Customer Reviews

Kingdom Come

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I cannot say enough about this exceptional piece of work by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. More than ten years after it was first released, Kingdom Come remains one of the essential volumes (I think) of comics-related reading that anyone who loves the genre should own. It would also make an excellent gift for anyone interested in science fiction, superheroes, fantasy, and art, even if they aren't interested in comic books.

Although Mark Waid is the writer here, the genius of Kingdom Come belongs really to artist Alex Ross, who came to DC with a proposal for the story and the broad outlines already in his head. Waid was writing at the height of his powers, while still doing a seminal run on DC's Flash, where he had earned genuine superstar writing status. Ross' genius was in suggesting a story that was both forward looking and a commentary on the state of the comics industry at the time. Kingdom Come is arguably the series that truly put the nails in the 'grim and gritty' wave of the previous decade, although the story is fairly dark in and of itself. Waid's contribution was also pretty significant however, in tying what were fairly loose ideas into an intricate and very coherent narrative that pulls the reader in and never lets go. The team works well together here to craft an exceptional story, the significance or influence of which, neither men are likely to replicate in the latter parts of their careers unfortunately. (It's unlikely Ross will ever do something on that scale again, at least, not on his own, and Waid's powers have been waning of late; his most recent writing often being too 'clever' for its own good, and is also less natural, or is more "constructed" than his best writing - see any Flash issue or trades by Mark Waid set before Flash #120 or so.)

The story concerns the return of a Man of Steel who has been in self-imposed exile, to a world which has moved on dramatically since he last frequented it. Populated by superpowered beings who epitomize the phrase "power without responsibility," Superman's re-emergence in a not too distant future, sets off a chain of events that lead to tragedy on an epic scale. Principally a love letter to a version of Superman that DC had disowned up to that point, the story also focuses a fair degree on an aged Batman and ageless Wonder woman. Dense, lyrical, mythical, epic and beautiful all at once, Kingdom Come is a tale dealing with power, responsibilty, loss, alienation, what happens when different philosophies collide, and yes, hope.

If there are any criticisms of the work, most are fairly minor in my view and easily dimissed. For example, some have argued that the multitude of new characters aren't sufficiently fleshed out to make you care enough. That's like going to an indian restaurant and complaining there are no burgers. These people completely miss the point. Kingdom Come isn't about the multitude of characters in the background, and the writer and artist waste no time on them, because they're intended to be a direct commentary on the multitudes of interchangeable/nameless/forgettable characters the comic industry was throwing up in the late 80's, early 90s, specially after Image launched. More significant problems are that issue one of the story is a little weak in comparison to the remaining three, as it is almost exclusively set up. Had Waid and Ross been doing it now, I doubt they might have taken the slightly decompressed approach they took originally for that issue. Finally, Batman was pretty obnoxious ever since Frank Miller put his hands on him, and the Batman written here is a fairly logical extension of the obnoxious, dislikeable Batman DC was enamored with at that period in the 90s. But other than a cynical and somewhat stupid/unfortunate historical tension with Superman, Waid and Ross never really provide a compelling, convincing argument as to why Bruce adopts the role of obstructionist here. It doesn't ruin the story in any serious way or affect your enjoyment as a reader too much, but it's a niggling irritation if, like me, you like the Batman and think, 'being difficult' doesn't do the character justice.

As for format, this volume of Kingdom Come actually bucks the trend by being a superior printing to the original trade paperback. The cover here is one of Ross' most beautiful and striking images created for the series, which is saying a lot considering the number of beautiful images Ross created in the story and for its promotion. Whereas the previous cover was a bit cluttered and somewhat clumsily staged, Ross' cover here is a beautiful emerald green projection of the mythical, epic nature of the confrontation contained in the pages of the actual story, for three reasons. First, because the location of Green Lantern's satellite plays a central role in the story, second because it highlights Superman's new Justice League, which sets off the central conflict in the story, and most importantly because it is yet another wonderful example of Ross' superb Superman. If ever there was a fictional character and an artist who were meant to be together, it's Ross and Superman. The artist's take on the character is always amazing. Ross clearly enjoys painting him and he renders the Man of Steel with love, but always as an imposing, powerful, and compelling fictional character that demands your respect and must be taken seriously. This first printing is also a steal because it contains a 'gatefold' cover, meaning that the cover is front, back, and an extra foldout, for a larger image. Amazon seems to only have an early pencil version here, but one of the customer images shows more clearly what the actual volume will look like. Whatever the case, it's a striking image that, more than ten years on after the initial release, reaffirms why Kingdom Come is one of the best pieces of graphic fiction ever produced by anyone, anywhere.

This is a unique trip through the DC universe. The device of seeing the ultimate war of the meta-humans through the eyes of a human preacher steeped in the apocalyptic visions of the Bible was masterful. As both a preacher and a comic book fan, this graphic novel really hit home for me. The artwork was phenomenal. stirring and beautiful. The presentation of the moral dilemmas faced by our legendary heroes was epic. There is nothing about this story that I didn't like. BUY IT! READ IT! THINK ABOUT IT! READ IT AGAIN!

Kingdom Come is a tough book to rate. On the one hand, it does possess level of depth that sets it far above most "comic books" on the newsstand. On the other, such depths as you will find are, to be brutally honest, entirely - yes, entirely - derivative of what Alan Moore had already given us in Watchmen more than a decade earlier.

Fundamentally, this is Watchmen revisited.

Or at least, it's one layer of Watchmen revisited. By the time Kingdom Come came along, the iron age of comic books was well and truly in full swing. Titles that took a long, hard look at the ideal of the superhero were positively in vogue. That's what we get here. But the deeper, less genre-specific layer of Watchmen? The layer that took an even longer, and even harder look into the absolute void of a truly meaningless and amoral universe?

That is not within the scope of this work.

But although Kingdom Come is most certainly a retelling, it is a good retelling. Like so many comic book writers, Mark Waid is presenting afresh a tale not his own; a tale with a course and an ending as pre-ordained as that of any tragic or comic opera.

Taken on such terms, what matters is not so much where we end up, but how we get there. The writing, although lacking Moore's originality, is good: I'd give it a solid "B+". But the real star of the show is undoubtedly the art. Throughout this tale, the art maintains a level of quality and sheer detail that we normally only get to see on covers, if at all. Even more than that, the artist, Alex Ross, makes a real artistic statement by depicting many of the characters and much of the action with a kind of hyper-realism that very clearly alludes to the work of Norman Rockwell. Superman in particular is especially subject to this kind of rendering.

I am of course very far from being the first to observe the Rockwell influence. Nevertheless, it is worth considering how this choice of style is used to draw us in to think about what our Earth could become if beings more than human really did walk among us. In the harsher light of this iron age vision, the prospect is perhaps less appealing than it might have seemed in the bygone ages of silver and gold.

But the Rockwell-esque style is a two edged sword. On the one hand, the extreme realism grounds us in, well, reality, with all that this entails. On the other, there is also a bitterly ironic counterpoint being made here. The almost eerily wholesome and idealized depictions of American life we so strongly associate with Rockwell's work are surely the spiritual first-cousins of the idealized vision of the comic books of ages gone: The very vision that Kingdom Come itself now confronts through older, wiser, and yet also sadder eyes.

One final point...

This book begins with an introduction that literally spells out exactly, and I do mean EXACTLY, what Kingdom Come, as a work, is supposed to be all about.

DO NOT READ IT.

At least, not until after you've read the book itself.

Not realizing what I was in for (thinking perhaps I was going to find something similar to the printed material so skillfully integrated into Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns) I did read this introduction before reading the book itself. And it's not overstating it to say that it really did ruin Kingdom Come for me.

For heaven's sake. Spelling out to the readers EXACTLY what the book is supposed to be all about before they even get the chance to embark upon that journey of discovery for themselves?

What an unbelievably stupid and self indulgent thing to do. I took off an extra star just for that.

Theo.

This is probably the most beautiful graphic novel I've ever seen. Alex Ross is a national treasure. His art is matched by a strong story which contrasts the eternal qualities of legendary heroes like Superman and Wonderwoman with the moral ambiguities of a rapidly changing world. I know its herecy to quote Peter Parker in a DC comics review, but if great responsibility is supposed to come with great power, can even Superman know what he should do with that power in every situation?

Walk a few miles beside an elderly, world-weary preacher and witness Kingdom Come for yourself.

I bought this book, originally, just because it was a required book for my literature class. First off, I'm not much of a graphic novel fan. Not for any particular reason, just never got into them personally. This novel has definintly sparked my interest in the whole genre.

It is extremely gripping and the artwork is phenomenal. I finished it 2 weeks before the required reading was due because I just could not put it down. Ended up having a couple late assignments in another class...haha.

I would recommend this book to anyone. Comic book fans, and non comic book fans alike. It will definintly open up your eyes and show that these are no longer JUST Comic Books, but Graphic Novels!

No collection of comics is as deep as Kingdom Come, nor beautifully drawn and inked. I could be wrong but I swear each panel was pain stakingly painted on canvas or something, maybe not but it looks that way. Kingdom Come shows us all the heroes we love, aged and in a new age. Batman has suffered some sort of horrible neck injury and can only move with a powered exoskeleton. Superman has lost Lois and his faith in humanity and retreated to the Fortress of Solitude and seems to never want to come out again. Captain Marvel serves Lex Luther for some reason and all other heroes and villians are playing roles not seen by us the readers usually. The "deep" part of the read comes from The Spectre who has arrived to judge the metahumans, and to witness some great calamity that is to come. He snatches up a minister who has lost faith in God and they together view events and individuals invisibly. The bible is used throughout, but in a good literary way. After all there are many good quotable passages in the bible that seem to fit well into this. Well, things start to escalate pretty badly and we see Superman donning a black "S" and trying to stop the coming calamity, only to become a crucial player in it himself. For me this is Number 1 in DC collections followed by Superman: Red Son, followed by Batman: Vampire. Can not find anything wrong with this collection, other than comic writers and illustrators of other works will seem pale in comparison after digesting this masterpiece. Would give it 10 Stars if Amazon had a scale big enough. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never been a fan for DC comics or any of its characters outside of Batman, but this GN is one of the best comic stories ever told. The art is absolutely breath-taking and the story is the perfect mix of Biblical scripture and super-hero action. You are essential seeing the book of Revelations play out through the lives of Super-Man, Wonder Woman and the rest of the DC universe. An absolute must read!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the artwork was fantastic. A nice one off story, or in this case a 4 issue collection. And I'm not usually a fan of the DC universe...

Kingdom come is one of the best comic works of the recent past. Alex Ross' paintings are beautiful and detailed, and the story evokes powerful emotions. What would the word be like without a Superman? We get to see this first hand, and watch the triumphant return of a hero who has been absent for many years. We also get to explore what happens when even Superman is not enough. The review is intentionally vague for the few people have not yet had a chance to experience this masterwork. This is definitely worth the read and a story you will continue to come back to and re-read again and again.

Excellent. A futuristic look at the world of superheroes without limit. It has a great psicological aspect of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor and all of the DC Universe. Definitely a must have for all comic lovers.