Comic book review: Infinity Man and the Forever People- Futures End #1- A Surprise Emotional Hit

Story: Dan Didio and Keith Giffen
Art: Philip Tan
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: 10th September 2014

I only got this book because of the absolutely awesome 3D front cover, and I joked to the guys in the comic book shop that I probably wouldn’t even bother reading it. That’s how little hope I held out for the story being anything that I would actually enjoy. But I was wrong. I love being wrong, it’s such a delight to find out that you didn’t know what you were talking about, and that you have discovered something wonderful and new. People should try being wrong a bit more often. It really is a lot of fun.

I knew absolutely zilch about the characters in this book, and the story has done exactly what it should do to readers such as myself. It has made me intrigued, made me want to find out more about these fascinating comic book creations. It helps that the art is fantastic, because it really is. The book centres on two characters, and they are beautifully pencilled and coloured. The elfin female character by the name of Dreamer is gorgeous. I haven’t seen such prettiness and grace in a comic book character in quite some time. I need to know more about that girl.

The script is clever, in that it uses one of the two characters as the entrance point into the story. This character is confused about what is going on, and he’s asking questions trying to unravel the mystery. It’s perfect for a new reader like myself, and he even shares my name (Mark). It’s a sign from the comic book multi-verse I’m telling you. Do you know what it’s saying? It’s saying, ‘Oy Mark, read this bloody comic.’ And so I will.

Apart from the story-telling structure and beautiful artwork this book has a wonderfully rich emotional core that emanates from every page. The two characters have emotional history with each other. There has been a betrayal, or has there? Things have gone wrong, but the emotional bond is still there. A single panel depicting tears trickling down the cheeks of a traumatised Dreamer tells a story that is bubbling just beneath the surface. This is how to connect with the reader on the most important level of them all, that level in the gut where you feel connected to the characters as real people. These are not silly comic book archetypes, they are real people with real emotions, and you want to root for them, cheer for them, and hope that they reverse their current predicament that evidentially is causing them so much pain.

That’s quite an achievement for one comic book, don’t you think? And when you bear in mind that this reader/reviewer is a complete newbie to the Infinity Man and Forever People universe that’s extremely impressive. I love it when I’m wrong. The contents of this book are just as awesome as the 3D front cover. I didn’t think that was it possible, but it is. I’ve just read it, and it’s bloody brilliant. Stick it on my pull-list. I can’t wait to dive headfirst into this wonderful new comic book world of Infinity man and the Forever People.

Rating: 9/10