Forever Evil #5

Forever Evil #5

Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: David Finch
Inker: Richard Friend
Colorist: Sonia Oback
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover Artists: David Finch, Richard Friend and Sonia Oback (regular cover), Ethan Van Sciver and Hi-Fi (variant covers A and B), Ivan Reis, Joe Prado and Rod Reis (variant cover C)

Kicking it up a notch, Forever Evil #5 scores on both dialog and action. Lex Luthor’s band of rebels faces off against Power Ring’s taskforce. It’s a royal rumble of villains duking it out. Yet somewhere in the middle of everything is Batman who must decide whether he wants to stand with the lesser of two evils or go down fighting. Either way, the plot is moving forward, and the thing that chased the Crime Syndicate from their world is now on their heels.

Like the previous issues, this one starts out with another nice narration intro by Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, the panels show Power Ring running for his life as he is riddled by fear. You see, Sinestro is after him. Through a series of battles, each villain faces off against another, and by death or knock out, they get eliminated. On one side is Lux Luthor’s team: Bizarro, Black Mantis, Black Adam, Captain Cold, Cat Woman, Sinestro and a reluctant Batman. Their opponents are Power Ring, Giganta, Shadow Thief, Copperhead, Deathstroke and Blackbuster. Sure, Lex’s team wins. That’s a given. But the story still manages to throw in a couple surprises which I very much appreciated. Coupled with the great dialog–from Lex Luthor, Catwoman, really, just about everyone had good lines in this issue–and the action packed storyline, this issue delivered some serious entertainment.

Building on the plot of the series, we’re getting closer to seeing Lex take on the Crime Syndicate. As is, his team is getting bigger and improving their teamwork skills. They’re about ready to challenge the balance of power. However the last page of the issue brings a reminder that there is another threat looming, one that already destroyed the Crime Syndicate’s planet. How that new threat will challenge the existing forces is yet to be seen. One way or another, it’ll be interesting.

The artwork is pretty solid in Forever Evil #5. It starts out nice and ominous with Power Ring running through a dark sewer as Sinestro menacingly stalks him. There’s a good sense of action, and with all the battles, that’s no easy feat to keep on track. The action panels capture the scenes without being confusing or wasted on a blur of muscle and costume. One of my favorite panels is near the end where Batman tries to take control of Luthor’s group and the villains stand imposingly before the Dark Knight without a single sign of budging to his control. Catwoman’s line is perfect: “Uh, Batman? They’re in charge.”

Keeping this series fun and exciting, Forever Evil #5 earns a five out of five metal bikinis. As the flagship of the villain oriented storylines in The New 52, this one is going strong.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.