Forever Evil #5 is out. The continued story of The Crime Syndicate, the sinister Justice League doppelgangers who have come to our world from theirs and decided that they run things. In the beginning of issue #5, Lex Luthor claims everything that’s happened has gone down over the last forty-eight hours. That’s a hard pill to swallow, especially since Forever Evil tie-ins have made it feel like this story is really starting to drag. Still, if you can push all the tangents aside, Forever Evil #5 is a good time.
Luthor is attempting to organize a resistance. Not really an altruistic move, more that the CS is cutting in on his action. So far, joining this criminal Our Gang is Black Adam, Black Manta, Captain Cold and Bizarro. Luthor is attempting to recruit Batman and Catwoman, the former being a bit rankled in his decision to align with Lex Luthor. Deathstroke, Giganta, Shadow Thief, Copperhead, and Blockbuster have interrupted the negotiations. They work for the Crime Syndicate and look to crush the tepid, Luthor-born resistance.
The lion’s share of Forever Evil #5 is a fight. Not just between Luthor’s boys and the Crime Syndicate minions, but also between Power Ring and Sinestro. Last issue, Batman activated a yellow Sinestro Corps ring to try and do battle with Power Ring. The call of the yellow brought Sinestro back to Earth, and he’s pissed at the cowardly Hal Jordan replica. As expected, the battle between Power Ring and Sinestro is much, much cooler than the Luthor/Syndicate beef.
First, Power Ring dies. Sinestro simply saws his arm off, and the most terrified villain in the world is free from the green ring of damnation. Problem is, now it’s headed off to find some other sap for a host. Luthor’s fight is a bit troubling; mainly in how he manages to suddenly turn Deathstroke to his side. It’s a little too easy. I also have issue with how Batman is written. If nothing else, the Dark Knight is pragmatic to a fault, so his refusal to join with Luthor feels out-of-step, especially with Johns making Batman sound like he’s whining.
Towards the end, we visit with the Crime Syndicate, who are not happy with the impending arrival of the creature that destroyed their planet. What the creature is remains a mystery, one hopefully solved in issue #6. As I’ve maintained, Geoff Johns spins an enjoyable read with Forever Evil itself. The tie-ins and unmercifully boring Justice League side stories bury the original tale, which is too bad. Even with the bumps, Forever Evil #5 is solid.
David “Big Fight” Finch brings his penciling A-game to the proceedings. Pretty much anything Finch touches looks great, even incidental panels pop off the page. Battle wise, the art is exceptional. Violent, filled with great action, and insane detail. Finch brings a bit of his darker side to the Sinestro/Green Ring battle, even giving Sinestro a bit more of a monstrous look. Bringing more excitement to Finch’s line work is inker Richard Friend, and the wonderful color decisions from Sonia Oback. Visually Forever Evil #5 is another check in the David Finch win column.
(4 Story, 4 Art)
