It’s now Day 24 of this year’s Jack Kirby Tribute Month, curated by Howard Simpson. Today’s prompt is Beautiful Dreamer of the Forever People!
The Forever People was one of the four titles comprising Jack’s “Fourth World” saga at DC Comics. New Gods was sort of Jack’s continuation of a thought: if the old gods of legend were the personification of the things the ancients valued or feared, what kind of characters would personify the qualities that we value or fear in our modern world? Hence, “new gods.”
Forever People seems inspired by Jack seeing the younger generation at the time, the “flower children,” and thinking, “If the new gods had young people, what kind of a perspective might they have?”
During their travels on Earth, the Forever People at first glance presented as a bit of a strange and motley crew, but were quite friendly when people stopped to get to know them. Each had their own personality and special abilities. Beautiful Dreamer’s abilities were psionic in nature, allowing her to influence what people see. For example, in early one adventure, they came across the caretaker of some old buildings who was threatened by their unusual appearance, so Dreamer caused the man to see their group in older Earth attire that felt comforting and familiar to him.
Dreamer got abducted more than once by Darkseid, because he suspected that something in her abilities would aid him in his quest for the Anti-Life Equation, which would give him control over the minds of all who live.
The Forever People were all close friends, but Kirby clearly had in mind that there was something more between Dreamer and group leader Mark Moonrider. In Kirby’s last issue of Forever People, when he shows the group on the planet Adon walking off towards the horizon, Mark Moonrider and Beautiful Dreamer are holding hands.
When putting this image together, I thought it might be fun to also try to get the Forever People’s Super-Cycle into it. Even though I kind of had to squeeze it in. It’s kind of an iconic vehicle for the strip.
What’s next? Depends on if I can get through the next part of the prompt list in time! Tune in tomorrow to see whether I make it!
Yes, the Forever People. Mr Kirby was so prolific, it was superhuman. I just rolled my eyes when I saw the book appear. What, another Kirby title? Yikes. Just day-to-day living and doing lots of volunteering kept me out of the loop to not affording and reading. When time opened up a little more, the excitement for the characters of the storyline waned. This panel more than any other this month is punching me into a waxy mood. A Forever People collection is on the way. Thanks for the art and stimulating the economy, Mark. What a terrific name—Beautiful Dreamer.
If this panel has made you want to go back and take a second look at a Kirby title you may have previously overlooked, then that’s a great thing! I’m pleased to hear that.
I would guess Jack most likely borrowed Beautiful Dreamer’s name from the old Stephen Foster song of that title. I continued the lyric from that point for the title of my post here.
And as far as being prolific goes, keep Mike Royer in mind too. After Colletta was removed from the books, Royer came on-board and inked all those Fourth World titles. And lettered them too! That was a huge workload, and yet he kept up with one of the fastest and most prolific comic book artists ever. So: much respect to Mr. Royer for doing that!