The events of Forever Evil bleed into Central City as the Rogues, Flash’s plucky band of villains, return to their city in ruins. Check out the DCN review!
So there’s a little event going on in the DC Universe right now called Forever Evil. It involves something about the Justice League being dead, evil versions of them have taken over the world, blah blah blah. But now the true event of the DCU has begun (wink wink) as Brian Buccellato, Patrick Zircher and Scott Hepburn bring to us Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion.
Picking up the threads of the Rogues and Grodd Villains’ Month titles (The Flash #23.1 and #23.3), Captain Cold, Mirror Master, and the rest of the gang return to Central City after a little get together hosted by the Crime Syndicate to find Central City has been decimated by Grodd, and find that the rest of the world’s villains want to make an example of Central City. What kind of example the issue refers to remains to be seen.
Positives
Having worked in the world of The Flash since 2010, Brian Buccellato has developed a firm grasp of who these characters are. What makes the Rogues so appealing and unique from other villains is not what they accomplish, but their interactions with each other and outsiders. Buccellato hits the right chords in writing the various Rogue personalities.
Heatwave is mesmerized by the flames that engulf Central City. Trickster takes a moment to point out how awesome it is that someone moved the moon. The banter (and bickering) among the characters is one of the issue’s highlights, providing plenty of entertainment and a healthy dose of laughs.
Captain Cold is the clear star of this issue, and with much of the story predicated on the strength of his characterization, I must declare Buccellato’s handling of the character is spot on. He is assertive, yet insecure. Upon entering Central City, Cold lets the reader know that the Rogues are in way over their heads. For a group that was always concerned about “the score,” now they have to deal with world-conquering metahumans (or whichever lackeys are sent in their place). Lastly, Cold’s concern for the safety of his comatose sister is a nice touch which gives the reader an “in” to cheer on these baddies over the course of this miniseries.
Negatives
Patrick Zircher and Scott Hepburn split art duties on this. While I enjoy each artist’s work on their own, putting them together is like mixing oil and water. Zircher’s art is gritty and grimy. Hepburn’s art is cartoonish and stylized. Because of the differences in their art styles, the overall tone of the book seems to shift when Zircher’s art ends and Hepburn’s begins from dour to wacky. Though the transition is (ever so slightly) eased by consistency of Nick Filardi’s outstanding colors, it nonetheless hurts the overall reading experience.
Verdict 
(4/5)
Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion opens strong and could potentially be better than the event that it is tying into. Buccellato has proven himself to be a top writer in the world of The Flash, and the trend continues here. Despite the multiple artists, the potential of this series has me salivating for more. With the inclusion of the Rogues, Forever Evil just became a lot more fun.
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