Justice League Odyssey #6 – Dan Abnett, Writer; Carmine Di Giandomenico, Artist; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7/10
Corrina: Was There a Plan?
Ray: Justice League Odyssey has been troubled since its debut, going through three artists and two writers in a single arc. As Dan Abnett takes over for Josh Williamson, he attempts to move the plot forward and set up the next move for both heroes Starfire, Cyborg, Azrael, and Jessica Cruz; and master villain Darkseid. For all the hype about Darkseid being part of the team, they’ve barely interacted and that doesn’t change this issue. Darkseid is off on his own, on the desolate but sacred planet of Aeolon. He goes up against an army of Brainiac drones determined to keep him from his ultimate goal – control of the multiverse. But in the process, he’s awakened an ancient, far older dark God who plans for him exactly what he’s planned for the multiverse. This Darkseid really seems to have lost most of the subtlety and manipulation of the first issue’s version, and is getting dangerously close to the Doomsdayseid characterization no one was really a fan of.
More interesting is the odd cosmic road trip that our four heroes find themselves on. Having barely escaped Cyborg’s machine planet and Azrael’s deranged stalker in the previous arc, they’re back on the move with Starfire determined to head for Tamaran. Jessica Cruz, however, wants to call an end to the travels and head back to Earth, especially since she can’t recharge her ring in the Ghost Sector. She seems to be backsliding, but that makes sense – someone with an anxiety disorder is going to be prone to stress if they find themselves in an unfamiliar and terrifying situation. Tamaran is in dire straits, and shockingly Darkseid’s promise of protection for Blackfire have turned out to be a lie. Also not shocking for a villain, she chooses to blame Starfire for all her problems and attacks her and her team. I like the cast of characters in this book, but unfortunately, both the plot and the villains are lacking anything to make it half as compelling as its supernatural sister book.
Corrina: I read this and thought “Was there a plan for this series? And, if so, it seems like that plan has not been followed.”
I still want to know how the Ghost Space planets somehow worship the specific group that came on board to explore the sector. Maybe Cyborg is okay, given his connection to Mother Box, but why the planets that worship the others? How did that come about? Without that explanation, I feel lost as to the reason for this series.
It seems like the plan has been changed mid-course, in any case, as now there’s a new threat. Overall, this book meanders here and there, with some good characterization, especially between Blackfire and Starfire this issue, but little else.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
