Forever Evil: Arkham War #2

Forever Evil: Arkham War #2

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Jaime Mendoza
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Cover Artists: Jason Fabok and Blond

Bane and Penguin continue to go at it as they wage war for Gotham. But can the Manbat and the Scarecrow really turn the table on Bane? Probably not. Yet with the help of Commissioner Gordon…maybe. Lots of Batman villains and no Batman make this series interesting, but it hasn’t quite hit its stride.

One of the prominent villains in this issue is the Manbat. Thankfully, he is well done. Of all the characters in Arkham War #2, he was my clear favorite with Gordon running a close second. Manbat and his gang find themselves going up against Bane’s thugs and surprisingly manage to hold their own. It’s odd, but I don’t really care for Bane much at all. Part of it is the people he has on his side. They just aren’t interesting. Most of them appear to be nameless mercenaries sent to the slaughter, while others are nothing more than mindless thugs. I really don’t want them to win. The other villains are so much more fun and interesting.

Penguin’s character, for instance, takes a turn as he appears to play both sides. He goes to talk to Bane who foolishly listens to him. It felt like there were some assumptions going on here, and me being new to DC and Batman comics, I didn’t understand some of the context of their meeting. I didn’t understand why the Penguin is known as a turncoat, or why Gotham would be anything special to him and his family. Unfortunately the comic didn’t do much to answer those questions. Still, even with the lack of context, he’s a far more interesting character than anyone who is working for Bane.

Aside from the bad guys, Gordon gets some more page time in this issue. I think his character is handled well, and it’ll be neat to see if his storythread will head somewhere other than the observant survivor.

I like the art a little better in this one in comparison to the first issue. The coloring is still heavy handed with all the blues and there’s more all-red scenes in Blackgate prison. But aside from that, it’s nice enough. Better than the old 80’s art but not as outstanding as some other artists in the industry. I think a better color palette would help a lot, though. All the blues can be really drab. Without any lighting to make things pop, it’s vary two dimensional and flat.

The cover proclaims this to be the “Rise of the Talons” but that’s more of a play on words. Bane does play a big part, and Gordon, Manbat, and Penguin get some attention. It’s not a stellar series or issue, but I give Forever Evil: Arkham War #2 a three and a half out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.