The first "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" limited series, Day of Vengeance, offered a disappointing conclusion because nothing really concluded at all. Greg Rucka thankfully does provide an ending and climax of sorts for The Omac Project, but this series ends on a disappointing note as well. The resolution hinges on an all-too convenient plot device, and the tricks the heroes use to save the day strike one as being far too familiar and overused in science-fiction/action-oriented pop culture. The art is inconsistent and not terribly attractive as well. Rucka does succeed in conveying the critical nature of the events and the emotional turmoil the protagonists experience.
In the wake of Maxwell Lord's death at the hands of Wonder Woman, Brother Eye has activated all of the Omac sleeper agents -- all 1.3 million of them. The metahumans of the world are all on the Omacs' hit list, and death and destruction rains down on them wherever they can be found. The world's super-heroes scramble to find a way to stop the Omacs without killing their innocent hosts, and the Batman and the technologically transformed Sasha Bordeaux come up with a plan, but it requires getting as many metahumans together in one place. That could spell disaster, giving the Omacs one easy target.
The design for Sasha-as-machine-woman is just plain ugly. The Brother Eye logo over her left eye renders her face assymmetrical and spoils the exotic look the artists strive to achieve. Furthermore, the use of two art teams -- Saiz on his own and Richards/Wiacek -- makes for an inconsistent look for the book overall. The swarm of Omacs is an impressive visual, but I was disappointed at the small group of heroes gathered for the final showdown; I was expecting more of a sea of color.
Using a computer virus and an electro-magnetic pulse to combat a technological enemy are solutions that are so obvious that the heroes come off as being a bit dim for struggling to come up with the ideas in the first place. Furthrmore, these "weapons" are just too easy, and we've seen this sort of thing far too often in the past in other genre fiction. Sasha's character has been pivotal in this story, but she's so far removed from her more grounded origins that I just don't enjoy her anymore. Midnight, the other Checkmate agent who helps her, doesn't seem to fill any useful purpose in the story at all, leaving me wondering why she was included in the first place. I can only assume Rucka has plans for her later on.
Where the writer does hit the mark is in establishing how grave the threat is and conveying the tension among the heroes. The immensity of the problem, though not always apparent visually, resonates in the dialogue, and the emotional toll everything has on the heroes shines through as well. The Batman's begrudging attitude about calling on Hal Jordan for help, Booster's sense of failure, the heroes' focus on how the Blue Beetle is the real hero of this conflict... it all works quite well. Rucka also does a good job of providing a sense of closure for this story while still leaving the door open for the Omacs to play a significant role in Infinite Crisis and other future DC Universe stories. 5/10
