When the Justice League is mentioned, certain names come to mind. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, all of these hereos and more are almost synonymous with the image of DC’s greatest team of heroes. It makes sense. These are some of DC’s most popular characters, and they’ve all starred in some of the most famous and infamous adaptations of Justice League material, so having at least one of DC’s heavy-hitters with that type of seniority in the League you can only have after having starred in the 2000s Justice League animated show makes sense to the corporate and fanbase sides of things. And even beyond that, the characters with this notoriety to them are also some of the ones considered leaders or the shining examples to other heroes, so it even makes sense from an in-universe standpoint. The Justice League should be head by DC’s best known and greatest heroes, like Batman and Superman. Except one of the best Justice League ongoings of all time didn’t have either of them on the team.
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Justice League Odyssey was a new branch of the Justice League that was created in the set up to the Dark Knights: Death Metal event. Odyssey began with the appearnce of a new section of deep space called the Ghost Sector, which was filled with planets previously trapped in bottles by the Coluans, Braniac’s people. Nobody knew what it was or where it came from, but the members of the Justice League Odyssey all heard a call to go to it.
Justice League Odyssey Didn’t Need Batman or Superman to be Great
So if not Batman or Superman, who were the heroes that actually went on this journey into the dark? It was the inspired team of Cyborg, Starfire, Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, Azrael, and technically, Darkseid. Cyborg, a Green Lantern, and even Starfire make sense as Justice League members, but Darkseid and Azrael? The Justice League’s greatest enemy and the man best known for acting as a knock-off Batman after the Dark Knight’s first encounter with Bane? Believe it or not, it happened. The team may be small, but was its dynamic ever great.
To briefly summarize, Cyborg, Starfire, and Azrael all heard a mysterious voice calling them to some kind of destiny in the Ghost Sector. The new section of space was coardened off by the Green Lantern Corps, leading to Jessica Cruz trying to stop them from entering and getting pulled in along with them. Once in the Ghost Sector, the four realize they cannot leave or communicate with anyone outside, and Green Lantern doesn’t have her power battery, meaning she has a limited charge on her ring. Once on a planet they find Darkseid, who reveals he called the three heroes here. Darkseid is in a very weakened state at this time, and cannot pose a threat to even the small group of heroes. He tells them that the planets in the Ghost Sector were sealed away because of their worship of old gods that the Coluans feared, and that the relics of these gods were the only things that could save the multiverse from the coming threat of Perpetua.
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Green Lantern didn’t trust him, but the others agreed to work with the God of Evil, and they set about finding the relics, revealing that the three Darkseid called are the gods that these people worshipped. Their worship influences the three as well, as while they initally planned to steal the relics from Darkseid after gathering them, they slowly turn more and more to favor his plan. All the while Green Lantern tries to keep her friends on the right course, and loses more and more charge as the threats get bigger. After finding the last relic, Darkseid obviously betrays everyone, revealing his true plan; using the worship of the people of the Ghost Sector and the relics he is able to transform Cyborg, Starfire, and Azrael into New Gods under his control, and create a machine that not only restores his power, but will protect him and the Ghost Sector he now presides over from Perpetua’s power. And then he kills the now-powerless Green Lantern with his Omega Beams, leaving no one who can stop him.
Except that Jessica didn’t die, her empty ring managed to absorb Darkseid’s energy and she became the Omega Lantern. Then, she comandeered an emergency makeshift Justice League of Orion, Blackfire, and Dex-Starr the Red Lantern cat to take down Darkseid and rescue her friends.
Justice League Odyssey‘s Team Was Unique (And It Worked)
If it wasn’t obvious from the recap above, Justice League Odyssey’s story is absolutely wild and full of mystery and twists that you cannot see coming. The fear and allure of working with Darkseid is compelling, and the exact nature of what’s going on is always a mix of awesome and terrifying. One of the greatest parts about the series is how character driven it is, with the dynamic of the team as the star of the show. At the beginning Cyborg was the linchpin between Starfire and Green Lantern, who didn’t know each other, but both trusted him. Azrael, meanwhile, was the odd one out who nobody really felt comfortable relying on. Over time we not only see these characters grow close, but also see the widening gap between Green Lantern and the rest of them. Beyond the fact that the other three actually make a fantastic comedy trio when they bounce off each other, Green Lantern watched as her friends more and more lost themselves to the changes the Ghost Sector awakened in them.
Beyond a doubt, the greatest part of this comic is Green Lantern. Not only is the slowly increasing tension as Jessica begins to doubt and plan to fight her friends awesome for storytelling, but she grows into an awesome badass over the course of this arc. Fans of Jessica Cruz know that she is a new Green Lantern and not always sure of herself, sufferring from anxiety that can cripple her willpower. She has to stand side-by-side with classic Green Lanterns like Hal Jordan and John Stewart and find a way to stand out. And yet by the time Darkseid kills her and she comes back through sheer force of will, Jessica has grown into a leader who can look the God of Evil in the face and say that her and her ragtag crew of half-villains will take him and his New God army down, no matter what. Any fan of Jessica Cruz will love this story beyond measure.
Not only are the story and art phenomenal, but this comic is overall just a very fun time. It has intrigue, mystery, action, and a never-say-die attitude that superheroes need when facing impossible odds. And it’s just cool! Like, a Justice League that works with Darkseid? That’s fun at its finest. It might not be headed by big names like Batman or Superman, but that works to its advantage. It’s the ultimate underdog story; a group of heroes nobody expects greatness from have to come together to save the multiverse, and when that doesn’t work, an even less believed in group forms to save everyone. It leverages every advantage of its small crew, and frankly, I would love to see the Odyssey team return someday.
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