Johns seemed to have written himself into a corner at the end of "Forever Evil" #6, since Lex and his team were unlikely to have time to defeat both the Crime Syndicate and Alexander Luthor (let alone the menace behind the red streak in the sky) in just one issue. However, Johns wisely doesn't try to eliminate all the threats on the table before bringing the series to a close. Instead, he leaves the core members of the Crime Syndicate alive -- if defeated -- in the end: Superwoman and Ultraman are captured, and Owlman is forced to go to ground. Instead of wrapping up the Syndicate's story, Johns leaves its three most powerful members in the game, an ambiguous ending that feels much more like the way this story would likely end in the real world. It departs from the usual nature of these events, where either the entire universe is rebooted (like "Flashpoint") or everything is returned to normal (like "Age of Ultron"). Johns strikes a more reasonable balance, with the "heroes" victorious but only in a limited sense. Even if Ultraman stays cowering in a corner, we're likely to see Owlman and Superwoman causing trouble at some point in the future.
As opposed to defeating the Crime Syndicate, Johns focuses his attention on taking out Alexander, with Lex rightfully acknowledging him as the greater threat. I loved that Johns didn't use a deus ex machina to enable Lex to defeat Alexander. Instead, Lex uses his ingenuity, recognizing that the similarity in their voices allowed him to de-activate Alexander's Mazahs! powers. It sets up Lex's assertions in "Justice League" #30 that "regular" humans bring something to the table in an age of aliens and metahumans.
After the dust settles, Lex is rightfully celebrated the victor (as we see in more detail in "Justice League" #30), and we see a gentler side of him as he allows Ted Kord to maintain control over Kord Industries and calls his sister after not speaking to her in years. But, Johns makes it clear that he's as ruthless (if not necessarily villainous, depending on your point of view) as ever. Johns raises the question if Lex really meant to resurrect Nightwing after suffocating him in "Forever Evil" #6, and Lex not only murders Alexander in issue #7, but Atomica (more or less in cold blood) as well. He also admits to the League in "Justice League" #30 that he wants to be seen a hero mostly for his ego. However, just when you think that you can dismiss the aforementioned moments of warmth as cheap stunts with nefarious aims, Lex also confesses that he's motivated to join the League in part because he recognizes that the red streak in the sky represents a greater threat to humanity than Superman. Do I really believe Lex has changed? No. I think keeping Ted in charge of Kord Industries and calling his sister probably do have nefarious aims. But, Johns definitely gives you pause in judging him. Is he "evil?" Isn't it a good thing that Alexander and Atomica are dead? Shouldn't "regular" humans feel some control over their destinies? After all, didn't the Justice League fail to save the planet from the Crime Syndicate? Given Lex's ingenuity, shouldn't the Justice League be working with him if Darkseid (as they think) is coming? Johns makes you question the filter through which you see Lex in these two issues, a testament to the care that he took in building the story.
After the dust settles, Lex is rightfully celebrated the victor (as we see in more detail in "Justice League" #30), and we see a gentler side of him as he allows Ted Kord to maintain control over Kord Industries and calls his sister after not speaking to her in years. But, Johns makes it clear that he's as ruthless (if not necessarily villainous, depending on your point of view) as ever. Johns raises the question if Lex really meant to resurrect Nightwing after suffocating him in "Forever Evil" #6, and Lex not only murders Alexander in issue #7, but Atomica (more or less in cold blood) as well. He also admits to the League in "Justice League" #30 that he wants to be seen a hero mostly for his ego. However, just when you think that you can dismiss the aforementioned moments of warmth as cheap stunts with nefarious aims, Lex also confesses that he's motivated to join the League in part because he recognizes that the red streak in the sky represents a greater threat to humanity than Superman. Do I really believe Lex has changed? No. I think keeping Ted in charge of Kord Industries and calling his sister probably do have nefarious aims. But, Johns definitely gives you pause in judging him. Is he "evil?" Isn't it a good thing that Alexander and Atomica are dead? Shouldn't "regular" humans feel some control over their destinies? After all, didn't the Justice League fail to save the planet from the Crime Syndicate? Given Lex's ingenuity, shouldn't the Justice League be working with him if Darkseid (as they think) is coming? Johns makes you question the filter through which you see Lex in these two issues, a testament to the care that he took in building the story.
Speaking of the League, Johns doesn't undersell the impact that the events of this series had on the team. Its members are bruised and battered. Clark is practically ready to quit Earth forever in "Justice League" #30 over the hero's welcome that Lex receives. In particular, Bruce is pretty much on the ropes. He uncharacteristically hugs Dick after Lex resurrects him (leading Bizarro hilariously to hug Lex in the same way), he distractedly allows Lex to steal his kryptonite ring, and he's forced to reveal (more or less) his "strong emotional tie" to Wonder Woman in order to free the Justice League. In other words, he has a hell of a day. It's not going to be made better when he discovers that Lex has deduced his identity.
To digress for a moment, I actually have to applaud Johns for putting this part about Bruce's identity front and center. After Dick's unmasking, it's impossible that someone wouldn't put two and two together. After all, as we see in "Forever Evil" #7, Bruce was still there for Dick after his parents died in this continuity. Even if Dick didn't live with Bruce as his ward, we know that he at least participated in enough public events with him (such as the soirée in "Batman" #1) that they're connected in the public's mind. The fact that only Luthor has put two and two together is the surprising part. I'm still not sure where DC is going with this story, but I'm glad at least that we're not sweeping it under the rug (for now).
I will say that the only place where Johns glides over answers a little too quickly relates to the Syndicate. Deathstorm accuses Superwoman of manipulating the men to bring Alexander with them to Earth; I get why she did it (since he's the father of her unborn child, and they plan on giving a conquered Earth to him), but I'm still not sure why the men went with it. The scene with Superwoman lassoing Deathstorm implies that they were all in love with her and did whatever she wanted, but it seems a little too trite of an answer for my tastes. Moreover, we learn that Alexander can absorb people's powers due to his connection to Mazahs!, but we don't really learn how he got those powers in the first place. They're not huge issues, but it would be nice to address them at some point.
I will say that the only place where Johns glides over answers a little too quickly relates to the Syndicate. Deathstorm accuses Superwoman of manipulating the men to bring Alexander with them to Earth; I get why she did it (since he's the father of her unborn child, and they plan on giving a conquered Earth to him), but I'm still not sure why the men went with it. The scene with Superwoman lassoing Deathstorm implies that they were all in love with her and did whatever she wanted, but it seems a little too trite of an answer for my tastes. Moreover, we learn that Alexander can absorb people's powers due to his connection to Mazahs!, but we don't really learn how he got those powers in the first place. They're not huge issues, but it would be nice to address them at some point.
But, all in all, I surprisingly only have these complaints. I'm intrigued to see how the events of "Forever Evil" reverberate throughout the DCnU, particularly since we seem to be building to the story told in the DCU where Lex became President. Johns clearly isn't rushing it, so I'm just going to try to enjoy that journey. Meanwhile, I'm excited that the Anti-Monitor is coming. As I said before I started reading "Forever Evil," this series really seized on the promise of the New 52!, allowing me to become familiar with a classic story (Earth-3 and the Crime Syndicate) that I missed when it was originally told. I never followed all the various Crisis stories in the 1980s and 1990s, so I have high hopes that Johns will be able to do for those stories what he's done for Earth-3. But, for the time being, I'm just happy to get to the end of an event and feel content.
**** (four of five stars)
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