In the wake of both Dark Nights: Metal and Justice League: No Justice, the core team of the Justice League has been fractured into three distinct series at DC Comics. First, there is Justice League which highlights the core members of the team as they remain on Earth to handle increasingly difficult threats to both their own existence and the entirety of existence. Second, there is Justice League Dark which focuses on a team of magic users led by Wonder Woman meant to combat rising problems related to the concept of “Wonder.” Finally, there is Justice League Odyssey which debuts this week and completes this trinity set on building toward the next big event at DC Comics.
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Justice League Odyssey, written by Joshua Williamson with art by Stjepan Sejic, is the one series that takes place primarily in space as a small team of League members go to explore a new zone of rediscovered planets titled “The Ghost Sector.” With so many alien races kept away from the rest of the universe for so long, it is a place filled with mystery and a seemingly unending array of new threats. It is a potent set up for a new Justice League series that is bound to be beautiful and thrilling, often in the very same set of panels.
Since Justice League Odyssey feels like a can’t-miss concept, we’ve assembled a brief guide to the many moving parts of the first issue. If you’re not sure what “The Ghost Sector” is or what every member on the Odyssey team has been up to, we are here to catch you up. So don’t be afraid of missing out, just click through our “who’s who” guide and get ready for some epic space action.
Cyborg
Created by George Perez and Marv Wolfman
First Appearance: DC Comics Presents #26
As a founding member of the current Justice League, Cyborg has been a key part of all the events leading up to this moment. He was around for Darkseid’s initial invasion of Earth and the breaking of the Source Wall. In addition to being the most closely tied to the team and events that set up this series, Cyborg’s possession of a Mother Box also provides him with a key link to the technology and history that defines the DC universe. While he is set up to be the leader of this team, the very nature of his body and technology may also play a key role in events to come.
Starfire
Created by George Perez and Marv Wolfman
First Appearance: DC Comics Presents #26
Starfire isn’t a member of the Justice League, but she was called upon by Brainiac to be part of the events of Justice League: No Justice. It was during this adventure that she became aware of the rebirth of her homeworld Tamaran, leading to the initiating mission behind Justice League Odyssey. Of all the heroes on this team, Starfire is the one with the best understanding of life beyond Earth and the one with the strongest ties to the changes happening after Colu’s destruction and the release of so many imprisoned planets. In many ways she is set to be the metaphorical heart of this team.
Azrael
Created by Denny O’Neil, Joe Quesada, and Peter Milligan
First Appearance: Batman: Sword of Azrael #1
Azrael, the former Batman stand-in, has primarily been working with allies in Gotham City in the pages of Detective Comics. However, his long history with voices in his head has led to the emergence of a new one that is calling him into space. While Azrael does not possess many superpowers that would lend themselves to interstellar travel, his suit has received some very impressive technological upgrades and his zealousness allows him to regularly succeed against absurd odds. He will likely play a wildcard role on this team and adventures.
Jessica Cruz (Green Lantern)
Created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver
First Appearance: Green Lantern (vol. 5) #20
Jessica Cruz was originally a victim of the Ring of Volthoom, but managed to overcome her own fear and its mystical powers to become a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Most recently she has been working with Simon Baz on a variety of missions in the pages of Green Lanterns, proving both of these new members to be valuable interstellar peacekeepers. Cruz was assigned by the Guardians to keep watch on the area known as “The Ghost Sector,” providing her with conflicting motives between her loyalty to the Justice League and Green Lanterns.
Brainiac’s Skull Ship
Created by Curt Swan and Cary Bates
First Appearance: Action Comics (vol. 1) #544
Brainiac was killed during the events of Justice League: No Justice, but the ship that bears his appearance and is deeply tied to his own circuitry was left behind. It offers one of the most powerful means of travel through space, as it regularly shepherded Brainiac between stars moving faster than light while conducting incredible experiments. This is a vehicle wrapped in mystery and one that should not be underestimated.
Darkseid
Created by Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134
Darkseid’s place as an all-powerful god of evil has been in question since his death in “The Darkseid War.” It was subsequently revealed that he had regenerated as a baby, one used by Batman to great effect in Dark Nights: Metal. The reborn Darkseid has now reached adolescence and is on the rise in the universe, although no one knows what his plans might be. His place in “The Ghost Sector” and within the Odyssey team offers one very big question mark that will certainly play into future events in an unexpected fashion.
The Ghost Sector
Created by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, and Francis Manapul
First Appearance: Justice League: No Justice #3
The Ghost Sector is the region of space created when thousands of shrunken planets imprisoned on Colu were released back into the universe during Justice League: No Justice. Some of the planets, like Starfire’s homeworld Tamaran, are known quantities, but many have been gone for millennia and hold races and powers never seen before in DC Comics. The power and chaos of their rebirth has resulted in a section of space that is highly unstable, even rendering the power of a Green Lantern Ring unreliable.
