Kingdom Come by Mark Waid (2008)

A classic of the 'metahero' variety. Similar to Gaiman's American Gods or Anansi Boys as it deals with the core ideas of heroism, mythology and power, combined with classic Justice League goodness and the emotional realism of Alex Ross' painted art. ( )

A classic of the 'metahero' variety. Similar to Gaiman's American Gods or Anansi Boys as it deals with the core ideas of heroism, mythology and power, combined with classic Justice League goodness and the emotional realism of Alex Ross' painted art. ( )

Cool artwork (as always) from Alex Ross doesn't salvage a mediocre (at best) storyline. I'd give it a skip and maybe pick up the an artbook for Alex Ross instead, because that's about all you'll enjoy out of this. ( )

A classic of the 'metahero' variety. Similar to Gaiman's American Gods or Anansi Boys as it deals with the core ideas of heroism, mythology and power, combined with classic Justice League goodness and the emotional realism of Alex Ross' painted art. ( )

I know that this was one of those epic comic storylines of the 90s. And on its face, it's a good story - war is about to break out between the generations of superhumans and everyone, super and regular, will suffer for it. Will the older generation of heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman abandon their morals to stop their children and grandchildren, who have little regard for human life? And on the other side, we have mortals like Batman (who is not aging well - but who ever expects Batman to age well?) and Lex Luthor and his most unfortunately named organization, the Mankind Liberation Front, or MLF. I swear, I could not read that abbreviation without thinking "MILF" and wondering if that had not crossed Mark Waid's mind. Anyways, these men seek to protect humanity, though for very different reasons. And then there's Captain Marvel/Billy Batson, caught in the middle of it all.

So yes, it's a good end-of-the-world story. But it just didn't appeal to me. The artwork is incredible. That's probably the biggest selling point for this story. But I felt like I was reading a "Who's Who" of DC heroes and villains, which became so dizzying that I couldn't keep characters straight and I really didn't care. In the back of the compilation, there's a chart of 105 of the heroes/villains, and many of their names end with the numbers 2 or 3. Despite the plethora of characters, the focus is mainly on Superman, with supporting roles from Wonder Woman and Batman. Several of the heroes I recognized (which didn't feel like many... go go Wesley Dodds) looked like they'd have interesting stories to tell and opinions to contribute... but they hardly utter a word. Which brings me to my biggest gripe - Captain Marvel/Billy is the character that this whole story hinges on. He is both mortal and superhuman. His mental state is less than whole, and he's the only person capable of matching Superman's powers. But he gets so little attention for such a pivotal character! Plus, I have a little trouble getting invested in a scene where the key word is Shazam. I guess it's just a sign of the times. ( )

The king of DC's Elseworlds series. The story starts about 10 years after the (then-current) mid-1990s DC landscape, with Superman in self-imposed exile/retirement. Without a leader, the rest of the world's superheroes have mostly dispersed as well, leaving only a new generation of super-powered beings influenced by nothing beyond self interest. But soon Superman is coaxed out of retirement to face a fast-brewing war amongst various human and superhero factions.

It's a killer story, both a ripping good “what if” story and an insightful commentary on the state of superhero stories in general. The writing is tight, the art beautiful. I've always loved AU stories for their ability to place characters in unfamiliar territory (be it in time or circumstances) and still make them an perceptive commentary of the one we're used to.

Brilliant. ( )

I like it so much that I bought one for my own personal collection after reading it from a friend. ( )

I think Alex Ross' photorealistic style is overrated, but the story was good. ( )

A great graphic novel---very cool concept and idea. I'm not a big fan of Alex Ross's art, though. ( )

Mildly interesting story. Great art and if you're into the DCU it's worth looking through just to see all the also rans in the background. ( )

In Kingdom Come, the elderly super-heroes confront the new breed of super-heroes that have gone havoc. A great battle ensues.

The story is nothing special, although it has some nice takes on the morality of the older heroes. But the art by Alex Ross is stunning! All art is painted, the panels are divided ingeniously and all the characters are remarkably life-like.

I have previously read The Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Ross. Now I think I will have to look for all of Ross's other work as well. ( )

This graphic novel is very nearly the equal of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns". It is a compilation of several comic book chapters from DC Comics, in which a weary and older Superman, attempting to at last make the best use of his power to save humanity from itself and rogue superhumans, sets up a gulag for those beings who will not become a part of his solution. He is opposed in this by the Batman, Lex Luthor and others. Their ultimate battle, interrupted by a panicky humanity with an even more terrible force, comes down to an ultimate decision as to whether humanity can be trusted to make its own mistakes, when giants walk the earth. Enthralling, moving and ambitious, with magnificent artwork from Alex Ross. ( )

The best superhero tale I've ever read. When a new breed of heroes take violent action against wrongdoers, and the courts cheer them on, Superman retires. He returns with a reformed Justice League as the world is on the precipice of disaster, but what right does he have to impose his morals onto a scared but vengeful world? As ever with superhero stories, it's really about humanity. Mark Waid's storytelling ability coupled with Alex Ross' astonishing paintings (each panel of which contains so many details it takes an age to get through the book) produces something really quite special. ( )

Beautiful art. Very interesting story line. Probably missed some DC references. Took chances, went outside the box. ( )

A look at politics and society through the lens of the DC universe, in a manner that is quite reminiscent of Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme Series.

Unlike in the Dark Knight Returns, where Superman is basically operating as government cover special forces, here he has given up in disgust at how things are going.

An old friend spurs him into action, and he assembles a team to go about taking down irresponsible metahuman troublemakers. Then, with Wonder Woman, they get the idea of building a gulag and re-education camp to hold them all.

Not a good idea, and as ever, Batman and those who see things similarly are opposed to fascist actions.

The Spectre is willing to give a human preacher the power to intervene in this conflict that will provoke a devastating reaction from the rest of the world.

http://graphicsf.blogspot.com/2006/12... ( )

I like these monumental works that deconstruct and reconfigure the canonical comic universe. If nothing else, reading them makes me feel like I'm keeping tabs. Ten years ago, "Kingdom Come" imagines our present, with Superman in exile, meta-humans running rampant, and apocalypse imminent. A preacher, accompanied by an archangel (the Spectre? Raguel?) watches, and is asked to judge.

I first read a Spectre comic when I was kid, purchased it in a plastic-bound set at some truck stop during a family camping trip. The character was compellingly enigmatic, and I like to see that continuing. I find that much more appealing than the idea that Superman and Wonder Woman are going to have a child that Batman will be responsible for raising. ( )

An epic tale of the entire DC Universe so far not topped in either writing or artwork. ( )