Books : Kingdom Come

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- holy crap
If you say nothing else about Mark Waid, he wrote one of the best comic books of all time (and then dedicated it to the late Christopher Reeve). It takes place in the near future and you really see the depth DC can offer. Superman and Batman have so much to them, especially if written right (like Miller, Moore, Waid, and Loeb do). You have to read this, even if you aren't a comic book fan. If you even have a slight idea as to who Superman or Batman is, you want to read this book. It's one of the best I've read.

Rating:

- All I was expecting and more
I enjoy comics and graphic novels, but I have so little time and so many other projects underway that I rarely have time to spend time catching up or just reading for fun (not that things that I HAVE to read aren't also often fun). But I'm on vacation and I have determined that for two weeks I am reading nothing that I have to read or ought to read, but instead am just reading what I want to read. And for a long, long time I've wanted to read Mark Waid and Alex Ross's KINGDOM COME. And I'm glad I did!

I knew something of the content of the story through my daughter, but not the details. There have been other alternative depictions of various DC characters, but I found this to be the most compelling, at least as compelling as those of Frank Miller. The visuals of a panoply of aging Justice League heroes -- some of our heroes are very aged indeed -- are sad and mildly disturbing. Somehow Wonder Woman's eternal youthfulness underscores the mortality of all the other heroes, even Superman with his graying temples and aging face. This artwork has been justly praised as some of the finest in the history of comics and the story telling is justly celebrated. I especially loved the narrative device of viewing the entire saga through the eyes of aging minister Norman McCay, whose humanity is used to ground the Spectre as he views the unfolding events. And this is one of those rare novels where the climactic struggle exceeds anything one can anticipate.

Several years ago I was arrested by a statement by Stanley Cavell in his classic book on film, THE WORLD VIEWED. He wrote that cinema as a popular art is distinguished by the fact that fans of the medium tend to like most movies rather than only a few. This is in contrast with highbrow criticism that tends to find fault in almost all works, reserving their praise for only a very few. I'm rather astonished by the number of reviewers here who give this comic less than five stars. I wonder if Amazon shouldn't require anyone finding fault with a work like this to add to the review the names of works that they feel do deserve five stars. For my part, I agree with Cavell on popular art -- and if comics don't fall into that category what does? If you love comics, then you should love most of it. And I am deeply suspicious of anyone who wants to give something this outstanding work only two or three stars. It makes me think that they are either partisan in some bizarre fashion or that they are merely being intentionally difficult to please. Or perhaps many of the naysayers are simply determined not to go along with the majority. Whatever. But in my opinion, this is comic art that is as good as it gets.

I love vacations.

Rating:

- The Gold Standard
"Kingdom Come" shows what a graphic novel/comic book can be. Incredible art, a gripping storyline and some very thought-provoking moments make this the standard by which all others should be measured

The story takes place in a future version of the DC Comics universe. In a world where Superman has retired, Batman has gone even further underground, Wonder Woman is getting in touch with her Amazon side and extremist "heroes", who don't care if they kill people or not, are the order of the day.

Into this mess, we see a horrible accident that results in most of Kansas being made radioactive. As things go from bad to worse, a preacher is approaced by the Spectre, who shows him the world and asks him to help judge the fate of humanity.

The storyline is good, and it's great to see older versions of heroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, etc. It's especially good to see Captain Marvel, who is one of the great underrated heroes out there. The only real quibble I had with the story is the idea that the presence of these "gods" slows the development of humanity to crawl, eventually stopping it altogether. I don't know that I buy that part of it, but it's a minor part.

Indeed, the storyline itself is almost a minor part, serving primarily as the vehicle for the incredible artwork of Alex Ross, who proves that his work in Marvels and Uncle Sam weren't mere flukes. The man's art is amazing, and the "behind the scenes" materiel at the end of the book is very illuminating, showing the processes he uses to turn out these wonderful paintings of our greatest heroes.

Even the most casual fan is likely to enjoy this book. Even if you're a die-hard Marvel fan who thinks the DC heroes are a bunch of wimps, you might want to give this book a try. Without intending any puns, it might be something of a Revelation.

Rating:

- Good Elseworlds tale but overrated
If you're a fan of the DC universe, you've surely heard of this title. It is possibly the most famous DC Elseworlds title to date (a story that uses the characters of the DCU and puts a new spin on it out of the regular continuity). I was familiar with Mark Waid before, but had never read anything written by him until this. Same for Alex Ross, everyone knows his artwork, he does enough covers, but I had never read anything where he illustrated the entire book.

The story is interesting enough. It takes place several years into the future where Superman has exiled himself to his fortress of solitude. Wonder Woman shows up trying to convince him that the world still needs him. It has been overrun with so called "heroes" that have run rampant and are a danger to themselves and humanity. A battle took place that leaves Kansas a wasteland and now the country is on the brink of Armageddon.

In the meantime, the U.N. is deciding how to handle the situation, not to mention Lex Luthor has formed his own organization to rid the world of supreme beings, the Mankind Liberation Front. The situation gets out of control when Superman's reformed Justice League take matters into their own hands and secludes all super beings not willing to cooperate to a massive penal colony in the Kansas wastelands.

Waid does a pretty good job of keeping our attention with so much happening in a short amount of time. The overall plot isn't bad, but it just means with so many characters we don't really have much time to spend on the heroes themselves rather than the situations they get it. Ross creates a lot of new characters that fill in the backgrounds nicely during the fight scenes, but without actually knowing who any of them are, it barely matters. It's a justice league story, but Superman is the main focus here. Wonder Woman plays a significant role, but more as his love interest than anything else which is disappointing. One thing that really bothered me was that Waid writes for The Flash a lot. However in this story Flash never talks. Ever. I'm not saying he should have been featured as prominently as some of the others but the fact that he just never says a word was for me out of character and quite distracting.

I love the detail that went into the artwork. Our narrator approaches a window with books on display and you can see a copy of Under the Hood by Hollis Mason, for you Watchmen fans. In the background of the scene at the bar, you can see standing alongside The Question are, The Shadow, as well as Rorschach (also a Watchmen character). The ode to Detective #27 and Action Comics #1 illustrations were a nice touch as well. Not to mention when Clark, Bruce and Diana are exiting the superhero styled restaurant you can see The Sandman's costume on display in the window.

Yes, it is an interesting possible glimpse into the future, but is it the best story ever told? Not really. Read it, enjoy it for the artwork but don't expect it to be the ultimate epic to end all epics.

Rating:

- Well Done
I didnt know what to expect when i ordered this product, but i was surprised. While the story lack luster, it is at least original and entertaining. The art work is what really shines, page after page of beauty, featuring the battle between superheroes. I recommend this if you enjoy well drawn comic book artwork or have a fondness for classic superheroes.

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