***Contains Spoilers***
In DC Cosmic Odyssey Superman, Batman, Jonn Jones, Starfire, and Green Lantern are forced to team with Darkseid and travel through the galaxy to stop a powerful being known as the Anti-Life Entity from destroying the universe. The series was published by DC Comics in 1988 and 1989 and received critical acclaim for its ambitious and epic storyline.
In my opinion, Cosmic Odyssey is just fair. This seems like an attempt to build a story with the same scope as Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the threat of the Anti-Life Entity is significant, but with only four books, it is resolved relatively quickly. The story is fast-paced and action-packed but left me wanting more. The ending is satisfying but doesn’t have much weight.
A personal downside of the series is that it heavily involves the New Gods story, which I am unfamiliar with. As a result, I didn’t have much investment in those characters or their conflicts. However, if you are well-versed in the New Gods, it might be a different experience. I recommend reading up on the background of the New Gods before diving into this comic book.
The best part of this story is that we get rare inner dialogue for Batman. Starlin does a great job of capturing the character’s voice and the internal conflicts he faces — something that I have noticed is rarely the case in Batman titles. Batman’s thoughts and feelings are presented in a way that is both genuine and relatable and adds depth to his mythos.
Another interesting arc in Cosmic Odyssey is John Stewart’s character development. His arrogance leads to catastrophic failure and the destruction of a solar system. This leads him down a dark path and a suicide attempt. If it was not for Jonn Jones and his tough love we would be down a beloved Green Lantern.
Cosmic Odyssey is a fair DC story, but it left me wanting a bit more. Overall, it’s good for comic book fans of the DC universe and those who enjoy epic, cosmic storylines. I give it 2-stars, as I enjoyed it but will most likely not return.
Feature Image Cosmic Odyssey Deluxe Edition cover art by Mike Mignola and Carlos Garzon
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