posted
I was thinking about this the other day and I couldn't help but draw certain parallels between the two stories. For those unfamiliar, Omen and the Prophet was a four-part story written by Levitz and drawn by Giffen. It was the first epic attempted by the two after the Great Darkness Saga. Many fans felt that it fell flat.
Set up - I think most on the boards were intrigued with the first part of Dream Crime. There was definitely an interesting mystery that needed to be resolved. It appeared that this would be a multi-layered plot and that we would have to keep our eyes open for any clue as to what was going on. O&P also had a good first part (IMO anyway) with the introduction of a powerful and mysterious enemy. The added element of the negotiation talks with the Khunds made it seem as if this story would have an added element of Sci-Fi politics that would make it a bit more complex.
Pacing - Both storylines went at a pace that seemed a bit dragged out. O&P spent the better part of the last two issues with "bash 'em/bust 'em" fight scenes that never really accomplished much. Dream Crime used part 3 and much of part 4 for pure action with little being resolved.
Simplification - As mentioned above, it seemed as if both stories would be a bit more complex as they moved along. O&P turned into a simple slugfest. While Dream Crime did add the mission to Steeple, it too was not much more than a massive "us vs. them" story and seemed to take a different and more simple direction with the story.
Resolution - In O&P, Dream Girl gets a vision, pulls a lever, and saves the day. In Dream Crime, Dream Girl gets a vision, DOESN'T pull a lever, and saves the day. At least in Dream Crime, Nura's vision seemed to have some forethought. O&P's seemed like it was just tacked on at the end.
Lasting Affects - Here Dream Crime clearly wins out. Not only did it (slowly) advance some plot lines (Cub, Darkseid, Star Boy's powers) but it brought back Dreamer, Karate kid, and Ferro. For this, any faults in story is quite forgiveable. O&P gave back a ressurected Invisible kid who would disappear a few issues later. And that was pretty much it.
Other - O&P had the daunting task of following up on the GDSaga. While Dream Crime is quite removed from Legion Lost and the Ra's story, the creators still have some expectations to live up to. Also, each saga showcased a change in art. O&P carried the transistion from good Giffen to bad Giffen. Dream Crime introduced a new artist, one who is much improved over the fill-ins who preceeded them.
Anyway, to sum it all up, I see both stories having a similar effect on me. They both had a big build-up, a great start, and an intriguing premise. but both fell far short of expectations and their resolutions fell flat. Maybe because they both came out soon after much better stories. I can't help but be optomistic about the comparisons, though. The same Levitz who wrote the clunker of O&P would within a year begin the awesome LSV war that would solidify my standing as a Legion fan forever. The same DnA who wrote the underwhelming Dream Crime also wrote Legion Lost and have the talant to go beyond what they have done so far. Any other thoughts?
From: Michigan | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Very interesting comparisons, SLK - as I was reading your post, I was thinking that epic, 4 or 5-issue stories maybe just don't work - although we've had some great ones.
It may be the writers coming off a complex story arc - I don't think we had that many multi-part stories back when Great Darkness Saga appeared, so to follow it up with another right away was a tough act to follow. Apart from the Fatal Five story, we had a HUGE story arc with the Ra's-Venge-Computo everybody's evolving story - for me it was really one story with many sub-plots, such as the Tinya-Jo-Cub soap-operetta. Then we got this entirely new villain (as in unconnected with the Ra's/Computo stories) with only the Cub sub-plot continuing (longest-running sub-plot?).
I would like to know if the writers are told they have 5 issues to fill, and map out a story in five parts or if they first develop a story, then chop it into five parts. One gets the impression that the latter approach is the case here, since quite a few people have commented on the pacing and how it would have been better with just 3 or 4 issues.
From: Café Cramer | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
The hype-and-public-teases quotient for these two series, twenty years apart, was about the same, discounting the Internet's presence. (Some matters are eternal in their recurrence, as the Buddhists would maintain.)
What I don't think will recur was Levitz's sort-of-apology for the concept not working with his series. Nowadays, nobody clearly has the prime responsibility for anything. (The well-hyped creators or the now-speaking-almost-never editors?) Fewer want to claim it.
From: Starhaven Consulate, City of Angels | Registered: Jul 2003
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