Forever Evil #1 (DC)

Rating: 3.5/5 – The right writer…unfortunately not the right artist.

I will admit that I am a fan of the “big” DC Events.  I love the history and the scale of the DC Universe, and celebrate the complexity of the DC multiverse.  Forever Evil is DC’s current event which takes a lot of the things that I love and includes them in this first issue.  There’s a ton of characters (mostly villains) from the main DCU and it’s multiverse that writer Geoff Johns uses to tell this story.  He includes some nice nods to DC history, while still committing to the New 52 and it’s differences.  Although at times the sheer amount of characters can be overwhelming for a new reader, long time fans should enjoy this series’ dark, but fun start.

Without spoiling too much, the opening scene deals with Lex Luthor negotiating a buy out with a surprise character that could lead to an exciting “New 52” first appearance of a fan favorite character.  From there and pretty much throughout the rest of the issue, the villains are getting together in the wake of the superheroes being missing in action.  It’s here that we see the recruitment drive for the new Secret Society and the plan for this Society to take over the Earth.  The pacing of the story is well done considering the amount of set up involved.  And the ending, although a bit goofy, sets up the rest of the series and forthcoming crossovers.

The one disappointment I have with this series, and it’s a pretty big one, is the art.  Although I’ve liked David Finch’s art in the past the vast amount of characters within this story seems to have stretched him a bit too far.  Although you can definitely tell who’s who amongst all the villains, they lack details and depth which then makes them come across as plain and dull.  There’s a four page pullout in this book and although there must be around seventy-five characters within these panels, it doesn’t come across as impressive as it should.  Although it’s not fair to compare a book like this to Crisis, you appreciate the art talent of someone like George Perez that much more when you see the differences in how they handle so many characters on page.  I respect Finch for the effort he’s putting forth here, I just don’t think he’s the right artist for this book.

I am on board for this series due to the story and the setup that Geoff Johns has delivered.  Although the book isn’t the prettiest to look at, Geoff Johns rarely misses the mark with me and I’m hoping he won’t here.

Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas – shawn@comicspectrum.com
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