Comic Review: Kingdom Come (Complete Series) in Episodic Format

Kingdom Come has a reputation as a modern comic book masterpiece. With this in mind, I have decided to read through the complete series. What follows is a brief breakdown of each of the comics that compose the series as I decide whether the reputation is deserved or if it is overhyped among comic aficionados. I have written this as I have read each chapter, so later events have not coloured my interpretation of earlier events. As always, spoilers will follow.

Chapter 0: Introduction and Foreword by Eliot S. Margin

 I thought the art was really strong here. I liked the look of the aging icons all standing together. I am also now expecting Captain Marvel to fight Superman which could be epic if handled well. Also, the foreword really sets the tone, with lines like:

“It is about the time in the lives of Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Batman and the others, when they learn that they are not gods. And it is about the time in their lives when finally they learn that despite their limitations they must be potent and responsible anyway. Now is the time in the human race when all of us need to learn these same things.”

So far so good. I am really looking forward to this.

Chapter 1: Strange Visitor

This chapter started a bit wordy, but then it eased up as I got into it. I really liked the art style here of the kind-of pastel painted / realistic tint to the characters. This chapter followed The Spectre, a sort-of avenging angel in DC, as he effectively chooses a moral compass to try and prevent Armageddon. It also sets up the premise of the story of the super-hero icons abandoning the world and the new breed of “heroes”. These “heroes” are not acting like heroes without the guidance of what the old heroes represent. I felt the pacing of this story was good for an initial chapter and look forward to seeing what they do with it.

Chapter 2: Truth and Justice

Once again, I really liked the art style in this book. As part of this story, The Spectre provides allot of narrative exposition. However, I found that this worked due to how it was set-up with him effectively trying to judge the world. This issue directly deals with the themes of superheroes as gods walking amongst us. It is also shows the struggle of Superman as he tries to reclaim his place in the world and be a hero while all the new “heroes” are shown acting no better than the villains. There is also the backstory of why Superman left the world (after a new hero, Magog, killed the Joker. This followed the Joker’s latest rampage which killed Lois and 91 other people. Despite this, Superman still tried to bring him in for justice). As more old heroes and villains are introduced (Luthor, Batman, Green Arrow) and their motivations (as well as existing characters motivations, such as Wonder Woman) are set-out and expanded upon, I am quite intrigued with how this is heading.

This chapter, however, was very narration heavy. I am hoping they slowly move to a more show-don’t-tell policy with the comic as the various characters are set-up and the plot continues. This chapter also had a couple of cuts between scenes that confused me a couple of times. But overall, another solid issue that has me looking forward to the next chapter.

 

Chapter 3: Up In The Sky

This is another solid chapter that once again advanced the story and raised the stakes. In this chapter, we see Batman’s and Lex Luthor’s plans advance. The growing rift within the new Justice League is also explored, particularly between Wonder Woman and Superman. This chapter also explores the thoughts of Superman and him wondering whether he is doing the right thing. I also thought it improved on the show-don’t-tell as this chapter felt less narrative heavy while still fitting in plenty of story and character development. Once again the writing and art style really suited the tone of the comic, and I am once again looking forward to the next chapter.

Chapter 4: Never-Ending Battle

The concluding chapter of Kingdom Come. The Spectre finally asks the human he recruited as his moral compass on whose side he should act, with both sides having grave consequences. We also see the fight between Captain Marvel and Superman as well as the Justice League fighting with superheroes who refused to comply with Superman and his value for life. Humanity also shows that they are willing to take radical measures to stamp out the superhero threat once and for all rather than be willing to lie down and let others decide their fate.

Although I really liked the art previously, I felt that allot of the splash pages and fight scenes were very confusing. This art style definitely stumbled when it came time to showing action. This was offset by the comic having a well-written payoff and a satisfying conclusion. My only criticism is that, despite being a central part of the conclusion to Kingdom Come, Captain Marvel feels more like a plot device than a proper character, but this is only because all the other characters are written so strongly. In a weaker comic, I would have thought he was very well written.

Chapter 5: One Year Later

This short comic just sees the reunion of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman following the end of Chapter 4. It was a good for what it was and didn’t take itself too seriously. I also felt it got the dynamics of a relationship between Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman right, as it has done with the rest of the comic.

Conclusion:

Overall, I found Kingdom Come to be very enjoyable. I enjoyed reading about the exploration of what Superman and the other superheros mean to the rest of the world by the ideals they stand for, not just their brute force. The plot was well driven and the characters were well written. Kingdom Come relied on the characters to drive the plot as opposed to having the plot drive the characters to acting out of character. Although it was a bit narration and exposition heavy towards the beginning, I thought the writers found a good balance towards the final chapters once the world was established. The art style fitted in well with the tone of the comic. I would recommend Kingdom Come to everyone and his dog because it rightly deserves it’s place up there with the classics.

6/5 honey-coated, beautifully cooked waffles. That is not a typo.