Forever Evil
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." 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." 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."
Forever Evil: Blight
"Justice League Dark" #24 received a 7.2 out of 10 from IGN's Jesse Schedeen. He felt writer "DeMatteis has a reasonably engaging debut on the book. This issue excels as it uses Constantine as a mouthpiece to explore the nature of evil, deconstructing the claims in "Trinity War" that evil is a tangible thing that be loosed on the world or contained in a box. But DeMatteis' writing is often too wordy, especially when it comes to the narration [and his] Constantine is a bit mixed in his execution. In a general sense he reads very much like the shifty, conflicted magician we know, but his British accent and mannerisms are even more downplayed than they have been of late." Doug Zawisza of Comic Book Resources, gave the issue 4.5 stars out of 5, saying, "While "Justice League Dark" #24 is short on panel appearances by Deadman, Frankenstein, Madame Xanadu, Black Orchid and Zatanna, the comic book doesn't suffer for it. John Constantine is given a chance to re-familiarize himself with readers as the House of Mystery is explored throughout the issue. By the end, Constantine has settled on a mission and begins to assemble a team. The decisions he makes along the way and influential forces provide a strong issue and continue to make "Justice League Dark" an enjoyable read," while praising the creative team for their work. Rob McMonigal of Newsarama gave the issue a 9 out 10, saying, "Constantine’s worst foe - himself - is on display in this psychological tie-in to the events of "Forever Evil" that shows off the best of J.M. DeMatteis’ writing abilities. [Mikel] Janin does everything right here, from the Chibi Constantines to visualizing the concept of evil as a steadily growing cloud. This is how to do a crossover issue right."