Forever Evil: A. R. G. U. S. 6
Sterling Gates, Neil Edwards
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
A great cover by Mikel Janin. A misleading one, but still a great one. And this series has proven, through it’s ups and downs, one simple fact: It didn’t need to be a miniseries. The boring crap happening over in the pages of Justice League of America the last several months is an embarrassment to not only event tie-ins, but to DC Comics in general. Why was this a separate series when, in all reality, it should have just been taking place in that series? And, more importantly, with all of the questions raised at the end of this issue, why isn’t it just taking over instead of cancelling JLA? Anywho, Sterling Gates rocks the script and Neil Edwards dominates the pencils in this wonderful pseudo-finale.
Taking place right where we left Steve Trevor last issue, the story pushes forward full steam ahead. But first and foremost, Etta Candy and the President learn more about the “true” origins of A. R. G. U. S., in what what is the most interesting (although cut way too short) scene in the entire issue. Mr. Green, the first agent of the super spy team, explains that the all-seeing eye has changed its name, but never its purpose, for hundreds of years: to ensure the survival of the country in defense (or in aid of?) the Crimson Men. It’s altogether confusing, which makes it a great little yarn. Then we flash to a dead/dying/naked Steve Trevor, outsmarting the witches and cheating death yet again. Then we get a great team-up between him and Killer Frost (who Gates has significantly elevated from worthless to quite lovely) as they battle a crazed and pretty much villainous recently-resurrected Dr. Light. They get Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth and rush off to save the Justice Leagues, but not before we learn just why Steve is so damn grumpy: It turns out that Diana loved him. Past tense.
Then we get our cliffhanger, as is mandatory in the comic book medium. This “epilogue” takes place later, in the Green Room. Naturally, Mr. Green is a liar and his pants are an fire because he’s not only a bad guy, but what appears to be the leader of the Crimson Men. So now Candy, the Pres., and good old Steve by association will be running A. R. G. U. S. (or what’s left of it) into the ground, at the behest of the bad guys themselves. Should be a fun ride, but the question still remains: Where and when will we see this story? Doesn’t it make more sense to NOT cancel Justice League of America and just put this creative team in place? Why not? I’d buy it. And as opposed to the Matt Kindt run, I’d actually enjoy it as well. All in all, it was a good miniseries. Lots of new questions asked. Many dumb characters made cool. And some great pictures with actual funny dialogue to move the story along. Good stuff.
My Rating: 4/5
