Over in today’s “Indie Jones” column, “Ambush Bug” reviews OCP #1, and graciously gives kudos to the entire issue overall, as well as the specific features within. But don’t take our word for it — take the Bug’s:

OMEGA COMICS PRESENTS offers a handful of stories of various genres by different talents. The good thing about a book like this is that if you don’t like a story, there’s another one down the pike that could be better. The bad thing is that sometimes you want more than what the 7 to 8 pages each story has to offer. Luckily for OMEGA COMICS PRESENTS, each of the stories in this premiere issue is pretty good.

And that’s just the start. Read the entire review at AICN’s website, and if you haven’t picked up your copy yet, well it’s not too late to fix that.

The second title from Pop! Goes the Icon, Omega Comics Presents is a quarterly, black-and-white comic featuring a variety of features from some of the hottest new talents in independent comics. Anchored by the serial action epic “OMEGA,” Omega Comics Presents will feature never-before-published works from around the country and the globe.

The first issue features chapter one of Pj Perez’s “OMEGA,” “The Taking,” in which a mundane school field trip to Hoover Dam takes a turn into nightmare territory when the students become hostages in a terrorist siege. In the issue’s second feature, “Odd Job” (by Alex De-Gruchy and Robert Durham), a routine house clearing gig for young Hank goes awry when he comes across unexpected residents – the ghosts of a mobster and his wife. Issue one’s third feature, John Dimes‘ “Making No Magnifisense,” stars ambiguous Evelyn Gurlimann as he encounters his superheroic idol, Magnificent Man – with disastrous results. And a little comic relief awaits readers in the two-page gag strip “(All We Are Saying Is) Give Pizza a Chance” by Dino Caruso and Jason Copland.

The print version of Omega Comics Presents #1 is $3.50 per copy and available for direct order or at select stores in the United States and Canada. It is also available as a digital download for only $2.50.

If your local comic shop doesn’t carry Pop! Goes the Icon’s titles, you tell ‘em to contact us and we’ll fix that.

We asked for your help to contribute to relief efforts in Haiti. From Jan. 14 to 22, we offered the first issue of Omega Comics Presents, our new anthology series debuting Feb. 10, for only $3 (even waiving shipping charges!), donating 100 percent of sales to Save the Children’s  emergency relief efforts in Haiti.  Save the Children provides immediate lifesaving assistance, such as food, water, shelter and child-friendly spaces to those in need in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region.

Readers from across the United States and Canada pitched in — even some retailers and creators — and we made a $100 donation to Save the Children on Jan. 23. We appreciate all the people who helped spread the word as well as those of you who tossed in your coins. And media outlets such as Comics Bulletin and KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas for carrying the story.

Remember, you can still make a difference for the devastated people of Haiti by donating directly to Save the Children now!

At the end of last issue, James’ secret was uncovered by nosy but alluring school reporter Michelle Matterson. Now James must not only deal with that new development, but also with the witch hunt started by school principal Richard Praglin and the abusive behavior of the school football hero, Nate Aguila. The issue builds to a dramatic ending sure to leave readers asking for more.

“Although billed as ‘America’s Most Emo Comic Strip,’ The Utopian doesn’t read anything like a My Chemical Romance lyrics sheet,” writes Las Vegas CityLife’s Jarret Keene. “It owes more to teen adventure series like The Bloodhound Gang, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or early issues of Amazing Spider-Man.”

Two versions of the 24-page comic, a “deluxe,” full-color edition ($5) and a “standard,” black-and-white edition ($3) will be released this Wednesday, Jan. 13, featuring respective covers by Hernan Valencia and Perez with Steve Downer. Both editions feature new splash page artwork, never-before seen sketches, a new letter column, exclusive event photos and more.

The comic is available in select stores and for direct purchase online at theutopiancomic.com. If your local shop doesn’t carry The Utopian, all of Pop! Goes the Icon’s titles can be ordered by retailers through Haven Distributors.

Of course, unlike the rest of the titles featured in this week’s column, Omega Comics Presents #1 doesn’t hit stores until February. But you can ensure a copy is delivered directly to your doorstep if you pre-order now! Only $3.50 for 32 pages packed with action, comedy and drama from some of the hottest new talents in comics. Be sure to check out the previews before you buy!

Oh, and there’s also the second print issue of our weekly webcomic, The Utopian, which will not only collect the fifth and sixth chapters of that august series, but also feature two new covers, new splash page art and other unseen surprises. Hitting stores and the web in January, don’t miss out on the comic that the Las Vegas CityLife’s Jarret Keene declares “owes more to teen adventure series like ‘The Bloodhound Gang,’ ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ or early issues of ‘Amazing Spider-Man.’”

Stay tuned for exclusive previews from the three stories featured in the first issue of Omega Comics Presents and special pre-order offers, as well as never-before-seen cover artwork coming soon!

Yes, the pre-order period has ended and copies of both the standard and deluxe editions of The Utopian’s premier print issue started shipping on Oct. 14. If you missed the pre-order period, no worries: You can now order Pop! Goes the Icon products directly from IndyPlanet, where you’ll find “a whole new world of comics.”

We’ve fulfilled orders for retailers through Haven Distributors, so the comic should be available in at least a few comic shops out there, but if yours is not one of them, be sure to print out this coupon and hand it to your local shop owner ASAP. If you live in Las Vegas, both editions of The Utopian #1 are available at Alternate Reality Comics (4800 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite D).

While you’re thinking about it, get to know Utopian creator Pj Perez a little better in this nifty profile that ran in UNLV’s The Rebel Yell last week. And then go buy some comics. They’re good for you.

Publisher Pj Perez will be on hand with freebies such as buttons and postcards, as well as copies of The Utopian #1, the first print collection of his semi-weekly webcomic series. Also the inaugural print release from PGTI, The Utopian #1 is a 36-page comic featuring never-before published material and new artwork as well as stories previously only available online. Two versions, a “standard” black-and-white edition and a “deluxe,” full-color edition, will be available for purchase, featuring respective covers by local artists Mark T. Zeilman and Hernan Valencia (who are also tentatively scheduled to appear at the PGTI booth). Pre-orders are also being accepted online at www.theutopiancomic.com, and the books are slated for Oct. 14 release.

Next year, we’ll begin publishing Omega Comics Presents, a quarterly, black-and-white comic book anthology series featuring three 8-to-10 page stories per issue, both standalone and serialized. Omega Comics Presents‘ goal is to showcase unknown and underexposed writers and artists, and will be available in both print and downloadable editions. Submissions for the anthology are still being accepted online and will be accepted at the PGTI booth at the Comic Festival.

The comic ships in October, but if you pre-order the comic now, creator Pj Perez will personally desecrate your copy with his grubby autograph. And you’ll probably get some extra goodies as well. But don’t delay! This pre-order special is a limited-time deal, and once it’s over, not only will the signed copies go away, but you’ll probably pay more.

And if you happen to be a comic retailer reading this, The Utopian #1 is available for your customers through Haven Distributors. Make sure you get your orders in for item #UTOPPOP001, and help support original, independent comics!

Right here, kids. Pop! Goes the Icon is proud to announce plans to launch its second print title, Omega Comics Presents. This quarterly, standard-size, black-and-white series will feature three 8-to-10 page stories per issue, both standalone and serial, from a variety of up-and-coming creators working in diverse styles. While we’re determined to expose the hidden (and not so hidden) talent from our home base of Las Vegas, we’ll also be showcasing talent from around the globe. OCP will tentatively launch the first quarter of 2010.

So you know what’s next, right? If you’re a cartoonist or part of a creative team and are interested in having your work showcased in a bold, new venue, we want to hear from you! Please visit our Submissions page for more information on how to become a part of this venture. And if you’re not, well, check back soon for more details on the progress of Omega Comics Presents, coming soon-ish to a comic store and web browser near you!