Kingdom Come - Mark Waid & Alex Ross
What if the world were overrun by superhumans? What if Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman—all the classic superheroes of yesterday—were replaced by a new breed of powerful but unruly beings; what if, in the absence of new supervillains, these superhumans fought each other, just out of sheer boredom? That's the world in which Kingdom Come takes place, at a time when the "metahuman" crisis is coming to a head. Superman is reluctantly brought out from his self-imposed exile, and takes the reins of the new Justice League.
It's an interesting take on the world of superheroes, showing how super powers do not automatically make the world a better place to live. The story is told through the eyes of Norman McKay, an old pastor who's been having visions of the end-times, and it's an interesting take on the visions from Revelation. Waid does an excellent job of pulling all these old superheroes into one story and making them seem, well, reasonable. Even some of the really cheesy old characters (like Mr. Miracle, for instance, or Captain Marvel) feel like real people and not just flat cutouts.
This is also in large part due to Ross' amazing artwork. Unlike most comic books, which have impressive painted covers and your standard inked/colored drawings inside, the entire book is paintings. With Waid's storyline and Ross' art, Kingdom Come impresses on both levels.
Fed to jonathan's brain | January 28, 2004
