Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE ODYSSEY #13
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Dan Abnett
Layouts: Will Conrad
Finishes: Will Conrad & Cliff Richards
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letters: Andworld Design
Reviewed By: Ari Bard
Summary
In Justice League Odyssey #13, a remote science facility is trying to break through the Ghost Sector! Complete with a Zamaron research scientist, a mysterious figure named Okkult, and Dex-Starr, this team realizes how threatening Darkseid can and is trying to destroy him. Instead of getting themselves in, however, three beings come out! All of the sudden, a dead Jessica Cruz, an alive Blackfire, and a strange black cube appear. What sort of chaos will ensue?
Positives
We’ve come so far y’all. What started as a hodgepodge of characters that didn’t seem to belong with each other, had no discernible direction, and a messy opening arc has transformed into one of the most elegant and precise cosmic advancements the DC universe has ever seen. If you’ve been reading since the beginning you should know that Starfire, Cyborg, and Azrael are off the board. They’re serving Darkseid right now and the Ghost Sector looks doomed. Anything is possible. Enter our savior Dan Abnett.
Justice League Odyssey #13 adds to the mix what are essentially DC versions of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s so blatant that it’s hilarious. Okkult is obviously Peter Quill, Dex-Starr is a cat instead of a raccoon, but you get the idea. It’s absolutely glorious that Abnett is making this move while still advancing DC cosmic more than a majority of DC writers in the last ten years ever have. We start in a Zamaron research station! Zamarons have traditionally been these Amazon-like space women written mostly for the purpose of mating with the Guardians. They’ve been written pretty poorly since their creation and just used for the benefit of Green Lantern books, but now Abnett has done something interesting with them. Most Zamaron’s are researching the source wall while this particular one, Hax, is on a team researching the Ghost Sector. It just one example of how creators can transform existing elements that have a lot of potential.
This comic is fairly dense compared with recent issues. There’s a lot of scientific jargon and measurements being taken, presumably to add to the mystery behind this facility. Conrad’s art continues to have it’s ups and downs, with his splash pages being really impressive this issue. The way he can draw the vastness of space, the sort of dissection of Jessica’s corpse with inset panels drawing attention to specific segments, and some of the set designs are really nice while some of his up-close work leaves a lot to be desired. Beredo’s color work is stunning, with his blue hues that crackle around the ship and radiate of of Dex-Starr and Hax being particularly noteworthy.
Negatives
None here!
Verdict
Justice League Odyssey could honestly be considered as the best Justice League title out right now with how much it’s advancing DC cosmic with every issue. Abnett is fearlessly braving the unknown of the DC Universe with new and exciting additions each in every issue. This issue, it was the Zamarons. What’s next?
