Alex Ross (1) (1970–)

Kingdom Come is kind of like Watchmen, only with real DC superheroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and all the rest. It was published in 1997, is less than half the size of Watchmen, and is absolutely fantastic.

The story takes place some time after the classic "metahumans" have retired, and the world is now being overrun by a new breed of superhero. The kind that America asked for, the kind that doesn't have any rules about not killing its enemies. Unfortunately, they also don't care show more about human collateral damage. The old superheroes come out of retirement to try to set things to right. The story is told in the form of a Christmas Carol-esque journey taken by a pastor and a cloaked spirit who demands that he judge the superheroes and say who will be punished in the end.

The characterization is very good. My favorite character is Batman, which comes as no surprise to me. The art is very good too, not drawing attention to itself while being colorful and descriptive. There are a lot of large panels that I really loved looking at.

The plot is amazing, really grabs you by the throat and makes you listen to what it's saying... It asks questions like "Why do we fight?" "Why should we?" "Who is a part of the human race, and what does that mean?" I was on the edge of my seat the entire book, desperate to know how it ended, and it certainly delivered on its promise of a grand finale.

Reread: It's just as good the second time through, if not better, especially now that I'm more familiar with the minor DC characters that make appearances. One of my favorite graphic novels of all time. show less

I'm never been the biggest Alex Ross fan. I always felt a lot of his work looked stiff. However, he absolutely shines here. The colors are wonderful and there's the right amount of Kirby influence in his lines. FF: Full Circle is probably the best looking book I've ever seen from Ross.

Is it a good story? I dunno. I don't think it'd make a bit sense to anyone who isn't overly familiar with Lee/Kirby's FF run, but I am, so it worked for me. It helps that Ross understands that a good FF story show more has more in common with Star Trek or the X-Files than summer blockbuster movies. show less

Masks is about the difference between "law" and "justice." It's about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, and the struggle to do the right thing no matter what. And it's about the very fine line heroes walk and how badly things can go if they confuse the two.

This is my favorite sort of superhero (mask) storyline. I love watching what happens when heroes take the law into their own hands. Do they remain heroes or do they become villains? I especially like the contrast between the show more various masked heroes in the way they approach law and justice: this book gives us nearly the full spectrum from the very good to the very bad, and shows us that often it's all a matter of opinion.

My favorite character was The Shadow. He, for me, stands on the line between good and evil, clinging to his ideals of justice and going much further to enforce them than others would.

(Provided by publisher) show less

Wow. This book was very poignant. The story is well-told, and Alex Ross' magnificent illustrations really add punch to the storytelling. It starts out with Superman helping one homeless girl, and seeing that he can do more, reaches out to the world to help feed the hungry. Of course, he himself volunteers to deliver donated food to needed locations. Many are grateful for his aid, but of course there are these jerks who don't want to see him doing any good, including a dictator who insists show more that Superman leave the food with him so that he can then distribute the food to his own people. Naturally, Superman knows he is lying.

This is a beautifully-told story, but with some very harsh truths which leave the reader thinking a good while after they have read this book. I applaud the people responsible for this book, it truly was a worthy project. show less