One-Man Army Corps
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- This article is about the Jack Kirby character. For the cyborgs in Infinite Crisis, see OMACs.
| One-Man Army Corps (OMAC) | |
 Cover to OMAC #6, with the original OMAC. Art by Jack Kirby. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Buddy Blank |
| Team affiliations | Global Peace Agency |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, durability and explosive energy generation provided by Brother Eye |
One-Man Army Corps (OMAC) is a superhero comic book created by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. Set in the near future ("the world that's coming"), OMAC is a corporate nobody named Buddy Blank who is changed by an A.I. satellite called Brother Eye into the super-powered OMAC.
OMAC works for the Global Peace Agency, a group of faceless people who police the entire world using pacifistic weapons. The world balance is too dangerous for large armies, so OMAC is used as the main field enforcement agent for the Global Peace Agency.
OMAC lasted for eight issues of his own comic, which was cancelled before the last storyline was completed. Later, towards the end of Kamandi (after Kirby had left that title), OMAC was tied into the backstory and shown to be Kamandi's grandfather. An OMAC back-up feature by Jim Starlin was started in issue #59, but the title was cancelled after the first appearance. It would later finally see print in Warlord, and a new back-up series would also appear in that title (#37-39, 42-47). OMAC made appearances as a guest alongside Superman in DC Comics Presents #61.
In 1991 OMAC was featured in a four-issue prestige format limited series by comic artist and writer John Byrne that tied up loose ends left from previous stories. John Byrne would later reuse OMAC in his Generations 3 mini-series.
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[edit] Countdown
In Countdown Buddy Blank is featured as a retired, balding professor with a blond-haired grandson. In #34, Buddy Blank is mentioned but not seen, and is referred to as having direct contact with Brother Eye. He is contacted by Karate Kid and Una in Countdown #31, and appears in #28 and 27. A version of Buddy from Earth-51 appears in #6 and 5. In the final issue, Countdown #1, Brother Eye rescues Buddy and his grandson from the ruins of Blüdhaven by turning him into a prototype OMAC with free will, resembling the original Jack Kirby OMAC.
[edit] OMACs
The character, along with the Brother Eye satellite, was rebooted for the Infinite Crisis story arc. Although OMACs are now cyborgs who take over human's bodies via a virus in order to assassinate any and all beings with superpowers, they still retain OMAC's familiar mohawk and Brother Eye symbol on their chest. The character is featured in the OMAC Project limited series which leads up to Infinite Crisis. The character has a new meaning behind the acronym: Observational Meta-human Activity Construct. However, in The OMAC Project #5, the acronym was changed to the original One-Man Army Corps. In The OMAC Project #6, the acronym was again changed to "Omni Mind And Community"
[edit] Other versions
- DC Comics', in its Tangent Comics imprint issue The Joker's Wild in 1998, self-parodied OMAC with a beta-version automated policeman called "Omegatech Mechanoid Armored Cop".
- DC would later make a nod to OMAC during the DC One Million event in 1998. In Superboy 1,000,000, one of the future Superboys is known as Superboy OMAC, or "One Millionth Actual Clone.", and the title of the story was "One Million And Counting", repeating the acronym. He appeared in the Superboy and Young Justice specials, as well as the DC One Million mini-series. His appearance is based on OMAC, and he gains increased power from Brother Eye.
- In Kingdom Come, Alex Ross created a female version of OMAC named OWAC, (One-Woman Army Corps).
- The One Million 80 Page Giant also introduced a female Luthor with OMAC elements who called herself the One Woman Adversary Chamber.
[edit] Collected editions
The stories have been collected into trade paperbacks:
- Jack Kirby's O.M.A.C.: One Man Army Corps (hardcover, 200 pages, DC, May 2008, ISBN 1401217907)[1]
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- OMAC (Buddy Blink) at the Comic Book DB
- OMAC (Michael Costner) at the Comic Book DB
- OMACs at the Comic Book DB
- OMAC (1974) at the Comic Book DB
- OMAC: One Man Army Corps at the Comic Book DB
- The OMAC Project at the Comic Book DB
- OMAC (2006) at the Comic Book DB
