Remembering Artist Keith Giffen

Remembering artist Keith Giffen on his birthday (November 30, 1952 - October 9, 2023) with a look at his covers for the Omega Men, a Baxter (enhanced paper) series.  The Omega Men were a team of citizens of the Vega system, who had banded together to fight the oppression of the Citadel, having a system wide war.  Their members included leader Primus, his wife Kalista, cat like Tigorr, cloaked Nimbus, rocky Broot, serpentine Demonia and winged Harpis.  During this run, bounty hunter Lobo was introduced, and the Omega Men suffered a shake up, as Tigorr took control...and defeated the Citadel!

Omega Men #1 and #2, (April and May, 1983)

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Omega Men #3 and #4, (June and July, 1983)

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Omega Men #5 and #6, (August and September, 1983)

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Superman Vs The Thing From 40,000 AD

Superman, being from Krypton, was an alien himself, but more often enough found himself protecting Earth from other alien invaders...

...but, there were times he also protected Earth from invaders from other times, as he did when he faced the Thing from 40,000 A.D. (covers by Wayne Boring/Stan Kaye and Denys Cowan/Bob Smith.

The Thing From 40,000 A.D.!

In Superman #87 (February, 1954) by Bill Woolfolk, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye, Superman found himself in a jam, as a strange protoplasmic creature landed outside of Metropolis.  The Thing quickly adapted to the land, copying what it found.  Clark Kent went to investigate as the U.S. Army was as well, and, as Superman, stopped a truck full of explosives from going off (as the Thing set it on fire to distract the army from his impersonation of one of its members).

As the Thing pillaged scientific labs the area around Metropolis, Superman was following, finding it and its lair (where it was building a time machine to go back to where he came from to conquer Earth).  Superman confronted The Thing, first as Clark Kent, then as Superman, tricking it into an area where a H-Bomb test was to happen...and, leaving it there when the H-Bomb went off.  

Finding no trace of the Thing, Superman assumed it was dead. 

Metropolis Wasn't Build In A Day...Or Was It?

Starting off on the planet Kuraq, as a meteor with a familiar looking red and blue figure crashes on the planet is DC Comics Presents #89 (January, 1986) by Bob Rozakis, Todd Klein, Alex Saviuk and Ricardo Villagran.  On that planet were members of the Omega Men (an alliance of various species from the Vegan System, here...cat like Tigorr, bird like Harpis and newcomer Oho-Besh), who were enjoying the success in finding a home from refugees, when they were interrupted by the crashing meteor and a whirlwind of activity, building a stone replica of Metropolis!

Here, the aliens found themselves facing what they thought was Superman, as he oddly went through the motions he did as he faced the Thing, with the Omega Men taking the place of the villains.  This continued all the way to the site of the H-Bomb test....where Superman was incinerated.  Or was he?  The real Superman showed up (as the Omega Men had called for him) and revealed that was the Thing (whom Superman thought was dead) living Superman's life at the time.  Superman and the Omega Men left this planet as it was too strange (and didn't know that only the Thing's body was destroyed, and its essence stayed with the energy beings who populated this planet).

Lobo Convention Special

With San Diego hosting their annual convention, here's to hoping all that are there are having a good time.

But, there was a time when the Main Man went down to the convention floor, and all hell broke loose!

First, though, a little history of dolphin loving Lobo!

Lobo's Origins

Lobo premiered in Omega Men #3 (June, 1983) by Roger Slifer, Keith Giffen and Mike DeCarlo, where he had been hired by the Citadel to capture Queen Kalista.  Appearing here and there in the series, Lobo helped the Omega Men defeat the Citadel.  Later, he returned in
Justice League International #18 (October, 1988), now working for the Cluster, and, through a series of mishaps, fighting Green Lantern Guy Gardner.

Joining L.E.G.I.O.N.

Spinning out of the Invasion! event, L.E.G.I.O.N. got its own title, and Lobo followed soon after.  He appeared first in L.E.G.I.O.N. '89 #3 (April, 1989), finding one of his precious space dolphins dead, he went to track the killer.  Lobo decided it was Garryn Bek, and, as he was about to kill him (and other team members like the Durlan), Vril Dox (the son of Brainiac)  made him an offer he couldn't refuse, leading to Lobo joining L.E.G.I.O.N. in L.E.G.I.O.N. '89 #5 (June, 1989), with Dox using Lobo's battle energy to convince Bek's disreputable police force to be the foundation of an intergalactic police patrol, taking down an interplanetary drug lord with an army of Lobos (as Lobo replicates when his blood is shed....)..

Mini-Series

After encounters with Superman and Mr. Miracle, Lobo had a few mini-series, specials and even an Annual.  His first 4 issue mini-series from 1990 by Keith Giffen, Alan Grant and Simon Bisley, had Lobo going after a person who wrote an unauthorized biography of the Last Czarnian (him).  A 1992 mini-series, Lobo's Back, finds Lobo dead, but neither heaven nor hell want him, so he gains an immortality.  After a few other specials, full of inappropriate violence and language (all proving popular), Lobo, "he who devours your entrails and enjoys it" finds himself in...

The Convention Special

The Lobo Convention Special #1 (September, 1993) was a give-away at the SDCC (and sold through comic shops across America), by Keith Giffen, Alan Grant and Kevin O'Neill.

Lobo, finding his copy of the Death of Superman messed up, wants to get a new one, and decides the best place to get a comic (and not be ripped off)  is the San Diego Comic Convention. 

Full of Lobo's unique brand of social commentary (along with plenty of violence...lots and lots of violence), he both succeeds and fails in his quest for the elusive deal on that issue, leaving plenty of carnage in his wake.

The success of his various mini-series, specials, guest appearances and L.E.G.I.O.N. membership lead to....

His Own Title

Lobo finally got his own regular title, with Lobo #1 (December, 1993), which lasted for 64 regular issues as well as a zero issue and one special 1 Millionth issue, ending in July, 1999.

Still somewhat offensive, but much more in a comedic vein, quite a bit of fun was had here, firmly implanting Lobo in the DC Universe, where he continues to be revived here and there (in places including R.E.B.E.L.S. and Young Justice to this day.