It's the last issue of DC's latest event and ... does anyone still care? Forever Evil #7 has been delayed by a few months, it wasn't that great in the first place and we've seen how the big plot points were resolved. Luthor saves the world? Check. Nightwing still alive and with a new mission? We knew that.
OK, the details of how the Crime Syndicate are defeated are diverting enough, with Luthor enacting a clever, delightfully comic booky plan to defeat the Shazam-style Alexander Luthor, but it's all ducks in a row. The regular Luthor can be the big hero and defeat his other dimensional counterpart because writer Geoff Johns chose Alexander Luthor to be the biggest bad. The Justice League are pretty useless because Johns ignored their history of using teamwork to escape elaborate traps, and just had this be the one they can't beat.
Should I be moaning about Johns bringing on the bad guys in a book entitled Forever Evil? By all means let the villains step up and save the day, but if they're going to outshine the League, the heroes should actually be on hand to look bad by comparison, rather than conveniently incapacitated.
I could detail the ins and out of this issue's plot, but really, it's just a lot of tried and tested wheels turning. Betrayals. Deaths. Surprises. Efficient, but not awesome. The main plot beats are Luthor bringing Nightwing back from his apparent death; Alexander Luthor using his very un-Shazam, but convenient, ability to absorb powers against the Syndicate; and Batman freeing the Justice League from Firestorm's bonce in time to see the baddies be goodies. It's solid DC New 52 action - yup, someone gets squished - tailored to be made into a cartoon for grown-ups and decently pencilled by David Finch, inked by Richard Friend and coloured by Sonia Oback.
The interesting bits of the story come as things quieten down - Luthor, Catwoman, Sinestro and co get pardons; two heroes are missing in inaction; someone thought dead is alive; Ted Kord makes the scene (get a haircut, you scruff!); Batman apparently has a thing for Wonder Woman; Luthor, quite logically, works out Batman's secret identity and - stop me if you've heard this before - the story's not over!
Who could have seen this coming? The Crime Syndicate are no more, but a bigger name is on the horizon! Expect him to make his play next March, as DC celebrates a 30th anniversary. The final page reveal is the artistic highlight of the issue, but for obvious reasons I'm not posting it here.
So, an apparently more nuanced Lex Luthor is ready for his close-up. The events of this issue seem to change him, just a little, and as a fan of the Bronze Age family man Lex, I'm all for that. I can't buy him as a selfless good guy, but Luthor trying to convince himself he's the hero of the story could make for some interesting moments. Perhaps he's not forever evil after all.
Of course the power absorption was an un-Shazamlike power, it was Alexander Luthor's power to begin with. He got the Mazahs powers when he killed Will Baston...
ReplyDeleteCheers Dave, I hope Marv and Ferdie Baston were OK!
DeleteSo much wrong with this book
ReplyDelete1) batman totally could've saved Nightwing
2) Green Lantern could've saved Superman
3) why on Gods green earth didn't Luthor have Sinestro move the moon back sooner?
4) the crime syndicate wants our world and turn into bomb? Why didn't they send him to their world to destroy whoever attacked them?
5) placing Nightwing in the murder machine was more important to grid then the prisoner? Ugh f***ing stupid machine
6) what bond does Batman and Wonder Woman share?
7) why was this even a mini-series?! It should've just continued in Justice League (like I believe Johns mentions was the original plan). Ugh if DC had half a brain they would've followed Marvel's example with the ultimate line where the Ultimates is the game changer that effects the other books that's what Justice League should be
Hello Sam, nothing to argue with here. You wonder why this book was delayed for a couple of months - was it actually worse beforehand? As for the Batman/Wonder Woman bit, it looks like Geoff Johns just made something annoying up. I hated the 'romance' enough in the old continuity, and really don't want to see any vestiges of that.
DeleteIt's like they treat Wonder Woman like an object. I was thinking the emotional tie would be Batman and Superman (as Bros)
DeleteI don't get dc under Scott Snyder Batman is dedicated to his mission (I like Batman that way)
Under everyone else he's able to fall in love and fumble over himself when his sidekick is in danger
Also in case you didn't get what I was talking about. The syndicate creates a bomb out of firestorm that's bound to go off any minute and they keep it?
If Forever evil was even worst if it could be worse...I shudder to think
Where does it show that batman has feelings for wonder woman? I've reread both forever evil 7 and justice league 30 but I see nothing?
ReplyDeleteIt's where they're freeing the justice league and catwoman points out that batman may have feelings for wonder woman.
DeleteMe personally I hope nothing comes out of this because it will just look like wonder woman is just a toy to them. I think we'll have a lot of angry wonder woman fans if this happens.
Thanks Second Anon, I also took it that Batman has feelings due to his being so sure he could get through to her.
DeleteI have one problem swallowing luthor's reformation with the fact back in his FE special he killed a whole shuttle of astronauts and his Personal Assistant just to draw superman out
ReplyDeleteOh indeed, he's perhaps thinking of the bigger picture, but still a scumbag. I want him behind bars.
Deleteplease mart he'd be a king in prison look at all those silver age stories of luthor behind bars even his some of new 52 stories or all-star superman show him living paradise in jail while still influencing the rest of the world
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