By Mark Rodriguez
The Crime Syndicate has arrived and announced to the world that the Justice League is dead and all the bad guys are now free to do whatever they want. It's no secret that some of the most interesting, infamous and popular villains from the DC universe are from Batman's neck of the woods. Arkham houses some of the most dangerous villains in the DC universe, even when most of them are just lunatics without any actual super powers. Let's see what happens when all hell breaks loose in Gotham City. Um.... again.
This issue starts with Bane and his men going into Blackgate Prison through the sewers, which would have been electrified had the Crime Syndicate not taken out the power to the city. Gordon tells a fellow officer that the moon was shoved in front of the sun, the Justice League is dead, and their secret weapon is gone. And they also don't know why Bane came all the way from Santa Prisca to start trouble in Gotham again.
Meanwhile in the Gotham Memorial Hospital, a man is running from Professor Pyg and his Dollotrons. The brainwashed puppets eventually tackle him down while Pyg boasts about his surgery. The man screams as its revealed that Pyg has sewn his foot onto his arm in place of his hand.
Scarecrow shows up and is surprised with what Pyg has done with 'his part of Gotham', since apparently the villains have decided to split up the city in Batman's absence. Crane warns Pyg that Bane has arrived and taken over Blackgate prison, so they might need the supplies from the hospital he took over, as well as the extra manpower the Dollotrons provide.
In Blackgate, Bane fights his way through the prisoners and guards. When one of them tries to stab him, he easily snaps his neck as asks the rest if anyone else will challenge his authority. Bane demands they bring the warden to her, and he wants to know all of the prison's secrets. He asks if anyone wants to be free. One of the guards mentions that an older guard has kids... so Bane kills him and asks if anyone else wants to be free. Bane is led to a secret room guarding something that not even the guards know about. It's a group of Talons, from the Court of Owls, held down in cryo-sleep. Bane considers them the perfect weapons for his army.
Meanwhile Scarecrow is warning Penguin about Bane, and he wants him to be dealt with. Apparently the Penguin is not too worried since he has planned ahead. As Mayor, he gave the city to the villains but also says sometimes you have to 'cut the cord' as he stomps over a miniature replica of Gotham.
Pyg walks around his hospital after performing another horrific surgery. Suddenly Bane arrives and says they no longer work for the Scarecrow, and everything that they thought was under Arkham's control is now his. He says there is no longer any power, any authority or any hope. No Batman or Justice League. There is only Bane. He walks off as he leaves behind a badly injured Pyg and several dead Dollotrons.
My Opinions-
This was a fun little read to show off what's going on with the Bat-villains during the Forever Evil storyline. It might have been expanded further in some of the villain issues, but I guess the Penguin appointed himself mayor and divided the city among all the crazies. There are several cameos throughout the issue, by actual appearance like Killer Croc or by mention, as the Penguin's city display showed little markers for parts divided for people like Mad Hatter and Dollhouse. I do like how they continue to take advantage of this to drop White Rabbit cameos in both this issue and Forever Evil # 2.
I do have to admit, it is interesting seeing one of the new characters like Professor Pyg interact with some of the classics like the Scarecrow. I'm not aware if Bruce Wayne Batman ever fought Pyg in an actual adventure instead of just that random Arkham break-out cameo from New 52 Batman # 1. Again, Pyg's bloody surgeries show why that kind of character can't be in a show like Beware the Batman unless they make it dark and mature enough to handle that sort of violence. Hell, the Dollotrons aren't even in the show.
Bane's plan was interesting, and creeping around the sewers reminds me of Dark Knight Rises. I do wonder how he will control the Talons though. I would assume they would turn on him since they've been conditions to only kill for the Court of Owls and not whoever happens to wake them up. I don't care how strong Bane is, even he'd have trouble facing multiple relentless undead opponents with stabby weapons.
I did enjoy this story, and it was nice to see Pyg again, as well as Bane in a better written story than that Dark Knight mess (comics-wise, not the movie). Even though this is a bit of a side-story in the grand scheme of the Forever Evil storyline, we all love seeing those classic Gotham City villains up to their old tricks. But where is the Joker in all this?
The Crime Syndicate has arrived and announced to the world that the Justice League is dead and all the bad guys are now free to do whatever they want. It's no secret that some of the most interesting, infamous and popular villains from the DC universe are from Batman's neck of the woods. Arkham houses some of the most dangerous villains in the DC universe, even when most of them are just lunatics without any actual super powers. Let's see what happens when all hell breaks loose in Gotham City. Um.... again.
This issue starts with Bane and his men going into Blackgate Prison through the sewers, which would have been electrified had the Crime Syndicate not taken out the power to the city. Gordon tells a fellow officer that the moon was shoved in front of the sun, the Justice League is dead, and their secret weapon is gone. And they also don't know why Bane came all the way from Santa Prisca to start trouble in Gotham again.
Meanwhile in the Gotham Memorial Hospital, a man is running from Professor Pyg and his Dollotrons. The brainwashed puppets eventually tackle him down while Pyg boasts about his surgery. The man screams as its revealed that Pyg has sewn his foot onto his arm in place of his hand.
Scarecrow shows up and is surprised with what Pyg has done with 'his part of Gotham', since apparently the villains have decided to split up the city in Batman's absence. Crane warns Pyg that Bane has arrived and taken over Blackgate prison, so they might need the supplies from the hospital he took over, as well as the extra manpower the Dollotrons provide.
In Blackgate, Bane fights his way through the prisoners and guards. When one of them tries to stab him, he easily snaps his neck as asks the rest if anyone else will challenge his authority. Bane demands they bring the warden to her, and he wants to know all of the prison's secrets. He asks if anyone wants to be free. One of the guards mentions that an older guard has kids... so Bane kills him and asks if anyone else wants to be free. Bane is led to a secret room guarding something that not even the guards know about. It's a group of Talons, from the Court of Owls, held down in cryo-sleep. Bane considers them the perfect weapons for his army.
Meanwhile Scarecrow is warning Penguin about Bane, and he wants him to be dealt with. Apparently the Penguin is not too worried since he has planned ahead. As Mayor, he gave the city to the villains but also says sometimes you have to 'cut the cord' as he stomps over a miniature replica of Gotham.
Pyg walks around his hospital after performing another horrific surgery. Suddenly Bane arrives and says they no longer work for the Scarecrow, and everything that they thought was under Arkham's control is now his. He says there is no longer any power, any authority or any hope. No Batman or Justice League. There is only Bane. He walks off as he leaves behind a badly injured Pyg and several dead Dollotrons.
My Opinions-
This was a fun little read to show off what's going on with the Bat-villains during the Forever Evil storyline. It might have been expanded further in some of the villain issues, but I guess the Penguin appointed himself mayor and divided the city among all the crazies. There are several cameos throughout the issue, by actual appearance like Killer Croc or by mention, as the Penguin's city display showed little markers for parts divided for people like Mad Hatter and Dollhouse. I do like how they continue to take advantage of this to drop White Rabbit cameos in both this issue and Forever Evil # 2.
I do have to admit, it is interesting seeing one of the new characters like Professor Pyg interact with some of the classics like the Scarecrow. I'm not aware if Bruce Wayne Batman ever fought Pyg in an actual adventure instead of just that random Arkham break-out cameo from New 52 Batman # 1. Again, Pyg's bloody surgeries show why that kind of character can't be in a show like Beware the Batman unless they make it dark and mature enough to handle that sort of violence. Hell, the Dollotrons aren't even in the show.
Bane's plan was interesting, and creeping around the sewers reminds me of Dark Knight Rises. I do wonder how he will control the Talons though. I would assume they would turn on him since they've been conditions to only kill for the Court of Owls and not whoever happens to wake them up. I don't care how strong Bane is, even he'd have trouble facing multiple relentless undead opponents with stabby weapons.
I did enjoy this story, and it was nice to see Pyg again, as well as Bane in a better written story than that Dark Knight mess (comics-wise, not the movie). Even though this is a bit of a side-story in the grand scheme of the Forever Evil storyline, we all love seeing those classic Gotham City villains up to their old tricks. But where is the Joker in all this?
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