Justice League Odyssey #10 – Dan Abnett, Writer; Daniel Sampere, Penciller; Juan Albarran, Inker; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7/10
Corrina: Jessica With a Gun?
Ray: The interdimensional scavenger hunt that Justice League Odyssey has descended into has largely lost my interest, but the character dynamics in this issue are interesting enough that it remains overall compelling. As they travel across the Ghost Sector, two of the four members of the cast – Starfire and Azrael – have had their powers massively upgraded by contact with ancient forces that worship them as Gods.
The third “God”, Cyborg, rejected the same upgrade, and he and Jessica Cruz are becoming increasingly concerned that their teammates are becoming compromised by Darkseid’s influence. Azrael and Jessica are off on one planet, chasing an artifact, but first, they have to get through a wave of weird Jellyfish-monsters with baby heads in the issue’s most bizarre scene. Azrael’s been under-characterized for a while, but the use of his psychic “power voice” is an intriguing and disturbing subplot.
Meanwhile, Starfire and Cyborg are on another planet, chasing down an artifact of their own. But they have to get through the shadowy Eskaton demons that were introduced last issue, and the battle causes the collapse of the planet’s surface. As Cyborg plunges into the depths being pursued by a demon, Starfire shows off the full extent of her new powers and scares even her teammate. Both she and Azrael are claiming to be fine, but it’s clear that something otherworldly is influencing them. As they collect the last artifacts and meet with Darkseid, the question is whether they’re going to go through with the plan to betray him. There’s four good characters in this issue and a lot of great visuals, but once again the plot is lacking and it feels more like an irrelevant side story to the larger DC plots. As Year of the Villain kicks off soon, this book doesn’t really seem like it’s doing much but keeping these players out of the main story.
Corrina: Those floating babies with vagina? teeth are weird but it’s a well-done, surreal artistic touch, as are the exploding flowers that Jessica uses to win in one of the confrontations.
Justice League Odyssey #10 is the first issue in a while where the team feels like allies, perhaps even friends, but some of the strange goings-on are a bit head-scratching. It’s great that Jessica wants to find other ways to battle but the choice of a gun, and to shoot, maybe kill, other beings protecting the artifacts don’t seem to give her any pause, which seems out of character.
Plus, the plan to betray Darkseid seems ill-advised, given that Darkseid is likely expecting it.
But, hey, at least everyone is talking to each other and they have a goal.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
