Justice League Odyssey #7 – Dan Abnett, Writer; Will Conrad, Artist; Rain Beredo, Colorist
Rating:
Ray – 7/10
Ray: Dan Abnett’s run on Justice League Odyssey has expanded on Williamson’s concepts while also streamlining the plot into a fairly standard space adventure. What we know so far is that the three heroes/”Old Gods” are each affected in some way by the planets that worship them – giving them new powers but making them more unstable in the process. Will Conrad’s crisp, clean art is a good fit for the series, smoother than Carmine Di Giandomenico’s stylized approach, but he’s also now the fourth artist on this title in seven issues. That’s close to a record, even topping the New Age of DC Heroes books. As this issue opens, it’s Starfire’s turn to go rogue as she arrives on Tamaran and is confronted by Blackfire and her army. Blackfire’s cut a deal with Darkseid and turns her forces on Starfire and her team, which causes Starfire to lose her temper – and with it, her control of her powers.
This leads to a pretty dramatic action scene as Starfire unleashes nuclear-force energy on the soldiers of Tamaran, barely avoiding killing a group of them until she’s calmed down by her team. While disaster is averted, this incident eliminates any hope of peace with her sister as she and the whole team are banished from Tamaran.
With Starfire’s powers on the fritz and Jessica Cruz’s Lantern charge waning, things are looking rough – especially when Darkseid reenters the picture. The alien tyrant has been fighting off a group of ancient energy demons called the Eskaton, and they’ve nearly killed him. By the time the League arrives, he’s beaten down and only survives thanks to the intervention of the powered-up Starfire. That motivates him enough to reveal the truth of his plan – which is the cliffhanger of the issue.
Overall, there are some good character moments here but the issue as a whole still doesn’t move the plot forward enough.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
