Justice League 30
Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Doug Mahnke
Forever Evil Epilogue
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
The epic Forever Evil event is over. But the fallout is just beginning! And leave it to event mastermind Geoff Johns (joined here by expert artists and Justice League veterans Ivan Reis and Doug Mahnke) to pave the way for the future of not only DC Comics, but its greatest superhero team. They waste no time and begin right where the finale left off. And boy do they ever start off running!
The pathetic remains of the Secret Society meets in, well, secret to plot their next move, only to be stopped by the new Justice League, led by none other than the world’s newest savior and favorite superhero… Lex Luthor? That’s right. In this post-blackout world, the newest incarnation of the world’s greatest super-team consists of Luthor, Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, Shazam, and Captain Cold. If the cover’s not enough to pique your interest, well, there’s something deeply wrong with you as a comic book fan. Luthor is a hero. Superman is grumpy. Batman is wildly suspicious. And it looks like the Doom Patrol is going to be showing up (for more than a few frames, hopefully) sooner rather than later in the New 52. Wonder Woman is taking out her aggression on poor Metallo (who kind of deserves it), Captain Cold is weighing his options of being a full-fledged super-villain, going straight, or just keeping on keeping on the way he always has. And then everything comes to a screeching halt when the League is invited to their newly restored (and conveniently newly-located) Watchtower by Luthor himself. And his new BFF, Shazam. He’s honest about his motives. He makes sure they know that he’s telling the truth by using Diana’s lasso. And though arrogant, egomaniacal, and altogether not-too-trustworthy, Luthor is right: the world loves him. And they hate the League. He also knows that Darkseid isn’t the force that’s after them. And to make matters worse, he leaves Superman with egg on his face when he voluntarily quits, telling them that they all know where to find him if (or rather, when) they change their minds about his offer to be the new face of the League. The final pages introduce us to the new Power Ring and show Lex Luthor ringing the doorbell at Wayne Manor, asking to speak to Batman. That’s right. Not Bruce. Batman. Uh-oh.
This is how you do an epilogue, folks. You reference past events, build toward future stories, and do it all with some beautiful artwork that leaves plenty of space for realistic dialogue and great character-building opportunities. There’s a reason Geoff Johns is in charge over at DC these days. He’s a man with a plan. And though the events of Forever Evil might be over, the story is just beginning. Though there are plenty of unanswered questions (I mean, come on… It’s only part one!) I’ve can sum up my anticipation for the next several issues in three words: Count. Me. In!
My Rating: 5/5
I’d recommend this issue as a hopping on point for anybody. other than Throne of Atlantis and the FE tie-ins, Johns run had been pretty terrible, but now he’s found a great direction to take things.
Forever Evil seems like it has lasted forever…