Customer Reviews

Kingdom Come

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Now by this point, everyone is familiar with the popularity of Kingdom Come, along with writer Mark Waid, artist Alex Ross, and my personal favorite, Pre-Crisis guru Elliot S! Maggin, who wrote the novelization. It is safe to say that on the top ten of comic fans' lists of the best of all time, DC Comics has a surprising number: Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Kingdom Come. The story of the twilight of the gods never stops inspiring new generations of storytellers, and in this case, it is the twilight of the most iconic and recognizable superheroes of all time. I think half of the charm of this story is the fact that, although we all grew up knowing who Superman is, as we get older, he stays the same, until eventually, you end up older than your childhood icon. With Kingdom Come, time is brought to the timeless Superman, and the results are well worth the weight. the only reason I don't give this a five star rating is that for post-crisis DC readers or the more casual reader who isn't a comics geek, you'd need to do a lot of research to understand half of the characters and references in this thing. There are a LOT of Golden and Silver Age characters and mentions in this, and most of the time, they don't spell it out for you. It doesn't detract from the story, but the numerous 'in-jokes' peppered throughout can make the whole thing a fresh experience on repeated readings. Alex Ross is especially fond of amusing cameos (such as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids on the run from Batman's robots!) and, apparently, Bjork. The artwork is phenomenal, the story is classic, and the characters are better realized than any previous interpretation. This story has proved to be an influence on DC and comics ever since (and not just the page; Smallville TV fans should look at Clark Kent's civilian clothes in this thing!) I would recommend this to anyone who loves these classic characters.

Elliot S! Maggin has always been my one of my favorite writers, both in the comics arena as well as his novels. I am a great fan of his early Superman novels, Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday, so I looked forward to his novelization of Kingdom Come with a lot of excitement. I was not disappointed. The book not only accurately translates the graphic work, it expands and enhances it as well. When you're finished you fully expect to turn on the news and hear about Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. While I'm at it, look for a paperback of Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday. The latter is the best novel of the genre that I have read.

This is a very well done adaptation by Elliot S. Maggin of the amazing comic story, one that got me back into comics, briefly. It expands on the minor events in the comic and does an excellent job of fleshing out the main character, Norman McCay. The only problem I have with it is that it's not accessible to everyone. If you haven't read the comic or aren't familiar with the heroes and villains of the DC Universe, you'll probably miss the historical details that made the original series so much fun. Comic characters were designed to be seen, and I feel that they never translate well into prose. Read it as a supplement to the comic, and you'll be okay.

I heartily recommend Elliot S. Maggin's novel Kingdom Come. It has been quite some time since I have so thoroughly enjoyed a novel by an author I was not familiar with. Kingdom Come is about DC Comics superheroes: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and many more. But this novel bursts free from the constraints of its subgenre, turns convention on its head, and masterfully and respectfully deconstructs an entire mythos. Kingdom Come may be one of the best superhero novels every written, and there have been well over fifty prose novels published in this subgenre. Moreover, Kingdom Come is excellent science fiction, and is simply a fine novel, period.

If you only read one comic-book based novel ever, make it Maggin's Kingdom Come. If you enjoy good novels and have ever been a comic book reader, you will love this book. Kingdom Come is more than simply an extremely well written, page-turning science fiction adventure. It is a tour de force journey through modern myth, spirituality, ethics, and the whole human condition.

I ordered this thinking it was the hardback edition of the graphic novel, when in fact it is the novelization of the graphic novel. There is a hardback edition of the graphic novel, but it has a different ISBN. Be sure to check before you order!

Having grown up largely on the Marvel comics, I wasn't too familiar with the DC heroes. I read Kingdom Come (the graphic novel) and was blown away. Not only is Alex Ross's artwork amazing, but Waid's characterization brings the characters to life. But enough about the Graphic Novel, let's talk about the audiobook...

Kingdom Come consists of two 90 minute audio cassettes, and although the box is beautiful, it's hardly durable. The adaptation is quite true to the original, and the narratives required by the medium are well placed and are not heavy handed at all. The book is read by a full audio cast, and they do a great job! Rich, enthusiastic readings--any one of them would be a great narrator, but having so many different and distinct voices really adds to the story.

Even though I was familiar with the story, I found myself leaving the tape-deck on after I'd parked just so I could finish a scene. One of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a long time, and DEFINITELY the best of the superhero genre (not that it's flooded with audiobooks).

I had a tough time finding this on tape, and I really wish it was more popular so we could encourage more of the great tales like Marvels and Watchmen to make their way to the audiobook world.

Try it, you'll love it!

...I'd heard of the skill Maggin's writings before picking this book up, how descriptive he is, how detailed he is, how he manages to accurately and believably characterize even the most inhuman and alien beings well enough to actually make you care for them, to make you see what their p.o.v might be. Well, what I heard of him was dead on. This dude brings superhero drama to life like no one can, minus the pretty pictures. Doing this is even more of a challenge to pull off successfully, because without the pretty pictures, all the creator's got is his or her wits and sharp plotting and characterization skills. Maggin pulls this feat off with apparent ease. This novel is based on a series of brilliant comics which I first read sometime ago. What happens when Superman, Batman, WonderWoman and all of the old crowd gets pissed at new age killer "heroes" and vacates their long held spots as Earth's defenders? What happens when metahumans run rampant across the globe, seething with boredom, now that all crime has been successfully eradicated? What is the natural progression of life when the more honorable of the world's defenders leave Humanity to its own devices? The things, among many others , are a few of the questions answered in this novel. Brilliant, and very realistic. These are bar none the best characterizations of these particular icons that I have ever read. Seriously. Maggin takes the brilliance of Waid's and Ross's script and build magnificently on it, adding more layer and dimensions to the plot and characters than I've think I've ever read. I usually write so much when it comes to reviews on the things I've read, so I'll make this one short. If you love Superman, Batman, WonderWoman & The Justice League...if you like mature superhero stories that might make you think, and I mean think hard, then do yourself a favor and go buy this novel. Trust me...it is WELL worth every dime spent.


Hawksmoor...From The Bleed.

There is no doubt in my mind that this novel is great literature. The fact that the key characters of this book happen to be Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Captain Marvel should not dissuade anyone from reading this or the equally compelling graphic novel by Waid and Ross. That's because on the surface, this book is about superheroes (or meta-humans as they're called here), but in reality, this book is about us. And as I was reading it, the message of this book took on added significance because of the events of September 11, 2001. Indeed, there's an almost prophetic scene that takes place at Ellis Island. But as you read the book, you understand the reason for Superman's banishment from society was not just a self-imposed exile. We have cast aside the message of Superman in our times. Now the fight for "truth, justice and the American Way" is either castigated, minimized, or prone to cynical interpretations of each word of the phrase. But by rejecting this simple yet not simplistic philosophy, the world has, as we've seen, become a troubling place. We've seen people do terrible things in the name of good causes, both in this book and in our own society. They key line to this book belongs to Superman, who once he's coaxed to come out of exile and face this new troubling wave of "meta-humans", tells the imprisoned new generation, "In this world there is right and there is wrong. And that distinction is not hard to make." Indeed, as events have shown, it is not.

I picked up Maggin's book on a whim and wasn't disappointed. This look at DC's pantheon of superheroes placed in a not-so-distant 21st century setting is really a telling social commentary on our own times--and its a commentary that is probably lost on all the 20 somethings who read only the comic book version. In the book a new generation of metahumans has arisn, and they serve as a metaphor for todays teenagers. They are wildly tatooed, wear obnoxious body piercings, and sport spiked hair. They lack a moral center and have no respect for the traditions of their elders. They live only to "rumble" and have no desire to advance basic "human achievement." Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the older generation of heroes serve as a metaphor for the aging World War II generation, while the former Teen Titans (Robin, Speedy, et. al.) serve as a metaphor for the above 40 Vietnam generation. The two older generations come out of retirement to teach the younger generation a sense of responsibility and restore morality to the world. Disaster ensues when, like today's youth, they refuse to listen to the wisdom of learned experience.

This is a great novelization of the Kingdom Come trade paperback. It fills in a lot of background information that would have interrupted the pace and flow of the comic. This allows much more detail and background and well as the ability to see other characters in greater detail. A must read for the fan of Kingdom Come and fans of superhero books in general.