ReMarvel, Episode One
Omega the Unknown #1 (March, 1975)
"Omega the Unknown!"
Writers/Creators - Steve Gerber & Mary Skrenes
Art - Jim Mooney
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Petra Goldberg
Edits - Marv Wolfman
Cover Price: $0.25
I know I've discussed a couple of episodes of ReMarvel here on the site... but, never the first one! This was actually an attempt at "podcasting with a purpose", so to speak. An attempt to rediscover everything I loved about Marvel Comics, and how I might break some of my own twisted "fandom rules".
Omega the Unknown #1 (March, 1975)
"Omega the Unknown!"
Writers/Creators - Steve Gerber & Mary Skrenes
Art - Jim Mooney
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Petra Goldberg
Edits - Marv Wolfman
Cover Price: $0.25
Hey everybody... don't have much of a pre-ramble today.
We're going to be looking at the first issue of Omega the Unknown, which was the book I chose to begin my ReMarvel podcast series with last Fall. ReMarvel was my attempt at rediscovering some of my favorite Marvel stories... after many years away... and I felt like Omega was a fun place to start that journey.
If you're familiar with my audio-exploits (which I highly doubt anybody is), you'll know that the story that goes along with Omega will be filled with personal anecdotes and tangents. I "discovered" this book during a very tumultuous time in my life... and, as such, can't help but to equate it with that wibbly-wobbly time.
Here's a link to the show in case anyone's interested (which... yeah, I know... you ain't):
Let's get into it!
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We open with the scene of a man clad in dark blue with red trim and cape is engaged in battle with a small army of robots. There is an odd, uncertain narration accompanying this scene… it’s unclear who’s voice this is. The man wrecks havoc on these robots, before ultimately destroying them with a blast from his hands. Before the blast erupts, we can see that they sort form the “omega” symbol on his palms.
After blasting, he drops to his knees… exhausted. A previously unseen robot approaches to take advantage of the situation, and winds up shooting our man in the back with a ray-gun of sorts
He screams in agony!
… which segues into our next scene! A young boy sits up in his bed, also crying out as though he’s in pain. His parents enter the room to check on him, and address him as James Michael
When asked if he can remember what his dream was about, the boy says he cannot. He can only remember the “feeling”... cold, desolation… We learn that this family, the Starlings, lives up in the mountains… and to this point, James Michael has never *really* interacted with other children. He’s met a few, but wasn’t all that impressed. Tell me about it!
That situation is all about to change, however, because the kid’s going to be shipped into the city to attend school there. In fact, this scene is occurring at a motel near New York City... and, he’s not taking this change all that well. I can relate. The next morning, the Starlings pack up at the motel and head toward their destination.
James Michael still ain’t digging this. His parents try and psyche him up.
As they’re coming around a bend in the road, James Michael calmly suggests that his mother brace herself… because there’s going to be a collision. Just then, a truck veers right for them!
It nails them head on, pushing the car off the road… and off the side of a nearby cliff!
Hearing his mother’s voice, James Michael comes to… he follows her voice and discovers her… severed robotic head?! She warns him not to listen to the voices… as they’re the only thing that can harm him. Then… the head melts into slag!
As James Michael attempts to make sense out of the situation, whispers begin to arise in the back of his head… those whispers become roars, and he’s suddenly seeing some really psychedelic stuff! This is interrupted by the arrival of onlookers and passersby to check on the wreck... James Michael begins to panic.
Back to the big guy… our “hero” is shackled to a wall via energy beam restraints. He looks on as a battle rages between those robots… well, they look like robots… and humans… well, they look like humans. He is able to break free of his bindings, and launched into action… wrecking the bots. He steals a rocket and shoots off into orbit. As he draws further and further away from the planet, he is enveloped in darkness.
Which segues beautifully into the darkened hospital room of James Michael Starling! He calmly asks a nurse if he was in a coma… she confirms that he was. He’s at the Barrow Clinic in New York… so, it looks like he made it to the city after all! He asks why he’s been restrained… she tells him it’s to keep him safe in case he begins thrashing. He reminds her… calmly, that he’s not currently thrashing, and asks that the restraints be removed. He also… calmly informs her that if he can’t untense his muscles pretty soon, he might just begin to panic.
The nurse calls in Dr. Thomas Barrow to evaluate the creepily calm boy. After a brief introduction, the Doc is impressed with JM’s vocabulary. James Michael tells him he’s been home-schooled. The Doc asks where “home” is for the boy, to which he calmly replies that he doesn’t have one anymore… because, ya know, mom and dad are dead. When asked “when?” they died, JM responds with “this morning”.
We learn that he was actually in a coma for a month! The doc asks how he feels about losing his parents... and he calmly replies “They were good to me.” He then lets it slip that the only thing he has to fear are the voices... whiiiiich makes the Doc’s ears perk up a bit.
This reaction kind of freaks the boy out… but the Doctor apologizes for overreacting, and everything gets smoothed over.
James Michael asks if he still has to go to school… to which, the nurse laughs… this is the first “normal boy” reaction she’s seen out of him yet. The nurse gives him a sedative… and he asks her to explain the chemical composition of the pills… ay yai yai. The Doc lights up his pipe, and tries wrapping his head around everything concerning this boy. So fascinated is he, that he wants to keep him at the clinic to learn more about his situation. Unfortunately, James Michael doesn’t have any money… and the Clinic’s board of directors isn’t keen on doing charity… so, the lad’ll likely be on the street before long.
In the meantime, however, he instructs the nurse, Ms. Hart to “pump” the kid for information... and so, over the next few weeks she does just that. Well, she tries to anyway, this kid ain’t making a peep.
At the next Board of Directors meeting, Dr. Barrows makes his pitch to keep the boy at the clinic. They tell him to cough up the $500 a week himself if he’s so interested. Since the Doc ain’t willing to part with the funds, he and Nurse Hart move on to Plan B, which is: Ruth the Nurse and her roommate, Amber will take the boy home with them…
While still at the clinic, Amber discovers James Michael playing chess… and they briefly talk about playing games against yourself… some real weird dual-personality chatter here. Amber says sometimes “the voices” get into her head… to which, the boy perks up not realizing that she isn't referring to anything "specific".
Ruth enters the scene and informs the “punk” that he’s coming home with them. He’s surprised… but, is cool to go along for the ride… after all, it beats being shipped off to the “funny farm”.
Later, James Michael gets settled in bed… however, before he can fall asleep… one of those robot-looking dudes from the other world busts through his window! The creature “scans” JM with a sort of eyebeam to confirm he’s the right target... and although he’s not the right size… the bot is fine killing him anyway.
Just then… the “hero” arrives, and engages in battle with the bot!
After a lengthy, and room destroying tussle, the hero lets off an omega blast to destroy the baddie. He smiles at the boy, collects the bot-body, and leaves!
... Just as Dr. Barrows bursts into the room! He checks on the boy… who now has smoke rising from his hands. Upon further investigation, it looks like the boy has the Greek letter “omega” imprinted on his palms…
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What a weird and wonderful first issue!
Now, the first time I laid eyes on Omega the Unknown, it was the Jonathan Lethem/Farel Dalrymple version from 2008...
... which, doesn't really look anything like a Marvel comic, does it? I was totally taken aback by the weirdness... and, upon picking up the first issue, was completely hooked by the premise... even though, I hadn't the foggiest idea quite what it was!
As I do, I started to research the character... and was pretty surprised to learn that this was a Bronze Age fella... created by Steve Gerber! I was also kind of surprised (though, I probably shouldn't have been!) by the fact that Gerber was... ticked off that Marvel was "reimagining" one of "his" characters. He didn't take too kindly to some "outsider" coming into comics and playing with "his" toys... and he made that abundantly clear on a web-site... Omega the Unknown-dot-com, which sadly no longer exists. All the site said was "Omega the Unknown was created by Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes". That was literally it. Just a black background... and that line of text. Weird... just like this comic.
I decided to learn all I could about the Gerber "take" on the character... which led me to this original 70's run. Now, if we were to compare the two takes... which, at present, I'm ill-equipped to do (it's been awhile since I read through either series to completion), I wanna say there were plenty of similarities... but, also... enough differences to make the two feel like their "own thing", ya know? This '08 Lethem series wasn't like a straight-retelling of Gerber's '75.
Whatever the case... I enjoyed them both. I almost started a project comparing the two... but, realized that it would have, at best, very limited appeal. Sometimes I can be self-aware... thank heavens.
Let's go ahead and talk about this issue.
It's... really "in your face", innit? Very cerebral... and visceral... just really has a way of getting under your skin. It's a haunting story... that, you'll likely be left thinking about for the rest of the day. Least that's how I received it (even on subsequent rereads). It's very dark... and, uncomfortable.
Like, the way James Michael's story begins... we don't get to see him in his "natural habitat". We meet him at a point of upheaval in his life... in a motel, on the way to a school he doesn't want to go to. Any semblance of a "real life" is missing. It leaves the reader kind of nebulously "along for the ride", ya know? We don't get any touchstone for J.M., which is difficult. We don't know much of anything about him. It's a very different way to start a story.
But, it's that discomfort that fuels this book. We don't get any feelings of "home" or "family". We're sort of passively receiving all of the information... but, only the information Gerber and Skrenes want us to have. They're building a mystery... on several fronts. I don't wanna say that this is "ahead of its time", as I wasn't a living nor breathing human back in 1975, and so I lack the proper context to do so... but, to me... this feels sort of head-and-shoulders above many mainstream comics of the day, insofar as its depth, and I dunno, "headiness".
The scene where James Michael's mother.....'s head tells him to protect himself from "the voices"? Horrifying, wunnit? Just from a visual... and visceral standpoint... that's a mind-screwy bit, innit? J.M. going from watching his mother's head melt away... to full-blown psychedelia... what a visual! Amazing storytelling from all involved. Does it make sense? No... not yet, anyway... but, damned if I don't wanna know what happens next!
Nurse Ruth and her Roomie taking James Michael in... is a bit convenient... and makes me wonder just what sort of paperwork went into (even temporarily) adopting a weird child back in the mid-70's... but, it keeps the story moving forward, so we'll allow it.
Then... there's Omega. These were always the parts of the story that, comparably speaking, sort of bored me. It was the sort of "grounding" of this book into the superhero realm... for better or worse. I mean, for this story to "work", we can't have one without the other... so, we gotta allow it. I will say, however, that these bits were the least strong... and, I have a sneaking suspicion that might've been by design.
Overall... should you check out Omega the Unknown? And if so, which version? I hate being "that guy"... but, my answer is "Yes." Read it... read 'em both. As has become the cliche of these Marvel posts... I know neither diddly nor squat about Marvel Unlimited... but, for all I know, this book/these books are up there. I'll advocate for Omega the Unknown 'til the cows come home! This one's worth the effort.
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(Not yet the) Letters Page (with a Marvel Value Stamp):
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Bullpen Bulletins & Interesting Ads:
Action-Plus: The Atom (June, 1975)
"Nightmare in Gold!"
Writer - Martin Pasko
Pencils - Dick Dillin
Inks - Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
Edits - Julius Schwartz
From: Action Comics #448
It's gonna be a short one today... uh, no pun intended.
Wasn't planning on dipping back into the Action-Plus well quite so quickly, but this weekend has turned into a podcasting X-Travaganza... and I just didn't have the time to dig for the next installment of the "To Catch the Predator" series of Green Lantern posts.
On the podcasting front... if you do follow my audio exploits, I got somethin' cookin'... I can't say with certainty that it's going to be "big", but I can tell you, it's going to be "long".
Stay tuned, my friends!
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It's time for some Action-Plus, starring the Atom! We pick up with the Ray Palmer starting to turn into gold... a result of his lab assistant, Enrichetta (groan) Negrini dreaming about him. Ya see, anything she dreams of (for the time being) transforms into gold. Luckily, Ray transformed into the Atom... which halted his transformation. Ya see, Enrichetta (groan) was thinking about Ray not the Atom. Ya dig?
The Atom follows some coffee stains to the basement door and down a flight of stairs, whereupon he finds Enrichetta... dreaming, and surrounded by a pair of nogoodniks... and plenty of gold. She begins dreaming of the bad guys... which begins their gilded transformation.
The Atom uses this to his advantage, and proceeds to beat the bad guys up. Worth mentioning that Ray's arm is still golden, so his punches pack a bit more of a wallop right now. Ray notices that Enrichetta is wearing a Philosopher's Stone that once belonged to an Alchemist... and deduces that must be the reason for the gilding. He yanks it from her neck... and it gets stomped on by one of the baddies... reversing the spell.
The day is saved, Enrichetta reunites with her boyfriend Roberto... and Ray hangs up on Jean Loring when she suggests they see some movies with "gold" in the title. Wonk wonk wonnnnnk. (wow, twice in one post!)
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Welp.
This back-up... ehhhhhh... you know how I sometimes feel about back-ups, and this Atom short did nothing to change my stance. This seems like a decent enough idea for a story, but it isn't given any room to breathe. The whole story could've been told in a single page... even forfeiting the bottom panel to shill Hostess Cup Cakes.
Limited Collectors' Edition #C-36 - The Bible (June-July, 1975)
"Stories From the Bible... Book One"
Writer - Sheldon Mayer
Art - Nestor Redondo
Editor, Some Interiors & Cover - Joe Kubert
Cover Price: $1.00
Hello Gang... today, we're going to be looking at a piece that, to be completely honest, I felt kind of conflicted in even considering. It's potentially controversial... and, depending on your point of view, the subject matter might just ruffle some feathers. Today, friends, we are going to be taking a look at DC Comics' take on The Bible.
Now, before we proceed... some things I wanna put out in the open. If you're looking for an article that will a) extol the virtues of the Bible, or b) mock and dismiss the Bible... this probably isn't the post for you. As a wannabe comics historian, I am looking at this simply as a piece of comic book history, and will proceed without much in the way of editorializing. These stories will be presented as stories... I'll leave how they're received and/or believed to each individual reader.
I'm no Theologian, but I feel as though faith is a complicated concept and a very personal part of a person's life. I, personally, don't see it as being completely "black and white", but more existing on a sort of continuum. That said, I wish to present this issue respecting of all forms of belief (and non-belief). As such, the "analysis" portion of this post will be pretty sparse.
If you have any comments, please feel free to engage in the comments or at any of my socials.
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Our story begins with a brother and sister (David and Hannah) running over to their Gran'pa's little house for a visit. David repeatedly mocks Hannah and calls her "dumb", which Gran'pa suggests isn't very nice. Why is David being such a little jerk? Well, ya see... Hannah actually believes all the stories they're told in Sunday School. Taking attention-retention and short-term memory of kids into consideration, we can probably assume that today is Sunday. Gran'pa asks David how he can be so sure that those stories aren't true... to which, he hems and haws, before referring to the Bible as being full'a "fairy tales". Interestingly enough, he even pulls some Science into the debate!

Gran'pa tells David that Scientists don't have all the answers. As a student of science myself, I suppose I can agree with that. He flips the script on David and asks about how everything "came to be", and how everything "remains balanced". Rather than giving David the opportunity to rebut, Gran'pa goes right into story mode... beginning with: The Beginning! (The Creation - Genesis 1:1-2:7)
After we Let There Be Light, we go through the rest of God's busiest week. On the Second Day, he split the waters from the... waters? Third Day: Flora... Fourth Day: Day and Night Cycles... Fifth Day: Creatures... Sixth Day: Man... in this case, one we're all familiar with: Adam. On the Seventh Day, God rested.
This brings us right into The Garden of Eden - Genesis 2:8-3:24. Adam lives in Eden, surrounded by flora and fauna. Life in abundance! Among the land stands the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil... from it, grows fruit that Adam mustn't ever indulge in, otherwise he will surely die.
Adam looks around, and notes that all of the local animals have mates... and yet, he's all alone. He would eventually fall asleep... at which time, God took one of his ribs... and from it, made Adam's mate: Eve. He wakes up, and she introduces herself as his "wife". Wow, just how long was he asleep?!
Anyhoo, Adam and Eve lived in their lush and rich paradise... and everything was cool. That, however, was all about to change. Ya see, a crafty and malicious serpent is about to enter our story.
That snake lay in wait until, one day it finds Eve all by her lonesome... and proceeds to kinda mess with her head, taunting her with the fact that there's a certain nearby fruit that God's keeping her from indulging in. And so, she decides "What the heck?" and plucks a few... very odd-shaped fruits from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam is initially shocked at her brazen act... but eventually comes around to taking a bite.
This is viewed as the First Sin... and no sooner do they indulge, than the sky goes black, and they have the strange revelation that they are completely nude! Ya see, they never had "shame" before... but now, after eatin' that fruit... they do! They do what they can to cover up their nakedness... before being addressed by God himself!
God ain't pleased... I mean, he only laid down one rule, and these two broke it! He curses the serpent (who up to this point, had legs) to slithering on its belly... and exiles Adam and Eve out of Paradise forever more.
Before hopping into our next story, we get a special Bible Feature (we'll get a few more of these before we're done). This one's called "Digging into the Past", and gives us a look at some ancient artifacts.
Next stop... the story of Cain and Abel from Genesis 4:1-15. After their exile from Eden, Adam and Eve had to learn to live off the land. In the months and years that followed, they had a pair of very different sons. Cain exhibited strength, wile Abel was far more gentile. They grew up and took to tending to the land themselves. Abel acted as a shepherd while Cain was an absolute farming machine!
After a harvest, the young men decided to make offerings to God. Abel humbly offered a single lamb, while Cain gave of his mass bounty of produce. God only seemed pleased with Abel... giving from what little he had.
This led to Cain giving in to his jealousy... and, committing the first-ever murder! Wow, even with a world population of four we've got a killer on our hands!
Well, God ain't happy with any of this... and so, he tells Cain that he'll never give him another harvest. He furthers the punishment by declaring him a "fugitive" doomed to wander the Earth. Cain is terrified that he himself will be killed by anyone he happens across. So... I guess the world population isn't just four people? Where did they all come from?
Maybe we'll find out in our next chapter: The Generations of Adam, from Genesis 4:16-6:5. Here, Cain's wandering brings him to the Land of Nod, where he takes a wife and doth multiplied, his first son was named Enoch... as was the land he settled. As time progressed, so too did prehistoric technology... tools, instruments, yadda yadda yadda.
We learn here that Cain's father, Adam lived to be 930 years old... and in all those years, he and Eve just kept makin'da babies. When he was 130 years old, they had a son named Seth. Seth would eventually have kids... and those kids would have kids, one of whom was named... well, Enoch. Enoch lived to be 365 years old before being... "taken" by God. It's explicitly stated here that Enoch did not die.
Continuing down the bloodline, we meet Methuselah... a son of Enoch, who would live to be 969 years old, older than any man before or after.
This chapter wraps up with the revelation that nine generations have passed since Adam and Eve... at which point "cruelty and wickedness" began invading the hearts of man. God was not pleased... but, could he do anything to salvage this?
Well, yeah. Turns out he could... and it ain't gonna be pretty! Our next chapter is Noah and the Flood from Genesis 6:6-9:17. Enter Noah, a grandson of Methuselah... at this point, apparently the only fella God kinda dug. God spoke to Noah, warning that he was about to "cleanse the Earth".
I think most of us are at least passively familiar with what comes next. Noah spends the better part of the next 600 years building a great ark, and gathering animals two-by-two in preparation of the "cleansing".
And, well... when it rains, it pours! The Earth became absolutely overcome with waters, that covered even the tallest peaks. In a very sobering image, we see a family panicking atop a mountain... as the waters continue to rise! Yeesh, I wasn't expecting anything like this!
The deluge continued for forty days before the skies started to clear. After being thrashed about, the Ark eventually settled on Mount Ararat, which is actually a place that exists today in Turkey. Noah releases some birds to see if they can find any dry land.
Eventually... it does! Noah and his menagerie de-board the Ark and, with the Earth "washed clean"... set to restarting civilization from scratch.
God promises that there will never again be such a "cleansing"... and we see, perhaps the first ever rainbow?
Next up, another Bible Feature... this one's called "School Days in Bible Times", and it's basically exactly as it says on the tin.
Then... well, another Bible Feature. This one looks at the "first skyscraper", The Ziggurat.
Next... The Tower of Babel from Genesis 11:1-9. So, we had the great flood... leaving Noah to repopulate the Earth... and, he did. These earliest generations lived as nomads... not settling anywhere, and more or less living out of tents. They would eventually decide to build a city in the land of Shinar. The city would be of Brick and Mortar... and would have a great tower in the middle that would reach to the very Heavens. Guess what? God wasn't happy with none'a this.
God figured, if these nomads were to be allowed to build such a tower, then "no idea... good or bad... will be beyond their reach". And so, to halt their progress, God decided to sorta-kinda scramble up their languages... meaning, that the workers could no longer understand one another. The nomads would abandon their project, and leave in groups of those who spoke the same-language.
Then, another Bible Feature! "Soldiers in the Time of Abraham". Who's Abraham? Well, we'll meet him in a bit. This page just shows off some weapons and vehicles used back in the long ago.
Okay, with that out of the way... let's meet Abraham in: The Story of Abraham, from Genesis 11:26-13:18. Abraham (Abram) was a descendant of Shem... who, I don't think we've met... was born and raised in Ur, and lived with his father, Terah. In Ur, the people worshiped Idols... which didn't quite sit well with Abe.
And so, ten years later, Terah decided to uproot his family and head across the plains of Mesopotamia toward Canaan. They would make it as far as a place called Haran, where they would live for several years.
One night, following the passing of Terah, Abraham was visited in a dream by the voice of God. He is told to leave Haran, and that he will eventually father a great nation.
Abraham gathered up his family and belongings that very night... and they headed toward Canaan. Upon arrival, Abraham built an altar, and set up camp. Unfortunately, the land wasn't very giving... in fact, this was a land of famine.
Having no other choice, they eventually leave the barren land and head toward Egypt. They find themselves at a lake, where they stop to water the herd. Across the water... are Egyptian Soldiers, who get a good look at Abraham's wife, Sarai... and decide that she'd make a fine addition to the Pharaoh's harem.
Before we know it, Abraham and Sarai are stood before the Pharaoh himself! Sarai lies to the Pharaoh, telling him that Abraham is, not her husband... but, her brother, thus sparing his life. Ya see, the Pharaoh would've been fine making her a widow before taking her as his own.
Abraham prays for a miracle... and, whattayaknow, he gets one! The Pharaoh is struck with illness! He learns that Sarai is actually Abraham's wife... and decrees that she be returned to her husband, and even allows them to keep the gifts he'd offered in trade... just so long as they get the heck out of Egypt! And so, they do.
As the travels continue, some squabbling begins. Let's hope that doesn't escalate! Abraham decides to divide the group, allowing his nephew, Lot the choice of where he'd like to settle. He chooses the Jordan Valley near the City of Sodom. Abraham remains in Canaan... for a little while, anyway. He'd eventually move to Mamre and finally, to Hebron.
Our next, and final chapter is Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis 14:1-19:26. It's here we catch up with Abraham's nephew, Lot. He lived in Sodom, where life was pretty rough. War was constant, and destruction ruled. Upon one of the numerous raids on the city, Lot himself was taken prisoner. As luck would have it, however, a Sodom Citizen was able to escape the city and make his way to Abraham's camp in Mamre, where he explained the dire situation to the man himself.
And so, Abraham and his men secretly followed the Invaders of Sodom, and discovered their encampment... and that night, set to rescuing Lot and the Gang. They managed to take out many of the invaders, however, some were able to escape... taking the prisoners with them!
Abraham and his Herdsmen gave chase, were able to overcome the Invaders... and rescue Lot and the rest of Prisoners.
The King of Sodom was so pleased, he offered Abraham many riches for his people's safe return. Abe declines the generous overture... knowing that his rewards would come later. Much later, it would seem. Years pass, and we arrive to the point where Sarai is too old to bear him a child. And so, as custom allows... she suggests he take a second, younger wife! She offers up her handmaiden, Hagar for the job. Finally, Abraham would have an heir... who he'd name Ishmael.
One day, three strangers arrived in Mamre on their way to Sodom... and Abraham showed them kindness. In return, the Strangers inform him that Sarai will give him a son. Turns out, these strangers were Angels.
Abraham escorted the Angels toward Sodom, and parted ways with them once the city was in sight. At this point, God spoke to him... proclaiming that there is a "great wickedness" in Sodom... and, as such, he (he being God) would "destroy the place". Abraham takes exception to this, claiming that if God destroyed the entire city, he would be harming both good and bad people. The pair bargain for a bit, with God finally agreeing to spare the city if Abraham could find Ten "Godly people" living within its walls. Meanwhile the Angels had arrived... though, for some reason, it's only two of the three.
The Angels are greeted by Lot, who invites them to stay with him that night... after all, it's not safe on the streets of Sodom at night. At Lot's home, they share a meal... and more warnings of the dangerous city. Dinner is interrupted, however, by... a battering ram! The thieves and drunkards are trying to get inside in order to steal the Angels' silver!
The Angels ain't about to sweat none'a this... and so, they strike all of the roustabouts blind! They certainly don't mess around.
The Angels turn to Lot and proclaim that, if they wanna get while the getting is good... the time to leave is now! Sodom and Gomorrah are going to be destroyed. Lot b-lines it out of his home, and rushes toward the houses of his elder daughters to deliver the warning. They just laugh at him, dismissing him of having had a bad dream. The Angels tell him he has until dawn to convince them otherwise.
Dawn comes... and still, Lot's elder daughters decide to remain. The Angels tell him it's "now or never"... and so, Lot and his family run for it as the city begins to burn. The Angels warn them not to look back.
And burn, it does! Buildings topple, people burn... it's a pretty heavy scene.
This story ends with the revelation that Lot's wife did not heed the Angel's warning... and, "looked back" at the burning city. As a result, she was rendered into a Pillar of Salt!
The Treasury Edition wraps up with David and Hannah asking Gran'pa to tell them more stories... but, Gran'pa's tired, he'll share more stories some other time.
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So... this is the part of the article where I usually (over)analyze the story/stories we'd just read. I'm... not really gonna do that today, I hope you all understand. As mentioned in the pre-ramble, this issue is being presented as an artifact more than anything... a DC Comics take on the Bible can certainly be looked at as something of a curiosity... and I hope, with this piece, I've shared something new, novel, and unique with my wonderful readers.
Now, what am I comfortable talking about here? Oddly enough, it's the one thing I'm usually rather trepidatious about discussing: the art! Normally, I try not to discuss art... as it's generally the most subjective part of a comic book. Well, that might not be the case today. I found the art here, by Nestor Redondo and Joe Kubert to be... pretty wonderful. I might be projecting, but this truly feels like a passion-project. Well, maybe I'm not projecting... the inside front-cover (as included below) refers to this issue as being a "Dream Come True".
As far as the stories are concerned... my only nitpicky comics reviewer complaints are: there were several references to people we never get to meet in the issue. If we look at this through that "comics reviewer" lens, if a person is mentioned... we expect to meet them, right? So, there's something. Also, the Sodom and Gomorrah story kind of baffled me when we lost an Angel along the way. Did I miss something? Did Mayer just forget to include a explanatory caption? I dunno.
Overall though... and, again... I apologize for this "analysis" section being much leaner than usual... this was a very interesting issue to look at, and I'm happy I had the opportunity to share it here. It's not something I ever expected to come across... and, if I'm being honest, I wasn't completely sure it actually existed! I know I've seen ads for it in some Bronze Age DC Comics... but, had never seen it in real life.
I hope this was, at the very least, an interesting aside... and, again... if you have any comments, please, don't be a stranger!
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Inside Covers:
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A Page from TASCHEN's Bronze Age of DC Comics:
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Wraparound Cover (by Joe Kubert):