I’m still blown away by this one.
I just finished reading the collected issues of Kingdom Come, the four-part epic comic by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. To say it’s a great comic book is hardly doing it justice. Kingdom Come is easily one of the best stories DC has ever put out and thanks to Waid’s writing and Ross’ iconic artstyle, I think it’s one of the best that the entire comic book medium has ever seen. This comic was released in 1993 and while I regret that I didn’t pick this one up sooner, I’m really glad I did.
Overselling it? Maybe, but look at this:
The more I look at artwork like this, the more I enjoy it. Alex Ross really demonstrates why he’s one of the best in the business, drawing and painting the comics with a unique gouache style. The characters all look amazing and every panel looks good enough to hang on a wall. I’ve always felt that Ross’s artwork has a realistic, yet surreal look to it and it adds so much to a gigantic comic event story like this one. But believe me, Kingdom Come is more than just a pretty face.
Without getting into too many spoilers: it’s a dark time in the DC world. The metahuman population has expanded exponentially and the superheroes of the world have been using increasingly brutal and violent means to fight crime. Despite the chaos and collateral damage that often ensues, the general public becomes generally supportive of this new generation’s methods and in response, Superman (and thus, the League) retires as he’s unable to reconcile his sense of justice and decency with the new world. But when a notable superhero named Magog is responsible for a major catastrophe, Superman and the other Leaguers are called back into the fray again to try and restore order in an increasingly chaotic world.
The story does feel fresh and familiar all at the same time. Over the last few decades, we’ve seen many of the themes in this book already played out in other comics and on screens. However, Kingdom Come is told and shown in such unique ways that it truly does stand out from the pack. It’s always interesting to see superheroes clash not just on the battlefield, but on the intellectual one as well and Kingdom Come does a great job at getting to the core of the DC characters and what they’re all about. The old superhero trope of “no killing allowed” is explored on grander scales here and with characters that have been around for a while. The Justice Leaguers we know and love have noticeably aged in this timeline, physically and personally.
Superman is definitely at the heart of this tale, with his sometimes antiquated sense of morality and decency clashing with new-age sensibilities and how his quest to do the right thing brings him dangerously close to full-blown authoritarianism. It’s easy to understand why Superman is doing what he’s doing, but it’s equally understandable why Batman disagrees with his methods so much and why Wonder Woman does her best to remind Superman of who he is, lest his benevolent-minded actions lead him into a full-blown dictatorship. It really is a great story and a wonderful reminder of why we enjoy reading about these characters so much.
In conclusion, Kingdom Come is one of the best comic books I have ever read, hands down. No hyperbole, no exaggeration. I simply can’t say enough about it: the artwork is amazing, the story is incredible and it’s truly a prime example of everything that makes comic books worth reading in the first place. If you have even a passing affection for the medium, I can’t recommend this one enough.
More to come!
O.N.