Comic Review: Omega #1 (Cutaway Comics)

From Manchester England’s comic publishing company Cutaway Comics and the worlds of Doctor Who, the god Omega returns with Omega #1.

On the planet Minyos, the original people made a deal long ago with alien gods. So far, so good. Everything was peachy for awhile. But the gods were not tolerant of dissent, and now in the year 2129, the people have “had it”. Enough of the monarchy, enough of the gods.

Princess Malika, exiled, is attempting to negotiate with the current leaders of Minyos, and sends a message of peace to them as a token gesture. Unfortunately, this all goes badly. It looks like there is no middle ground. Behind the scenes, the god Omega is creating tension. And Malika is stepping into certain danger!

Written by Mark Griffiths (writer of drama for radio, TV, stage, and writer of children’s books for Simon and Shuster), the first issue sets the stage for much more to come. The pacing is perhaps a bit slow by today’s comic book standards, while accompanied by large story panels from Hellblazer and Doctor Who art legend John Ridgway. But Ridgway’s visuals are entrancing. He transmits the flavour of an invented landscape, avoiding overdoing things. We the readers concentrate on the essentials and are given room in these pages to imagine and immerse ourselves in the Omega saga. Ridgway’s methodical approach to his heavily referenced pen drawings is discussed in an interview in the issue. Colour by Andrew Orton, lettering by Colin Brockhurst.

The backup feature, The Demons of Eden, is a very good counterbalance. Written by Ian Winterton, it’s illustrated by Martin Geraghty, with colour by Andrew Orton and lettering by Colin Brockhurst. This tale is about nuns trapped in a forest abbey, being threatened by aggressive wild creatures, surrounded by the military and drug dealers! It’s wild, willful, wooly, and hairy! Great fun and full of energy and dramatic direction.

If you purchase Omega #1 online from Cutaway comics (website https://www.cutawaycomics.co.uk/order), the physical copy comes with a DVD containing loads of bonus material. This DVD content includes an audio introduction to Omega by Mark Griffiths and publisher Gareth Kavanagh, plus video interviews with various Dr. Who personalities and organizers of related fan publications.

Cutaway Comics, Omega #1, $6.99US plus shipping, for 32 pages of story content plus DVD.