Here’s a comic chosen at random from my collection.
Cosmic Odyssey #3 by Jim Starlin (writer), Mike Mignola (penciller), Carlos Garzon (inker), Steve Oliff (color artist), John Workman (letterer), and Mignola and Oliff (cover)
Despite having only read this series a few times, it has remained in high standing in my collection over the years. In fact, I’ve been wanting to get a trade collection for a while now. But, having thumbed through all four issues again after many years, the series has tarnished a bit for me. Primarily, many of the protagonists speak and act out of character, behaving to move the plot more than anything. I like to think it was just Starlin’s unfamiliarity with the characters. As to the plot, Metron has discovered the anti-life equation and it is alive! Plus, it has invaded the DCU, so Highfather and Darkseid gather some of Earth’s heroes to help prevent the destruction of the Milky Way galaxy. Along the way, Batman and Forager tussle with a parademon, Superman and Orion battle Thanagarians, Starfire and Lightray help Adam Strange on Rann (with this and the previous pairing comprising much of issue three), and John Stewart and J’onn J’onzz attempt to protect the planet Xanshi, with a disastrous result. Along the way, Darkseid is playing his own game, using Etrigan, and hastening the destruction of the galaxy and probably beyond.
This series was notable mostly for the consequences of John Stewart’s hubris, for expanding the idea of the anti-life equation (though I think that the idea of it being a sentient creature was summarily dropped after this), and, more personally, realizing that Mignola’s art was something that I did appreciate. There’s a bit of Kirby in this book (and Simonson to me), but Mignola never loses himself in that homage.
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