Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that can help answer the question.
Query: Who created the comic book storyline Forever Evil?
"Forever Evil" is a 2013–2014 crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics that began in September 2013 and ended in May 2014, consisting of an eponymous, central miniseries written by Geoff Johns and art by David Finch. It is the first line wide crossover since The New 52 reboot of the DC Universe, and focuses on all the villains of the DC Universe. The miniseries spins out of the events in "Trinity War".[1] Johns revealed in August 2013, that the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League from Earth-3 in the Multiverse, are the true villains of the event and not the previously thought Secret Society.[2][3] The event was originally scheduled to end in March with Forever Evil #7, yet ended in May 2014, after the final issue got delayed to April, and eventually again to May.[4] The final issue's delay was due to Johns realizing he needed more pages to conclude the story than originally intended.[5]
This section lists those that only appear on the covers.During the "Forever Evil" storyline as part of "The New 52" (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), Lex Luthor forms the Injustice League with villains who resisted the Crime Syndicate in order to take them down.
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Tweedledum and Tweedledee are among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.
Arkham War #3 received a 5.8 out of 10 from Schedeen, saying, "Surprisingly, a comic about every single Gotham villain (except Joker) locked in a brutal turf war isn't the greatest part of "Forever Evil". I suppose that says as much about the quality of Forever Evil as it does this book. Things were looking up in issue #2 thanks to an improved portrayal of Bane. Unfortunately, this issue pulls a 180 and makes this villainous mastermind an object of ridicule rather than fear."[125] The final issue received a 6 out 10 from Baumgart.[126]
Forever Evil #3 received positive reviews. Comic Book Resources' Jim Johnson gave the issue 4 stars out of 5, saying, "Johns makes sure that "Forever Evil" #3 gives readers their money's worth in the form of an intriguing idea with unexpected surprises amidst a foreboding but darkly fascinating environment. Finch and Friend do their part by making sure that the bad guys look good, and the true villains look threatening on a convincingly ruined and darkened world. Anyone who likes what Johns has done at DC and wants to see a modern-day DC multiverse done right will not want to miss this."[105] Grey gave the issue an 8 out of 10, saying, "After three issues and several tie-ins, Geoff Johns finally starts answering a few questions after leaving us hanging since August. With Forever Evil #3, Johns begins to bring together a number of the mini-series and satellite events, including Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, that have been setting up narrative pins without any corresponding force to knock them down."[107] Schedeen gave the issue an 8.3 out of 10, saying the issue was "another entertaining installment of this series, though the overall momentum of the event is starting to feel sluggish."[106]
In addition to "Villains Month", a seven-issue limited series titled "Forever Evil", by Geoff Johns and David Finch, launched in September 2013 and focused on the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League from Earth-3 in the Multiverse, as they attempt to take over Prime Earth in the Justice Leagues' defeat at the end of "Trinity War". The "Forever Evil" event ran in other titles starting in October 2013, including three 6-issue tie-in books that launched: "Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion" by Brian Buccellato and Patrick Zircher; "Forever Evil: Arkham War" by Peter Tomasi, Scot Eaton and Jaime Mendoza; and "Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S." by Matt Kindt and Manuel Garcia. Other tie-in titles included: "Teen Titans", "Suicide Squad", "Justice League", "Justice League of America" and the "Forever Evil: Blight" storyline in "Constantine", "Justice League Dark", "Trinity of Sin: Pandora", and "Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger". "Forever Evil" #1 was also reprinted in a director's cut one-shot in October 2013.
Zero (Kenji Uedo) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in "Generation Hope" #1, in the final chapter of the "Five Lights" storyline, and the first storyline of the "Generation Hope" book. He was created by Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen, and is one of the "Five Lights"—a group of mutants who manifested their abilities after the events of "".
The Bastards of Evil are a fictional team of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They debuted in the 2010 "Heroic Age" storyline, in the series "Young Allies". Their name is a play that they are said to be the bastard children of evil supervillains.
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Prankster is among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Flamingo appears as a member of the Crime Syndicate of America's incarnation of the Secret Society of Super Villains.
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Warp is among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.
Newsarama's Richard Gray gave the first issue an 8 out of 10. He felt Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion "is a welcome shift away from the main event with a focus on a smaller group of villains who just don’t want to play ball with the big bad" and "has instantly become one of the most engaging aspects of the “Forever Evil” event."[127] IGN's Melissa Grey gave the issue an 8.7 out of 10, saying, "writer Brian Buccellato has hit precisely the tone he needed to in order to emphasize the moral shades of gray the Rogues occupy."[128] Doug Zawisza of Comic Book Resources gave the issue 3 stars out of 5, saying, "tied into the main Forever Evil series, this story is strong enough to stand on its own, but would have benefited from consistent art," a sentiment seen from all.[129]
"Forever Evil: Blight" is a 2013–2014 crossover storyline published by DC Comics that began in October 2013, set within the larger "Forever Evil" storyline. The story, which is seen in the series "Constantine", "Justice League Dark", "Trinity of Sin: Pandora", and "Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger", sees John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Nightmare Nurse, Pandora, and the Phantom Stranger attempt to defeat Blight, who is the manifestation of evil itself, and rescue the missing members of the Justice Leagues. The announcement of "Forever Evil: Blight" promised changes to the status quo for the titles involved at its conclusion, with each having major changes.
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, the Crime Syndicate sends Plastique, Black Bison, Hyena, Multiplex, and Typhoon to attack the hospital in order to finish Gorilla Grodd's work in Central City.
For September 2013, Diamond Comic Distributors announced that Forever Evil #1 was the best selling title of the month. In addition, the four Batman "Villains Month" titles were in the top ten, with Joker #1 placing fifth, Riddler #1 sixth, Bane #1 eighth, and Penguin #1 coming in tenth,[184] while all "Villains Month" titles with a 3D cover ranked in the top 125 in sales. "Villains Month" titles with a 2D cover placed between 49 and 211 on the chart.[185] In October 2013, Forever Evil #2 was the fourth best selling title of the month, with Justice League #24 coming in sixth.[186] In November 2013, Forever Evil #3 was the fifth best selling title of the month.[187] In December 2013, Forever Evil #4 ranked fourth for the month, while Justice League #25 and 26 ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, in sales.[188] Forever Evil #1-4 ranked 15, 38, 53, and 67, respectively, in Diamond Comic Distributors' Top 500 Comic Books of 2013. All four Batman "Villains Month" titles and Justice League #24-26 ranked in the top 100 as well. Additionally, 17 other "Villains Month" titles, Forever Evil: Arkham War #1 and 2, Justice League of America #8-10 and Justice League Dark #24 made the list.[189] In January 2014, Justice League #27 was the fourth best selling title of the month, along with Justice League of America #11 in tenth.[190] Forever Evil #5 was the second best selling title of February 2014, with Justice League #28 placing fifth.[191] For March 2014, Forever Evil #6 was the third best selling title, while Justice League of America #13 placed 22 and Forever Evil: Arkham War #6 placed 52.[192] In April 2014, Justice League #29 was the fifth best selling title of the month.[193] Forever Evil #7 was the fifth best selling title of May 2014.[194]
Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the first issue an 8.0 out of 10, saying "Regardless of your thoughts on "Trinity War", Forever Evil #1 is a solid start to DC's first real event comic of the New 52. It sees [Geoff] Johns diving headlong into a realm that he's succeeded in so often in the past." Schedeen wished that the Crime Syndicate had been featured more "to establish what makes this new take on the Crime Syndicate unique and why they're a greater threat now than they were the many times the Justice League clashed with them in decades past."[100] Newsarama's Richard Gray was more critical, giving the issue a 7 out of 10. Gray felt that Johns trod a very thin line of overloading the story with too many villains and felt it was "immediately evident that reading this book in isolation of what has come before is almost impossible." He concluded that this event "has a familiar feeling to it, and it’s almost like starting over after coming so close to something that felt like a conclusion to two years worth of questions."[101] Meagan Demore of Comic Book Resources gave the issue 3.5 stars out of 5, saying, "In its chilling first issue, Forever Evil delivers a solid story rife with Geoff Johns' effective character use and David Finch's stunning artwork. Although the book suffers from confusing timelines and episodic material, its debut shows promise through some exceptionally notable moments and strong visual command. Forever Evil #1 paves the way for an interesting new epoch at DC Comics with a concept that will hopefully be just as effective in the tie-ins as it was here."[99]
"The Kingdom" is a story arc that ran through a two-issue, self-titled comic book limited series and multiple one-shot comics published by DC Comics in 1999, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Ariel Olivetti/Mike Zeck. This is both a sequel and, in some ways, prequel to "Kingdom Come", also by Mark Waid. Both books form an "Elseworlds" saga, meaning they are abstracted from official DC Comics continuity. The storyline extended into one-shot books entitled "New Year's Evil: Gog", "The Kingdom: Kid Flash", "The Kingdom: Nightstar", "The Kingdom: Offspring", "The Kingdom: Planet Krypton" and "The Kingdom: Son of the Bat". The entire storyline was later collected into a trade paperback.
Newsarama's Richard Gray gave the first issue a 7 out of 10, saying, "While this may have been better off as a Steve Trevor one-shot, with little evidence so far that there’s enough material here to sustain an entire mini-series, it is one of the first main “Forever Evil” tie-ins to give some glimmer of hope that there's a plan to get out of this thing."[117] Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the issue a 6.9 out of 10, saying, "It speaks to how well Forever Evil is unfolding that DC is launching a third tie-in mini-series and I still look forward to it with some anticipation." However, he felt the use of three different pencillers hurt the book.[118] Comic Book Resources' Doug Zawisza gave the issue 2 out of 5 stars, saying, "Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #1 succeeds in the spots where it doesn't focus on the acronym, the organization or the crossover with Forever Evil. Essentially, if this comic were called The Adventures of Steve Trevor, it would be a lot more on-target. The cover makes this seem as though it is a book about a team of warriors, but the story inside narrows the focus to Steve Trevor and Etta Candy, with a few cyphers dropped in for padding. This isn't the greatest tie-in story ever, but it's also not the worst."[119]
In The New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), Mark Shaw appears in the "Forever Evil" storyline as a U.S. Marshal who is assigned to find Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah. He is referred to as "one of the best manhunters" in the United States Marshals Service.
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, the Rogues were in the middle of springing Trickster from prison only for Johnny Quick to arrive and succeed in freeing all the inmates.
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Nocturna is re-introduced as an inmate of Arkham Asylum during the "Night of the Owls" storyline. Later in the "Forever Evil" storyline, Nocturna is among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.
Issue four received a 7 out of 10 from Newsarama's Rob McMonigal. He said, "Pitting Flash’s foes against Batman’s while both are out of play is a great move by writer Brian Buccellato. Bruce’s foes are ruthless, brutal, and backstabbing. Barry’s try to stick together, even against hopeless odds. In a world of extreme evil, their brand of criminal is almost heroic. Co-artists Scott Hepburn and Andre Coelho do a great job with visualizing the large cast, but their action is a bit stiff, with panel choices that don’t create a lot of tension. Still, this is one of the best things to come out of "Forever Evil" so far."[132] Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion issue five received a 6 out of 10 from Michael Moccio of Newsarama. Moccio stated, "Brian Buccellato continues filling in the blanks in the Forever Evil story in this latest issue with the loveable Rogues. Our heroes, especially Weather Wizard, get a chance to finally catch a break, and Buccellato manages to do this while still keeping to the desperate tone of the overall Forever Evil storyline... The art is the weakest part of the issue, making it appear too cartoonish. The proportions, especially in the face, are off and distracting, and the flat coloring adds to the two-dimensional feel of the book... With the mysterious entity emerging in the main storyline, readers are left wondering with where this part of the story will finish."[133]
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Allen escaped and joined the Crime Syndicate of America's version of the Secret Society of Super Villains. Parasite is defeated by an overload of energy.
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, during the "Forever Evil" storyline, a flashback sequence reveals that Chemo is created when a prototype responsometer created by Will Magnus is thrown into a vat of chemicals by a thief. The Metal Men battle Chemo to protect Will Magnus and the local population, and while successful were apparently also destroyed.
Zawisza gave issue 27 4 stars out of 5, saying, ""Forever Doomed" is somewhat predictable with regards to the appearance of the Doom Patrol and the motions Cyborg goes through, but Justice League #27 is nowhere near boring. This comic book serves very well as Doom Patrol #0 or even Cyborg #0 (maybe now Vic Stone will be able to find his way to a solo series) or a companion piece to "Forever Evil," but lacks the Justice League for which this comic is branded."[142] Schedeen said, "Justice League #27 offers a change of pace for the series' Forever Evil tie-in storyline. Having explored the origins of the various Crime Syndicate members in previous issues, Geoff Johns now turns his attention back to Earth's dwindling lineup of heroes. As the cover suggests, Cyborg is the star of the show this month, although a handful of other characters put in appearances as well," giving the issue an 8.0 out of 10.[143] David Pepose of Newsarama gave the issue a 7 out of 10, saying, "For those who have been exasperated at the slow pacing of Forever Evil, well, you probably won't be too thrilled here -- this issue is certainly a detour, although it's one that might mean a lot for a truly underutilized hero (or several). That said, if comics like these are what we need to introduce even more of DC's properties back into the public eye, it's not a tremendous cost -- there's some humanity underneath all that event machinery, and it's nice to see Justice League #27 try to find that beating heart."[144]