project has become. Batman for example barely survived an attack alongside Sasha Bordeaux in the opening pages of the issue. Luckily for him, Superman arrived in the nick of time to save him before succumbing under the relentlessness of an OMAC. So you can see how I make the comparison to a fine wine, and this issue certainly needs to be sipped and savored. I am also sure the ending will have you reeling once you understand the full scope of Maxwell Lord’s madness, and this is only the beginning.

There will be more to come and that’s what makes this series interesting as it progresses along. Writer Greg Rucka took time in the previous issues to delve into the machinations of Maxwell Lord and his group of Checkmate agents. I know I said this before, but I came off such a high at the conclusion of Countdown, so I was expecting this series to pack the same punch. It did in a way, but it’s obvious that Rucka has a more deliberate and calculated attempt of storytelling than the consortium of writers who wrote Countdown. I noticed this at the outset of the first issue, but now after this story everything is going along accordingly. Even the art seems to be going along in a similar fashion, despite the fact that the artist Jesus Saiz only worked on half of the issue. The second half was filled in by the tandem of Cliff Richards and Bob Wiacek and it didn’t seem out place at all.

I think this series is going to work out fine in the end, although I am not sure what the outcome will ultimately be. Maxwell Lord is interesting as a villain, but I wonder if he’s going to serve as a paradigm for bigger things, or if he’s just going to be another blowhard in the end. Only time will tell.