On page one of Forever People #1 - the first, new, Fourth World title proper - we see three horizontal panels containing a repeated image of a glowing circle, getting closer in each frame. Kirby crackle and speed-lines surround the circle and a screeching sound-effect grows louder as the disc gets closer. Three captions accompany these abstract images, the words written in rhyme and addressing the reader directly, further building the anticipation of something incredible is about to happen on the turn of the page.

Boom.

A double page splash hits the reader with our brand-new heroes, erupting at speed, on an outlandish, three-wheeled motorbike, from out of the glowing circle. This opening is the paper and ink equivalent of the build-up and drop of a classic electronic dancefloor banger. The Forever People have arrived with a literal bang (OK, boom) and the title of the story says that they are here In Search of a Dream.

Riding their Super-Cycle, the Forever People have travelled, via Boom Tube, to Earth from Supertown on a rescue mission. Vykin the Black, Mark Moonrider, Big Bear and Serifan are in pursuit of Darkseid, who has kidnapped the fifth member of their team, Beautiful Dreamer. The God of Evil suspects that Dreamer possess one of the few minds able to solve the Anti-Life Equation - the ultimate weapon, that will allow him to bring about the total subjugation of all sentient beings.

Big Bear can barely keep the Super-Cycle on the road, as they hurtle to Earth and straight into the path of oncoming traffic. He just manages to engage the Cycle’s ‘Emergency Phase Out’ mode, causing the bike and its four occupants to ‘pass through the car like ghosts!’ Unfortunately, the car in question subsequently careers off the road and over a cliff. Luckily, Vykin uses the Mother Box he is carrying to generate an ‘invisible force’ that snatches the car from certain oblivion and returns it to safety.

In quick succession, Forever People #1 delivers the first appearances of concepts that will become key to the entire Fourth World saga. Boom Tubes, Mother Boxes and the Anti-Life Equation are as synonymous to the New Gods mythology as virgin births and original sin are to Christianity.

The Forever People themselves seem like psychedelic echo of the Newsboy Legion. The Super-Cycle could just as well be the Whiz-Wagon with a shocking-pink respray. Bobby and Laurie, the groovy couple from the rescued car, take photos of the heroes and the Boom Tube and drive off, announcing that they now have a scoop for a friend who will ‘eat this up.’ The friend in question, and by remarkable coincidence, is Jimmy Olsen.

Later, across town, Jimmy Olsen shows these same photos to Clark Kent. ‘But, wait a second’, I hear you say. ‘Aren’t Jimmy and Clark fighting a monster version of Jimmy in a bunker, somewhere in the Wild Area just now?’ We can only assume that these events take place later, once the monster Jimmy is been defeated. So, even though this could be seen as a spoiler, the good news is they must survive. Hooray!

Clark is uncharacteristically out of sorts. He has just interviewed the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion for a human interest piece for the Daily Planet. Clark had asked the Champ, Rocky, why he seemed depressed. Rocky had explained that his sporting excellence felt hollow in a world where Superman exists. ‘With Superman in the picture, the fight game is a farce!’ said the Champ. Clark finds this observation deeply disturbing.

Jimmy shows Clark the photos and recounts everything that happened to his friends when they met the Forever People. Clark is fascinated and particularly interested in the photo of the fading Boom Tube. With his super-vision he is able to see along to the far end of the Boom Tube, and catch a glimpse of Supertown itself.

Deciding to investigate as Superman, he flies off towards the last known sighting of the Forever People, passing a helicopter on the same course. The chopper is carrying members of Inter-Gang, who are under instructions from Darkseid to kill the Man of Steel!

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Meanwhile, Serifan has had a seizure and made psychic contact with Beautiful Dreamer. He has discovered her location, at an old lumber mill, where the Forever People immediately head to free their friend. From the air, they are spotted by both Superman and the Inter-Gang helicopter.

Before Superman can even speak to the Forever People, Inter-Gang bombard him with ‘Sigma-Blasts.’ The Man of Steel retaliates and takes out the chopper with an uprooted tree. Mark Moonrider is impressed. He assumes Superman has followed them from Supertown, to help hunt Darkseid.

Weird, pink gargoyle things emerge from the ground and attack the confused heroes. Helpfully, the monsters explain that they are Darkseid’s faithful Gravi-Guards, who ‘Transmit gravity waves from heavy mass galaxies’ and can ‘hold any super-being!’ Superman confirms this is the case as one Gravi-Guard sits on his chest. Fearing the worst, the Forever People raise the Mother Box between them and perform a strange ritual, culminating in a shout of the magic word, ‘Tarru!’

‘I have heard!’ says a voice. ‘I am here! I am the Infinity Man!” The Infinity Man is a powerful, masked figure, with glowing purple eyes. He is a gestalt entity, constructed from the individual members of the Forever People. Infinity Man easily dispatches the Gravi-Guards, then calls out Darkseid to release Beautiful Dreamer. Surprisingly, the God of Evil does exactly that. But not before admonishing the Infinity Man for shouting.

Darksied says that he has no further need for the Dreamer as she has no knowledge of the Anti-Life Equation. He hands her sleeping form back to the heroes and disappears. Beautiful Dreamer is left strapped to a bed, boobytrapped with Radion Bombs. Faster than a speeding bullet, Superman scoops up Infinity Man and Dreamer, then flies away at ‘lightspeed,’ thus avoiding the massive explosion.

With the immediate danger over, the Infinity Man ‘Tarru’s himself back to being the Forever People, and returning quartet are reunited with the waking Beautiful Dreamer.

Mark Moonrider asks Superman if the Forever People can do anything as a sign of their gratitude. Uncharacteristically, Superman says that he would like to visit Supertown as a reward. The young heroes agree, but had kind of assumed that Superman would help them track down Darkseid, who is, after all, still at large and threatening to destroy the Earth.

They open a Boom Tube for Superman, and sheepishly wander off to find Darkseid. Excitedly, Superman flies into the Boom Tube. But halfway along, he realises that he is being a complete arse by leaving mankind to its fate. He turns around and returns to Earth. Sadly watching the Boom Tube fade, he states that is was, ‘The wrong time to go.’

It is quite odd that this issue has the first ever face-to-face meeting between the greatest ever hero and the greatest ever villain of the DC pantheon, and all that happens is four panels where the greatest ever villain tells someone off for shouting, before returning a hostage and then vanishing.

Next time, New Gods #1