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A look at politics and society through the lens of the DC universe, in a manner that is quite reminiscent of Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme Series.
Unlike in the Dark Knight Returns, where Superman is basically operating as government cover special forces, here he has given up in disgust at how things are going.
An old friend spurs him into action, and he assembles a team to go about taking down irresponsible metahuman troublemakers. Then, with Wonder Woman, they get the idea of building a gulag and re-education camp to hold them all.
Not a good idea, and as ever, Batman and those who see things similarly are opposed to fascist actions.
The Spectre is willing to give a human preacher the power to intervene in this conflict that will provoke a devastating reaction from the rest of the world.
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Mark Waid and Alex Ross's "Kingdom Come" is a visual treat for longtime comic book fans. It's steeped in DC Universe lore, and is self-referential to the point of possible incoherence to anyone who doesn't hold a degree in four-color spandex. Waid is just preaching to the fanboy choir. Not bad if you're a fanboy like me, but also nothing that's going to win over anyone outside of the comic book industry.
While this was originally an alternate reality version of the future, DC is now seeking to capitalize on its growing popularity with their base--Geoff Johns is resurrecting the "Kingdom Come" characters as part of DC's new "Multiverse" (see the new, ongoing "JSA" series for more details).
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the art is so so so good and the story is good too. on of the best dc comics made. ever superhero fan or comic book reader needs to read this.
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it had been about twenty years since i'd read a comic book before recently haven't my interest in the genre piqued with the release of buffy season #8. after some research, discussions in online forums, and the advice of some trusted friends, i came away with one clear-cut comic to persue: anything painted by alex ross. since it's nearly impossible to just jump in and start recollecting (it's tough to pick things up already in progress), i decided to go the graphic novel route. 1) they're a lot cheaper than buying individual issues; and 2)you don't have to wait months or years to get an entire story or arc.
'kingdom come' was the first such graphic novel i've read. and i have to say, i really enjoyed it. as so many others have commented, alex ross' art is really beyong appropriate description. it's just something you really need to see for yourself. he's a throwback, for sure, not all that different from say, norman rockwell. his panels are simply beautiful. the colors are bright and vibrant, but never look fresh out of the tube. his superheroes are traditional in the sense that they're exaggerated (what exactly IS in captain marvel's pants, anyway???), but not in a cartoonish way. in fact, if superman, capt marvel, and wonder woman were real people (and who's to say they aren't?), i imagine they would be a bit exaggerated. after all, the superheroes. i especially loved the way ross painted the spectre. the use of light to counter spectre's black robes was really terrific and gave the spectre an eerie, yet intriguing, appearance. my favorite panel was wonder woman and batman hoving above a cloud while beneath our heroes battle the second generation. beautiful stuff.
mark waid's script is often times very, very interesting. as a newbie to the DC universe i was clueless to some of the subplots, but waid does a nice job of letting his characters fill in some the blanks with their expository dialogue. it's an interesting story of how superheroes ended up at odds with the governing mortals and how the second generation of superheroes lacks the same 'moral compass' and direction their predecessors did. all of this, of course, is told through the eyes of one norman mckay, who the spectre takes on aa 'a christmas carol' type journey/adventure. it's neat to see wonder woman take superman to task about his lack of desire to get involved again; batman's exo-skeleton; to see the former aquaman refuse the superheroes desire to build a gulag underwater (and who can blame him?)
in the end it's a classic comic tale: the good guys come out on top, but sometimes the good guys don't really want to come out on top. and with the way the good guys sometimes get treated, how can we really blame them. sure, it's a little bit didactic, but can you really expect anything else?
if you've been collecting comics for awhile, chances are you've already read this. if you're new to them or just getting back into them, 'kingdom come' is a great adventure with lots of action, lots of heart, interesting moral dilemmas, and an ending that poses a HUGE 'what happens next?'
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goes without saying that this is a work of art. A powerhouse in any comic collection this story is gripping and the artwork is breathtaking.
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