Review of "Kingdom Come," by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Review of

Kingdom Come, by Mark Waid and Alex Ross ISBN 9781401220341

Five out of five stars

  This is one of the best graphic novels ever published. Superman, Batman and the other original super heroes in the DC line are all aged and have generally bowed out in favor of the younger people with powers. However, the change has not been for the better. The youthful “heroes” often fight each other and show a complete disregard for the bystanders that have no powers.

 The general theme of the story is maintained by an aged human pastor named Norman, assisted by the Spectre. That team provides philosophical perspective on what are serious issues, namely what is the role of superheroes in human society, the position of retired heroes and how does one temper the irrational exuberance of youth.

 Lex Luthor leads a group of powerful corporate interests managed by humans, but being Luthor, he has his hands in nefarious dealings. Wonder Woman has been deemed a failure by her fellow Amazonians, stripped of her royal standing and banned from her society of origin. Throughout the story, questions are raised regarding the incarceration of rogue heroes as well as the level of force that should be used to subdue them. There is a major surprise event at the end.

 Quite naturally, given such a story, the future existence of the Earth is at stake. Given the combination of characters and the involvement of the simple human pastor, this is a story that emphasizes the human elements of the heroes. That is what makes it great, for they are complex characters, not just entities that can leap tall buildings with a single bound.