The Evil Rule
With the way Trinity War ended how could anyone not be excited for this event. With it making a massive change to the DC Universe, being the first company wide crossover since the start of the New 52 I'm expecting a lot, and I'm sure it won't disappoint.
Plot
With the Justice League presumed dead, the Crime Syndicate plan to take over this world, recruiting as many villains as they can to do so.
Review
This was a fantastic issue, and although it wasn't quite as good as I hoped it would be, it was a brilliant start to the story. Geoff Johns did a great job of continuing from where he left of at the end of Trinity War, but at the same time made this easy enough to get into, as although people that didn't read Trinity War, who also avoid comic news may be shocked, Johns quickly brings things together, and story wise this looks to be shaping into something that's simply amazing. I also loved the tone of the issue, another thing that Johns did a great job with, as it flowed smoothly, having plenty of drama, and suspense when needed. It was however slightly lacking in excitement, but I'm sure Johns will make up for that with the next issue.
The art from David Finch was also amazing, being some of the best art that he's done for a long time. The detail in Finch's art was outstanding for most of this issue, as although there was the odd imperfection, it was generally fantastically handled. I also loved the layout from Finch in this issue, as although not very unique, it did add a bit of a dynamic tone to the issue, adding more depth, and helping the story to flow smoother. I also really enjoyed the fold out artwork in the middle of this issue, as due to slightly disliking parts of the cover, feeling that it was too many characters in to short a space, he has made up for it here, with this phenomenal assembly of villains.
This issue would start with Lex Luthor, showing him trying to take over Thomas Kord's company, then noticing the changes that the Crime Syndicate have caused. It was already established that Luthor would play a key role in this story, but it was extremely interesting the way that he was introduced into it, as following his short time in Trinity War I was really excited for this. The thing I liked most about Luthor's appearance had to be his reaction to the carnage, as considering just how far he's willing to go to get what he wants (as shown in this issue), I was shocked by his reaction to the Crime Syndicate, and this just goes to show how bad things are now that they are here.
Another character that was established to have a vital role in this storyline would be Batman original sidekick, Nightwing (Dick Grayson). To be honest he didn't have quite as bog a role in this issue as I expected, as although overall he had a huge role it wasn't for the reason that I expected. Nonetheless it was still extremely interesting, and very entertaining, and I loved seeing him step out from Batman's shadow, taking the limelight now that he's not around. I am however interested to see what role he will have in the future of this story, as so far it's been amazing.
The Crime Syndicate themselves were awe-inspiring, as although they didn't appear as a team as much as I would hope for, they certainly showed that they meant business. Their first goal would be to gather up all the villains that they could, no matter what it took, and the meeting between the Crime Syndicate, and the other villains was simply outstanding. Now I won't go into any details, as to avoid spoilers, but this is exactly what I was hoping for with this series, not disappointing, and if things keep up like this, as well as adding more excitement it has the potential to be one of the best events ever.
Final Verdict
This was an amazing start to what I hope will be a wonderful event. It had the perfect tone, setting everything up perfectly, allowing people who've missed Trinity War the perfect chance to see what changes it would cause. It also has some interesting sequences, and brilliant dialogue, and I for one can't wait for more, and would highly recommend it to anyone, even if you missed Trinity War.
