Some Brief Thoughts On: "Kingdom Come"

I ordered this book, along with Superman: Secret Identity and Superman: Birthright (still yet to arrive) with some money that I got for Christmas. As I write this, I am just coming off of binging through all four issues of this story. For time context, it came in the mail a little less than two hours ago, and I just got done reading through the whole thing.

Because wow. This story is fantastic. I'll admit, I wasn't sure what I'd think about it. I honestly feared that I there was a chance that I'd end up wasting my money on something I wouldn't like, but I am happy to report that it was money very well spent. I burned through it on the edge of my seat, spellbound and fully engrossed in the story.

This was written in the midst of the 90's anti-hero craze, and it shows. But in spite of that, I feel like this story is eerily relevant even today in the midst of the dark tones of the DCEU, Zack Snyder's and others' outlooks on superheroes, and generally stuff like the eternal debate between lighter heroes and darker anti-heroes (not to mention, in a little political side, the brief scene of Americommando threatening refugees and immigrants in the wake of Kansas's annihilation, wearing an ensemble so Americana that it makes the infamous Homelander's outfit look tame by comparison). And I like how it isn't just the good old heroes rising up to give the smack-down to the reckless new generation. Even characters like Superman and Wonder Woman have their own personal demons to overcome.

And I like how, in spite of the looming metahuman apocalypse, the book ends on a hopeful note. The final scene of Clark, Bruce, and Diana in the super-hero themed restaurant is equal parts funny and optimistic, and I was smiling the whole time I read it.

And Alex Ross's art...beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. There were times where it honestly looked like somebody had taken pictures of the characters. It's utterly fantastic.

So yeah, this is definitely a keeper in my book. I give it a very high recommendation.

Comments

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

This is a book that occupies a place of honor on my shelves.

This comic, along with All-Star Superman and Superman: Secret Identity, was part of a triple whammy comic-reading in college that transformed me into a legit fan of Superman.

If you liked Alex Ross' superhero art so much, I can name a few other comics he's done that might be of interest:
- Justice, written by Jim Krieger. It's as if Super Friends were a grand superhero epic. It may not be *as* powerful as Kingdom Come, but it's still damned good superhero adventure and one that definitely earns a happy ending.
- Marvels, by Kurt Busiek. A powerful, if also very bittersweet, at the Marvel Universe up through the death of Gwen Stacy, as seen through the eyes of a photographer who's covered the superheroes from the Golden Age onward.
- Justice League: The World's Greatest Super-Heroes. This one's a collection of stories that Alex Ross did with Paul Dini on some of the various DC heroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League as a whole) taking on some more real-world threats, while never losing the thread of what makes these comic characters so great. I've read the individual comics for Superman ("Peace on Earth"), Batman ("War on Crime") and one for Justice League ("Liberty and Justice") and they're all excellent. There's also comics for Shazam and Wonder Woman as well, though I've not read them specifically.