Justice League Odyssey #9 – Dan Abnett, Writer; Daniel Sampere, Penciller; Juan Albarran, Inker; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: Justice League Odyssey has been a rather confused book since the start, juggling artists almost every issue and replacing its writer after the first arc, but it has managed to stay consistently entertaining if not engrossing. Its overly complex cosmic plot seems to be settling down a bit this issue as all the main characters figure out their core missions and tension starts to rise between the team members. When we last left off, Azrael had unveiled a new power – the “Word of God”, when he managed to stop a pair of alien armies dead in their tracks by channeling an ancient deity. The only one who doesn’t seem mystified is Blackfire, who tries to attack Azrael – but is broken by a command from him. I was skeptical of Azrael’s involvement in this series, as he seemed to work better as a Gotham vigilante, but this run is effectively tapping into the more unique, supernatural elements of his origin.
Starfire doesn’t have all that much to do this issue besides arguing with Blackfire, who still thinks they’re being used as pawns by Darkseid and wants nothing to do with her. Cyborg, meanwhile, is at the center of the action. He was left on an ancient planet by Darkseid last issue, close to the secret behind his connection to the old Gods, but first he’ll have to get through an army of mechanical bugs. This segment is virtually pure action, as Cyborg first has to blast off hundreds of individual bugs and then fight a giant bug conglomerate. However, things pick up at the end when he gets upgraded with full information about their mission – and that creates a rift in the team as he proposes a risky option for a coup against Darkseid. This makes Jessica Cruz begin plotting to take down her teammates, thinking they’ve been compromised. I’m not sure about the main narrative of the series, but the individual conflicts between the heroes are intriguing.
Corrina: There had to be an original pitch for this series but, whatever it was, it’s impossible to discern at this point.
Our team has visited all the planets relevant to their respective selves and each has had their own perils, and it’s been revealed Darkseid set them up, save for Jessica Cruz, who wasn’t supposed to be here. (I need a gif of Dante from Clerks saying “I wasn’t supposed to be here today!”) Now, the team is still arguing over whether Darkseid is trustworthy or whether Azrael’s new power is overly influencing people or not when we’ve seen all the weird machinations of this zone of space?
The plot has been all over the place. The personal dynamics have been all over the place. And so the series is a hot mess.
I like all the team members individually but not stuck in whatever this series has become.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
