Cosmic Odyssey Book One: Discovery 1988 NM-

Cosmic Odyssey Book One: Discovery (1988) is the first issue of a four-part miniseries that assembles an unlikely team of DC heroes and New Gods to face a universe-threatening entity. Written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by Mike Mignola, the story forces an alliance between the forces of New Genesis and Apokolips. 

The story begins with the New God Metron in a coma after attempting to probe the nature of the Anti-Life Equation. Darkseid analyzes Metron's data and discovers that the "Anti-Life Equation" is not an abstract concept but a dangerous sentient entity trapped in another dimension. 

• The Threat: As Metron fled, four "aspects" of this entity escaped into the main DC Universe and traveled to four planets: Earth, Rann, Thanagar, and Xanshi. Their mission is to construct "doomsday bombs" using the planets' cores. If two of these planets are destroyed, the gravitational collapse will allow the Anti-Life Entity to cross over and destroy the Milky Way galaxy.
• The Alliance: Realizing he cannot conquer the entity alone, Darkseid proposes an unprecedented alliance with his enemy, Highfather of New Genesis.
• Team Selection: Highfather and Darkseid recruit a diverse team of heroes to stop the aspects: Superman, Batman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Martian Manhunter, Starfire, Lightray, Orion, and Forager (a "bug" from New Genesis).
• The Assignment: The heroes are split into teams of two, each assigned a target planet with specialized "Anti-Life Catcher" weapons provided by Darkseid.
• The Deception: Batman, always suspicious, immediately makes a phone call to a friend (later revealed to be Doctor Fate) to monitor Darkseid, correctly suspecting the villain has a hidden agenda. The issue ends with Darkseid smiling after Jason Blood is forced to reunite with Etrigan the Demon, signaling the next phase of his true plan. 
• Writers: Jim Starlin
• Artists: Mike Mignola
• Main Characters: Darkseid, Highfather, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Martian Manhunter, Orion, Starfire, Jason Blood/Etrigan, Forager, and Metron.