Forever Evil: Arkham War 4
Peter J. Tomasi, Scot Eaton
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
Still reeling from the events from last issue (check that one out here), writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Scot Eaton don’t lose any steam at all in the next issue of the extremely well-done Forever Evil spin-off miniseries focusing on the world of Gotham City without its greatest hero, Forever Evil: Arkham War. Perhaps the greatest strength of this miniseries (and Tomasi’s career as a writer, really) is the expert background knowledge it takes to pen such perfect characterization. There isn’t a single out of place (or rather, out of character) line in this man’s career. Maybe that comes from his background as an editor. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he very obviously loves each and every one of these characters. Or, you know, maybe he’s just a damn good writer. I’m going to go with all three, actually. And as an added bonus, being that good of a writer (and being on a high profile book, to boot) places him in a wonderful position to work with a great artist. And Eaton is certainly one of the greats on the stands today.
The war between Bane and Scarecrow (meaning Blackgate Prison VS Arkham Asylum, more or less) is escalating out of control as Bane not only wakes up William Cobb (the original Talon and Dick Grayson’s AKA the first Robin’s AKA Nightwing’s grandfather), but recruits him as his new partner. Remember, Bane’s embracing his role as the “new Batman,” even going as far as dressing up like him. So what makes more sense than getting his very own Robin. The irony of the composition of this dynamically diabolical duo is not lost on anyone, especially the man who broke the Bat. So as the war in the streets for control over Gotham rages on, we get a few great cameos from Clayface, Reaper, Firefly, the Mad Hatter, Sumo, Mr. Zsaz, and the new Ventriloquist, followed by a somewhat heartfelt (although suspiciously so) scene where “Batman” saves a bunch of people from the crazies and offers them safe passage, food, shelter, and training in Bane (formerly Wayne) Tower. But before we can even react as readers to this stroke of brilliance, we get a cliffhanger glimpse of Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze successfully reviving the rest of the Talons… just in case things weren’t already crazy enough!
So there you have it. Another great issue. The cover itself should sell most readers and it certainly delivers what it promises. We have a new dynamic duo. The fires of war are raging. And both sides are in for a great fight when the army of Talons take on Bane’s team of killers. The only drawback of this issue is the fact that it couldn’t feature everyone. I know that sometimes that’s a good thing, but I would have really liked a scene with the G. C. P. D. and the Penguin. I’m sure there will be much more of that in the last two issues, though. Overall, this was not quite as good as the previous issue, but it was still great. And definitely the best book of the week.
My Rating: 4.5/5
Not too bad for a book about bad guys punching each other. Nice point about the cover, I’ve seen way too many misleading ones in my life, always nice to see something that does what it says on the tin.
Not too bad for a book about bad guys punching each other. Nice point about the cover, I’ve seen way too many misleading ones in my life, always nice to see something that does what it says on the tin.