Has anybody else read any of this?
http://theomencomic.wordpress.com/ (http://theomencomic.wordpress.com/)
I got the first collection available from the above website and its bloomin' great. There's a few times in the early issues when the dialogue made me wince and it does wear its influences very much on its sleeve, AND one of the characters I found cliché (and another a little bit, the rest mind are very refreshing and well developed) that said that's all the negatives out the way. Its a well constructed, well plotted story with great characters. The 'action' sequences are pretty lo-fi but all the more exciting and enjoyable for that.
For many people (and I include myself here) at first look the art is very rough, rudimentary and simple, but as you read the book you realise quite how strong it is. Okay there are a few storytelling issues as Martin Eden learns his trade, but they are few and far between and while the art is basic there's some wonderful character moments and all the characters genuinely look different and are recognisable which is something a lot of professional arts can't claim. Its stripped to its essence but in doing that the essence of what the art wants to achieve really shines through.
Its bloomin' great stuff and I'd heartily recommend it. Volume 2 is being released at Thought Balloon which I'm hoping to get to and really looking forward to picking it up.
I've got all the original editions and I would echo those comments. The art isn't great but the story is brilliant. It's one of the first small press comics I read (along with Bulldog - go hunt that one down too) and inspired me to do my own. Mart - it's all your fault!
I have to agree and I couldn't recommend this highly enough. I read all the original issues and they are really brilliant. I just got the first book of the collections myself and its really worth the money (and not much money at that). The art gets better its true, but I really do like even the early stuff. Great writing, great characters and an epic storyline. Fair play to Martin Eden. One of the best small press books you can get. So go on treat yourself:
http://theomencomic.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/the-o-men-book-one-is-out/
Be cool
JB
It's extremely good, although I actually prefer Martin's stablemate, Grant Springford. Grant did Pest Control and is now onto The Abnormals - a bit like Sapphire & Steel meets Doom Patrol.
http://www.theabnormals.co.uk/
Nerco-but I don't care-post.
Just to let you all know (as I'm sure you were dying to find out!) I've just finished Book 3 and it is truly superb. Right up there with the best of the epic superhero yarns. O-Men is basically Chris Claremont's X-Men, updated, with better more intricate plotting and you don't have to wade through the his terrible dialogue and overwrought scripting to get to the good stuff. Its really is one of the best superhero comics I've read.
The art remains at first glance rough and very basic. It does however carry the story and the characters quite fantastically. Far more 'technically gifted' artists would do well to look at how Martin Eden's art gives you distinct individuals, whose emotions are easy to read and whose actions are precise and clear.
All three of the books currently available are worth getting but Book 3 is a ten part story that ties everything together in wonderfully epic fashion.
Each of the books is only £7 or £9 for over 200 pages of brilliance. Seriously can't recommend them highly enough.
https://theomencomic.wordpress.com/ordering-info/ (https://theomencomic.wordpress.com/ordering-info/)
Well thats a lot of comics for my money. Consider me sold!
Bloody hell, I was one of his readers right at the very beginning and just assumed he'd gone the way of so many other small press people (without, admittedly, ever trying too hard to find out). Fantastic news, I'll be buying these as soon as I can afford to.
Even though I can't really afford it, I just bought book one of The O Men. Hurrah! I highly recommend it to anyone currently on the fence.
Never read this, so I'm very, very tempted.
You should. You really, REALLY should.
One of the top 5 small press I've ever read.
I'm surprised you've not come across Martin at a show Bolt (though maybe you have and just not bought owt). Anyway give in to that temptation, I doubt you'll regret it.
I just won't let this thread crawl quietly into a corner and die will I.
See the more of Martin Eden's stuff I read the more impressed I am with the fella. Just finished reading my 'Spandex Pack', which is basically the complete Spandex with all sorts of little treats slipped into all the tight places. While its not exactly a massive divergence from O-Men, it maintains many similar plot devices and twistly turnies, all the gloriously realised characters, more stuff like O-Men can only be a very, very good thing.
What does make Spandex stand out from its sibling is a neat little concept, well pretty big concept thinking about it (which I won't spoil) that ties it all together into a neat fulfilling package. A tight lean story that works incredibly well. What makes it a work of genius is, it uses that premise, to build a much bigger story around the story we get. The story we get stands alone absolutely fine, but within it Martin teases the rest of the bigger story, one we'll never have. He hints and give us the clues we need, to see where this would all go if he was able to produce the 3783 issues it'd apparently take to get us to the end.
So for everyone whose read Spandex there is their own complete Spandex story. I know I'll be day dreaming of the stories we might have. Martin doesn't need to tell us, he's a confident creator of worlds, a brilliant enough presenter of character to allow his readers to create their own story.
For that reason, amongst the many others that Martin Eden gives me in every story of his I've read, I'm really beginning to think Martin is the comics world least appreciated genius.
Just get his stuff.
I can only concur. The guy's a genius! Has he released a collection of all of Spandex now rather than just the the 3 issue titan collection?
I don't believe so. I reckon he'll wait for a second Titan volume, though I don't know. I do know you can get it digtially.
I got mine as a pack, all the issues of Spandex, including the special and all the mini-comics all bundled together. Don't know if he still does these?
After reading Spandex I checked back on Martin's website
https://spandexcomic.wordpress.com (https://spandexcomic.wordpress.com)
and was delighted to discover that O-Men volume 4 was out. A quick impulse buy and very short wait later and it was here. As was my holidays and so enthralled am I with this series the book came with me, bypassing my normal 2 year waiting time (as did Corto Maltese - Beyond the Windy Island, which gives you some idea of the illustious company you need to keep to do this).
There was no regret, nor disappointment. Its as brilliant as ever. In many ways its as you were. On the surface it appears very familiar in tone, theme and plot to what Martin does. No insult there, as he's the best he as at what he does (someone should use that in a comic). Martin builds a team and situation in order to get you engaged and involved with the characters, just in time to start to pull it down and throw whomever is left, into a seemingly impossible situation. Character's apparent motivations and loyalties seem to twist and turn and there is no surprise that surprises are just around the corner. The surprise comes from the fact that surprises still surprisingly have the ability to surprise. He's a twistly one that Martin.
So yeah as you where really, which is no bad thing. Here though below the surprise you notice that this is a much tighter piece. More focused and almost selfware. Its as though Martin has learnt all he needs to about perfecting creating the comics he wanted and is almost playing with that power. With great power, comes great responsibility (that should also surely be used by some one as well) and Martin does this. He playfully uses his own tropes. A team of O-Men are gleefully destroyed before you know it. He untwists his own twists, using a twist of course. All the while doing this he introduces some glorious characters and they remain as fleshed out and solid as ever. Everything just feels a little tighter, leaner as Martin has perfected his craft.
Further still, while this builds the big story.While this uses (and abuses) Martin's own tropes, when you get to the end you realise this is actually a wonderful character piece. While all the rest is built wonderfully, its all used to reflect upon one character. Quite superb.
Oh and that ending, wow that ending. If you read the rest of the O-Men and read this, you will like me be hankering after 2016's return to this world and the conclusion of the story. I've rarely been so excited about a comic, or work of fiction in any media come to that, coming out.
Martin I salute you.
Well this is creeping closer and closer up my 'too buy' pile, to the point where I keep putting it in and out of my PP basket.
Payday tomorrow, I can decide then.
Quote from: Hawkmonger on 12 November, 2015, 07:52:47 PM
Well this is creeping closer and closer up my 'too buy' pile, to the point where I keep putting it in and out of my PP basket.
Payday tomorrow, I can decide then.
Go see him (Martin) at Thought Bubble - he's lovely and I'm sure he'll sell you some goodies at a very decent price.
BUY IT! BUY IT ALL!!
Oh! Excellent, I shall deffinelty be doing that.
I've saved a small fortune for TB so this'll deffinetly be getting the thrice over!
I should point out I'm making an assumption that he'll be there. He has every year I've been and so, like Cinebook, just assume he always will be!
He shall be, I checked the floor plan just now, Royal Armouries table 80.
So the question is did you get any of the good stuff Hawkmonger?
Oh! Yes, I did, and the good man himself Martin Eden is a delightful guy. Had a nice long chat about the various Image books we where picking up, and managed to get him hooked on Copperhead. So it was kind of an OK day!
Despite beind the outragiously cheap price of £5 each I only nabbed the first two collected volumes of The O-Men, too many other comics demanded my attention but 400 pages for £10 is a real doozy. And they are gorgeously presented things as well, especially for small press.
But how good ARE they? Dunno, they're next on the reading pile after Hunterkind though so expect a report back sometime soon, but I REALLY enjoyed Spandex #1, he seemed to be shifting these single issues to make way for the same kind of trades he's done for TOM, so those will be on my to buy list as it's really quite wonderful and intruiging stuff. Also, PUNS! "They Watch Men" almost made me bust my appendex with ironic laughter. Genius stuff, but I shall report back once i've devoured thise 400 pages.
Well that was jolly good stuff indeed. I can only echo Colins many praises for this series. A little rough an ready around the edges, and in early issues wares it's influences a little too much on it's sleave but quickly developed into it's own beast, and quite a fantastical mish mash of Sandman, X-Men and our own Zenith. Quality stuff, and it really does show that so long as you practice anyone can improve, and comics aren't something you graduate into straight away. Small press at it's very best, volumes 3 and 4 are on the must buy pile!
Scary thing is though, O-Men started publication when I was but a wee nipper, and it's still going strong.
Welp The O Men vol's. 3 and 4 arrived today. Wont get around to reading them until after Christmas but i'm anxious to do so, as it's shaping out to be a corcking series. But is it just me or are their a few members of SPANDEX on the cover of volume 3? Wasn't aware it was a spin-off...
OK quadroople post and necromancy yaddayaddayadda but I just wrapped up volume 4 of The O-Men, one of the few comics I left out of being packed away, and oh my goodness it's just some of the best comics can buy. The metatextual and analytical nature of the thing in exchange for brawny brawling is only really comparable to some of the best comics of the genre, Zenith Phase 4, The Maxx, and (Moore's) Swamp-Thing. It really is just crazy good, and you all should be buying it in droves.
Have you done Spandex yet? Its just as good.
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 19 April, 2016, 01:55:37 PM
Have you done Spandex yet? Its just as good.
Only issue 1 (dat cliffhanger!) but I'm undecided weather to splash out on #2-#6 or wait in the forth comic omnibus (same format as the O-Men books I believe).
So this one has been a while. Just done a re-read of The complete O-men for which included for the first time the final volume 5 - which is only available digitally and well nothing new needs to be said about hiow good the first 3 volumes are BUT
Volume 4 and 5 together are just another level. They involve Season 2 and 3 ( 3 which is a short mini-series that wrap ups the lose ends and really ties things together wonderfully.). Series 2 is the meat here and its wonderful. Starting after the Anathema War when Kelly Connor - Vixen reforms the O-Men for reasons that are central to this series. Its tighter and leaner to the wonderfully epic Season 1 but lack none of the twists, turns and sense of power and scale. Its also epic stuff but feels more filtered and direct.
It wraps up so much, though never really closes doors and is just superb. Available digitally (I'm not sure if Martin still has physical copies, though I think volume 5 was only ever digital). Look just check these comics out they are aces.
Re-reading Spandex next...
And good as O-Men is and much as you can revel in its epic story Spandex is better. Fittingly it squeezes so much into a tight package but looks damned good doing so. Its lean, funny and utterly enthralling. Can recommend it highly enough.