Infinity Man and the Forever People #1 review


A quartet of graduates from an extra-dimensional academy are sent to Earth, to bring harmony to a world racked with conflict and disease. But dark forces from their homeland are waiting, and they won't be making things easy for the Forever People.

That's the idea behind this new series and it's a case of so far, so great. Keith Giffen and Dan DiDio reintroduce Jack Kirby's Seventies team in the revised DC Universe continuity, making the odd tweak to the line-up. So Serafin is now female, black and the sister of Vykin. I see the thinking - diversity and potential for different character dynamics - but boy, I'm missing the goofy space cowboy look. Who knows though, Serafina could always pick up a bullet-laden hat at her new home on Venice Beach.

I'm not a big fan of Kirby's Fourth World books (possibly because I've read only a handful) but I loved this comic from start to finish. The constant flow of barmy concepts and larger than life characters is certainly in line with the King's output; heck, Kirby himself becomes a supporting character of sorts, and a very appropriate one too.

As well as spunky Serafina and bad boy Vykin, there's rebel with a cause Mark Moonrider, the seemingly scatty Beautiful Dreamer (though it now seems to be Dreamer Beautiful, which misses the point - hopefully this is just letterer Travis Lanham having a 'moment') and my instant favourite, the sweet Big Bear. He's already on Earth when the young gods of New Genesis arrive via Boom Tube, ready to help the newcomers acclimatise and, hopefully, succeed in their mission.  


The first couple of pages focusing on the kids includes a fair bit of bickering, and I feared this would be a grumpy New 52 book in line with early Justice Leagues, but no, this really is a Giffen and DiDio story, full of good-natured souls. There's just the right amount of humour, including a wee nod to Kirby's Marvel work.


I'm assuming that as with their previous teaming on OMAC, Giffen is taking the lead on plotting and providing breakdowns for assured inker Scott Koblish, while DiDio collaborates and scripts. Whatever the working practices, the results are superb. The book looks amazing, a perfect pastiche without being a stiff tracing job. The compositions are big enough, the finishing bold enough for any deity. And Hi-Fi's colours are eye-poppingly in your face, just the right side of migraine. I feel like pausing this review to go back and look at the whole thing again, from the bright and beautiful cover to the brash final image.

As for DiDio, this is the best dialogue I've seen from him, with a nice balance between the grandiloquent and the grounded. There's an awful lot of set-up here, but it's woven into a fast-paced opening chapter with deceptive ease and not a little wit. I want to know more about every character and don't mind at all that so far there's no mention of any Infinity Man. I expect he'll show up next issue as the cliffhanger collides with our young heroes.

In the Seventies, the Forever People were basically super-powered Flower Children, and to an extent they're still that - idealists on a multiversal mission, hoping to change reality, one world at a time. You could also see them as Mormon elders, sent far from home to spread their gospel, but with wilder suits. Whatever the case, just see them - this series has enormous promise and I'd hate it to vanish after eight issues, as did OMAC. People like me are constantly pointing out that DC's current publishing line needs more fun, well, here it is.

At least I think so. Give Infinity Man and the Forever People #1 a look and see if you agree.

Comments

  1. Basd on this I'll have to give this a look, something I do less and less of with DC.

    Can't say I love some of the ideas; Vyking a 'bad boy'?
    Serafina will have the hardest work to do as Serafyn was my favourite. A golden boy hippie with those crazy cosmic cartridges (always saw them as space lsd rather than bullets).

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    1. Not 'bad' bad, more short-fused!

      I agree on Serafina, a name which makes me think of that film of a few years back.

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    2. So I picked it up & now I feel weirdly gritty.
      Saw some familiar names like Himon and wondered how the new Gods cosmology is going to be applied.
      Wasn't a fan of the instant hate-fest between Moonstar & Vyking. Not the kind of conflict that adds much for my tastes.
      They shaved Big Bear? Awright.

      The hardest and unexpected hurdle was the Kirby Engine, written obviously as a homage, but by people who've made it pretty plain this is as far as their respect goes. Will the book bring a measure of justice & recognition to his heirs? Or did rhe lawyers say this was 'safe'?

      Deciding whether to get a second issue wikl probably be quite a tussel for me.
      But thanks for your review giving me the chance to think it through.

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    3. Oh dear, sorry in contributed to you buying the book, Ric!

      I'm not sure why this book might feed into ongoing Kirby family court battles, aren't they about Marvel? As for lack of respect, the whole project seems seeped in respect and love of Kirby. It's a new continuity, so there are changes - DC seems to think it's necessary to show they All New - but they're really putting Kirby's greatness front and centre. After reading this issue I want to read issue two, but I also want to crack open my Jack Kirby big fat Fourth World trade. Sadly, it's Volume 2 so I shall hang on. (Why does DC not send me presents?)

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  2. So what you're saying is...it will be cancelled after 8 issues to make space for another Batman book...

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    1. Ssssh Jonathan! Hopefully people will like this and it'll do OK.

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  3. What a great title for a comic series!

    Although why should being black and/or a woman be a barrier to being a goofy space cowboy? I'd be a goofy space cowboy ALL THE TIME if I lived in a comic, and bollocks to whatever gender or colour I was.

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    1. Yeah, but I want a space cowboy boy! Though space cowgirls are cool too.

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  4. I LOVED this opening issue, just bloody ADORED it!
    I missed OMAC dreadfully so Giffen - who so many hate but I rate, and highly - has surpassed himself in fine style with this book. Yes I miss Serafin and DCs annoying habit of making their male characters female I the interests of 'diversity' but this was a brilliant read from start to finish, and I say this as a long-term Forever People fan fro the 70s [old git alert] who collected every issue plus the TPB from a few years back, plus al the Fourth World mythos which imo is criminally underrated.
    MORE PLEASE!
    *ping*.

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    1. I'm glad everyone else is enjoying the book. We need to spread the word.

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  5. i hope infinity man is as great as i remember he saved superman's life in his first appearance

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    1. I get him mixed up with the Legion's Infinite Man ...

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  6. I get the feeling the Forever People aren't entirely fully formed yet. I suspect we'll see an inversion of Dreamer Beautiful's name (and possibly something of a makeover?) and some sort of Cosmic Cowgirl look for Serafina as they settle in to Earth.

    Thanks for the review, Mart! I dug it, too!

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    1. Your ideas are sound rob, I hope they come off! At the very least, DB needs a comb.

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  7. I haven't read this yet, but I'm glad Giffen and Didio are in fine form! I loved their OMAC run and was very sad, and disappointed in fans for not showing support for it when it got cancelled.

    I'm glad Didio and Giffen are staying the course and bringing the Kirby-crazy back to comics with this title. The pessimist in me has a bad feeling this will get cancelled as well, and DC fans will again gripe about there not being enough fun books... buy it people!

    From what I'm "seeing", I think Giffen is a large part of tempering Didio's scripting. Any other book I've read with Didio doing the writing chores by himself has been very amateur and unrefined. Giffen does a good job of cleaning up Didio's work.

    Glad you enjoyed the first issue! I'll be sure to pick up a copy!

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    1. Thanks Arvin, I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions. You could be right about Giffen raising Didio's game. However the writing works, I like the result.

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  8. I was put off by the initial bickering, but I'm willing to give it a chance to shape up a bit. I have no problem at all with Serafina, but I can see where some people might think find her gender/race bending to be pointless. Black women are so overrepresented in the new DC compared to white guys. /sarcasm

    Inverting Dreamer's name is at the very least clunky, if not dumb. And if they must make her emo, I'd rather see her dressed to suit rather than just put in a sexed up version of her old outfit.

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    1. (My apologies for the slow reply, busy birthday week!)

      I think Rob, above, will be proven right and Beautiful Dreamer will emerge.

      I'm quite excited to see where Serafina goes - I want that Cowperson (as in a a Wild West hero, not Bova from Marvel. Though I love her too).

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