The OMAC Project
Encyclopedia
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
.
event. The series directly follows the Countdown to Infinite Crisis special, picking up the story where the special left off. While the OMACs
look similar to the earlier Jack Kirby
creation OMAC
, they are quite different, with a different acronym than the original One-Man Army Corps. OMAC originally stood for "Observational Meta-human Activity Construct", but currently stands for "Omni Mind And Community."
In the mini-series, the OMACs are modified humans who work as sleeper agents, a product of the Checkmate
organization, now led by Maxwell Lord
. They possess the Brother Eye spy satellite built by Batman
following his realization, after the events of Identity Crisis, that his fellow Justice Leaguers had wiped his memory some years before. The OMAC Project ends with an autonomous Brother Eye having command of over 200,000 OMACs and seemingly planning war on the superheroes, starting with the worldwide broadcast of Maxwell Lord's death at the hands of Wonder Woman
. The OMAC Project has numerous tie-ins with other titles, including Action Comics
#829; Adventures of Superman #641-643; Aquaman
#35; Batgirl
#66; Birds of Prey
#80 and 82-83; Firestorm
#18; JLA
#122; JSA
#76; Hawkman
#46; Manhunter
#13-14; Robin #143-144; Superman
#214-215, 217-220, and 222; and Wonder Woman
#218-221.
is dead, Booster Gold
is in the hospital, and the Checkmate organization, led by Maxwell Lord
, continues its mysterious operations against DC's superheroes. Booster Gold wakes up and, after learning of Ted Kord's disappearance, decides to investigate with the help of Wonder Woman
.
OMACs (Observational Meta-human Activity Construct) have been spotted all over the world and have managed to kill several metahumans. Batman
and Wonder Woman investigate the OMACs while Booster, after meeting Guy Gardner
in space, decides that he would rather investigate Ted Kord's disappearance with other former members of the Justice League International
.
Interwoven through this plot are scenes detailing the power struggle within the Checkmate organization itself. Checkmate is led by the White Queen, White King, Black Queen and Black King, each of whom have Knights of corresponding color. Through his machinations, Black King Maxwell Lord becomes the only leader of the organization, despite being double-crossed by one of his own Knights, Sasha Bordeaux
.
Lord is then killed by Wonder Woman (in the pages of Wonder Woman #219) to prevent him from continuing to direct the actions of a mind-controlled Superman. Brother Eye, the artificial intelligence directing the OMAC drones, initiates a protocol specifically designed to be used in the event of Lord's death and OMAC drones worldwide begin to wreak havoc and destruction.
Sasha herself is transformed into an OMAC-like being, powered by nanite technology. Rocket Red #4
, a former member of the Justice League Europe, sacrifices himself in order to destroy several drones and save the lives of his friends.
Batman and Sasha then work with the remnants of Checkmate and other government organizations to lure the majority of OMACs to the Sahara Desert. There, as OMACs gather to attack a large number of gathered heroes, Batman activates an EMP device that disables all of the OMACs, allowing their human hosts to be freed. However, the Brother Eye satellite is still hidden and has about 200,000 OMAC's still under its control.
Brother Eye overrides all television screens around the world and broadcasts Wonder Woman's killing of Maxwell Lord. People don't understand the circumstances, only that they're watching Wonder Woman murder a recognized Justice League colleague.
In Wonder Woman #221, Wonder Woman took a defeated OMAC to a hospital, and noticing everyone staring at her in fear, saw the broadcast and realized "They have killed my name."
As the series closes, Brother Eye prepares to launch an all-out war against metahumans to protect humanity. Batman works furiously to disable his rogue creation, while Wonder Woman and the Amazons of Themyscira face international backlash over Diana's brutal means. Brother Eye's campaign against the Amazons leads into Infinite Crisis
#1.
#6, Brother Eye has crash landed in the Rub Al-Khali desert in southern Saudi Arabia, taking possession of two local sentries. Sasha Bordeaux
, returning from the successful attack against Brother Eye in space, is requested by Batman to track down the remains of the satellite (containing information on countless metahumans) and destroy it.
Meanwhile, President Jonathan Vincent Horne is being debriefed on the Brother Eye situation by Amanda Waller
. Afterwards, he appoints Waller as acting Black King of Checkmate
until further notice. In the desert, local forces try to gain control of the downed machinery, but are eliminated by a behemoth OMAC created from the two sentries.
In Switzerland, Jessica Midnight is communicating with Mr. Bones, Director of DEO, when she is quickly interrupted and cut-off by Amanda Waller (flanked by Fire). Waller demands to know what's currently happening, having Fire put the "heat" on Midnight as well as announcing herself as Midnight's new superior.
While the Israeli, Russian and Chinese governments begin measures to retrieve the satellite, Brother Eye attempts to remote link to Sasha and take control of her body. It fails. Sasha arrives at a Checkmate safehouse and attempts to make contact with Midnight at headquarters, but is stopped by Waller, who demands to know if Sasha is an OMAC or not. Sasha does not know. Waller demands Sasha return to base, but Sasha says she will not. Waller then instructs Fire to stop Brother Eye from being reactivated, even if it means killing Sasha or Midnight. When Fire protests such lethal commandments, Waller jabs at her with remarks on what she did for her people in Brazil before gaining her powers, and how much she enjoyed it.
As all of the factions reach the downed satellite, Sasha rushes through the ensuing battle to detonate explosives from within Brother Eye's CPU chamber. The computer nearly succeeds in downloading its programming and data files over Sasha's mind when she activates the explosives. Searching the wreckage, Fire and Midnight find Sasha alive and free of the nanobots that she was infected with.
in November 2005 (ISBN 1401208371).
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
written by Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
with art by Jesus Saiz and published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
in 2005
2005 in comics
- January :* January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.-April:*April 13:**DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 A.D. titles....
.
Overview
It is one of four miniseries leading up to DC Comics' Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
event. The series directly follows the Countdown to Infinite Crisis special, picking up the story where the special left off. While the OMACs
OMACs
The OMACs are a fictional type of powerful cyborg that exist in the DC Comics universe...
look similar to the earlier Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
creation OMAC
One-Man Army Corps
OMAC is a superhero comic book created in 1974 by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The character was created towards the end of Kirby's contract with the publisher, following the cancellation of Kirby's New Gods, and was reportedly developed strictly due to Kirby needing to fill his...
, they are quite different, with a different acronym than the original One-Man Army Corps. OMAC originally stood for "Observational Meta-human Activity Construct", but currently stands for "Omni Mind And Community."
In the mini-series, the OMACs are modified humans who work as sleeper agents, a product of the Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
organization, now led by Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
. They possess the Brother Eye spy satellite built by Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
following his realization, after the events of Identity Crisis, that his fellow Justice Leaguers had wiped his memory some years before. The OMAC Project ends with an autonomous Brother Eye having command of over 200,000 OMACs and seemingly planning war on the superheroes, starting with the worldwide broadcast of Maxwell Lord's death at the hands of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. The OMAC Project has numerous tie-ins with other titles, including Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#829; Adventures of Superman #641-643; Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
#35; Batgirl
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
#66; Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey (comic book)
Birds of Prey is a comic book series published by DC Comics that features the adventures of the heroine Oracle and her group of superheroines. The group is initially based in Gotham City and later operates in Metropolis and then relocates once more to "Platinum Flats", California, a new locale...
#80 and 82-83; Firestorm
Firestorm (comics)
Firestorm is the name of several comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, the first Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Martin Stein, by himself as Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm the Nuclear...
#18; JLA
JLA (comic book)
JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...
#122; JSA
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
#76; Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
#46; Manhunter
Manhunter (Kate Spencer)
Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in publications from DC Comics. Kate Spencer is the eighth DC Comics character depicted using the name Manhunter, and the first female to do so. The character first appears in Manhunter Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in...
#13-14; Robin #143-144; Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
#214-215, 217-220, and 222; and Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
#218-221.
Series plot summary
Blue BeetleBlue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
is dead, Booster Gold
Booster Gold
Booster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
is in the hospital, and the Checkmate organization, led by Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
, continues its mysterious operations against DC's superheroes. Booster Gold wakes up and, after learning of Ted Kord's disappearance, decides to investigate with the help of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
.
OMACs (Observational Meta-human Activity Construct) have been spotted all over the world and have managed to kill several metahumans. Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Wonder Woman investigate the OMACs while Booster, after meeting Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (comics)
Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...
in space, decides that he would rather investigate Ted Kord's disappearance with other former members of the Justice League International
Justice League International
Justice League International is a DC Comics superhero team written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire, created in 1987.-Publication history:...
.
Interwoven through this plot are scenes detailing the power struggle within the Checkmate organization itself. Checkmate is led by the White Queen, White King, Black Queen and Black King, each of whom have Knights of corresponding color. Through his machinations, Black King Maxwell Lord becomes the only leader of the organization, despite being double-crossed by one of his own Knights, Sasha Bordeaux
Sasha Bordeaux
Sasha Bordeaux is a fictional character in the DC Universe. She was at first primarily associated with Batman, and has subsequently evolved an association with Checkmate in two of its incarnations...
.
Lord is then killed by Wonder Woman (in the pages of Wonder Woman #219) to prevent him from continuing to direct the actions of a mind-controlled Superman. Brother Eye, the artificial intelligence directing the OMAC drones, initiates a protocol specifically designed to be used in the event of Lord's death and OMAC drones worldwide begin to wreak havoc and destruction.
Sasha herself is transformed into an OMAC-like being, powered by nanite technology. Rocket Red #4
Rocket Red
The Rocket Red Brigade is a DC Comics superhero team. They first appeared in Green Lantern Corps #208 , and were created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton.-History:...
, a former member of the Justice League Europe, sacrifices himself in order to destroy several drones and save the lives of his friends.
Batman and Sasha then work with the remnants of Checkmate and other government organizations to lure the majority of OMACs to the Sahara Desert. There, as OMACs gather to attack a large number of gathered heroes, Batman activates an EMP device that disables all of the OMACs, allowing their human hosts to be freed. However, the Brother Eye satellite is still hidden and has about 200,000 OMAC's still under its control.
Brother Eye overrides all television screens around the world and broadcasts Wonder Woman's killing of Maxwell Lord. People don't understand the circumstances, only that they're watching Wonder Woman murder a recognized Justice League colleague.
In Wonder Woman #221, Wonder Woman took a defeated OMAC to a hospital, and noticing everyone staring at her in fear, saw the broadcast and realized "They have killed my name."
As the series closes, Brother Eye prepares to launch an all-out war against metahumans to protect humanity. Batman works furiously to disable his rogue creation, while Wonder Woman and the Amazons of Themyscira face international backlash over Diana's brutal means. Brother Eye's campaign against the Amazons leads into Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
#1.
OMAC Project Special: Lazarus Protocol
In the OMAC Project: Infinite Crisis Special, which takes place after Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
#6, Brother Eye has crash landed in the Rub Al-Khali desert in southern Saudi Arabia, taking possession of two local sentries. Sasha Bordeaux
Sasha Bordeaux
Sasha Bordeaux is a fictional character in the DC Universe. She was at first primarily associated with Batman, and has subsequently evolved an association with Checkmate in two of its incarnations...
, returning from the successful attack against Brother Eye in space, is requested by Batman to track down the remains of the satellite (containing information on countless metahumans) and destroy it.
Meanwhile, President Jonathan Vincent Horne is being debriefed on the Brother Eye situation by Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
. Afterwards, he appoints Waller as acting Black King of Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
until further notice. In the desert, local forces try to gain control of the downed machinery, but are eliminated by a behemoth OMAC created from the two sentries.
In Switzerland, Jessica Midnight is communicating with Mr. Bones, Director of DEO, when she is quickly interrupted and cut-off by Amanda Waller (flanked by Fire). Waller demands to know what's currently happening, having Fire put the "heat" on Midnight as well as announcing herself as Midnight's new superior.
While the Israeli, Russian and Chinese governments begin measures to retrieve the satellite, Brother Eye attempts to remote link to Sasha and take control of her body. It fails. Sasha arrives at a Checkmate safehouse and attempts to make contact with Midnight at headquarters, but is stopped by Waller, who demands to know if Sasha is an OMAC or not. Sasha does not know. Waller demands Sasha return to base, but Sasha says she will not. Waller then instructs Fire to stop Brother Eye from being reactivated, even if it means killing Sasha or Midnight. When Fire protests such lethal commandments, Waller jabs at her with remarks on what she did for her people in Brazil before gaining her powers, and how much she enjoyed it.
As all of the factions reach the downed satellite, Sasha rushes through the ensuing battle to detonate explosives from within Brother Eye's CPU chamber. The computer nearly succeeds in downloading its programming and data files over Sasha's mind when she activates the explosives. Searching the wreckage, Fire and Midnight find Sasha alive and free of the nanobots that she was infected with.
Collected editions
The series was collected, along with "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" and Wonder Woman #219, in a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
in November 2005 (ISBN 1401208371).
External links
- Your Guide to Infinite Crisis: The OMAC Project - study of series and its tie-is as part of the larger Infinite Crisis