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The New 52- Forever Evil # 5

By Mark Rodriguez

The Justice League was killed by their evil counterparts, the Crime Syndicate. However, Batman and Catwoman survived. Luthor is gathering his own set of bad guys, including Black Manta and Bizzaro to save the world. They eventually run into Batman, but suddenly, the evil Green Lantern, Power Ring has found all of them, and he is joined by other bad guys like Deathstroke and Giganta. Just as it looks like Bats has to team up with Luthor to stop them, Siniestro appeared to challenge Power Ring. What happens now?


This issue opens with Power Ring running like a coward through the sewers as Siniestro walks calmly behind him. Meanwhile, Luthor monologues himself about how saving the world puts him in the spotlight as his group of villains, alongside Batman and Catwoman, fight against Deathstroke and his gang. Batman asks Luthor if these other villains are his friends. Luthor denies it, and Batman doesn't believe him. Just then Luthor blasts Copperhead, who was behind Batman and was about to bite him.

Power Rings keeps hiding from Siniestro, while his ring continues to egg him on to recharge it. The ring says it can make him more powerful than Siniestro, all he has to do is wish it. Just then a yellow monster attacks, an energy construct, as Siniestro finds him. Power Ring screams that he's tired of being afraid and charges him head on.


Meanwhile, Giganta punches Black Adam to the ground and tries to grab Catwoman, razzing her over not joining the Crime Syndicate. Catwoman tries to get Black Adam to get back up, and when he does, he blasts Giganta out of the building. Shadow Thief is attacking Captain Cold until Black manta blasts her with his trident. Cold says he'd make a good Rogue, but Manta reminds him that their alliance is temporary.

Batman tries to take Copperhead down by himself and Luthors tries to help. Batman reminds Luthor that after this is over, he'll come after him. Deathstroke aims his gun at Luthor, saying he got a fancy suit, but isn't wearing a helmet.

Siniestro blasts Power Ring saying that he looks like Hal Jordan, but is obviously not. Power Ring says he's not a Green Lantern and is tired of being pushed around.

Luthor convinces Deathstroke that letting the Crime Syndicate rule the world is bad for business since they wouldn't need mercenaries like him anymore. Copperhead tells Slade to just shoot Luthor already, but suddenly the Terminator turns his gun on him.

Siniestro has enough of Power Ring and chokes him. Then he takes hold of his arm... and uses a buzzsaw construct to slice it off. The ring detects the arm can't be fixed and flies off scanning the world for another host. Power Ring lays on the ground, happy that the ring is finally gone and thanks Siniestro. The Yellow Lantern says 'you're welcome' and burns him to ashes.


Meanwhile, Deathstroke blows Copperhead's brains out. Blockbuster jumps out to attack Slade, but Bizzaro grabs him and slams his head into the ground. Deathstroke demands a big fat check when all of this is over.

Elsewhere, Ultraman and Superwoman finds where Batman hides the Kryptonite ring he keeps in the Batcave in case Superman ever went evil, but the case is empty. Owlman appears and tells him Batman took it, and says the Waynes tend to survive. Ultraman says the Waynes tend to die and asks what he's doing here. Owlman says he came to see what he could learn about Batman and what made him dedicate his life to his parents' deaths. Owlman then says the Kryptonite ring was probably the last of it left on the planet, which is probably why he has Deathstorm working hard on trying to make more.

Just then Grid interrupts and tells everyone that Power Ring is dead. The villains don't care, but then Grid says the ring left to reset itself, and upon scanning the planet sent a signal that could be sensed across the multiverse. Ultraman says they have to regroup.

Meanwhile Luthor tells Batman and Catwoman that they should side with them since they both want to take the Crime Syndicate down. Batman says he wants them taken in alive. Deathstroke says they don't play with his rules, and Batman reminds him that he was trying to kill them a few moments ago. Sinestro appears and tells Batman that his request is too late since he already killed Power Ring. Luthor wants his help, but the Yellow Lantern only came to get the Yellow Ring that Batman used, but was destroyed during the fight. He tells Batman that he would have been an amazing Yellow Lantern. Luthor tries to convince Sinestro that he would make a great leader for them and that he can accomplish something Green Lantern couldn't.

Batman tells everyone that this will be a search and rescue mission to save Nightwing first.... and then they can take the Crime Syndicate down following his rules. The super powered villains all stare Batman down, and Catwoman tells him that they're in charge.


Meanwhile, the rest of the Crime Syndicate gather together, and Johnny Quick and Atomica wonder what poor person will be stuck with the Power Ring curse this time. Ultraman says it's not important now and tells them to look up in the sky. A sinister red crackle splits the skies and Ultraman says the creature that destroyed their world has found them.....

My Opnions-

This was a pretty cool action packed issue. I liked the scenes between Sinestro and Power Ring, and the way the guy actually felt relieved once the ring finally left him. The backstory showed that he was a jerk and coward in his right, but the ring only made him worse, forcing him to do more evil things as it rotted his arm away. I guess we never found out exactly what Power Ring had to do to recharge his ring that he was so afraid of doing (unless it was in some other tie-in issue I missed). At least he found some relief... moments before he was wasted by Siniestro.

With so many characters all over the place, we got to see more of Deathstroke and a little of Giganta. The comic does a good job naming some of the extras. I liked the part where Deathstroke mocked Luthor for spending so much money on his battle suit, and not have a helmet 'since he couldn't stand having people not know it's him'. It's funny cause it's most likely true.


Finally, I have to say, it seems Forever Evil is an interesting way to kinda 'clean up' or start new things for the New 52 DC Universe already. I mean in this issue, Deathstroke killed Copperhead, and in the Arkham issue Ventriloquist's living doll killed Mr. Combustible before he could even make a name for himself. And then we have the Plastic Man origin a while ago. This series already introduced Bizzaro. I wonder what else is gonna happen? Who else is gonna die? And why is the Green Lantern off elsewhere in space instead of helping out here?

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