It is very rare thing to find a comic book series where the concept of good and evil has been turned on it's head: where the good guys have all but disappeared and it is up for those considered villains to fill in the void to defend the world against a threat even more viscous than them.After the cliffhanger of Trinity War, the Crime Syndicate begin to make their claim on Earth with the mission to bring together the masses of Justice League enemies to form their own private army. But when Lex Luthor discovers that there is no Superman left to defend the world, the self declared last defense of Earth has to rise to the occasion and fill in for the hero he held in so much contempt for. Forming a team with a diverse range of villains who do not wish the world to be owned by the Syndicate, Luthor and a very driven Batman must take the battle to the Earth 3 doppelgangers if they don't tear themselves apart in the process. Yet the infighting in Luthor's Injustice League is nothing to compare with what we see between the Syndicate when a second Luthor steps on the scene and is revealed to be in partnership with one of them.
Yet like all story arcs you need to follow not only this title, but several others; including Justice League (2011) and Suicide Squad (2011). This follows the main throng, but you do miss an awful lot of both origin and side information from this title. That being said this series would encourage you to pick up it's spin-offs without much of a thought.
This another great story from Geoff Johns and David Finch, this title delves behind the simplistic role of "just a villain" and gives a beautiful depiction of the idea of a hero. What makes a hero? Is it someone who wears a costume and fights in the name of justice? Or is just those who want to make a difference? This title explores Lex Luthor's personality, taking away from the cold-hearted shrewdness and Machiavellian manipulation, you see in some powerful and emotive scenes that deep down he strives to protect those he loves. Now the story and dialogue, which are well crafted and capture; dark humor, emotional (and believable) relationships between characters and tense battles are enhanced by some exceptional art work from Richard Friend. Friend's work depicts the brutality of conflict between these two power-house teams that is both bloody but tasteful in the way it kills off it's characters :)
If we are talking about relationships then there is no finer example than the relationship between Bizarro and Luthor. What started as a Victor Frankenstein/ and his "monster" (the creator and his creation) type of relationship grew into the desire for the former sacrificing himself to protect the latter when he was in danger. Luthor's outburst showed the attachment that had grown between them, which makes the sacrifice even more heart wrenching. The relationship was also the platform to allow Luthor's darkest secret, which made an equally turning point where we see a chink in Lex's Kryptonite Armour.
If I had to chose a favorite character in this title, it would have to be either Earth 3's Green Lantern opposite Power Ring or the clone of Superman with reverse powers- Bizarro. Power Ring is a rather weak and pitiful character, who was more a victim of his own weapon and the tool of the Syndicate to be used, rather than being completely evil. While Bizarro's sweet and innocent nature (only being "alive" for a minimum of a day) just makes his death even more heart breaking. He only has a few lines, but the words he does utter just add to the power of the character.
In conclusion the Forever Evil (2013) series is one of the best comics that have been published in DC's latest imprint (The New 52) and I would highly recommend it to those fans of the anti-hero.
(An individual issue by issue review and synopsis will follow shortly)
