The Fourth World
I have now read all of Jack Kirby's initial Fourth World works in a series of trade paperback collections, four in black and white: Jack Kirby's New Gods, Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle, Jack Kirby's Forever People, and Jack Kirby's Fourth World - Featuring: Mister Miracle; and two in color: Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby volumes one and two. Additionally, I have collected the lion's share of Walt Simonson's Orion, the most recent ongoing series devoted to the adventures of the New Gods of the sister worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips. I am in love with the entire Fourth World.

I already have the germ of a Superman story, "Supertown," involving the New Gods taking a more active role on Earth. The most likely players are the original odd couple, Orion (bad cop) and Lightray (good cop), and the husband and wife team of Mr. Miracle and Big Barda. Additionally, I've a title for a quest with the Forever People, "Super-Cycle," though exactly for what they might be questing has yet to be determined. I also have an idea for an excellent story with the Forever People, though I cannot see how "Super-Cycle" would be an applicable title.

The Fourth World is full of awful puns and other wordplay. For starters, the shadowed world of Apokolips (apocalypse) and it's lord and master, Darkseid (dark side, years before George Lucas wrote Star Wars). Among Darkseid's minions are his oldest friend, the torturer Desaad (after the Marquis de Sade); Desaad's sister Bernadeth; Kalibak (whom I've always assumed is partially named after Caliban from The Tempest); the wicked Granny Goodness (her personal minions are called Soldier Boys); the Prussian-obsessed Dr. Virmin Vundabar; Bernadeth's fellow Female Furies Lashina (she uses whips and other lashes) and Stompa (guess what she does); the evil psychologist, Dr. Bedlam; and Apokolips's elite six-man underwater commando team, the Deep Six. The worst slum on Apokolips is called the Armagetto (Armageddon plus ghetto). Apokoliptians created after Kirby include the deadly Mortalla, the young Justeen, and Amazing Grace, the sister of Glorious Godfrey.

Anyway, I think I'm about ready to join the fun. One of Darkseid's chief aims is to acquire the Anti-Life Equation, a scrap of knowledge that enable he who possesses it to control all living beings (the Equation allows for instant and absolute brainwashing). During Kirby's The Forever People, the eponymous team of young gods from New Genesis met a human named, regrettably, Sonny Sumo. Sonny possessed almost all of the Anti-Life Equation; in the course of helping the Forever People escape Desaad's fiendish "Happyland," Sonny was thrown through time. All's well that ends well and Sonny ended up in ancient Japan, where he lived a life of virtue and became a hero of mythic proportions. Good for him.

Another human named Billion Dollar Bates had the entire Equation, but he was killed before Darkseid and Desaad could extract it from his mind. (Clones of Bates played a grisly role in Orion, eventually meeting the fate of their progenitor.) My idea is that someone from Apokolips will travel to ancient Japan and retrieve Sonny. He will be twisted by Apokoliptian science into a fearsome warrior for Darkseid, the Anti-Lifeguard.

The Forever People - Mark Moonrider, Beautiful Dreamer, Big Bear, Vykin the Black, and Serifan - will attempt to rescue Sonny/the Anti-Lifeguard, a task infinitely complicated by his wielding of the Anti-Life Equation. Set against the Forever People will be another new Apokoliptian abomination, the Never People - Dark Sunripper, Dreadful Nightmare, Big Boar, Sazin the White, and Cherub. The Forever People summon their friend and champion the Infinity-Man by simultaneously touching their communal Mother Box and saying in unison, "Taru!" The Never People will control the Anti-Lifeguard by touching their shared Father Box and together intoning, "Urat!" I think it's all just corny enough to pass Fourth World muster.

The Forever People
Mark Moonrider
Beautiful Dreamer
Big Bear
Vykin
Serifan

The Never People
Dark Sunripper
Dreadful Nightmare
Big Boar
Sazin
Cherub

The New and Improved Crucifixion: Holy Thursday Edition
Happy Maundy Thursday, everyone. Do you think at any point during the Last Supper any of the Apostles turned to Christ and said, "Rabbi, I know this is going to sound a little weird, but, about this bread you gave us? Don't take this the wrong way, but you're delicious."

Also remember, if you are the leader of a nascent religious organization and one of your followers is always talking about how he could really use thirty pieces of silver to get hooked up with some new Ikea, and if when you are having a big formal dinner called the Last Supper this same dude slips away, casting shifty glances as he goes, whatever you do do not go to a garden and count on your other disciples to stand guard. Those jerks are going to be sleepy from all the bread/flesh and wine/blood you just fed them. Run! Get on the bus, Gus. Make a new plan, Stan. There must be fifty ways to not get your ass nailed to a cross.

Though I, for one, am really grateful that He didn't follow my advice. More on that tomorrow. For now, holy Toledo, Batman, it's Holy Thursday. Enjoy that Last Supper; we had sloppy joes, French fries, and spinach salad. Mmmm, tasty!