Forever Evil

by Geoff Johns

Other authorsDavid Finch (Illustrator), David Finch (Cover artist), Sonia Oback (Colourist), Richard Friend (Inker), Rob Leigh (Letterer), Brian Cunningham (Editor), Carlos M. Mangual (Letterer), Kate Durré (Editor)
Paperback, 2015

Tags

fiction, comic, DCU, super heroes, antihero, first person narrative, alien invasion, alternate versions of characters, evil twin trope, action, epic, DC's Forever Evil, Justice League, Lex Luthor, Batman, Bruce Wayne (DC), Super-Woman of Earth-3, Johnny Quick of Earth-3 (DC), Ultraman (DC), Owlman (DC), Power Ring of Earth-3 (DC)
, Alexander Luthor (Earth-Three (DC)), The Outsider (DC), Sinestro, Slade Wilson (Deathstroke (DC)), Bizarro, Dick Grayson, secret identity, stronger together, The New 52, crossover event, Crime Society (DC), Rhonda Pineda (Atomica of Earth-3 (DC)), Martin Stein (Deathstorm of Earth-3 (DC)), Amanda Waller, Grid (DC), Barbara Gordon, Captain Cold, Mick Rory (Heat Wave (DC)), Lisa Snart (Glider (DC)), Samuel Scudder (Mirror Master (DC)), The Trickster (DC villain), Teen Titans, Kid Flash, Miguel Barragan (Bunker (DC)), Tim Drake, Conner Kent (Kon-El (Superboy (DC))), Cassandra Sandsmark (Wonder Girl (DC)), The Secret Society of Super-Villains (DC), Amazo (DC), Bane, Angelo Bend (Angle Man (DC)), Black Adam, Black-Cloud-In-Morning (Black Bison (DC)), Black Manta, Black Mask, Captain Boomerang, Cheetah, Clayface, Copperhead (DC villain), Deadshot, Despero (DC villain), Alexander Sartorius (Doctor Phosphorus (DC)), Barton Mathis (Dollmaker (DC)), Ignatius Ogilvy (Emperor Penguin), Fearsome Five (DC), Mikron O'Jeneus (Gizmo (DC)), Jinx (DC villainess), Baran Flinders (Mammoth (DC)), Simon Jones (Psimon (DC)), Selinda Flinders (Shimmer (DC)), Felix Faust, Ted Carson (Firefly (DC)), Eduardo Flamingo (DC), Jim Craddock (Gentleman Ghost (DC)), Giganta (DC villain), Harley Quinn, Anthony Woodward (Girder (DC)), Gorilla Grodd, Hector Hammond (DC), Hugo Strange (DC), Summer Day (Hyena (DC)), Duela Dent (Joker's Daughter (DC)), Killer Croc, Killer Frost, King Shark, Jarvis Tetch (Mad Hatter), Margaret Pye (Magpie (DC)), Kirk Langstrom (Man-Bat (DC)), Merlyn the Magician (The Dark Archer (DC)), Metallo (DC villain), Jonathan Cheval (Monocole (DC)), Mr. Freeze, Victor Zsasz, Danton Black (Multiplex (DC)), Nicolas Nolan (Nick Necro (DC)), The Penguin, The Scarecrow, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Parasite (DC villain), Natalia Mitternacht (Nocturna (DC)), Plastique (DC villain), Oswald Loomis (Prankster (DC)), Professor Pyg (DC), Anthony Ives (Professor Ivo (DC)), Cyborg, Catwoman, Royal Flush Gang (DC), Peter Mortimer (Scavanger (DC)), Shadow Thief (DC villain), Tweedledee and Tweedledum (DC), Phillip Cobb (Signalman (DC)), Starro the Conqueror (DC), Two-Face, David Drake (Typhoon (DC)), Shauna Belzer (Ventriloquist (DC)), The Weasel (DC villain), Thomas Kord (DC), Arkham Asylum, Solstice (DC), Silas Stone (DC), Thomas Oscar Morrow (DC), White Rabbit (DC), Alexander Luthor Jr. (son of Super-Woman of Earth-3 (DC)), Lena Luthor (DC), Weather Wizard (DC villain), Injustice Gang, Mark Desmond (Blockbuster (DC)), Parallax, enemy of my enemy, Green Arrow, Simon Baz (Green Lantern (DC)), Green Lantern, Tatsu Yamashiro (Katana), Hawkman, Stargirl (DC), Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Jason Rusch (Firestorm (DC)), Ronald Roy Rockwell (Firestorm (DC)), Barry Allen (DC), The Flash, Captain Marvel (DC), Wonder Woman, Superman, Ted Kord (Blue Beetle (DC)), Anti-Monitor (DC), John Dee (Doctor Destiny (DC)), Volthoom (DC)

Description

The Justice League is DEAD! And the villains shall INHERIT the Earth! In a flash of light, the world's most powerful heroes vanish as the Crime Syndicate arrives from Earth-3! As this evil version of the Justice League takes over the DC Universe, no one stands in the way of them and complete domination ... no one except for Lex Luthor. By New York Times#1 best-selling creators Geoff Johns and David Finch, FOREVER EVIL is the first universe-wide crossover of The New 52. This hardcover graphic novel collects the FOREVER EVIL #1-7. Collects FOREVER EVIL #1-7.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2014-09-09

Physical description

240 p.; 10.28 inches

Publication

DC Comics (2015), Edition: Illustrated, 240 pages

Pages

240

ISBN

9781401253387

UPC

001401253385

Local notes

A seven-issue event following the previous crossover "Trinity War", and taking place simultaneously as volume 5 of "Justice League" (see below).

In addition to this main miniseries, the following tie-in storylines were produced:
* "Forever Evil: Blight" (published in "Constantine", "Justice League Dark", "Trinity of Sin: Pandora" and "Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger")
* "Justice League: Forever Heroes"
* "Justice League of America: Survivors of Evil"
* "Suicide Squad: Walled In"
* "Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S." (limited series)
* "Forever Evil: Arkham War" (limited series)
* "Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion" (limited series)

Additionally, DC published special villain-focus issues under the Forever Evil heading as "Villains Month". Many of these form part of the above storylines.

Library's rating

½

Library's review

As usual with these high concept big event books, it lands in one of two categories: A giant mess, or a solid story that feels like it only scratches the surface of its potential. This is the latter, a fun read anchored splendidly by a first person narration of Lex Luthor that humanizes him without
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making him any less of a horrific sociopath. Its main weakness, then, is the usual: It changes the status quo in fascinating and promising ways, and then reaches the end of its limited run so it quickly does some (admittedly cool) showdowns so it can revert back to a only-slightly-changed business as usual for the regular titles that continue onwards from here. There is a feeling of a lot of lost opportunity here as a result, character arcs that feel telescoped, complexities that get simplified, avenues not explored. But oh well. "Forever Evil" remains one of the better big DC event books I've read -- and to date, the only story I've ever read with a take on Bizarro that I actually kind of liked.
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Rating

½ (39 ratings; 3.7)

User reviews

LibraryThing member DanieXJ
That was intense.

The world hcas been invaded by The Crime Syndicate from a parallel Earth. Owlman, Superwoman, Power Ring, Deathstorm, Johnny Quick, Atomica and of course, Ultraman. They break open all the super prisons and let the bad guys go crazy across the country in their names (and I assume
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world).

Lex Luthor finds himself in the weird position of trying to save the world when the Justice League gets put out of play by the Crime Syndicate. He gathers a team of badish guys like Captain COld, Sinestro and Black Adam and he retrieves his creation, Bizzaro, as well to help them. (That was a very, very, very cool story and I hope that we see this Bizzaro again at some point). And after Lex and his team meet up with Batman and Catwoman they take on the Crime Syndicate.

We also get to see Alexander Luthor from the same parallel universe as the Syndicate, and I was surprised, very surprised by where they went with his story in this reimagining.

It was a cool TPB and storyline. I’ve always liked it when the Crime Syndicate tangled with the Justice League and this one didn’t disappoint either.

I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Free review copy. The Crime Syndicate (an evil version of the Big Five of the JLA) comes to Earth and takes over; for most of the book, the second stringers plus Lex Luthor and a few assorted villains have to fight them. It’s hard to imagine a Mirrorverse crossover that doesn’t suffer by way of
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comparison to A Better World, which for my money is a perfect story. However, I give points for Batman’s secret boxes for when he needs to defeat the rest of the Big Guns: the one for WW is empty, ‘cause he’s got nothing. This makes up for an annoying aspect of the Superwoman evil analogue. Also: super smart and bad-ass Lex Luthor, which is never a bad thing; this Luthor is much more central and much more complicated than Luthor in A Better World.
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LibraryThing member aadyer
A great title with an interesting premise of the most unlikely of heroes who end up saving the earth. Very good art, great plotting & enough twists to keep you guessing with some nice variants on the popular themes. Worth looking out for.
LibraryThing member Cataloger623
Forever Evil. DC comics were never high literature or even the ripoff of good literature . This story is the last in a series of books where the Justice League is defeated by their evil mirror selves from another dimension. The Evil twins call themselves The crime Syndicate. They are fleeing their
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dimension which has been destroyed by a greater being. The Syndicate wants to take over our universe and rule it from Earth. But first they recruit an army of evil. The army consists of Earth super powered villains. But wait. Not all the villains want to join this army. They recruit Lex Luthor evil genius to fight the Crime Syndicate . It also turns out that Batman was the only hero not to be killed by the Crime Syndicate. Wow! A Lex Luthor and Batman team-up how imaginative. Surprisingly the writers show how similar they are. Both hate super powered aliens and meta humans both are ruthless in their tactics. The only difference is that Lex will kill anyone good or bad who stands in his way. There is a lot of death,bloodshed and violence in this book. The books ends on a high note predictably. TheJustice League is not dead. Lex Luthor goes so far as to a earn pardon for saving the life of his hated enemy Superman and everything returns to the status quo.
Since I don't read many D.C. comic graphic novels the story was a fun read. But if you were a faithful follower of the Justice League I could see where you could be bored to tears really quickly. What saves this book is the art work, and the overall feel of individual panels. This is not a book for the pre teen set. as mentioned neither Lex Luthor nor the Crime Syndicate are squeamish about killing their foes. The artwork shows their handiwork graphic detail.
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LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Hey, this was surprisingly not awful. It wandered a little down esoteric DC Universe backroads, but there was a through story in the center and a theme about fathers and sons that served the story well.
LibraryThing member Skybalon
Interesting idea that was pretty well executed. "What if the bad guys had to be the good guys?" And the concept is followed through pretty well. Ultimately the art is fine, but not stunning. The story was good but not as compelling as I had hoped. Still worth the read.
LibraryThing member ragwaine
It's a crazy idea, but it makes sense. If the world is destroyed there's nothing to "control" or profit from. So we've got Lex Luthor leading a team of super villains and Batman against the Crime Syndicate, basically an evil Justice League from another dimension that has been destroyed by some even
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more threatening entity.

Good stuff and pretty brutal, seeing as those villains don't have a problem with killing people and neither does Luthor. BUT Luthor does seem to grow a conscience, almost as if saving the world has made him realize there's something else he wants - adoration.
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