F.M. :: MCMANUS SHAWN

Omega Men 32 cover by Shawn McManus

Artist: Shawn McManus (Penciller)

4 Comments - 852 Views - 2 Likes

Omega Men 32 cover by Shawn McManus Comic Art

Additional Images:

Published French cover

Published US cover

Artwork Details

Title:	Omega Men 32 cover by Shawn McManus
Artist:	Shawn McManus (Penciller)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	852
Likes on CAF:	2 3
Comments:	4
Added to Site:	2/13/2016
Comic Art Archive:

Description

There are pieces to which you have a strong emotional reaction and attachment.

This cover is one of them for me.

To understand why, you need a bit of backstory.

In French speaking Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland), US comics were translated in magazines compiling various series under one title. Mostly Marvel comics were translated regularly and in a coherent way. DC comics were sparsely translated by another publisher but those were less coherently published and they were badly (if at all) distributed in Belgium (where I live).

And for the young me, those DC titles were bizarre. You could see and feel those were super heroes with a totally other approach. Even though I finally began to collect them and track them all down later.

One of those titles was even stranger. It was a sci-fi mag called Omega Men, like the eponymous serie it translated. I saw that particular issue, number 15 of the serie and its last, in a newsprint shop. And it haunted me. I kept coming in front of the store and I could see its green cover through the window and it seemed so odd as compared to those Marvel series I was used to read.

I don�t know why I kept coming back and why it was so odd or creepy to my young mind. The green background which stood out of the rack? The somewhat feline character in its center? The cat? (I loved felines already in my early years). The terrible danger coming at her from behind, obvious to her?(even though I�m pretty sure I was not really conscious of that part).

I don�t know but it did. And it stuck for all those years. With an adult mind I can see how striking it is. How powerful the storytelling aspect of the cover (a la Kubert or Eisner). The composition is simple but extremely effective and Shawn was reaching a peak with his art in those days (Omega men, Doctor Fate) even though he would still get better.

So when I saw the original for sale I knew I had to own it no matter what. Todd Klein, the writer of the serie (and a well-known letterer) and of that particular issue, offered it for sale. I won it and was over joyous. To add more pleasure, I snatched it away from the greedy pawns of some well-known ebay art flippers which is a plus (think a "band of brothers", sorry is that "gang"?).

I�m including the published DC cover and its French version for you to see.

This is part 6 of my 2016 b-day CAF party

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About the Owner

	F M Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	May 2005
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	BELGIUM
On CAF:	F's Classifieds Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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<> Shemp
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 5/3/2021

Sweet!

Some Collector
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 5/31/2022

Always good to find a cover that brings you back and floods your mind with a time from days past. Congrats!

VZA Victor
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 7/29/2022

"Scratch up my furniture...? I'll show you!"

E DLS
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 11/4/2024

I remember the first time I saw the cover to #27 and asking myself, WHO THE HECK IS THIS GUY????? It's hard to believe with over a dozen covers for this series and nine issues of interior work, that you can hardly find any of it. Congrats on landing one of the covers. Strangely enough, this was one of the issues that Shawn did not do interiors for.

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