Justice League Odyssey #2 Review

by Hussein Wasiti on October 24, 2018

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Stjepan Sejic
Letterer: Deron Bennett
 
I was hard on the last issue, and rightly so. It was so oddly paced and badly written and I was shocked that DC would put out a flagship comic of that quality. I am, however, a bit more impressed this time around now that the series has an actual goal or destination, which wasn't at all apparent in the first issue. You might as well treat this issue as the first, as I'm actually excited to see what Joshua Williamson does next.
 
Notice that I say Williamson when I refer to what's coming next. As far as the January solicitations go, Stjepan Sejic has left the book with this issue and won't be returning for the foreseeable future. I'm not sure why, but it definitely has something to do with the fact that these two issues had to be redrawn after some sort of continuity problem. I don't blame the guy, and I'm not too angry that Philippe Briones and Carmine Di Giandomenico are jumping on for art duties respectively. This issue is good-looking but it definitely seems rushed. I can detect rushed Sejic art when I see it, and the signs are all here. The lack of proper linework around the faces is a pretty big sign. Other than that, it looks very pretty. His colouring is so entirely unique and the way he handles characters and their expressions justify his instant stardom when he did Aquaman last year. He should draw a Starfire book simply based on what he did with her hair in this issue. It's an instantly iconic take on the character that hers fans will definitely remember.
 
I said before that this series finally has a goal, and it's pretty cool and wacky. I'm liking the Odyssey and Dark books much more than the main Justice League title for many reasons, one of which is that they're generally focused affairs with a core group of characters with a single mission. I like it when a book introduces a solid goal, and the fun that Williamson has with the story and the mystery he introduces near the end has me very excited for what comes next.
 
I greatly enjoyed this. The Darkseid bit seems massively contrived to me since I'd prefer our heroes to discover their mission on their own terms, instead of being told by Darkseid who literally disappears after the goal is made clear. The art is brilliant but will be missed. Check it out!
 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside