Saturday, January 05, 2008

Jack Kirby, Mindbomb: Move Over, Nostradamus


Had the attacks in 2001 never happened, September 11 may have been best known as the day George Bush Sr. addressed the US Congress making his case for war against Iraq, who had invaded and occupied the oil duchy known as Kuwait.

It was in this speech that the ominous phrase, "New World Order," became part of the common lexicon.
We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective -- a new world order -- can emerge: a new era -- freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. 
An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony. A hundred generations have searched for this elusive path to peace, while a thousand wars raged across the span of human endeavor. Today that new world is struggling to be born, a world quite different from the one we've known. 
A world where the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle. A world in which nations recognize the shared responsibility for freedom and justice.
That New World Order, where a centralized global authority keeps the peace, was presented to us by Jack Kirby in living color in his incredibly prescient 1974 series, OMAC. And then some.

OMAC prophesied a technocratic utopia lorded over by a sentient artificial intelligence named Brother Eye, who orbits the planet in satellite form. Keeping things calm were a literally faceless police force known as the Global Peace Agency. 

In this series, Kirby forecast Real Dolls, virtual reality, non-lethal weaponry, a kind of ramped-up organ harvesting, water wars and genetically engineered Beasts of the Apocalypse that would make DARPA drool.

Any conspiracy researcher or symbology buff worth their salt should be sitting up straight, seeing that blatant All-Seeing Eye imagery upon OMAC's chest. OMAC's mohawk haircut doesn't say "Punk Rock" (which didn't really exist then) so much as it says "New Roman Empire." 

Again, it's almost certain that Kirby came across the juxtaposition of occult symbolism and world government theorizing while reading conspiracy literature.

Now, scroll back up to the top of the page and look at the image the government of Kuwait used to symbolize the invasion of their country in 1990. And then look at the cover of OMAC#3, that portrays a very similar scenario- a strongman invading a neighboring country in defiance of the 'World Community.' 

Only in this case, A 'One Man Army' is there to defend the invaded country, not an...


In the next issue, the 'One Man Army' defeats the invading force and goes to arrest the commander of the invading army, Marshall Kafka, who is trapped in his bunker.

The bewildered look on the bearded, presumed-dead warrior's face as he is arrested by the One Man Army had a strange, real-life echo three decades later when the "Army of One" arrested another bearded, presumed-dead warrior in his underground bunker...


Here, take a closer look. Notice the mouth agape on both men...


Later, Kafka is put on trial for assorted crimes against humanity. Here he defiantly reviews the charges against him, which are essentially the same charges brought against Saddam.

Note the last charge is another way of saying "Weapons of Mass Destruction."

The full-page shot below is an uncanny foreshadowing. The hair is different- this is cartooning, not caricature - but the strong features (especially the eyes) are remarkably similar to Saddam. Especially considering Kirby's tendency towards abstraction. Or considering that millions of people predict the looming Apocalypse based on some incredibly vague old French poems...

The name "Kafka" is curious for Kirby, considering the aggressive militarism of the character. But it's worth noting that more than one commentator as referred to the trial, sentencing and execution of Saddam as something out of Kafka or 'Kafkaesque.'

Remembering we are dealing in the realm of symbol, it should be noted that Kafka's confidence during his trial is due to the oncoming attack of his bio-engineered killing machine. Symbolically, this plot-line is eerily similar to the ongoing insurrection the "Army of One" has faced in the days since Saddam's downfall.

Another Kirby cover seems like a political cartoon here, with the outmatched One Man Army facing a multi-pronged chimera appearing out of the ether, raining fire and death. Just write 'intifada' on the monster's chest and put a triangle around OMAC's chest eye and you're set. Note: The battle takes place on Mount Everest, lending an Theosophical tinge to this story.

So we have the very strong thematic links to September 11, 1990 with the New World Order themed OMAC and the synch-links to the Mesopotamian Wars. What ties this all into 9/11 and the Nephilim/Stargate links discussed in the past two installments? Well, in the DC Universe OMAC has a descendant, his name is...


To Be Continued...