This is the latest in a feature that spotlights unexplained comic book plot points (unexplained in the comics themselves, of course, as quite often there are outside explanations, like "the artist made a mistake," etc.).

Based on a suggestion by reader The Third Man, we look at the oddity of Hightfather's plan in The Cosmic Odyssey...

I really like the Cosmic Odyssey (by Jim Starlin, Mike Mignola and Carlos Garzon). Mignola's art is fantastic and the story is a fun throwback to the old school Gardner Fox "everyone split off into pairings and go!" stories that go back to the Golden Age Justice Society of America. So don't take this as a criticism of the book itself. The book works. It's just that, as The Third Man notes, there is a rather large unexplained plot point in the book.

So Superman, Batman, John Stewart, Martian Manhunter, Starfire and Jason Blood are called to New Genesis by Highfather...

They discover why they're there. They're intended to save the Milky Way Galaxy by protecting four planets from Anti-Life entities. If they lose two of the four planets, the Milky Way will be destroyed...

Let's recap that - if they lose two of the four planets, the MILKY WAY GALAXY WILL BE DESTROYED. So, each planet gets two heroes? That's it? Two heroes to prevent the destruction of the entire Milky Way Galaxy? It's never explained why Highfather only asked for this few heroes. The outside the comic, practical reason is that it would be more difficult for Starlin to get approval for using more characters (they were turned down the use of Wonder Woman, for instance). But the in story reason doesn't really exist.

Go to the next page to see what happened because of this rule...

In Cosmic Odyssey #2, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter are assigned the planet Xanshi. It does not go well...

Good thing they just sent two heroes.

Okay, so in Cosmic Odyssey #4, the main bad guy has been destroyed and the other two planets have been saved. People are pleased, but wait, there's still trouble...

"Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it now." Nice, Highfather! Maybe you could have sent the entire Justice League to defend THEIR OWN PLANET? Instead, the fate of the Earth and the entire Milky Way Galaxy rests on Batman and some insectoid creature named Forager to defeat a powerful villain and stop a doomsday device.

As it turns out, it takes the Forager sacrificing himself to win the day...

That's how close the entire Milky Way came to destruction, and all because they assigned an entire planet's protection to Batman and Forager. Despite the planet being home to HUNDREDS of superheroes. "Nope, Batman and Forager should be enough. And if not, eh, it's just the Milky Way."

But wow, that is some amazing artwork.

Thanks to Third Man for the suggestion! Feel free to make suggestion for future installments by e-mailing me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com! And feel free to be contrarians and try to explain why this somehow made sense!