FOREVER EVIL Talkback (Spoilers)

[JME2]

The first universe-wide event of The New 52 begins as FOREVER EVIL launches! The Justice League is DEAD! And the villains shall INHERIT the Earth! An epic tale of the world’s greatest super-villains starts here!

***

Despite my disappointment in Trinity War, I've got to admit I'm really looking forward to Forever Evil. We've got:

* One of my favorite JL villains, the Crime Syndicate.

* Johns writing some of my favorite villains again (Sinestro, Captain Cold, etc.)

* Lex Luthor of all people muttering the iconic "This is a job for Superman" and playing it entirely straight with no irony whatsoever.

The first issue was nice and if Johns and Finch (who still isn't my first choice for event artist, but c'est la vie) can keep this up, Blackest Night could end up losing its place as my favorite Crisis Crossover.

[LadyTevar]

I'll be surprised if this lasts a year, the way DC has been (mis)handling themselves.

[JME2]

It's seven months long, so it'll be over by March.

It's going to be entertaining to see Lex leading the resistance -- not to mention plot threads from Johns' Aquaman and Green Lantern runs being carried over (Black Manta and Sinestro's presence on Team Luthor).

[Tomzilla]

Judging by the banner with all the primary characters facing off, it looks like Sinestro is still using Parallax's power.

I'm happy he's playing a role in this. Johns writes a great Hal Jordan, it's true, but in my humble opinion? I think he's at his best when he writes Sinestro.

[JME2]

Even better, Sinestro's presence on Team Luthor makes perfect sense.

It's building on that little hook Johns planted in his GL finale, about Volthoom's ring returning to his world after Nekron eviscerated him.

Clearly the ring found a new bearer -- and if Johns is going by Morrison's take on the Crime Syndicate, then Volthoom's essence survived, is bound to the trinket, and is controlling the Mirror Hal.

And the return of the bastard who destroyed Korugar is the only thing that could bring Sinestro out of his self-imposed exile.

And speaking of Hal, Johns indicated at Comic-Con that he'd be back in the League next year. As it is, I doubt we'll see him in Forever Evil; the GLC has problems of its own right about now...

[JME2]

So for anyone following Johns' Aquaman, the Black Manta Villains Special does a great job of transitioning Manta's storyline into Forever Evil.
Spoiler

Ultraman moving the moon out of orbit, quite naturally, disrupts the tidal balance. The resulting coastal flooding, in turn, wipes out the graveyard where Manta's father is buried. He's understandably more than a little pissed...

[JME2]

So we're three months in and it looks like Johns is finally finished with the setup of the first three isues.
Spoiler

The 'Avengers' have been assembled -- barring Bats, Selina, and a certain mustachioed fascist bonded to the entity of fear.

Yeah, yeah, I want Sinestro popping up now, but I know it won't be until at least next month. As it is, I love the foreshadowing with Power Ring's trinket spewing "Power Levels at 15%, you idiot."

Yep, Volthoom's clearly in there and itching to seize control of his host.

It also seems Johns is using his clout -- albeit through Deathstorm -- to reverse the Flash Rogues's super-powers. While I respect the current Flash team wanting to do something new with the Rogues, I wasn't happy with it either.

I also loved the black comedy of JL #24 and its exploration of Ultraman's revised backstory.

The weak point of the whole event is still David Finch. I still think that Doug Mahnke should have gotten the gig. Finch's style isn't my favorite and there are far too many artist goofs for an event comic.

[Tomzilla]

I'm just loving the interactions between Luthor and Bizarro. They make quite a pair!

[JME2]

I'm just loving the interactions between Luthor and Bizarro. They make quite a pair!

Yeah, it's comedic gold -- especially when he was trying to get Bizarro to put the LexCorp satellite down:

"Just put it down so that it's facing East... facing me...this way."

I do like the dramatic irony that Team Lex is coming much the same way as the League did in the current continuity.

Both are formed almost accidentally by an otherworldly invasion.