Created by the two young sons of respected comic book publisher Alonzo Washington, Omega Boy is a superhero who helps educate kids about diabetes. With sponsorship from General Mills and Hershey´s, these comic books are short, but would be very useful in helping a young person to understand the disease. The goal is admirable, as the letter of support signed by President Bush at the end of issue No. 2 would attest.
TDmonthly Review:
What Is It?
Created by the two young sons of respected comic book author and publisher Alonzo Washington, Omega Boy is a superhero who helps educate kids about diabetes. “Omega Boy Vs. Dr. Diabetes” is the first in the series. These comic books are short, but would be very useful in helping a young person to understand the disease. The goal is admirable, as the letter of support signed by President Bush at the end of issue No. 2 would attest.
What We Thought
The first comic in the Omega Boy series is not only educational but has funky graphics and an action-filled plot as well. The background designs in each of the panels are a trip, and lines such as, “Diabetes is not contagious, but my fist is,” from Omega Boy keep the dialog clever despite the informative overtone.
Why They’ll Want It
For coming from a small, independent publisher, the second title in this series, “Enter the Blaze!” comic has already managed to line up ads from Hershey’s, General Mills, Wendy’s and Osco Drug, to name just a few. In the reprinted copy of a letter from George W. Bush, the young author, Kamaal Washington, is encouraged to “study hard, make the right choices, and help others in need.” If any comic can inspire young kids to reach out to their surrounding communities and help make a difference, this just might be it.
-- Vanessa VanderZanden, 9/26/05
