Forever People #4

Forever People #4 (On Sale: June 1, 1971), has an odd cover by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta. The real news with this cover is the revamping of the entire DC line increasing in price from 15 to 25 cents and in size from 32 to 48 pages. This might be seen as an OK deal if the additional 16 pages were new, but they were not.

We begin this first expanded issue with the Forever People in "The Kingdom of the Damned" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Vince Colletta. The Forever People are taken to Happyland, an amusement park run by DeSaad, who tortures them in various inventive ways there. Darkseid searches for a mind which can comprehend the Anti-Life Equation. And the Forever People's Mother Box, about to be executed by Desaad, phases out and winds up in the hands of martial artist Sonny Sumo. This tale has been reprinted in Jack Kirby's Forever People TPB (1999). Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 HC (2007), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 TPB (2012), and Forever People by Jack Kirby TPB (2021).

Our backup reprint is the Sandman in "The Unholy Dreams of Gentleman Jack" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Simon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #85 (1943). Prisoner Jack Jarvis dreams of a life of luxury in jail. He also wants Sandman imprisoned in solitary confinement. When Jarvis is released, he creates a jail for himself to make his dream come true. Then he summons Sandman, locking him in an airtight room. Sandy rescues his friend and together, they end Jarvis’ dream.

Edited by Jack Kirby.