Dojo Classics - The Forgotten Lane To Apokolips!

When Jack Kirby arrived at DC after leaving his last post as top creative genius at Marvel, he quickly delivered an avalanche of new characters and titles. Those books became known as the "The Fourth World" as the unintended result of an ad which used the phrase to describe the four titles New Gods, Mister Miracle, Forever People and the existing comic Kirby had taken over Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen. Generally it took a while before Kirby's new ideas began to percolate through the broader DC Universe. But one place in which those ideas and characters did begin to appear almost immediately and with some regularity was in another of the Superman Family titles, Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane.

Under the editorial guidance of E.Nelson Bridwell, Robert Kanigher assumed the writer's chair for the title and along with artist Werner Roth, most famous for his stint on Marvel's X-Men, and then-mainstay Jack Kirby inker Vince Colletta, Lois Lane became embroiled in several stories involving the wild denizens of the Fourth World.

The first of these tales was "The Dark Side of the Justice League!" which pitted the unsuspecting Lois against tiny clones of the JLofA produced at the Evil Factory, a foul genetics laboratory controlled by Darkseid agents Simyan and Mokkari introduced in the pages of Jimmy Olsen. Here are the first few pages of that ground-breaking adventure.

The next few issues of Lois Lane have little Fourth World influence, but issue #114 which focuses on Rose and The Thorn and their enemies The 100, does have the character Morgan Edge, the then new publisher of the Daily Planet who had been replaced by a clone and served Darkseid as a member of Inter-Gang.

In issue #115 though, the Fourth World influence is felt most strongly as Lois encounters new Kirby creation The Black Racer, who debuted in New Gods #3. This issue in fact was the Racer's second appearance overall. We get to see Willie Walker, the new Racer going about his new mission as messenger of death. Here are a few handsome sample pages.

The very next issue of Lois Lane has our heroine getting mixed up in some hijinks at Happy Land, the deadly amusement park created and managed by Darkseid henchman Desaad. Happy Land debuted in Forever People, but we get another solid look at its depravity in these pages. Darkseid himself even puts in an appearance. This is likely his first non-Kirby drawn appearance ever.

Issue #117 has little Fourth World influence, though again Morgan Edge remains as a character in the story.

It is in fact Morgan Edge's story which becomes the focus of issues #118 and #119 of Lois Lane, as we find out more about his replacement by a clone agent of Darkseid, and the real Morgan Edge escapes the Evil Factory and meets up with The Outsiders, a motley motorcycle gang introduced in Jimmy Olsen.

And that just about wraps up this offbeat unofficial fifth book in the Fourth World saga. Bridwell would soon be replaced as editor by Dorothy Woolfolk and Robert Kanigher  would go on to write other DC books. Lois Lane would return to adventures of a slightly more mundane type. But for a time though, Lois like her colleague Jimmy Olsen found herself embroiled in a crazy new universe, a brand new type of danger, a new and perilous world, a Fourth World.

I do want to point out that most of the covers during this run were by Dick Giordano, and are simply outstanding.

On a final note, it would be outstanding if DC would reprint these Lois stories in a trade so that Fourth World fans all over could readily enjoy them.

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First Issue Special - The Warlord!

DC had taken notice of Marvel's success with Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian and wanted a pice of that barbarous pie. To that end they cooked up a bevy of rough and tumble fantasy heroes and launched them all at once onto the comic stands. The one that succeeds will be a nifty twist on the Edgar Rice Burrough's creation Pellucidar. 

Among these new titles were a revival of Joe Kubert's Tor, a new hero called Stalker by Steve Ditko and Wally Wood, a new an different version of  Beowulf, a caveboy named Kong, a classic "Conanesque" barbarian named Claw and even Justice Inc., a comic version of the Street and Smith pulp hero The Avenger. Also tucked away in this mob was Warlord created by up and coming comic art star Mike Grell. Warlord was originally part of a project Grell called Savage Empire, but was retooled a bit for the seventh issue of 1st Issue Special. 

Warlord tells the tale of Travis Morgan, a brave and resourceful United States jet pilot who is shot down in 1969 on a spy mission over the former Soviet Union. He is able to get his injured craft over the Arctic and crash lands but finds that he's actually entered a weird interior territory named Skataris tucked away inside the Earth's crust. It's a land of perpetual day where time loses meaning. Morgan quickly finds himself allied with a lovely warrior named Tara. The two end having to escape from a heinous wizard called Deimos and that's where this saga stops. That is until it continues in the pages of the debut issue of Warlord's own comic which goes on to run for an impressive one hundred and thirty-three issues. 

Warlord is only one of two ideas from 1st Issue Special which actually succeeds in launching a series -- the other we will get to in due course. Next time we have another wonderfully crafted story of heroics and sorcery, but this one is in modern times. 

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Dojo Classics - The Sandman!

Simon and Kirby came back together in 1974 for one more offbeat collaboration for DC Comics. Both men had been working on their own highly idiosyncratic creations for DC and obviously it must've been a desire to see this dynamic duo reunite to rekindle the magic of bygone days. They resisted but did do The Sandman.


It was a one-shot dated "Winter Issue" for 1974. Under a dynamic cover by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer, we meet a young boy named Jed in the throes of a mighty nightmare about a man being hurled up on the breakers in a powerful storm, and he clutches a green scaly doll. He alerts his Grandfather and sure enough they find a man on the rocky shore of Dolphin Island. They rescue him from the water but he succumbs leaving behind the hideous doll. Sandman, a yellow and red superhero stationed at his Universal Dream Monitor in a zone between reality and dreams gets alerted to the problem. He invades Jed's dream in which Jed is being assaulted by a version of the doll. Jed's grandfather attempts to destroy and bury the offensive thing.

We then meet General Electric, a former Japanese WWII general who has suffered extreme brain damage and has been fitted with a transparent prosthetic skull loaded with mechanisms to take the place of his lost brain matter. He has a similar female-looking doll. Sandman meanwhile is alerted to a fire caused by an earthquake, where the authorities are unclear of his intentions. On Dolphin Island Jed finds the creepy little doll his Grandfather hid, but is assaulted by a trio of WWII leftovers. Sandman comes to his aid but both are captured and taken before General Electric who uses the two dolls he now has to ignite explosives hidden in Washington, DC.

Sandman has a whistle which can summon his two assistants, Glob and Brute, and it gets blown unwittingly by one of the WWII types and the two associates arrive and unload a bag filled with weird dream creatures which defeat the WWII gang. The whistle then is blown and shatters General Electric's glass skull. The heroes escape and the threat is ended as they head back to the zone between dreams and reality.It's a wild and wooly comic book and closes out with a rambling essay on the general topic of dreams by Allan Asherman.

The creation of this issue must have been a fitful process. The cover above is by Jerry Grandenetti and is a version of the debut cover ultimately drawn by Kirby. Apparently Simon wanted to do this comic with his partner on Prez, Green Team and The Outsiders. But that must have been scrapped when Kirby became available.

There is a version of the cover inked by Joe Simon too. Both draft covers use logos similar to one used inside the comic, but neither made to print. A very modern looking logo, doubtless by Gaspar Saldino is the final version.

The one-shot apparently did quite well, and after the infamous paper shortage of the mid-70's, the character was green-lighted for a series. Unfortunately save for Kirby on the covers, none of the original talent aside from inker Mike Royer were on hand for the ongoing. Instead, the scripting fell to Michael Fleisher and the penciling went to Ernie Chua/Chan.

Sandman #2 reintroduces Jed and his Grandfather on Dolphin Island but this time the threat comes from a weirdie named Doctor Spider. The plot is very similar in many ways to the debut.

Sandman #3 takes Sandman into the dreams of a young girl named Susie who has a scientist father who is the object of a deposed and somewhat deceased European Count and his Zombie Gorillas. I have to say, the Zombie Gorillas cracked me up.

Sandman #4 sees the return of Jack Kirby on pencils for the interiors too, as the hero fends off an alien invasion of Earth through mankind's dreams. Jed and his Grandfather are on hand once again also.

Sandman #5 changes up the status quo as Jed's Grandfather is killed fishing for sea monsters and Jed has to go and live with his repulsive Aunt and Uncle and his two cousins. He is made a defacto servant on their farm but still finds time to help Sandman and escape his harsh reality by rescuing a Princess from a Frog army.

Sandman #6 sees the end of the series. Michael Fleisher scripts his final Sandman saga and brings back Doctor Spider. The artwork on this issue really shines as Wally Wood is tapped to ink Jack Kirby's pencils. There's no indication in the "Dream Dome", the series letter column that his is the final installment, but there is great mention made that the artwork by Kirby and Wood might just be a gem for the ages.

Another issue was planned, but never published, at least not until Sandman's adventure with Santa Claus saw the light of day (sort of) in Cancelled Comics Cavalcade, and later still in 1982 in Best of DC #22 digest.

The Sandman then disappears for a time in those Pre-Crisis years, but shows up of all places in Wonder Woman #300 where he is "revealed" to be Dr.Garret Sanford a man trapped in the Dream zone when he tried to save a President.


Later still in Justice League of America Annual #1, he's prisoner of Dr. Destiny and the League is needed to help save him and all of reality from Destiny's threat.

The Sandman series is not utterly exquisite by any stretch. Fleisher's scripts are adequate, Kirby's artwork is not prime, and the inking is sometimes indifferent. The books seem to have been produced quite quickly. But they are a fun read from a time when comics in general and DC comics in particular were bristling with energy if not consistency. I've never read a single story from the later Sandman rendition by Neil Gaiman. It's just never appealed to me. I like the Golden Age Simon and Kirby version well enough, but to be honest my favorite is this wacky mid-70's model. For all its many weaknesses in presentation, it's a comic brimming with charm, and that's a rare thing indeed.

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First Issue Special - The Creeper!

Arguably the finest title for a comic book ever was Beware The Creeper invented by Steve Ditko for DC Comics way back in 1968. It's wildly evocative and makes for instant drama. The Creeper was in some ways a typical Ditko invention, a costumed crimefighter who in his day job was a relentless seeker of the truth who didn't turn away because of the malign influences of special interests. Visually The Creeper is unlike just about any hero, donning a costume made from bits and pieces in a costume box. He's a bright yellow and green and red vigilante who strikes as often by night as by day, a cackling fiend for justice. (Note: Look closely at this cover designed by Carmine Infantino and rendered by Steve Ditko at the street scene below the falling Creeper and you can just make out a little dog taking a wee on a hydrant. Those zany comic book creators!)

Beware The Creeper debuted in Showcase, making The Creeper the only character to appear in both DC's Silver Age vintage try-out comic and its Bronze Age counterpart 1st Issue Special. The story is scripted by Michael Fleisher but the artwork is by Steve Ditko himself, though Mike Royer handles the inks.  

A bit of a treat in this attempt to restart The Creeper as a single character is the use of the villain Firefly, a vintage baddie from a 1952 issue of Detective Comics. He's goofy and yet still formidable, an ideal villain for a weirdo hero like The Creeper. Alas this didn't result in a new series for Jack Ryder's clownish alter ego. He'd have to wait several years before getting a back-up in World's Finest Comics when it shifted into its Dollar Comic mode. 

Next up we encounter the most successful character to launch out of the pages of 1st Issue Special and to do that we have to travel into the depths of the Earth itself. 

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The Sunday Funnies - Prince Valiant 1963-1964!

Fantagraphic's Prince Valiant Volume 14 - 1963-1964 by Hal Foster is an action-filled tome. The book features many personal conflicts between Valiant and various villains as well as the run-up to and presentation of the Battle of Badon Hill in which King Arthur leads his Knights of the Round Table against the invading Saxons and defeats them in a manner which will bring peace to Britain for thirty years. 

The ongoing saga picks up in the Misty Isles as Queen Aleta and Prince Valiant are heading back to Camelot after an extended trip. They must quickly rescue young Prince Arn who has been kidnapped and then head quickly to Camelot where King Arthur charges Valiant with keeping tabs on King Cidwic of Wales who leads an attack on Camelot but who is turned away quickly. After much struggle Valiant ends up defeating Cidwic in Arthur's name and the kingdom Cidwick's son Cuddock becomes King and develops a friendship with Arn who helps save Cuddock when his life is threatened by traitors. We briefly get the stories of three rustic knights who are trying to stay solvent as they scheme to participate in tournaments and win. They all end up poorer. Finally Valiant and Arn return to Camelot and find a new home which is immediately threatened by the plots of Sir Modred. He is defeated and then Arn finds himself captive of invading Saxons led by Hengist and is able to fool these enemies that he is the son of Boltar. He is rescued after much derring-do when a Count Brecy shows up at Camelot and plots to make Aleta his next wife and to do that he schemes to kill Valiant. That fails of course but then other random matters of romance strike the kingdom.  Soon the threat of the Anglo-Saxons becomes even more pressing and Valiant and Arn ride out to gather allies for the great Battle of Badon Hill. That victory secured the stage is set for Valiant's next great adventure. 

This volume contains a nifty section highlighting Hal Foster's fine art work with many of his oils displayed. Also there is a foreword by Roger Stern discussing Foster's influence on a myriad of comic book artists who went on to both swipe images and become major influences themselves in the area of comic art. Among the artists discussed are Bob Kane, Shelly Moldoff, Charles Gothkopf, Everett Raymond Kistler, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood and Jack Kirby. Lots of delightful examples are shown to prove the points made. The Foster scholar Brian Kane offers up a nifty piece comparing Valiant with heroes such as Captain America. 

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Fourth World - Super Flower Power!

Imagine the movie Easy Rider with a whole gang on the motorcycle alongside "Captain America" and "Billy". There are still the free and easy attitudes towards property, class structure and there's still that abrupt ending. It might be comething like Jack Kirby's The Forever People. According to reports the the original title of The Forever People was simply Darkseid. Given that the original title Kirby wanted for New Gods was Orion, it seems clear that he began this book as something of a counterpoint to New God. Darkseid appears in The Forever People more than in any other of the "Fourth World" books and his early appearances in the title are aomong the finest pages produced for the incomplete saga. 

The first issue of The Forever People is also the very first installment of the "Fourth World" epic that Kirby worked on, even before he turned his attention to the earliest installments of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen. In this issue we not only meet the five members of the "Forever People" (Mark Moonrider, Big Bear, Vykin the Black, Serifan, and Beautiful Dreamer) we encounter Darkseid in person for the first time. But dominating this story is Superman, a Superman who is at odds with himself and his longtime role as Earth's protector. We encounter a Superman who is feeling alienated from the people he works tirelessly to save time and again and we see that he is all too human with totally understandable and selfish motivations to mingle with is own kind. It's off-putting in this first issue since the Superman art is so altered by Al Plastino by the order of Carmine Infantino. Unlike some of the later alterations by MurphyAnderson, the Plastino changes really don't fit very well at all. 

In the second issue The Forever People are reunited having saved Beautiful Dreamer from the clutches of Darkseid and are up against it when Mantis attacks the Earth. The team summon their ultimate power the Infinity Man to defeat the threat. Like a gang of spritely "Billy Batsons" the Forever People are able to summon a mysterious figure of great power to help them out of jams. Their relationship to him is a mystery which alas Kirby will never get the chance to solve. 

With the third issue of the series (the first I picked up off the stands) the series really seems to find itself. In the person of Glorious Godrey Kirby finds to my mind the best expression of the deadly "Anti-Life Equation". Based on Billy Graham, Godrey preaches to his zealous followers that they are in the service of something greater than themselves and they are all too ready to sacrifice themselves for forces they don't truly fathom. But it makes them feel empowered and that becomes to my mind the most important message of the Fourth World stories. Darkseid is that evil which resides in all human beings, the darkness we keep at bay which will show itself when we consider other lives less important than our own. When selfishness replaces selflessness we are in thrall to Darkseid and are ready clay for his molding. 

In the fourth issue of the series (arguably the finest of the run) the Forever People are trapped in a deadly and insane amusement park. Inspired by Disneyland no doubt DeSaad's heinous carnival of mind-traps are cruel and insidious. He enjoys tormenting people, taking pleasure in suffering. It's notable that Darkseind rejects this but nonetheless has no qualms in turning DeSaad's work to his own purposes. 

The Forever People are ultimately by their own Mother Box which summons the powerful warrior Sonny Sumo to rescue them. It's a grand battle and in many ways is the climax of the story of the Forever People. 

The Forever People and their ally Sumo are transported to various time periods by the power of Darkseid and his "Omega Effect", but they are mostly rescued and returned to the here and now. Their time-lost adventures had them involved with historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln in the last moments of his life, the early expeditions of Ponce De Leon as he sought a Fountain of Youth, and even the legendary King Arthur in a time when the Romans were leaving their outpost of Britain. 

The story wraps up when the Forever People are reunited and learn that their savior Sonny Sumo was left in the distant past, but lived a happy and worthwhile life. His mind which held the "Anti-Life Equation" safely beyond the clutches of Darkseid. 

When the Forever People are held by a secret "Sect" and confront the deadly and controlling mind of Billion-Dollar Bates, they are really fighting one of their last battles in the war against Darkseid. This one-shot story felt a little truncated after the four-part epic that preceded it. But by this time Kirby was getting more and more interference from DC's editorial outfit to make the comics less epic and more readily accessible to potential readers. 

And that's why we get a totally off-the-wall misadventure with Deadman. The story begins with a modern-day wannabe Frankenstein named "Doc" Gideon whom fashions a monster of sorts out of dead human parts, but who is only able to quicken his creation to a semblance of life when he chances upon the power contained in Serifan's "Cosmic Cartridges". The Forever People are trying to find a place to settle down and rent a room from Trixie MaGruder. But her seances bring back more than is bargained for when Deadman shows up. 

The Deadman story was forced on Kirby and his handling of the character shows that he knew only the most bare facts about Boston Brand. Deadman was and is one of DC's finest characters, but inserting him into The Forever People was a disaster. His previous saga is unraveled a bit when yet another gang of hooked-hand villains is uncovered. The presumption is that a new Deadman series will grow out of this but that never happens and that's a good thing really. 

And then just like that it's over. The Forever People after being used as a platform to supposedly launch another series is deemed to be a victim of poor sales and truth told it was the least successful of the Fourth World books. As can be seen there was quite a lot of directions in a short time and the gang from "Supertown" was hard to pin down as guest-stars stole the limelight. If this was to be Darkseid's book then it is hurt when he all but disappears from the final issues, being the power behind the lance when he sends "The Pursuer" to run the Forever People to ground. They summon the Infinity Man (who almost seemed forgotten) and then they are trapped on a other-dimensional world called "Adon". The chipper team see this not so much as a setback as an opportunity and they literally walk off into the distance as they and the Fourth World rumble to an incoherent and abrupt conclusion of sorts. 

Next time it's a book of miracles. 

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