The Good
As interesting as FOREVER EVIL is, there's been a big sense of the unknown. It's a common practice to jump forward a bit and reveal the details as the story moves forward. With this issue, Matt Kindt jumps on board and begins giving us the answers we've been waiting for.
We know at the end of Trinity War, the Crime Syndicate arrived and things didn't go well for the Justice League. We're starting to see what happened to the members and why they haven't been seen in the pages of FOREVER EVIL or select Villains Month titles. With Martian Manhunter and Stargirl as the leads, it's an interesting direction for the story. There's plenty more to see about these two and how they'll continue to evolve in the New 52. We also get an interesting look at some other characters and it'll be worth thinking about what their situations reveal about them.
Somehow I had forgotten Doug Mahnke was doing the pencils on this issue. I can never get enough of his art. There's some really cool situations and locations created here and seeing the different characters in Mahnke's style is always fun.
The Bad
With some of the other characters here, it's understandable that they'll be behaving a little differently due to the situation. Some of them felt a little off. Clearly we need more information to find out how and why they ended up where they did and what other factors might be affecting them.
It's also unclear why the Syndicate would allow these individuals to live. They've proven to be completely ruthless. They're claiming to have killed everyone yet we're seeing some characters locked away. This could just be another bit we'll have to wait to see explained further.
The Verdict
If you've been wondering what happened in between Trinity War and FOREVER EVIL #1, we're starting to get some answers. Matt Kindt takes over the title and puts Martian Manhunter and Stargirl front and center in this big mystery. Doug Mahnke's art is always great to see. I love a good mystery and the idea of these two trying to crack this one sound pretty cool. There are some questions why certain things have happened so we'll have to remain patient to see how everything unfolds.