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.
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