Here are today's Guest Reviews by John McCubbin from Imagination Centre for DC's; Justice League #23.4 (Secret Society #1), Justice League of America #7.4 (Black Adam #1) and Forever Evil #2. I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.
Justice League #23.4 - The Wild Card
An army of super villains has been built throughout The New 52 during 2013—but for what purpose? Learn about the villains that have paved the way for the world of FOREVER EVIL.
Preview
How the Society was Formed
With this being the Villains Month issue that's tied into Forever Evil the most I was really looking forward to it. I was also looking forward to seeing how the Secret Society of Super Villains were built, as well as more of The Outsider's background.
Plot
The Outsider recounts how it was like on Earth-3 and how he would do anything for Owlman.
Review
This was an amazing issue, and one of the best issues from this weeks Villains Month. Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates do a brilliant job of taking us into the word of the Crime Syndicate prior to Forever Evil. The tone of the issue was simply perfect, as Johns and Gates managed to give a very dark story that had a mysterious overtone to it. I also loved how Johns and Gates managed to show how Earth-3 was nearly the exact opposite of the normal DC Universe, with the villains appearing more noble than the supposed heroes. Johns and Gates also did a great job of adding a lot of suspense and drama to this issue, and although this was a fantastic issue I wish it had more to do with the Secret Society.
The art in this issue was simply outstanding, as although I had a few problems with Szymon Kudranski's artwork in last weeks Scarecrow issue, he redeemed himself here. The detail in his artwork was simply amazing, being very consistent throughout. Kudranski's dark style also suited this story perfectly, adding brilliant tone and atmosphere to the issue, and also showed the gritty nature of this word perfectly. I also really liked the layout of Kudranski's artwork, as it managed to add a lot of depth, as well as adding even more tone to the issue. Kudranski also did a great job of showing the characters facial expressions, as they were very realistic, adding amazing emotion to the issue.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4
Art, Colors & Inking - 3
Layout & Flow - 4
Story - 4
Verdict - 3.7 (7.5/10) - (Buy Justice League #23.4) SAVE 10%
Justice League of America #7.4 - Freedom Fighter
Where is Black Adam? And what series of events is triggered when the Secret Society attacks Kahndaq? Discover all of this and much more in this issue!
Preview
In Need of a Saviour
This was one of the Villains Month issues that I was most looking forward to as having loved the Shazam back-up stories in the Justice League series, as well as liking Black Adam as a villain I was interested to see what this issue would be about.
Plot
Kahndaq was once freed by Black Adam. Now a group named the Sons of Adam try to find a way of brining him back to free them once more.
Review
This was a very good issue, but not quite as good as I hoped it would be. Both Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates do a great job of reminding us how Black Adam freed the Kahndaq people, as well how he battled Shazam (Billy Batson), though I was slightly disappointed that this didn't focus as much on Black Adam as I hoped it would. In saying that Johns and Gates do this for a good reason, and although it downgrades the overall quality of this issue, it made some interesting developments for the future. Johns and Gates also did a great job of adding suspense and drama to the issue, and although the tone wasn't brilliant, the story as a whole was very interesting.
Edgar Salazar did a very good job of the artwork in this issue, as although it wasn't spectacular, being nowhere near as good as Gary Frank's work on the Shazam back-ups, it was still better than a lot of artists. The best part of Salazar's artwork had to be his brilliant layouts, as although they weren't extravagant they did an amazing job of adding depth and drama to the story. The detail in Salazar's art was also brilliant, and the only this that I wasn't a fan of was how he draws the characters mouths, as they looked a bit odd at times, but overall didn't affect it too much. I also really enjoyed Gabe Eltaeb's colours in this issue as I felt they added a lot of vibrancy, also adding a lot of tone to the issue.
Forever Evil #2 - Rats
The villains have taken over the world! The Teen Titans fight back! Can the inexperienced teen heroes do what the adults could not? (Answer: Nope. It goes very poorly.) Meanwhile, pockets of resistance begin to form, and they aren't heroes. Pick this up and find out what Project: B-Zero is, and learn the fate of... well, some of... the Justice League.
Preview
Teen Titans to the Rescue?
This crossover event kicked off brilliantly with it's opening issue last month, teasing the future of the DC Universe. Now that Villains Month is finally over I personally look forward to seeing the affects that Forever Evil has on the DC Universe, and what better way of starting that than with another issue of the main event, Forever Evil itself.
Plot
With the Justice League dead the Crime Syndicate make preparations to keep this world for themselves. As this is happening both Lex Luthor and the Teen Titans make their own plans to stop the Crime Syndicate.
Review
This was a brilliant issue, and a fantastic continuation to this even. Geoff Johns did a great job of showing how bad the world has went now that the Crime Syndicate have taken over, also setting up other branches of this crossover brilliantly. Another thing that I loved about Johns' writing was that although most of this was set-up work, he managed to keep it very exciting and entertaining, also adding plenty of suspense. Johns also did a fantastic job with the dialogue, as it was simply amazing, being humorous at times, overall making some slower sequences much more exciting. Johns also set a brilliant tone in this issue, with some mystery in the background, and overall I can't wait to see what he does next.
The artwork in this issue was also spectacular, and David Finch did a fantastic job. The detail throughout this issue was simply brilliant, as although there was the odd rough patch here and there, the majority of the issue was to a very high standard. The facial expressions on the other hand were a little awkward at times, something that tends to happen in Finch's art a lot. It doesn't however take much always as there are plenty of great things that overshadow the minor flaws. Finch also once again had some brilliant layouts in this issue, that added a lot of depth to the issue. There was also one character in particular that Finch did a good job of, but I won't spoil the surprise appearance of this character by naming them.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4
Art, Colors & Inking - 4
Layout & Flow - 5
Story - 5
Verdict - 4.6 (9/10) - (Buy Forever Evil #2) SAVE 10%
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