| OMAC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | OMAC #1 (October 1974) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Buddy Blank |
| Team affiliations | Global Peace Agency |
| Notable aliases | One-Man Army Corps |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, durability and explosive energy generation provided by Brother Eye |
OMAC (Buddy Blank) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. [1]
OMAC was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby towards the end of his contract with the publisher following the cancellation of his New Gods series; it was reportedly developed strictly due to Kirby needing to fill his contractual quota of 15 pages a week. [2] [3] The character is inspired by Captain America, but lives in the future, an idea Kirby had conceived years earlier while at Marvel Comics but had never realized. [3]
Set in the near future ("The World That's Coming"), [4] OMAC is a corporate nobody named Buddy Blank who is changed via a "computer-hormonal operation done by remote control" by an A.I. satellite called "Brother Eye" into the super-powered One-Man Army Corps (OMAC). [5]
OMAC works for the Global Peace Agency (GPA), a group of faceless people who police the world using pacifistic weapons. [6] The world balance is too dangerous for large armies, so OMAC is used as the main field enforcement agent for the Global Peace Agency. The character initially uses his abilities to save a female coworker at the Pseudo-People factory (manufacturers of androids initially intended as companions but later developed as assassins). The coworker is revealed to be in actuality a bomb, and Blank is left in the employ of the GPA, sacrificing his identity in their relentless war, with faux parents his only consolation and companions. [5]
The original OMAC series ended with its eighth issue (December 1975), [7] canceled before the last storyline could be completed, and Kirby wrote an abrupt ending to the series. In Kamandi #50 (May 1977), by other creators, OMAC is revealed to be Kamandi's grandfather. [8] An "OMAC" back-up feature by Jim Starlin began in issue #59 (October 1978), but Kamandi was cancelled after its first appearance. The story was later printed in The Warlord , and led to a new OMAC back-up series in that title (#37–39, 42–47). OMAC appeared with Superman in DC Comics Presents #61. [9]
In 1991 OMAC was featured in a four-issue prestige format limited series by writer/artist John Byrne that was independent of the previous series. Byrne later reused OMAC in Superman & Batman: Generations 3 , an Elseworlds limited series.
A contemporary incarnation of Buddy Blank appears in Countdown to Final Crisis . [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] Following the release of the Morticoccus virus, Blank and his grandson flee to the scientific facility "Command D", where Brother Eye rescues them and transforms Blank into a prototype OMAC. [15]
As OMAC, Buddy Blank possesses various abilities derived from Brother Eye. For example, an increase in his density grants superhuman strength and enhanced durability, and a decrease in his density allows flight and super-speed. Brother Eye could provide other abilities as well, such as self-repair functions and energy generation.
The character and the Brother Eye satellite were reimagined for the Infinite Crisis storyline. OMACs are portrayed as humans whose bodies have been corrupted by a nano-virus. The acronym has multiple meanings throughout the series: "Observational Meta-human Activity Construct", [16] "One-Man Army Corps", [17] and "Omni Mind and Community". [18]
A contemporary version of Buddy Blank / OMAC appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold , voiced by Jeff Bennett. [26]
Buddy Blank / OMAC appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . [27]
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has a good working relationship with his boss Perry White. Olsen looks up to his coworkers as role models and parent figures. From 1954 to 1982, Olsen appeared in 222 issues of the comic series Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and Superman Family, in addition to the main Superman titles.
The New Gods are a fictional extraterrestrial race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in New Gods #1.
Gregory Rucka is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series Whiteout, Queen & Country, Stumptown and Lazarus, as well as lengthy runs on such titles as Detective Comics, Wonder Woman and Gotham Central for DC Comics, and Elektra, Wolverine and The Punisher for Marvel. He has written a substantial amount of supplemental material for a number of DC Comics' line-wide and inter-title crossovers, including "No Man's Land", "Infinite Crisis" and "New Krypton".
The Warlord is a sword and sorcery character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Mike Grell, he debuted in 1st Issue Special #8. The titular character, Travis Morgan, obtains the name "Warlord" as he fights for the freedom of the people of Skartaris.
DeSaad is a supervillain, appearing in books published by DC Comics. He is one of the followers of Darkseid from the planet Apokolips in Jack Kirby's Fourth World meta-series.
Forever People are a group of extraterrestrial superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Forever People #1, and were created by Jack Kirby as part of his "Fourth World" epic.
Kamandi is a fictional comic book character created by artist Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The bulk of Kamandi's appearances occurred in the comic series Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, which ran from 1972 to 1978. He is a young hero living in a post-apocalyptic future. Following the Great Disaster, humans have backslid to savagery in a world ruled by intelligent, highly evolved animals.
Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Justice League #1 and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. Maxwell Lord was originally introduced as a shrewd and powerful businessman who was an ally of the Justice League and was influential in the formation of the Justice League International, but he later developed into an adversary of Wonder Woman and the Justice League.
Infinity-Man is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, in the Fourth World storyline.
The Newsboy Legion is a teenage vigilante group in the DC Comics Universe. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, they appeared in their own self-titled feature which ran from Star-Spangled Comics #7 to #64. In 1970, Jack Kirby introduced a new Newsboy Legion, made up of the sons of the original Golden Age characters.
DC Countdown, commonly referred to as Countdown to Infinite Crisis, is a one-shot publication and the official start of the "Infinite Crisis" storyline. It was released on 30 March 2005, sold out, and quickly went to a second printing. When this comic was first published, the cover showed Batman holding a shadowed corpse, so as not to ruin the surprise of who dies. For the second printing, the shadows were removed to reveal the identity of the corpse. During initial solicitations the comic was entitled DC Countdown, which was meant to postpone revelation of an upcoming crisis.
The OMAC Project is a six-issue American comic book limited series written by Greg Rucka with art by Jesus Saiz and published by DC Comics in 2005.
The OMACs are a fictional type of cyborg appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They are based on the character of the same name created by Jack Kirby.
Sasha Bordeaux is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was at first primarily associated with superhero Batman, and she has subsequently evolved an association with Checkmate in two of its incarnations. Sasha Bordeaux was created by Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough, and first appeared in Detective Comics #751.
The Enchantress is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Howard Purcell, the character made her first appearance in Strange Adventures #187. Dr. June Moone is a freelance artist who becomes possessed by an entity originally known only as The Succubus. The resulting merge resulted in the Enchantress, a powerful sorceress considered to be one of the most dangerous black magic practitioners in the DC Universe. She has since endured as the archenemy of the superhero Zatanna. The character has often been depicted as both a villain and anti-hero, establishing herself as a member of various teams such as Shadowpact, the Suicide Squad, and the Sentinels of Magic. In more recent continuities, she is often cast as an ally and adversary for the Justice League Dark and a recurring member of the Suicide Squad.
Atomic Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and was briefly a member of the Outsiders team. He is sometimes depicted as one of a group of Atomic Knights, which first appeared in Strange Adventures #117 and ran quarterly in that monthly comic up through #160.
Tommy Tomorrow is a science fiction hero published by DC Comics in several of their titles from 1947 to 1963. He first appeared in Real Fact Comics #6. He was created by Jack Schiff, George Kashdan, Bernie Breslauer, Virgil Finlay, and Howard Sherman. The comic was originally intended to feature non-fiction tales in the style of Ripley's Believe It or Not; Tommy Tomorrow's trip to Mars was presented as a future vision of space travel. The strip was a back-up feature in Action Comics from issue #127 to #147.
Equus is a fictional comic book supervillain, a cyborg mercenary in the DC Comics universe who serves as an opponent of Superman. Created by writer Brian Azzarello and artist Jim Lee, he first appeared in Superman #206, which was published in June 2004 as part of the "For Tomorrow" storyline.
Countdown, also known as Countdown to Final Crisis for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52. The series is written primarily by Paul Dini, along with a rotating team of writers and artists.
The Global Peace Agency (GPA) is a fictional law enforcement organization in the DC Comics Universe. The organization first appeared in the series OMAC by Jack Kirby. GPA agents are nameless and faceless, using cosmetic spray to hide their faces.
In OMAC's first issue, editor/writer/artist Jack Kirby warned readers of "The World That's Coming!", a future world containing wild concepts that are almost frighteningly real today.
{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)