REYNARD's Profile

"Funny. What happened to my dad paved the way for a Batman like me. Too bad for you." "Blood?" "I'm surprised the son of Satan doesn't remember what they did to the son of God."

"I must be around five years old when I first sense the presence of a gaping, toppling void in the center of existence. For the first time in my life, I suddenly grasp something. Mom and Dad are going to die. We're all going to die."

"You're only having a flashback. Don't worry...pain'll wake you up."

"It would be far easier to consider this a dream. But how can I? For in my hand...I hold the Bat-Radia. And I...I am the Batman."

Prime example of what a monthly comic should be.

Time well spent. Money well spent. This book is too good to be true.

Brilliant. A spectacular end to a criminally underrated book. I pray that GLY gets another book instead of jumping ship to stay at Marvel. DC has no idea about the golden goose they have...

Geoff Johns Final Thesis: Fuck Comics, go outside.

"Multiversity: Pax Americana" did it better, but this was a great read.

I fucking loved this. Morrison at his finest, with Sharp's pencils only amplifying the sense of amazement. The Final Crisis tie-in and the multiversal elements are just the perfect finishing touches to this book. I hope that they come out with a volume containing all 12 issues instead of the two trades.

Absolutely phenomenal. Morrison's mike drop is one for the ages as the Emerald Knight takes on unimaginable odds; nothing new of course. I love how, just like the Gentry and Empty Hand from Multiversity, the final enemy could be considered analogues for corporatism and manufactured story control while the new guardians are placeholders for his own disillusionment with DC's new regime over these past few years. One more to go, and I'm sure I won't be disappointed! "In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night..."

I can't believe it's over. Till we meet again King Moz!

This is top tier capeshit. This shouldn't have been cancelled (but still ended beautifully). This is what DC needs to put out more. This is worth my money. This is worth my time. This needs an omnibus.

Hulk's Bible Stories: the Finale! Mercy = Strength. What a great ride.

TILL WE MEET AGAIN KING MOZ! Loved the Brainiac reveal coming full circle from his Action Comics run. You have the threads, stick the landing PKJ!

Bissette & Totleben are the dream team for this run so far; everything about this comic makess me re-evaluate how I view the comics that are put out today and the lack of quality between current monthlies and this masterpiece of a run. "Bogeymen" is easily one of the best stories in this entire collection, and when looking at how good everything in this run has been, this story rising above should hopefully say something. If there's one thing I can say, just read this issue. Please.

Well god damn, that was fantastic. I love Rafa Sandoval, but Eddy Barrows killed this issue! Priest is the last bastion of kino capeshit at DC right now, and I am loving every second of his run so far. Was it J'onn who orchestrated that entire simulation, or was Bats playing dumb in Bruce guise?

Peak Morrison. Peak Janin. It doesn't get better than this. "All these people jumping on the bandwagon, the ones who hate you now they've got you down as a dodgy reactionary who can't be trusted? I hated you first! I can spot a trend a mile off!" I can definitely see the meta-commentary of Manchester Black as the cynical comic reader while a hardened/older Superman becomes another one of Morrison's fiction suits, taking us along for the ride. This issue is meant to convince us to embrace the story and concept, just as Supes gets Black to join his crusade.

"Ghost Dance" is horrifically fun. Watch out Mystery Gang; when four yuppies and a beast enter the house of the restless dead, not everyone is going to come out alive! Something fascinating about the standalone triptych of these past few stories is the lack of focus on our titular protagonist in favor of Moore taking us readers on our own American Gothic Road-Trip, only now Swamp Thing is the guest star as we watch flawed and helpless POV cannon fodder ravaged by new age urban horrors. Once again, Alan Moore's endings leave one shocked and hungry for more, his mark sealed by letters and ink within our minds forcing us to do his bidding; turn the page!

"If there's one thing I hate, it's art with no content."

"Sick sweet smell of human flesh past its sell-by date. The crawling sixth sense that tells me I'm on to something rotten. I'm opening a can so full of worms you could bury your head in there and they'd be bones by morning."

"Look at you, all beat up to hell. Why did you have to choose an enemy that's as old as time and bigger than all of us, Batman?" "Same reason you did, Jim. I figured I could take him. This isn't over."

"Tell him it's time. 7:35 last night. The Bat-Signal came on in my brain. The sleeper awoke."

"What we are about to do will be a work of art. Nothing less than the complete and utter ruination of a noble human spirit."

This is too much fun. It's only been his first appearance and I already love Auteur.io.

Dick is such a fun Robin; I should have been born in the 30's!

Absolutely phenomenal run by GLY, though I'm very heartbroken that its been cut short. Super excited for the annual as well as the teases included in the epilogue.

Have Black Adam and Theo split into two individuals? So Ishtar fucks with Black Adam, causing a rift between him, Malik, and Jasmin. Nergal manipulates the Sanheoli to send an airstrike against Black Adam. Adam battles the air-force and Nergal, who turns to dust that is inhaled by Adam, but then expelled via the Living Lightning. In DC, Malik and Shep are attacked by Sargon, pawn of the Akkad. He tries to turn Malik into the new Sargon by putting the mask on him, but is defeated by Black Adam. Sargon the Sorceror is freed of the Akkadian Mask's thrall, and zaps Adam with a spell that turns him back to Theo while he is enveloped in a red aura. We then see that someone has put on the mask of Sargon. In the framing sequence, we have Theo visit a catholic Priest to recount the events of the issue, but the priest mentions that while Theo is there confessing, Black Adam is simultaneously brokering for peace with the Sanheoli. Two Adams two different places. Did Sargon's spell split Theo and Adam, and Adam is the one who put on the Mask? If not, then who put on the mask? Is Nergal truly defeated after his brief skirmish with Adam? Subtitles: "Long Division" , "Severance" , "Kismet" , "Road Rage" , "The Two Adams" , "Dusted"

Still really into this. Rafa is killing it on art, and Priest is wielding a machine gun filled with twists and turns that are driving me crazy. Definitely subverting my expectations from issue to issue, and I love the spoon fed revelations that keep the plot as a whole engaging. We get some great developments in this chapter, and I'm very excited to get to the bottom of this wild kahndaqi rollercoaster of a story that is Black Adam!

Still great!

This is the book you need to buy every month. By some crazy comic calculus, I can prove that out of every single book that comes out in the month of October, this one will give you the most bang for your buck.

The best book DC is putting out! Memories of Mighty Adam unfold, the mystery of mystery unravels as we gain a glimpse into the hubris and hypocrisy of Mamaragan's Dark Champion! Akkad arrives to enact their agenda! Nergal's nefarious schemes brew while he enjoys endless thin mints! What has risen amongst the people of Kahndaq? Seeds sown bear names of their own: Rebellion! Revolution!

At the end of the day, I express great pride in saying that I spent $10 on this book solely for the Grant Morrison story. And you know what, it was totally worth it. And it said to be continued at the end! Please Moz! Multiversity Too! Also, that Rachel Pollack tribute was beautiful. I wish DC would do that for more creators when they pass instead of just one page ad. Having writers recount stories and their own experiences with the deceased I feel allows the readership to unlock a new dimension of that writer, and truly cement them in the tapestry forever. The people who make these books are just as important as the characters that appear in them, and I would love to see more of their stories told.

The highlight of my month. Worlds will die, hearts will break, and the union of will and love shall shock the multiverse like never before. Multi-Crisis on Intimate Earths!

Best book DC is putting out right now. Much needed refresh opposed to the constant universe ending eventgasm spewed from the Depressoverse. I love the experimental art styles Sharp has been alternating between this season. Him and Morrison are really the last bastion of true artistic ingenuity and character driven storytelling at DC. Great Silver Age cuts, awesome fights, and tight dialogue that maintains the gripping flow of this series. PREPARE FOR THE ULTRAWAR! THE MULTI-CRISIS IS NEAR!

Can't deny that with Morrison, love him or hate him, you will always find something to enjoy in one of his books. We see the Weaponeer's true force in this issue and it's both terrifying and awesome. We get a scene where a squad of Lanterns are cut down by one sharpshooter (John Stewart analogue possibly?) and its just fucking brutal. Lantern Ryk is by far the best addition to this season, but two characters standout in this book: Nurse Leylo and the enigmatic animal trader Crassus Qwipe-6. Crassus has a standout moment where he hulks out (not unlike Squanchy from R&M) and takes down a Weaponeer. With the Weaponeer's seemingly unbeatable strength, it seems that we are due for an even fight what with Hal getting a new Battery/Ring upgrade back in issue 1 that allows him to perform unseen universally powerful feats (planet 8-ball anyone?). No mention of the Ultrawar/Multi-Crisis this issue but we do get Hal's supposed death and rebirth into Spectre-Hal?! DC's best of course, no contest.

Wow. Morrison's departure following the conclusion of this series will leave an immense void, a hole in things if you will, that will never be repleted in this generation.

Absolutely brilliant. The true war with the anti-world is not between the Lanterns and the Weaponeers, but between 666 and the Qwa-Masters. "HATE DEATH PAIN KILL!"

MULTI-CRISIS ON INTIMATE EARTHS Never did I think I would see a Green Lantern book that looked like a flagship Vertigo title. Sharp & Morrison are revolutionaries as far a I see it. Incel Lantern made my week. As the Wedding of Hyperboy and Princess Illistra enthralls the denizens of Kranaltine, the true Union of the Trillenium shocks the Multiverse as Will and Love remain in constant synchrony across endless worlds.

It perplexes me how Vendetti shines on books like this and the digital Superman title, yet makes JL so mundane?

The "villain is defeated by absorbing too much" trope is overused as hell but WHO CARES because we get a happy ending and the JSA too! It's so refreshing to read a book that doesn't have grand multiversal/world ending stakes, or in this case one that does but doesn't overblow it and keeps it character focused. Excited to see Carter and Shiera back in the 1940's alongside our dear Society.

Holy shit this is absolutely fantastic. What a shame to end this run, but at least it'll go out with a bang. Omnibus please!

I still think the Fantastic Four/Hulk dichotomy is absolutely genius. Issue #50 can't get here fast enough!

Crisis of Confidence amongst the JLA! Doubt and mistrust strike at the heart of the league as the wicked Construct orchestrates doom for the heroes. To be a League united, there can be no cynics, and as this issue shows, true belief in the power of good and your own allies will combat any enemy that dares stand against you!

It isn't everyday you buy a comic that's worth every penny. Give me Morrison's endless explosion of ideas that make an issue worth reading over all the crap DC is publishing nowadays while stamping it with a "Batman" logo. I live for the utilization of the actual DC universe outside of Gotham for god's sake. Sadly the only popular books on this site are the soulless stream of bat-fam content hyper-saturating the shelves. The Empty Hand has won my friends. Enjoy oblivion, you brought it upon yourselves.

The highlight of my week! Hoping we get some confirmation on the members of Ultra-Humanite's Authority; I'm pretty sure I've spotted Eclipso, Fleur De Lis, Coldcast, but still iffy on the electric girl and if that's Ibac or Iron Cross. Dreading the next issue due to the fact that it'll be the last DC Morrison work we'll get for a while.

The opening chapter of Alan Moore's Fourth Volume of Swamp Thing begins a transition from the classic creatures of the night featured during the first half of the "American Gothic" storyline, to the new age horrors plaguing 1980's Urban America. "Windfall" tackles the US Drug Epidemic, featuring two tales of death, delirium, and revelation. The ending is brilliant; though forbidden fruit entices hallucinogenic providence, it all hinges on the polarity of one's soul. When you chase the answers, don't be surprised if it's something you don't want to see.

PRIEST IS BACK! The goat himself is once again setting the record straight for DC's villains; enough with the anti-hero bullshit, they are the bad guys! Sandoval's art is awesome, but I'm sure you already knew that before picking this up. I think that the most divisive part of this issue is the new OC Malik Adam, who of course comes off as a snarky loudmouth (but remember ladies and gents, that's what character arcs are for!). His dialogue is pretty hilarious though (granted this is coming from a 19 year old). The supporting cast was fun, and i'm still trying to figure out if Shep is an OC or from some ancient set of back issue Captain Marvel stories. Interesting set of characters at the end (a chef?), and the twist is pretty obvious but the murder mystery and death sentence plots will sustain me until next issue. The pacing is wonderful, and I feel like I got my money's worth from this book. Working on annotations as you read this...

Absolutely fascinating. Even with a couple story strands left to the winds, the main pathos Black Adam has been tackling across these twelve issues is brought to an impasse: the Red Sea is pulled apart by mortality's revelation as Theo Adam embarks on a new dawn. He is no longer a slave to a legacy of ebony lightning that has chained him to the Sinai. He's emerged from a staring match with the abyss, scathed, and yet liberated. Black Adam will return, but Theo Adam's long march is just beginning.

I really enjoyed the panel recreations from Johns Shazam backups during the N52. Interesting that Black Adam encountered the Darkseid clone one month ago, and yet only beat him the day before the Shakur/Malik stuff according to the timeline proposed last issue. I'm sure this will be explained and more fleshed out in the coming chapters.

Eddy Barrows' art is top tier! And that prose page with Priest's thesis on Black Adam was PEAK. Here are some annotations I compiled: -We finally meet the "wife" of Shakur Nassar and get the rest of Teth-Adam's revamped backstory. -Nassar's wife is Oni Grace, a character I'm not sure has been pre-established before this issue. She seems to be a temptress and a manipulator with ambitions and unknown motives. -We learn that Mighty Adam had built a secret getaway so he could retire and become mortal in his off-hours. One day he is attacked by a resurrected Ibac and his master, Mereuka, leader of the Circle of Crows (minions of the Nth World). Adam escapes, but Ibac releases Mamaragan from his slumber, resulting in Adam being banished to space. -The getaway temple Adam had constructed ended up becoming Kahndaq. Jasmin returns the signet/ring to Black Adam. Will combining the two rings cure Malik of the plague? -Did Oni Grace kill Shakur? -Is Oni Grace a version of Amazing Grace from Darkseid's Elite? -Now we know why #5 was called 2325; because that was the year Black Adam was banished. -It's been mentioned multiple times now the fact that Black Adam talks about these Egyptian Pharaohs even though he was banished to space long before they were born. Adam explains (in #6 IIRC) that lightspeed travel warps time, allowing him to be on Earth during times he shouldn't be. -What is the mystery within mystery of Black Adam? -What is Ishtar's intent with Malik? -Subtitles: "For All & None" , "Romulans" , "The Widow" , "The Overcoat"

Engleheart takes on a herculean endeavor of establishing linear continuity in the DCU, tying the history of the JLA with the sprawl of the Silver Age. Though Crisis was around the corner, this issue is seminal to the team's history.

"I hope you don't mind my saying so, sir but...that growl in your voice-the one you used to have to practice before you went out as Batman?" "mm." "You're doing it all the time, sir."

"Enough! You dishonor your sensei with this loss of composure! Your rage is born of fear and is unbefitting in a student of the martial arts!"

"What was your father like? Was he tough?" "He was a good man. A doctor. He died when I wasn't much older than you are now."

"Life...and death. The joke...and the punchline"

"There's something that's always fascinated me. What do eccentric men who have everything do when they get bored?"

"The Black Glove has chosen you to represent good in a contest between good and evil. You are losing. Shall we raise the stakes gentlemen? We have your children. Advantage evil." "Hh, I don't think so."

"The Black Glove is closing around you, Batman, while I...I can't be touched!"

"We are operators at the highest level." "Believe me, everything you've heard about the Black glove is true. Call me Doctor Hurt. Come, take your place for the Danse Macabre."

-Random thought from last issue: if the circle of crows are servants of the nth world, and the nth world is Thanagar, does that mean that they are Thanagarians or evil hath-set bad guys? Could this lead to a unified Egyptian DC lore that folds in Doctor Fate/Nabu, Khufu/Hawkman, and Teth Adam!?!? -Final confirmation? Teth-Adam created the Akkad by breathing in the space dust! -So the mystery is revealed? Adam can access the memories of his progeny/descendants! The original Theo Adam from Pre-Flashpoint continuity was a descendant of Black Adam, and his soul was possessed once he said SHAZAM. Black Adam would eventually expel the Theo persona during Johns' JSA. -So the nth metal signet rings and the power of Shazam are the floodgates holding back this mysterious plague that is consuming both Malik and Teth-Adam. -The Fawcett lore! Ibac was originally a dude named Stanley Printwhistle, imbued by powers given to him by Satan himself IIRC. -So apparently the Circle of Crows pick an orphan every generation to host Ibac, and this incarnation seems tired of the neverending cycle of revenge: he sees himself and Adam as relics that have overstayed their welcome and are just pawns of Oni Grace's machinations. -No idea who the Sanheoli are, but why is Nergal trying to use them specifically as a tool in his agenda (that we don't know yet)? -When he refers to the man that raised him, is he talking about his dad Anu or is he talking about Adam (since he technically created all the Akkad)? -So Ishtar possesses Jasmin and is using her to fulfill her fantasies? Or is she trying to start a fight between him and Malik on purpose? -Subtitles: "Love & War" , "Strike Force" , "Probable Cause" , "Unexpected" , "Stanley" , "Flattered"

"In the Absence of Adam..." Hard to do better than the brilliance of last issue, but still fun as always! Loved Luis and Trindade as fill-ins, and this one-off with Mirror Master ended up being a whole lot of fun!

"I don't approve of weed." Great issue with a lot of expansion of the Multiversal lore that Grant has been creating since Final Crisis (or even earlier!). The police procedural stuff dealing with the anti-matter mining colony is pretty enjoyable too. I also annotated this issue here: https://sonofbatmann.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-green-lantern-10-annotations.html

I can tell this is gonna be a slow burn. Really enjoying the detective/procedural themes Morrison has inserted in the story. Sharp's art is absolutely phenomenal. The best moments include the return of Evil Star, new Lanterns, and a classic Justice League villain's (Kanjar Ro) race coming in to cause trouble for Hal. Nice book, but nothing mind-blowing.

AFTER ENDLESS COMMUNION WITH THE HYPERGODS BEYOND THE OVERVOID, MAGUS MORRISON HAS FINALLY UNLOCKED THE LOST VARIABLE OF THE SILVER-AGE EQUATION: CAMP DIALOGUE! CAMP DIALOGUE + ONE-OFF VILLAIN / LOVE INTEREST * SELF-CENTERED CONTINUITY = UNIQUE PIECE OF COMIC LITERATURE THAT WILL CONFUSED BASED FANS!!! WITH THIS ULTIMATE WEAPON LEFT OVER FROM THE ENTROPY WARS, WILL OUR HEROES BE ABLE TO DEFEAT THE NEVERENDING DEPRESSOVERSE INFECTION THAT PLAGUES THE COMIC INDUSTRY? FIND OUT THIS WEEK IN "THE GREEN LANTERN: SEASON TWO #4: GOLDEN GIANTS OF NEO-PANGEA!"

Great start to essentially the stopgap between Season 1 and 2 of Morrison's GL Run. This issue takes place in the new timeline altered by Hal Jordan's use of the Miracle Machine, remaking the reality in Controller Mu's image. In this new reality the GL Corps never existed, with the Guardians having been exterminated millennia ago. Hal and Belzebeth have pretty much been just taking out every planet level threat and converting them into the Blackstar doctrine, leaving no opposition. I appreciate Morrison's references to the old Moore GL story "Tygers", with mentions of Guardian skin being fashioned into toilet seats and drums as well as the intro to the descendants of the Five Inversions, the Demons of Ysmault that Atrocitus once belonged to. I always love a competent Mongul (FTMWHE, Sinestro Corps), but sadly he gets taken down fairly quickly by the legions of Mu's will. We also got to see a Blackstar Jess Cruz and Simon Baz which I thought were nice touches. I don't know how I feel about the Hal x Bee romance we get here, but you could argue that there was quite a bit of tension during issue 5 of Season 1 while Hal was being initiated on the Vampire Planet. Even though the book was just exposition, I enjoy the fact that Morrison has put the time into developing the Blackstars into a different kind of threat that the Corps has to eventually take down. No more colored lantern corps, no more entities, just vampire queens and omnipotent oans.

Too short!

Betty/Red Harpy and Joe Fixit are such a fun dynamic that will be greatly missed. Though Gamma Flight seems to have a good amount of correlation with Immortal Hulk, I wonder if Ewing's Defenders will be the same way. And also, 80 pages for issue #50? Count me in!

Spotlight on some of the underused leaguers: Aquaman, Elongated Man, & The Atom. Ray's internal struggles of inferiority and feelings of uselessness among the other leaguers brings a lot of depth to his character, while the new arrivals of Willow and Construct are a blast to read. Construct is essentially a pre-Cameron Terminator, hellbent on annihilation and oppression. Willow is a confident and powerful elemental on the run, helping Ray get his mojo back while kicking some ass.

Never picked up an Xmen comic in my entire life, and this did not disappoint. Cat Beast is the only thing to get used to.

Great tight dialogue and Quietly's pencils always knock it out of the park.

"Damian is a wonderchild. And Batman, his father, belongs to me. Not to her."

Mark Waid has forgotten that comics should be poetry. He is now debasing his craft to write brain-dead smash-em ups that cannibalize the Silver Age in the most uninteresting ways. This is truly the darkest era in DC Comics history.

This comic epitomizes what is wrong with DC. You have two mercenaries in Snyder and Williamson leading the pack of mundane and uninspired writers. These are cannibals, picking at the feet of their betters, scraping the tombstone library of story-past for any epitaph to sustain an event or story arc or whatever you want to call the derivative droll they put out. Long gone are the days of wonder, the imaginary beyonds of Fox and Broome and Haney and Kanigher. Julie Schwartz would be turning in his grave. Jack Kirby too. There is a reason for the alienation of true auteurs in this industry: Morrison, Moore, Gaiman. Because even as they try to bring comic books back to their roots of poetry and mythology, the Empty Hand manifests itself to reap. They came, they conquered, and they departed after realizing there were better things to do than play back & forth with the carrion crows who run DC. DC has been hanging under the fangs of the Empire of Mammon since the Golden Age, when Liebowitz and Donnenfeld stripped the company from its original owner, Major Wheeler-Nicholson. What's happening now is more insidious. An ultra-pollution of the narrative, a sacrifice submitted to strobe-torture before being disemboweled. These people are going to ruin everything just to feed their wallets. If you don't believe me, read this book: "WHAT IF EVERYONE JOINED THE JUSTICE LEAGUE?" "WHAT IF DARKSEID AND THE SPECTRE MERGED?" "WHAT IF DARKSEID FOUGHT EVERYBODY AND BEAT THEM WITH HIS LAZER BEAMS?" "WHAT IF HE MADE A BAD UNIVERSE WHERE EVERYTHING IS BADDER AND MORE BAD?" "wait, don't we already have Earth-3 and the Antimatter Univ-" "WHAT IF EVERYBODY WAS A DARKSEID AND THEY HAD HIS LOGO?" "WHAT IF EARTH ONE WORKED OUT BECAUSE IT WAS WRITTEN BY US AND WE MADE EVERYBODY TOTALLY EDGY AND ULTIMATE AND MARK MILLAR AND METAL AND FRANK MILLER AND BRIAN AZZARELLO AND SO COOL?" "DO YA GET IT? 52 DAYS EARLIER? 52 DAYS LATER? REMEMBER THAT WEEKLY BOOK WRITTEN BY TALENTED WRITERS? REMEMBER THAT PUBLISHING INITIATIVE THAT FUCKED EVERYTHING UP?" "WHAT IF DARKSEID WAS MAD ABOUT BEING DARKSEID, BUT WHAT HE REALLY WANTED WAS TO BE DARKSEID IN DARKSEID LAND, WHERE BEING DARKSEID WAS COOL?" "WHAT IF ALL OF OUR CHARACTERS EXPLAINED EVERYTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING AND SAID EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE THINKING AND FEELING AND THEIR MOTIVATIONS WERE SIMPLE AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND? MAN, WRITING COMICS SURE IS EASY!" "HEY, IT'S THE MIRACLE MACHINE! REMEMBER THAT? I READ A GRANT MORRISON COMIC GUYS! I LOVE LOOKING AT ALL THOSE PRETTY PICTURES IN THAT GRANT MORRISON COMIC!" "DARKSEID DARKSEID DARKSEID OMEGA BEAMS DARKSEID APOKOLIPS I DIDN'T REALLY GET FINAL CRISIS BUT I READ THE DC WIKI PAGE DARKSEID DARKSEID DARKSEID!" If there is one redeemable quality, it is the art. Sampere and Craig are very talented. It's a shame they have to waste their time drawing absolute nonsense. At least they get a check.

Not big into current comics recently, but I felt I had to pick this up. Was not disappointed whatsoever. I pray for the day that mainstream heroes are allowed to evolve into new configurations like this, innovative status quos that stay true to the heart and history of the character. Very hyped to see where this one goes.

One of the best Lex Luthor stories ever.