Here are my about James-Michael Starlings father:
“By the way is James-Michael’s father’s appearance based on Steve Gerber? They do look alike. And is James-Michael Starling’s mother based on Mary Skrenes, Gerber’s co-author? In the beginning of the book Starling’s father says: “A character needs experience in order to fuel one’s imagination”. That’s what Gerber intended to do with Omega and James-Michael Starling, I believe. It could be another clue why Starling’s father looks like Gerber.”

And here are my thoughts on James-Michael Starling:

While I was reading issue #1 of Omega, I got the impression Omega was somehow created by James-Michael Starling.
There a a few clues that point in that direction.
The most obvious one might be the resemblance between James-Michael and Omega. Omega looks like a grown-up version of the teenager. Of course, one might be a time-displaced version of the other, but I found no evidence of that.
Before the book starts James-Michael already knows he has to leave his sheltered life behind and go to school. He fears leaving his old homestead behind and even gets nightmares. In one of them Omega appears. Did James-Michael’s subconscious create Omega as a defense mechanism, a protector? His subconscious might even have created Omega’s safe and orderly Homeworld as metaphor of his own sheltered life. In the Omega series we never get to find out the real name of Omega’s homeworld. Maybe the designation Homeworld is a clue in itself. The faceless robots might be representations of James-Michaels fears.
And then there is James-Michael’s name. Two first names. Does that fact hint at a duality? And what about the name Michael? Michael means Who is like God? (question mark included). Religious people believe God to be the creator of Earth. Did James-Michael, James- Who-is-like-God? create Omega and Omega’s Homeworld?
Gramps calls Omega “Sam”. The three letters of this name can be found in the name James. Coincidence? Of course, the letters also appear in the name Gramps, so it may mean nothing and I am reading to much into this.
Why did James-Michael create a super-hero? There are no hints he ever read a super-hero comic book, however on the cover of issue #1 we see a couple of copies of the Amazing Spider-Man. Another hint?

There may also be a few clues in the text.
Let us assume the robots attacking Homeworld are a metaphor of change. Omega fights these robots, fights change. But during the fight he reaches the conclusion that change may be his salvation. So he gives in to change and at that precise moment Omega is struck down by a robot. For Omega: “… No recourse is left but to scream, and wait for the ordeal to be over”.
Now what does this text mean? Is this a birth of sorts? Is this the moment Omega ceases to be part of a nightmare and come into existence by James-Michael’s power?
During the fight we read: “The chaos (…) could only be the product of the pain, and the passion, and the fire to which he (Omega) alone remains heir.” The meaning of this text is not very clear. Whose pain, passion and fire are we talking about? James-Michael Starling’s? If we accept he created Omega’s Homeworld, we can also accept he created the robots and the chaos. So could it mean Omega is James-Michael Starling’s heir?
Somewhere in issue #1 Omega screams, and his “agony …. may span a universe”. May. We don’t know for certain. Now the usage of the word universe is very interesting considering the fact that during the final battle with Electro in issue #3 people’s lives are being compared to a universe. So if we go back to issue #1 could we also have read: “agony …. may span a life”? Whose life? James Michael Starling’s?
In issue #2 James-Michael and Amber walk past Omega, who is wearing plain clothes, not his costume. At the start of his fight with the Hulk it is said: “The boy!! …. Even his face…! Momentarily it betrayed him, betrayed his inner self.” What this means is also not made clear. Did James-Michael unlock something in Omega’s mind? Maybe the realization that Omega is a product of James-Michael’s mind?

And does James-Michael even have the power to create a super-being and his homeworld, even subconsciously?
When Omega shoots his beams at the robots in isue #1 the energy is said to be “the creative force”. James-Michael is also able toa shoot beams from his palms, so he is is also able to use the CREATIVE force. What if this force helped him to bring Omega into existence?”

Here are my thoughts on the Defenders issues:

“The storyline was eventually wrapped up in two issues of the Defenders. Omega turned out to be a member of a warrior-caste among other things. In Steve Gerber’s series I got the impression Omega wasn’t that keen on fighting, so I doubt if that was Gerber’s Original intent for the character.
Also there is major mistake at the conclusion of the book: in the final page of Defenders #77 James-Michael Starling blasted himself to smithereens, yet in issue #78 we see his body. If I remember correctly this issue was also addressed in the Defenders letter pages lo those many years ago (I looked it up and in the letters page of Defenders #83 Marvel acknowledges the mistake).

But hold on, JMS desintegrating himself? Where have we seen a similar scene before? Didn’t Omega desintegrate himself in issue #5 of Omega? And didn’t he turn up alive and well at Gramps’ doorstep some time later? So the desintegration process must have been some form of teleportation. Now imagine: what if JMS hadn’t blasted himself to kingdom come? What if he had teleported himself away from the scene? Could he still be alive somewhere?

That raises some interesting questions. Could JMS have teleported Omega to Earth before he was incinerated by the sun? Could he have resurrected Omega using the beams, the creative force? And could the Omega origin story be some warped version of the truth, a version created by a very confused James-Michael Starling? Ah, wishful thinking ; -)”

I had a lot of fun trying to figure out the bond between James-Michael Starling and Omega. The book almost reads like a detective novel.

I mentioned a number of other reviews, like yours, for those people who are interested in the character and want to learn more about Omega.

I am looking forward to your reply.

Cheers,

Abe

And as for re-dos, you know as well as I that Marvel was going to do a new version of Strikeforce Morituri without me and Brent…