Alright, I should be working on comix. I mean, I got two pages inked tonight after nearly sweating to death at the Mill today, so I suppose I'm doing alright. Whatever. Anyway, instead of further working I'm gonna blog about stuff. Cool?
Recently, DC released "Infinity Man and the Forever People" #1. I bought it, cause it was worth a shot. Did I like it? Well, it was kinda "eh" really, but there's enough there to at least try Issue 2 to see if it picks up.
My biggest problem with the comic, though, was the abysmal pace, a running theme of modern comics. I miss the Silver Age approach to comics, and I miss Kirby's Mad Dash Style comics from the 70s. I know other people thought Kirby's 70s work was too much, too fast, but I love it.
Maybe I got ADD. I dunno.
Anyway, I decided to compare the modern "Infinity Man and the Forever People" #1 with "The Forever People" #1 by the KING of COMICS, Jack Kirby. Let's rock.
Forever People Page 1:
3 panel stack. We get a wilderness environment and our first glimpse of a Boom Tube. That's right, on page 1, Kirby has created something Brand New (and dynamic) to Comics. Teleportation? Boring. Let's create EXPLODING TUNNELS THROUGH SPACE AND TIME!!!!! AND CALL IT A BOOOOOOOM TUBE! COMIX!
Sorry. Got carried away.
Infinity Man and the Forever People Page 1:
4 panel grid. Shot of outer space leading to a post apocalyptic environment, leading to a shiny, futuristic landscape. I admit, this is a cool page. It's very Impressionistic and chock full of speed lines and Kirby Crackle. It's kinda hard to tell what we're looking at, but that's half the fun. We get text throughout that is some sort of College Commencement Speech that sorta explains what we're looking at. Apparently, in the New 52 DCU, New Genesis is a wasteland for some reason. Wonder what happened?
Forever People Page 2-3:
Double Page Spread featuring the Forever People and their Super Cycle exploding out of a Boom Tube. We get Mark Moonrider, Serafin, and Vykin clinging to the Super Cycle for Dear Life with looks of terror on their faces, while Big Bear (the driver) is having the time of his life. That pretty much tells us everything we need to know about Big Bear right there. The Super Cycle is an absolutely crazy piece of design work, and, again, on Page 2 we get some Crazy New Thing. None of the characters are identified yet.
IM&TFP Page 2-3:
Double Page Spread. That's pretty cool that both comics have Doubles on Pages 2-3. Anyway, we get a shot of New Genesis, which in this version is a mix of craggy rocks and shiny tubes. Very cool, very Kirby, but again, why is New Genesis kinda sad looking? Did I miss something? Anyway, there's an Inset Panel featuring a girl running through a crowd. A text block says that this is "Boom Tube Central".
FP Page 4:
5 panel page (One single top, two doubles). The Super Cycles "lands" and almost crashes into a car, but "phases out" to avoid the collision. Mark and Big Bear spend most of the page bickering about how bad a driver Big Bear is. Anyway, not only can the Super Cycle fly, it can also phase through solid matter, which is pretty handy. More craziness.
IM&TFP Page 4:
4 Panel Page. A black girl dashes around until she finds a man called Mark (Mark Moonrider obviously) who is squatting in front of some machine. We get more of the bizarre geography of New Genesis, but other than that, this page is kind of a wash. Moving on.
FP Page 5:
6 Panel Page. The car veers off the side of road and flies off a cliff, but is stopped in mid-air, and is reeled back in to safety by an invisible force. It is revealed that the large box that Vykin is carrying is, in fact, a Mother Box (which makes a Ping-Ping-Ping noise), which is what saved the nice couple in the car from falling to their doom. Vykin (groan, the Black. Kirby was extremely progressive when it came to race in comics, but his names could be a bit... outdated) and Mark Moonrider officially introduce themselves. Vykin attempts to explain what a Mother Box is (It's not just an intelligent computer! She talks to us--Protects Us!). If you know anything about the 4th World, you know how important Mother Boxes are to the story, and here we have the first one introduced on Page 5. Take note: Every page we have had something NEW introduced. Kirbycrazy.
IM&TFP Page 5:
6 Panel Page. Wow, that's uncanny. Anyway, Mark can't get his Mother Box to work, while some crazy, dirty looking girl babbles away behind them. The black girl is identified as Serafina, which means that we've turned Serifan from the original series into a Black Girl. I have no problem with this, because comics need more strong Black Female characters. I do miss the cowboy hat though. Man, New Genesis looks so grungy. Why?
FP Page 6:
One big top panel, two lower panels. We get a nice introductory shot of our four protagonists. Big Bear and Serifan are officially introduced, and Serifan picks some flowers for the girl from the car to help calm her down. This is one of those weird, cheesy, Kirby flourishes that most people find offputting, but I kinda like it. Kirby is a very plot driven writer, so these little moments help to humanize characters that might get lost in the rush of Plot. Beautiful Dreamer is mentioned, and so is the villain of the 4th World Saga, Darkseid. Otherwise, this is the calmest page of the issue so far.
IM&TFP Page 6:
One big top panel, two lower panels. Say what?!? Are you guys doing this on purpose? Anyway, the top panel introduces an angry woman in a yellow outfit, and an angrier, bald black man in a green outfit. The black man is Vykin, and apparently Serafina is his sister, which is, of course, completely new to this version of the series. Apparently Vykin doesn't want his sister hanging out with Mark, because Mark is some kind of rebel who doesn't like Highfather. This is a definite shift from the original series, since Mark was the "Play-by-the-rules-leader-guy", and now he's a rebel. Other than that, nothing much here.
FP Page 7:
2X2panels and one large bottom panel. The teens see a flash of light, which the Forever People identify as the Boom Tube fading out. The teens drive off to snap a picture of the Boom Tube to show to their friend Jimmy Olsen (Jimmy Olsen was part of the 4th World Cycle). Serifan falls into a trance and contacts Beautiful Dreamer. Again, a "slow" panel by Kirby standards, but it also propels the story forward quite well.
IM&TFP Page 7:
6 panel page. Okay, they're not completely aping the original. That's good. Everyone bickers and Vykin accidentally touches the Mother Box, activating it. That's it, although Vykin mentions that Serafina can't use Cosmic Cartridges, which is weird, since in the originals, the Cosmic Cartridge was Serafin's primary "weapon". Maybe they'll expand on this later. Maybe not.
FP Page 8:
6 panel page. A group of Intergang troopers who look like something out of a Sci-fi movie are lurking at the bushes, aiming weapons at the Forever People. Their boss, who looks like an old school gangster, tells the troops to chill and contacts Darkseid via video phone. Darksied tells em to trail the kids. I think Intergang was introduced in Jimmy Olsen before this issue came out, and I think we've seen Darksied once before (also in Jimmy Olsen), so there's nothing new on this page, but we get some dramatic tension and the introduction of some antagonists.
IM&TFP Page 8:
4 panel page. The Mother Box explodes to life and Ping-Pings. The New Forever People are confused. A mysterious hooded figure appears and talks to Vykin (whose last name is Baldaur, apparently). Not much else here, but the colors on this page are very cool, and there's a ton of Kirby Crackle, so that's cool.
FP Page 9:
2X3X2 panel page. Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent talks to a World Champion Prize Fighter who is frustrated because he'll never be as strong as Superman. This page basically just sets up the Superman guest appearance for the comic, but it's worth mentioning that Kirby was setting up for a story where Superman no longer feels at home on Earth. Of course, he never really got to tell that story, but whatever. Moving on.
IM&TFP Page 9:
6 Panel Page. I do like Giffen's use of Simple Grids. The grid format may not be very fancy, but it is great for strong storytelling. Anyway, the hooded figure is revealed to be Himon, who in this version is apparently the Headmaster at the Forever People's school (I liked him better as the rebellious teacher in the original version, but whatever). Himon says that Vykin has to go with the other Forever People to Earth because he is the only one who can activate the Mother Box. The woman in Yellow is identified as Azur Te (who?), who is apparently, Vykin's rather disinterested girlfriend. Mostly character stuff. Moving on.
FP Page 10:
6 Panel Page. Clark ponders Superman's place on Earth. Jimmy Olsen comes in with the pictures the kids from before took (man, they drove fast!). Clark looks at the picture. It's kind of nonsensical that so much happens so fast, but at least this moves the plot along, as we're working Superman into the plot of the story, while still setting up for the story that never quite happened (or at least not the way it was supposed to).
IM&TFP Page 10:
1X1X2 stack. The new Forever People fall into the Boom Tube and end up crash landing on earth (this time, without their handy dandy Super Cycle. Looks like in the New Era the Forever People have gotta hoof it, poor guys). We get text panels depicting a conversation between two people, one of which appears to be a computer. The text reveals more about Vykin and Mark Moonrider.
FP Page 11:
Using his Super Vision, Clark sees a "Super City" at the end of the Boom Tube in the picture. Clark is intrigued. It's worth noting that all of the heads of Clark/Superman, and Jimmy Olsen were redrawn by another artist, so they both look off. Stupid, old school DC Editorial.
IM&TFP Page 11: The Forever People continue to crash land, and we get info on Serafina and the grungy woman is identified as Dreamer Beautiful (why is the name reversed?) Big Bear shows up. He looks more or less the same, except he now has a haircut and is all scruffy. No headgear either. At least we get some answers on this page, and the introduction of the last core member of our team. That's nice.
FP Page 12:
3X1 Panel Page. Clark decides he wants to learn more about Super Town, so he takes off as Superman to find the Forever People. So now we got Superman into the story. Why not?
IM&FP Page 12:
1X2X2 Panel Page. Big Bear introduces the other Forever People to Earth, specifically, Venice Beach, California. That's it.
FP Page 13:
6 Panel Page. Intergang, in a helicopter, spots Superman and contacts Darksied, who tells them to deal with the Man of Steel. It's Action Time, baby!
IM&FP Page 13:
6 Panel Page. The Forever People walk to their apartment, see a bum, and bicker some more. Lotta bickering in this book.
FP Page 14:
6 Panel Page. Superman finds the Forever People (that was easy) and swoops down to talk to them. Before he can do much, he gets zapped by rays shot by the bad guys in the helicopter. Supes responds by picking up a small tree... (this is Kirby action, by the by, so it is wild, kinetic, and explosive. Gotta love it.)
IM&TFP Page 15:
2X1 Panel Page. The Forever People enter their new apartment, which is full of crazy hi-tech Kirby style technology. We discover that the computer voice that Big Bear was talking to earlier is named Kirby (I applaud this nice little touch. OH! I forgot to mention that Kirby is credited as the creator of the Forever People on the cover. Thank you for that DC. You're doing better than Marvel, who don't wanna credit Kirby for nothing.) Nice page.
FP Page 16:
6 Panel Page. Superman throws the tree, destroying the bad guys' helicopter (YES!!!!!). The Bad Guys parachute to safety (Kirby didn't go around killing anymore than he just had to). The Forever People briefly talk to Supes, but they've gotta get a move on, because Beautiful Dreamer is nearby. I love a good Kirby action scene, and this one has a helicopter getting impaled by a tree and being ripped into tissue paper.
IM&TFP Page 16:
4 Panel Page. Mark and Big Bear talk a little before Himon calls up and interrupts. Big Bear doesn't like authority either, so apparently Big Bear and Mark are gonna get along okay in this version, as opposed to the original where they were slightly contentious. Fair enough.
FP Page 17:
2X2X1 Panel Page. Supes holds back the kids because he sees a strange metal valve underground. The Valve Triggers releasing a deadly Toxi-Cloud! Rut-roh! Supes rushes off to do something heroic...
IM&TFP Page 17:
1X2X2 Panel Page. On a scientifically advanced farm in the Sudan, two men in sci-fi outfits are running from something. This is as close as we've come to action in this comic so far, so that's something I suppose.
FP Page 18:
2X1X2 Panel Page. Speaking of action, Superman creates a whirlwind that draws away the Toxi-Cloud. Having barely saved the day, Supes is grabbed by hulking purple men. These men are Gravi-Guards who can "Transmit Gravity Waves from Heavy Mass Galaxies--We Can Hold Any Super-Being!" Yeah, how crazy is this! Just like that we've got new bad guys who can actually outmuscle Superman because they're sucking down Mass Gravity from Beyond the Reaches of Space!!! Ahem, got excited again. Sorry.
IM&TFP Page 19:
6 Panel Page. The two men lock themselves in a silo, but a bad guy drops down from the ceiling anyway. That can't be good.
FP Page 19:
2X1X2 Panel Page. The Forever People use the Mother Box to enact a "ritual" which causes them to vanish in a flash of light with the Magic Word "Tarru". The Gravi-Guards are probably in trouble now. Also, we're back to having new stuff on the page. Yay!
IM&TFP Page 20:
4 Panel Page. Bug men attack the two men. Nice action.
FP Page 21:
4 Panel Page. The Infinity Man appears and starts tossing around the Gravi-Guards like they're made of feathers. That's because the Infinity Man comes from a place beyond our world where Anti-Gravity can be used to counteract Gravity, because why not? This is COMIX! The Infinity Man saves Superman by tossing the last Gravity Guard through THREE TREES. That will give a guy a migraine. For practice I drew this page once. I love this page. It's crazy.
IM&TFP Page 21:
Splash Page. Mantis and his minions appear. I always liked Manis, so it's cool to see him. Of course, he doesn't actually do anything, because in comics nowadays we just have the bad guy show up and don't bother to have them do anything for an issue or two or three. Also, it's worth mentioning that even though this book is called "infinity Man and the Forever People", the Infinity Man never shows up and isn't even hinted at.
Anyway, this is where Issue One of Infinity Man and the Forever People ends. Cover Price is $2.99. We basically get some light introductions, some interesting settings, a lot of bickering, and a little bit of action. Meanwhile, the Forever People is still going, so...
FP Page 22:
2X1X2 Panel Page. Supes and the Infinity Man have a brief conversation, and the Infinity Man, in dynamic Kirby fashion, calls out Darksied, who appears. This is the first full body appearance of Darksied, who, strangely enough, doesn't get a full Splash Page introduction. That's really weird now that I think about it. Darkseid, the great evil of the series, just kind of shows up.
FP Page 23:
6 Panel Page. Darkseid reveals the last member of the Forever People, Beautiful Dreamer, who is serenely sleeping on a table which, of course, has a bunch of Radion Bombs strapped to it (I don't think Radion is ever actually explained in Kirby's run, all I know is that it can kill New Gods. Sounds cool, though). Anyway, Darkseid says some scary stuff and vanishes, leaving Supes to fly off with the Infinity Man and Beautiful Dreamer before the bombs explode in a wave of Kirby Crackle. I like that Supes can save the day back in these old comics. I don't think he gets to do that anymore nowadays.
FP Page 24:
6 Panel Page. The Infinity Man tuns back into the Forever People, who reunite with an awakened Beautiful Dreamer. There's no time to hang out though, as Superman has questions about SuperTown.
FP Page 25:
3X1X2 Panel Page. The Forever People open up a Boom Tube, and Supes flies inside, thinking he can find "his people" in SuperTown.
FP Page 26:
2X2X3 Panel Page. Supes realizes that something bad might happen to Earth while he is gone, so he decides to turn back, just in case. The Boom Tube fades (well, explodes) away, leaving Superman with a fleeting glance at SuperTown, and a sense of longing for a world full of people that might be like him.
The Original Forever People is longer than the new version, and only cost 15 cents. Wow, comics are expensive nowadays. Anyway, the first issue of the Forever People has the introduction of a ton of new characters, a good amount of action, and a crazy new concept on just about every page. Also, Superman spearing helicopters with trees.
The Question I find myself asking more and more is this: Why do I bother reading new comics when they are so painfully inferior to Kirby's stuff from around 4 decades ago? Step your game up, American comics. Tom Scioli and Brandon Graham are exempted from this statement. You gentlemen rule. Everyone else, go back and reread the 4th World and figure out how to make Comics into COMIX again. Seriously.
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