The Omega Effect. It happens to the best of us. Including Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. If you’re wondering, not a rash.
No, “The Omega Effect” is a crossover event in April encompassing that month’s issues of Punisher, Daredevil and Avenging Spider-Man. Each book is drawn by Marco Checchetto. When editor Stephen Wacker first approached Checchetto about providing the art, he responded with this mashup image:
The Omega Effect
Rucka and Waid are continuing on their respective titles but will also collaborate on The Avenging Spider-Man issue of the event. The number 52 was mentioned with regard to their process.
Spinning out of recent events in Waid’s Daredevil ongoing, Matt Murdock has secured some dubious information on the five major crime organizations of New York. This “Hot Potato” as Waid refers to the Omega Drive McGuffin which makes Daredevil a point of interest for, you guessed it, Frank Castle. How does Spidey come in? Well, Pete’s good friend Reed Richards first invented the device, so he’s got a vested interest (just not the down time to track the thing down himself).
Both writers speak to the seamlessness with which this upcoming event dovetails with their individual plans. This is a very organic direction for the books in that this has been the direction all along and the two writers have kept in touch on their plans.
Rucka says of his collaborator: “Mark never forgets the wonder that makes these comic book universes so vibrant.” For Waid’s part, he credits Rucka with giving him cause for interest in a character like Frank Castle that he never found all that appealing previously.
We asked the room about their thoughts on the new, happier Matt Murdock and whether this new contentedness would last. Waid suggested that year two might arrive with a sea-change because what the character’s doing now isn’t exactly healthy. Rucka has enjoyed the tonal change, though he doesn’t see it as disregard for what’s come before.
“I think [Matt’s] always understood where Frank was coming from,” says Waid. And not just because of recent demonic possession and his execution of Bullseye. Rucka adds that it’s easy enough for someone to latch on to the Punisher’s initial M.O. for vengeance. It’s the fact that he’s gone far beyond the original revenge mission that might cause other characters to blanche. Waid’s greatest concern when trying to get his head around Castle is the guy’s eating habits. As Rucka explains it, Frank doesn’t eat because he’s hungry. He eats only to keep the machine running. Waid posits that Frank probably hasn’t eaten out since the 70s. “He doesn’t take pleasure in many things.”
Asked about the involvement of secondary characters and allies from the individual books, Wacker promises that while the focus is mainly on the big three, the issue of Daredevil directly following this crossover will shine a spotlight on the supporting cast. “If you were looking for that great Foggy/Aunt May team-up,” says Waid, “You’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer.”
Hey, how about some covers by Marco Checchetto, Marcos Martin and Steve McNiven?
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- The Omega Effect
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LEAVE DAREDEVIL ALONE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!! 🙂
I was about to say the same thing.
Daredevil is the best thing at Marvel at the moment, they’re taking a big risk if they mess with him. That’s not to say it defiantly won’t work, I just hope they know what they’re doing. It could be an event based around Daredevil that doesn’t mess with the tone of his book or his new personality. But boy does that teaser look dark and angsty.
Just out of curiosity how well is DD selling? I’ve just assumed it’s doing well because of the coverage on this site but I could be wrong.
@ adrianrigter – Sir, you speak for us all.
Not for me. I can’t wait for this to happen, both books have been going in great directions so far, I really want to see what happens when these directions cross.
I think Punisher is just about as good as Daredevil. Thankfully, Land will not be a part of this so I’m on board with all of it.
Daredevil and Punisher: 2 of Marvel’s best books COLLIDING!!! Very cool.
Hmmmm. I’m reading DAREDEVIL in trade and PUNISHER monthly. Having them cross over could make buying this story tricky for me.
I wish Marvel’s Next Big Thing would be just doing solid books and shutting up about their next big thing. Ok, snark machine is turned off now.
Someone give this man a beer!
What’s your poison, Gerry?
I’m waiting for Marvel to announce something ground breaking. Ah well maybe tomorrow
Daredevil, Punisher, and Spider Man. Or Venom. Or, if we’re really lucky, The Scarlet Spider.
Greg Spiderman
Phil Spiderman
Great image. I’m loving Daredevil. Really wanna check out Punisher but my budget will not allow. And I haven’t read Spidey in years and don’t plan on it. So i doubt I’ll get this, but that’s a great image.
I wonder if this’ll take place in New York. 🙂
Love it I already get all four books.
May I just say how much I love the new bearded Punisher?
remember when comics had guest stars? rather than forcing you to buy two extra books to get the whole story? these constant stupid “mini event” crossovers are ticking me off. especially with a book like DD, first with Amazing Spiderman, now with Punisher AND Avenging Spidey. sigh. Waid had such a good little run (untouched!) on Daredevil, now Marvel is just turning that book into a mess.
That Amazing Spider-Man issue might as well of been a Daredevil issue, since Mark Waid wrote that as well, continuing his own story. It was a crossover in the loosest sense. As for this crossover, you know not all crossovers are bad, right? Poorly coordinated ones, maybe. But when you have books with great collaboration, it’s a story like any other. Not sure what’s messy about that.
It’s been 20 or so years of this being the norm. Crossovers are not a new thing,
i’m assuming that this is not the first time these guys have teamed up. i understand the frustration with calling it an event, but marvel will make more money by calling it an event than they would by just calling it a team-up. if you’re as interested in that one doohickey that daredevil got, like i am, then it might be good to have it crossover. this way i can find out the whole story in the space of one month instead of 3 months or so. also, i’ve been wanting to start reading the punisher, so this might be a good place to start.
@adrianrigter: “now Marvel is just turning [Daredevil] into a mess.” Based on what *actual* evidence? This story doesn’t start until April.
And…this whole story is being handled by GREAT creators who have a proven track record of crafting great stories on their own AND with collaborators. Don’t fall prey to fear of “Next Big Thing” being synonymous with “Next Pile of Crap”.
I’ve been reading Marvel Comics for 30 years and in my entire time of reading that, there have been crossovers. They just weren’t hugely hyped. A lot of times, you didn’t even know it was a crossover until you got to the end of your issue of Fantastic four and it said “Continued in Avengers #blahblahblah” on the last page.
I’ve liked Punisher and Daredevil, haven’t tried Avenging Spider-Man yet though, but all three seem good, so this event shouldn’t be too hard not to screw up
I’m loving Avenging Spider-Man, but I’m going to skip the Greg Land issues.
Enough with Spider-Man already!
Haha, yes, Marvel really needs to give their flagship character who has a brand new animated series and summer blockbuster coming in the next six months a rest already. Riiiight. 😉
Someone turned the snark machine back on and gave it to Ken0chalek. Could we turn it back off now?
I don’t miind this
marvel needs to work on its lay-ups before they try any more flashy slam-dunks again.
I will try this out for Waid & Rucka teaming up, but I pray that this doesn’t become another Shadowland.
sounds like a perfectly fine albeit forgettable event… which honestly is what most crossover events should be.
This is the best thing they could do with an intriguing storyline for Daredevil? Ugh!
No thank you.
I’m not going to stop reading Daredevil mind you, but I will skip this entire crossover event cause I could care less about it.
I will read the Daredevil issue, but I;m not buying Punisher or Avenging Spider-Man, and this will not change that.
I love this idea.
To me, this is less cross-over and more “collaboration.” These are two writers who really love character and who are really digging into their two assigned characters. Rucka’s really intriguing me with his view on the Punisher, and Waid’s interpretation of Daredevil has been fantastic. These two guys previously worked together as part of DC’s 52 series, so what I see in this — even just in how they TALK about it — is two writers really playing with these characters and figuring out just how they relate to one another, where they might clash, etc.
I mean, they’re in a conference talking about how Frank Castle eats! And they have opinions about it! That’s… that’s a little bit awesome.
Also: in my head, this event will not be called “The Omega Effect.” No, it will only be known to me as “My Dinner with Frank.”
It was pretty cool listening to them talk about the two characters. They were really engaged with the discussion.
That’s just awesome. Love hearing creators talking craft and character.
I gotta admit that my first reaction also was “no, leave daredevil alone” . then i thought about it (and read the article – good work as always) and told myself “its Rucka on Punisher” and that calmed me down a lot. now i’m looking forward and am only a little bit nervous 😀
Could be fun.
My gut feeling is “derailment.”
First thought is “Why does the Future Foundation have a device that holds info on New York crime lords?
They don’t. It’s a plot in Daredevil where someone used the unstable molecules in the “4” emblem from an FF costume to make a sort of super-database.
Sorry to clarify even further — the FF didn’t do this, some criminal type did. They came into possession of, I believe, the “4” emblem from Johnny Storm’s FF suit… and because it’s made of unstable molecules, they could use it to create a super hard drive of sorts.
That sounds much more sensible. And interesting.
This sounds great. Top shelf creators on great books telling a bigger story. Can’t wait.
I’m sure that Waid and Rucka will be able to pull off something great but Checchetto on art seems like a step backwards to me. Don’t get me wrong he is a good artist and I see a lot of potential in him but the tone of his work seems to go against what Waid, Rivera and Martin have been working towards. At least its not Greg Land though!
as far as events go, this sounds pretty fun. Feels like a down and dirty street fight kinda thing. I like that the Punisher will be working with some other heroes. For a while there he felt like he was in his own sub universe.
So what does this all have to do with Darkseid?
Daredevil has always been mixed up w them two, besides the covers look sweet and its a short crossover not a big event……and Uncanny X-Force is Marvels best book right now, soon to be joined by Secret Avengers when Remender and Hardman take over. DD is killer though, Waid comes through and I wanna just wait for this HC w that sweet mash up cover and cool title cause DD is the only book of the 3 I read.
I’m just not seeing the negativity. These are, after all, the Hell’s Kitchen/Marvel Knights/Streets of Manhattan characters. They run a lot of the same turf. All of the titles still in single digits.
Avenging Spider-Man is an arcs-based title, so you don’t need to buy more of it than is included in this crossover. My only dig against that title is the unnecessary digital tease they polybag with every issue for a buck more. I wish they’d drop it.
I will agree that DD is great now, and it would be awesome if it remained completely its own thing, but that’s really not going to happen, and if there is going to be the inevitable crossover, these two books are excellent choices.
I’m not buying Rucka’s Punisher, but that because I don’t buy Punisher. I never have. I read the library’s copy.
Given the talent involved, I trust these guys to do their best with this. I’m hoping it expands Matt’s world incrementally, showing us more of the city where his stories take place, and the approaches of some of the other people who fight the same war, but in a different way. Also, Avenging Spider-Man is a team-up book, and who is Pete more likely to meet swinging around the rooftops of the Big City than Matt or Frank?
I’m gonna miss Joe Mad’s art and Zeb Well’s writing.