FOREVER EVIL Month Five

FOREVER EVIL #5: Everything looks bad when Luthor and his team run into Batman, Catwoman, Deathstroke, Power Ring, and Sinestro at Wayne Industries. Lex and company team up with Batman and Catwoman and the battle ensues. Deathstroke's hit squad quickly falls and Luthor convinces him to switch sides, meaning he kills Copperhead before he can ingest Batman. In the sewers below,  Sinestro cuts Power Ring's arm off and kills Power Ring. His ring flies off and seeks a new host. Lex convinces Batman to allow him to join the group. Batman insists that the villains do not kill and that Batman is in charge, telling them to find Dick Grayson first. Catwoman reminds him that Lex' group is in charge here. In the Batcave, Ultraman looks for Batman's Kryptonite ring. He and Owlman begin to argue when Grid makes them aware of a massive burst of energy that went out through the multiverse. The remaining Crime Syndicate members make their way to Maine where they learn that the energy burst made its to Earth 3. A bright red crack appears in the sky as they note that the thing that destroyed their world has followed them here.

With only two issues to go after this one, you have to wonder how Geoff Johns is gonna wrap this one up. Lex and company have joined what's left of the Justice League, Power Ring is dead and gone (wonder where that cursed ring is going?) and Copperhead won't be joining up THIS Universe' version of the Suicide Squad anytime soon.. Not to mention it looks like ALL Earth's Kryptonite is gone, including Batman's special ring. The plotlines are racing to a finish and this is, in my opinion, the epic of the year in comics. It is far reaching throughout many titles and has been a ball. And of course, David Finch on art. 'Nuff said!

FOREVER EVIL A.R.G.U.S. #4: We begin by having Black Bison murder some A.R.G.U.S. Agents in Metropolis, much to the delight of Plastique and Hyena. Plastique tries to contact Killer Frost, who is in the Pennsylvania Wilderness with Dr. Stein and Steve Trevor. As they try to figure a way to get the Justice League out of the Firestorm Matrix before there is an explosion to wipe out everybody, Frost shows them the coin, which infuriates Trevor as it means they have been tracked. He tries to destroy the coin but not before Grid blows a hole in the cabin and Black Bison, Plastique and Hyena, along with their goons, arrive. After the villains are defeated, Stein takes Trevor and Frost down to the basement to show them his four teleportation devices and they head to an A.R.G.U.S. base in Detroit, where "The Circus" resides. This is the home of all the aliens who make their way here through a dimensional breach caused  during the battle with Darkseid sic years ago. Agent Gunn shows them Psi, who touches Trevor and causes him to visualize moments from his time with Diana. Knowing what he needs to do, he demands a Thermos of coffee, a glider and access to the armory. He needs the lasso of truth and has to track down Cheetah to get it.

And Steve Trevor got all of that from a touch by an alien who was first introduced to DC in 1985? And are we sure he didn't get it from looking at the Brett Booth cover that shows him being attacked by Cheetah while Diana tries to secure her with her Lasso of Truth? It's pretty appropriate that Psi was introduced in 1985 because this book reads like it came out in 1985! The story is convoluted, the dialogue is awful, (especially some of the exchanges between Frost and Trevor) and the art is only missing the dots to make it vintage. Shame on Sterling Gates and Neil Edwards.for turning this thing out!
 
FOREVER EVIL: ARKHAM WAR #4: The issue begins with Bane, still believing that he is the NEW BATMAN in Gotham, waking Talon William Cobb. Bane tells Cobb that he is taking over Gotham and wants the talon by his side. Cobb wants his fellow talons freed and agrees to join up. When they arrive in Union Circle, there is a war going on and Talon jumps right in by using Firebug's flaming hands burn Sumo. The pair join the fray for a time, wreaking havoc among the Arkham and Blackgate villains. Bane claims to have found wheat he came looking for and orders Talon to leave. Bane invites the people of Gotham, specifically those weak street people, to take refuge at bane Tower and he will be the protector of Gotham. In actuality, all he wants to do is give Gotham to the Court of Owls in exchange for a battalion of Talons powered by his Venom. Meanwhile, The Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze have woken up the rest of the Talons and filled them with some of Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. Then they set them loose on the Arkhamites.

Peter J. Tomasi sets loose with another episode in this story within the story. I love that we have now made Bane the "Protector of Gotham" in his little homemade Batman costume. And now we have enough Talons running about the city to introduce a new COURT OF THE OWLS comic book. With two issues left here, that is still plenty of time to have the powers that be rush in and clean up this mess. But, with all three prisons pretty much trashed because of the Crime Syndicate and such, where are all these bad guys and gals going to end up when it's done. And do we need to call Marvel and bring in Damage Control to fix everything? So, it's a fun issue with many D list villains biting the dust and even a beheading, courtesy of Scot Eaton and Jaime Mendoza.
 
FOREVER EVIL: ROGUES REBELLION #4: This issue begins with the introduction of the New 52 Royal Flush Gang. Meanwhile, Mr. Freeze and Clayface are trying to capture Mirror Master, Heat Wave and Weather Wizard  and collect the bounty that the Crime Syndicate has put on them. Unfortunately, they are confused easily and capture does not go well. That is when Black Mask and a group of thugs wearing animal masks arrive and it becomes all out war with the tables being turned on The Rogues. Meanwhile, Trickster thinks he has found an ally, but it turns out to be Zsasz, who he takes out easily and catches up with his teammates. Heat Wave takes a page out of Captain Cold's book and stays behind to allow the others to escape. As the Rogues are leaving Gotham, the Royal Flush Gang catches up with them and shows them that they have The Glider and they will kill her if they do not surrender.

If I told you before how much I truly love the new Rogues? These hapless villains are trying to be good while walk the bad tightrope. And no one knows these characters better than Brian Buccellato. This book is like one bad moment for them after another. Scott Hepburn does a great job with the art, carving a page straight out of the style of THE FLASH. Just this book alone should be reason for DC to cancel a lower tier book and bring us a ROGUES monthly title!