With the Justice League MIA, the Earth’s fate falls into the most unlikely of hands; Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Captain Cold and The Flash’s Rogues, Black Manta and Black Adam. That is, if one of these survives this issue.
Once the robotic parts of Vic Stone/Cyborg separated to become the Crime Syndicate’s Grid, Batman and Catwoman attempted to save what was left. In doing so, they were spared the fate of the rest of their teams. Now it’s up to Vic’s father Silas to save him.
More information is revealed about what exactly went down prior to this issue. (Firestorm plays a larger role than anticipated.)
There is a nice Frankenstein reference, just before perhaps the definitive answer to the eternal Superman versus Shazam debate. There’s also some insight into Power Ring and his unique condition.
This issue filled in a lot of answers to questions a reader might have accumulated up to this point. It addresses how Batman and Catwoman (and Cyborg, kinda) escaped capture. It answered how exactly the Justice Leagues were captured. More information was presented regarding Firestorm and Deathstorm. And a few more clues as to how the Crime Syndicate might be taken down were introduced.
I think we all see where this is going. Writer Geoff Johns is unabashedly assembling a version of the Legion of Doom in order to turn hero and take down the Crime Syndicate and the motley crew that is the Secret Society. (I mean seriously, Blockbuster? Copperhead? Signal Man? Hope you guys had your cemetery plots reserved.) It’s a fun concept and that translates here. Johns is clearly throwing every clever idea he can think of into this gumbo and it’s working honestly! As dire as the situation is, what with the world being taken over by and evil Justice League and all, little fun asides make this a bit more lighthearted.
David Finch’s art nicely accompanies the story. It’s not particularly innovative, but the energy and storytelling are there and there is loads of detail work.
This issue served as a nice interlude that filled in some story gaps and advanced the story, while also paying attention to the characters and establishing them for readers that may not read every DC book. The first two issues were a tad cryptic, but here questions begin to get answered and we get more insight into the characters that are most likely to play a role in resolving this plot line.
FOREVER EVIL #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils and Cover by David Finch
