Forever Evil Aftermath: Batman VS Bane 1
Peter J. Tomasi, Scot Eaton
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
I don’t normally do regular full issue reviews anymore, due to the success and fun I am having with the current all-things Batman inspired Saturday column, Baturday. But I made an exception for the two events I’m still covering. Forever Evil will finish out its event coverage. After all, I’m not going to stop now. And though the timing is a bit disappointing, the “aftermath” issues have begun. Picking up right where Forever Evil: Arkham War 6 left off (and, presumably, Forever Evil 7, for that matter), we finally get the finale that we wanted at the end of the miniseries. We finally get the big fight between the two Batmen: Bane and Bruce Wayne. And it is everything that we could have ever asked for in a battle royale.
We get a glimpse of what life has been like since Bane took over Gotham City. We see an uneasy alliance between Cobb (and the rest of the Talon army) and their new “leader,” Bane. We also see just how much Bane’s “order” is really just controlled chaos and the people of Gotham are just as afraid as they ever were, but the only difference is that the light and the power is restored. Then Batman shows up and, true to form, defeats one of his greatest enemies easier than ever before. But when Bane is taken away and put into a secure wing in Arkham to “detox” for a while, the most powerful scene is saved for the last, where we are reminded yet again that Peter J. Tomasi really knows how to write great dialogue and truly understands every character he touches… When Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne are talking about Bruce’s generous donation to rebuild not only Arkham, but the city itself, Bruce poignantly points out that “We’ve rebuilt this city before, Commissioner. And we’ll keep doing it until we get it right.” What a perfect wrap up, and a great way to lead directly into the shocking events of Batman Eternal, on stands now.
So there you have it. The finale to one aspect of the Forever Evil mega event. I loved it, excluding the fact that it came out a little bit ahead of (or behind?) schedule. That being said, it doesn’t really change or ruin the ending of the main event series. DC did that all on their own with Previews this week. But that is not the point. The point is that Eaton and Tomasi deserve their own ongoing book about the inner-workings of Arkham Asylum. There’s a title for you guys, right there. You can take it for free. The only thing I ask is that you continue to be as excellent with my favorite rogues gallery in all of comics as you were these last several months. Which you would no doubt be able to do for quite some time. I have faith.
My Rating: 5/5
