Born on The Fourth World: Part XII
Forever People #3, July 1971
This week I read the new Mr. Terrific: Year One series, just collected in paperback, by Al Letson, Valentine De Landro and Edwin Galmon. I have always had a soft spot for the character, in both his incarnations. There is an archetypal charm to his ‘Fair Play’ philosophy that has always resonated with me. I even have a ‘Fair Play’ tattoo.
The first Mr. Terrific, Terry Sloane, debuted in the anthology title, Sensation Comics #1 (1942); a fact that is eclipsed by the first appearance of Wonder Woman in the very same book.
In the story, Who is Mister Terrific?, we are shown how Sloane, a genius high-achiever, self-made millionaire, Olympic athlete, and all-round renaissance man, decides to end his life in his early twenties, as he feels that has no further challenges left.
Heading to a nearby bridge, well-known as a local suicide spot, Sloane prevents a woman from leaping to her death. She explains her sense of helplessness regarding her younger brother, who is being lured into a life of crime. Immediately, Sloane is inspired to help the woman, save her brother, and any other young person who may be similarly tempted into a life of crime. He creates the alter-ego, Mr. Terrific, and sets about beating up the local gangsters and teaching wayward kids about Fair Play.
Fast forward to 1997, in The Spectre #54, a similarly genius, self-made polymath, Micheal Holt, is also contemplating ending it all. This time, however, his motivation is the recent, senseless death of his wife and unborn child in a car crash. The Spectre appears to Holt and asks him to reconsider and instead be inspired by the story of his former teammate from the Justice Society; Terry Sloane, Mr. Terrific.
Mr. Terrific: Year One retells Michael Holt’s origin story, with amazing visuals from both artists, making the past and present of Mr. Terrific’s adventures pop off the page. It also adds a new wrinkle to Holt’s history, as it turns out, not only was his unborn child not actually dead after all, but had been kidnapped and raised on Apokolips, by Darkseid’s monstrous au pair, Granny Goodness!
Having examined Granny’s debut in our previous instalment, we now head back to the unfolding origins of Jack Kirby’s postmodern mythology with Forever People #3.
The story, Life Vs Anti-Life, opens with a quote from the real-world personification of Anti-Life himself; Adolf Hitler - ‘That is the great thing about our movement—that these members are uniform not only in ideas, but, even, the facial expression is almost the same!’
This caption heads a splash page of a crowd, where a sea of glassy-eyed, white faces stare out at the reader, shouting agreement with someone called, Glorious Godfrey!
Over, a double-page splash shows us a vast stage, where Godfrey himself - ginger-haired, arms out-stretched, a gormless, open-mouthed grin spread across his slappable face – is preaching to the amassed audience on the wonders of ‘Anti-Life’. Behind him, a great organ plays ‘wonderful music’ - Presumably, YMCA by Village People.
Glorious Godfrey continues his fascistic rant, proclaiming that it is Darkseid ‘who brings this power only us can use! His gift to us, friends! The cosmic hunting license to point the finger or the gun!’ He then offers the crowd the opportunity to become ‘Justifiers’ and wear a metal helmet which will conceal their identities as they wreak havoc against their enemies. ‘It’s Darkseid’s gift of Anti-Life!’ says Godfrey. ‘It’s the happiness package!’
The scene then shifts to the Forever People’s squat, where Donnie, their young, disabled friend, is being threatened by a Justifier! Beautiful Dreamer casts an illusion to make whole team appear to also be Justifiers. Donnie is flung aside, but Vykin uses Mother Box to safely redirect the flailing boy into Moonrider’s arms.
Big Bear surmises that the Justifier is a suicide bomber and leads the charge, straight through a brick wall, away from the exploding zealot! They just escape the blast and realise that it can only be Glorious Godfrey who has targeted them. Vykin uses Mother Box to shield Donnie’s derelict neighbourhood with ‘deadly micron particles’ which will protect the inhabitants from any further Justifier incursions. Big Bear warms up the Super Cycle.
Beautiful Dreamer says that Mother Box can find Glorious Godfrey. Vykin agrees, adding that, “Revelationists like Godfrey have strong emotion flows! Mother Box is picking his up!” The Forever People climb aboard the Super Cycle and Big Bear phases them out along the Electron Road!
Meanwhile, a gang of masked thugs rounds up random group of innocent people and loads them into a van. Elsewhere, a library is targeted for containing ‘decadent books’...
Coincidentally, both these events also happen in the next two pages of this comic book story! Glorious Godfrey is watching his legion break stuff on a video screen, while a hair stylist adjusts the vile orator’s bouffant. ‘They no longer think!’ says Godfrey. ‘They revel in violent emotion!’ The approach of the Super Cycle is detected. Godfrey is unconcerned about the impending arrival of Forever People, saying; ‘I suppose they’re welcome to die here, if they wish!’
The Super Cycle materialises on a hillside, where the young quintet can see the site of Godfrey’s rally. A vast tent welcoming ‘busloads of discontents’ to hear ‘Glorious Godfrey’s revelations!’ Realising that the tent will be too heavily guarded for even them to deal with, the Forever People decide to ‘Taaru’ themselves into the Infinity Man!
The Infinity Man ‘can master the expansion of atoms’ and immediately sinks himself into ground, stating that ‘earth and stone become as fluid as sea waters, and I move through them as does a swimmer in the blue deeps!’ He glides through the earth, under the amassed hoards and pops up through the stage, right behind Glorious Godfrey, who is addressing the crowd.
Justifiers run to protect Godfrey, blasting the Infinity Man with ‘omega shots,’ which are all deflected straight back at the attackers by the heroic gestalt’s unfathomable skills. The Infinity Man surmises that Godfrey’s power of persuasion must emanate from ‘this demon’s organ! Which must be destroyed!’ Godfrey screams as the Infinity Man blasts the diabolical instrument into smithereens!
The Infinity Man moves to finish Godfrey, but before he can lay a finger on the evil evangelical, a hand from behind rests on the hero’s shoulder. He turns to face Darkseid himself!
The Ruler of Apokolips blasts the Infinity Man with beams from his eyes, which first freezes the hero, then blasts him apart into his constituent elements; the Forever People! The young team tell the evil god to do his worst. But Darkseid steps aside, as Desaad appears with a nerve beam blaster that instantly renders the team unconscious.
The Forever People are loaded onto a ‘aero-van’ to be transported to Desaad’s Camp of the Damned, where he continues his search for the Anti-Life Equation. Glorious Godfrey is surprised to hear that Darkseid believes that the Equation really exists, saying, ‘I believe in Anti-Life, great Darkseid, but it can only be induced in others by the means of inventive selling!’
‘I like you, Glorious Godfrey!’ replies Darkseid. ‘You’re a shallow, precocious child!... But I am the revelation! The tiger-force at the centre of all things! When you cry out in your dreams, it is Darkseid that you see!’
Equally dismissive of Godfrey, Desaad climbs aboard his aero-van, and carrying his cargo of defeated Forever People, he flies off to his torture camp, the Kingdom of the Damned!
The Fourth World is forever...
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