Kingdom Come [Paperback]

Mark Waid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Writer Mark Waid, coming from his popular work on Flash and Impulse, and artist Alex Ross, who broke new ground with the beautifully painted Marvels, join together for this explosive book that takes place in a dark alternate future of the DC Superhero Universe. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and almost every other character from DC Comics must choose sides in what could be the final battle of them all.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Writer Mark Waid, coming from his popular work on Flash and Impulse, and artist Alex Ross, who broke new ground with the beautifully painted Marvels, join together for this explosive book that takes place in a dark alternate future of the DC Superhero Universe. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and almost every other character from DC Comics must choose sides in what could be the final battle of them all.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563893304
• ISBN-13: 978-1563893308
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (190 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars incredible artwork showcases mature superheroes, August 3, 2003

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Kingdom Come (Paperback)

I used to read a lot of comic books and have only just recently started reading them again. Right away, I heard about Kingdom Come as a great graphic novel, so of course I picked it up -- and was definitely blown away. The basic story revolves around the retirement of the older generation of superheroes and the rise of a new generation that doesn't have the same moral compass. Superman has retired to a farm after he becomes disillusioned with humans' supporting the flashier but less ethical metahumans, and now Wonder Woman has come to ask him to get involved again and help tame the ne'er-do-wells. At the same time, Batman and Superman renew an old animosity, and many many superheroes make appearances, especially in the climactic battle between the good guys and the bad. The story is very good, but it's Alex Ross's artwork that is the star here. His rendering of the older superheroes is brilliant (Superman looks awesome), and the color is bright and bold. (Personally, I don't like comics that are so dark that you can barely see what's going on -- I like the mood but I want to see the details too.) The font is clean and the panel configurations are creative. I liked the introduction by Elliot Maggin, who was writing the novelization of Kingdom Come at the time, and I especially enjoyed the follow-up material: sketches of major characters; id's of 105 (!) superheroes depicted in the novel; 2 pages about the development of a sequence, with facsimiles of the script, a photo reference, rough thumbnail sketches, pencil artwork and the finished art; and original artwork created for a t-shirt, comic covers, collection cards, books and posters. Alex Ross even identified a number of his friends and relatives who inspired various character depictions.

This is a gorgeous graphic novel with a very interesting premise and fun extras. I think this would appeal to young and old comic book fans, or anyone wanting to see a classic in the graphic novel format. Sweet.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Kingdom Come" is "The Watchmen" of the '90s--Revolutionary., February 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Kingdom Come (Paperback)

"Kingdom Come" is a brilliant hybrid of top-notch writing from Mark Waid and unparalleled art work by Alex Ross. "Kingdom Come" is to comic books in the 1990s as "The Watchmen" and "The Dark Knight Returns" were to comics in the 1980s. The story focuses on how "old-school" heroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman handle the problem of a new, more violent breed of super-heroes. The main story of "Kingdom Come" is an ages old struggle between generations that improves on the theme in several ways, but what really makes "Kingdom Come" stand out is the intricate details and subplots that Waid and Ross weave into the story and art. The creators of "Kingdom Come" give the readers many startling and imaginative insights into what has happened to our favorite heroes after several years in the trenches. Batman, for instance, lives with a battle-ravaged body that has suffered from fight after fight with his enemies. His body is supported, now, by an exo-skeleton. Superman and Wonder Woman have a brilliant conversation in the middle of the book during which they discuss their differing ideologies concerning the use of violence to control the violent new breed of heroes. It's as well written and important as any dialogue you might find in a "normal" book. Waid and Ross even throw in a older, drunkard version of "Marvin" from the old Super Friends cartoon and a Planet Hollywood type of restaurant whose servers all dress up as super-heroes. Perhaps the greatest moment in "Kingdom Come," and maybe all of comics, is the fight between Superman and Captain Marvel (Shazam) toward the end of the story. Check out the smile on Captain Marvel's face as he is about to lay a beating on Superman and the way the text describes Superman as Superman should truly be written. Comic books have routinely taken a beating in terms of their place as "literature." "Kingdom Come" is an amazing story, well-written with brilliantly defined characters that just happens to be accompanied by unbelievable paintings. Readers who want read something different, but still want to read something with high-quality writing, should not be so quick to dismiss the comic book form and what it can contribute to the world of literature. Any reading is good reading despite what some people would have you believe. It helps you establish what you like from what you don't. "Kingdom Come" does have pictures. It also has deeper characterization than most books today, fantastic settings, and a strong thematic structure woven throughout. "Kingdom Come" gets the highest possible recommendation.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Feast For Longtime Comic Readers., August 6, 2002

By 

Daniel V. Reilly (Upstate New York, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Kingdom Come (Paperback)

Kingdom Come, through it's generation gap tale of Batman, Superman, and various other classic DC Super-Heroes fighting for humanity against the new breed of "Heros" that are indifferent to Human suffering, also functions as an allegory/wish fulfillment for creators Mark Waid & Alex Ross: Their hope that modern fans will stop embracing mindless walking-death-machine characters (Note the Liefeld-esque "Americommando", preceeding the Liefeld Captain America revamp by years, and the character of Magog, instigator of Kingdom Come's Kansas disaster, a thinly veiled jab at Marvel's Liefeld-created Cable.).

Ultimately, despite the apocalyptic premise, Kingdom Come is a very hopeful and optimistic tale, with good prevailing over evil, and Waid and Ross get their point across quite well: Do we REALLY want heroes to act less-than-heroic? Would you rather entrust your life to Superman or Wolverine?

Ross' art is lovely, and Waid does a fine job on the script, maybe his best ever. The only problem was, unlike other "Iconic" graphic Novels, like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, I think a strong knowledge of the DC Universe and it's denizens is a must for understanding the story. Thinking back, I don't think there were any expository captions in the book at all, and the cross-generational connections can be very overwhelming, even to a comic-geek like me.

Overall, I think fans will be in heaven, and newcomers will at least get taken on a great thrill ride.