Kingdom Come (comics): Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Comic book mini-series}} |
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[[Image:KingdomCome.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Promotional art for ''Kingdom Come''. Clockwise from top: The Ray, Red Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Power Woman, Rev. Norman McCay and the Spectre (in background), Green Lantern]] |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Use American English|date=October 2023}} |
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'''''Kingdom Come''''' is a [[comic book]] [[miniseries]] published by [[DC Comics]], written by [[Mark Waid]] and painted by [[Alex Ross]]. It concerns the efforts of [[Superman]] and the [[Justice League]] in the near [[future]] to control the growing population of new [[superhero]]es. Alex Ross painted each page of the comic using watercolors. |
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{{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> |
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| title = Kingdom Come |
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| image = Kingdom Come (DC Comics 1997 softcover edition).jpg |
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| caption = Cover of the original [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperback]] edition (1997), art by Alex Ross. |
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| schedule = Monthly |
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| format = [[Limited series (comics)|Miniseries]] |
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| limited = y |
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| publisher = DC Comics |
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| date = May–August [[1996 in comics|1996]] |
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| issues = 4 |
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| main_char_team = [[Superman (Kingdom Come)|Superman]] <br/> [[Batman]] <br/> [[Wonder Woman]] <br/> [[Shazam (DC Comics)|Shazam]] <br/> [[The Spectre (DC Comics)|The Spectre]] <br/> [[Norman McCay]] |
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| writers = [[Mark Waid]] |
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| artists = [[Alex Ross]] |
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| letterers = [[Todd Klein]] |
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| pencillers = |
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| inkers = |
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| colorists = |
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| creative_team_month = |
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| creative_team_year = |
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| creators = |
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| TPB = Trade Paperback |
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| ISBN = 1563893304 |
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| TPB1 = Hardcover |
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| ISBN1 = 1563893177 |
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| TPB2 = Absolute Edition |
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| ISBN2 = 1401207685 |
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| TPB3 = Deluxe Edition |
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| ISBN3 = 1401260829 |
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| TPB4 = 2019 Trade Paperback |
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| ISBN4 = 1401290965 |
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| sort = Kingdom Come (comics) |
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| subcat = Elseworlds |
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}} |
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'''''Kingdom Come''''' is a four-issue [[comic book]] [[Limited series (comics)|miniseries]] published in 1996 by [[DC Comics]] under their [[Elseworlds]] imprint. It was written by [[Mark Waid]] and painted in [[gouache]] by [[Alex Ross]], who also developed the concept from an original idea.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=McAvennie |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |title=DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-8578-6 |page=257}}</ref> |
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The story is set in an alternate future of the [[DC Universe]]. The new generation of heroes have lost their moral compass, becoming as reckless and violent as the villains they fight. The previous regime of heroes—the [[Justice League]]—returns under dire circumstances, which sets up a battle of the old guard against these uncompromising protectors in a conflict that will define what heroism truly is and determine the future of the planet.<ref>{{Cite web|title=KINGDOM COME|url=https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/kingdom-come-1996/kingdom-come|access-date=June 25, 2022|website=[[DC Comics]]|date=16 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=ABSOLUTE KINGDOM COME|url=https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/kingdom-come-1996/absolute-kingdom-come|access-date=June 25, 2022|website=[[DC Comics]]|date=9 March 2012}}</ref> |
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==Story== |
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{{spoiler}} |
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==Development== |
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The [[narrator]] of the story is a [[Religious minister|minister]] named Norman McCay, suffering from a crisis of faith, who is approached by [[the Spectre]] to observe and pass judgement on the approaching superhero [[apocalypse]]. In the near future, [[Superman]] has abandoned his never-ending battle for truth and justice, causing many other heroes of his generation to withdraw from the world at large, leaving a power vacuum that is soon filled by a new generation of heroes. These new heroes battle openly, using lethal force against each other without concern for collateral damage. |
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When comic book artist [[Alex Ross]] was working on ''[[Marvels]]'', published in 1994, he decided to create a similar "grand opus" about characters from [[DC Comics]]. Ross wrote a 40-page handwritten outline of what would become ''Kingdom Come'' and pitched the idea to [[James Robinson (comics)|James Robinson]] as a project similar in scope to ''[[Watchmen]]'' (1986–1987) and [[Alan Moore]]'s infamous "lost work" ''[[Twilight of the Superheroes]]''. Ultimately, Ross teamed with writer [[Mark Waid]], who was recommended by DC editors due to his strong familiarity with the history of DC superheroes.<ref name="inside">{{Cite news|first=Alex |last=Ross |url=http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/000062004.cfm |title=Alex Ross: Inside the Artist's Gallery |work=[[Wizard Entertainment]] |date=May 10, 2006 |access-date=August 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930153829/http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/000062004.cfm |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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==Plot== |
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This comes to a head when the Justice Battalion, led by a golden-helmed [[cyborg]] named ''Magog'', attacks the Parasite, who manages to tear [[Captain Atom]] open and release the nuclear force within him, obliterating Kansas and parts of the surrounding states. |
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In the near future, the new generation of [[Metahuman|metahumans]] becomes increasingly violent and reckless, engaging in destructive battles with little distinction between heroes and villains. Notably, 10 years ago, a superhero named [[Magog (DC Comics)|Magog]] kills the [[Joker (character)|Joker]] in retaliation for a mass murder of the [[Daily Planet]] staff, including [[Lois Lane]]. Magog being acquitted during the trail and subsequently gaining public support prompts [[Superman]] to retire and [[Wonder Woman]] to be exiled from [[Themyscira (DC Comics)|Themyscira]], with other superheroes following suit. With the apocalypse drawing near, [[Spectre (DC Comics character)|The Spectre]] recruits minister Norman McCay, having received visions from a dying Wesley Dodds, to help pass judgement when the moment arrives. |
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An attack on the [[Parasite (comics)|Parasite]], led by Magog, goes awry when Parasite tears open [[Captain Atom]]. As a result, much of the American Midwest is irradiated, killing millions and devastating the economy.<ref name=kc1>''Kingdom Come'' #1 (May 1996)</ref> Coaxed back into action by Wonder Woman, Superman returns to Metropolis and re-forms the [[Justice League]].<ref name="kc1" /> He begins recruiting several heroes to his cause, stopping battles around the world while facing opposition from Wonder Woman's militant leadership style. In response to Superman's idealist notions, Batman forms his own network of heroes called the Outsiders, and Lex Luthor organizes the Mankind Liberation Front, or MLF, a group of classic and third-generation villains who works to take back control of the world from heroes, with defeating the Justice League as its priority. |
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Superman's Justice League gathers more captives than converts, and after talking to Orion, the leader of Apokolips after Darkseid, he builds a prison on the wastelands of Magog's fight with Parasite. his prison, nicknamed the Gulag, is quickly filled to capacity. His attempts to convince the inmates to redeem themselves fails, and pressure starts to build between the heroes and villains locked inside. Batman and his Outsiders seem to ally themselves with the MLF, and learns that he has brainwashed [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Billy Batson]] (also known as Captain Marvel, the only metahuman to match Superman's power) to his side. When the inmates riot and kill Captain Comet, Luthor reveals that he intends to use him to break open the Gulag and incite a battle between them and the Justice League. The Outsiders ambush the group, and although Batman confronts Billy, he transforms into Captain Marvel and flies off. |
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With coaxing from [[Wonder Woman]], Superman decides to return to Metropolis and reform the [[Justice League of America|Justice League]]. He manages to collect former heroes (including [[Green Lantern]], [[Flash (comics)|The Flash]], and [[Hawkman]], among others) and reformed "new heroes," such as Avia (Mr. Miracle and Big Barda's daughter), but one of the most prominent of the old guard of heroes refuses to join Superman's crusade: the [[Batman]]. |
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While Wonder Woman leads the Justice League to stop the prison riot, Superman confronts Batman and tries to convince him one last time to fight. Moved by Superman's sentiments, he tells him that Captain Marvel is on his way to the Gulag, and later enters the battle with the Outsiders as Superman and Captain Marvel fight. United Nations Secretary General Wormwood authorizes the deployment of three nuclear warheads on the battlegrounds to defeat the metahumans once and for all. Batman and Wonder Woman stop two bombs from deploying but miss one. Seeing the third one about to land, Superman plans to stop the last bomb, and reverts Captain Marvel back to Billy Batson. Norman McCay is given his opportunity to pass judgement, and, having experienced life as a mortal and as a superhero, Batson is presented with a choice: Either let the bomb hit and free humans of being controlled by superheroes, or destroy it and let the battle rage across the world. Batson decides to stop the bomb himself, sacrificing himself to let it detonate prematurely. |
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[[Lex Luthor]] and his ''Mankind Liberation Front'' (a group of Silver Age villains) work to wrest control of the world away from the new heroes, and he claims to have an ace in the hole, a man the Spectre calls "the captain of the lightning and the thunder." |
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Most of the metahumans are obliterated in the explosion. Blinded by rage, Superman flies to the UN building and threatens to kill the delegates as punishment for the massacre. Norman tells Superman to back down, reminding him of the fear his actions can instill onto others. Superman stops his rampage, admitting that these events were caused by his inability to adapt to the future, and promises to work alongside the surviving heroes and humans to better humanity. Wonder Woman's exile ends as she helps rehabilitate the surviving metahumans, and Batman gives up his crusade on crime and turns his manor into a hospital. Superman begins restoring the farmlands destroyed by Magog in the battle with Parasite, reconciling with his past after being gifted a pair of glasses by Wonder Woman. Norman resumes his pastorship, delivering a message of hope for humanity. |
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With the Justice League gaining more captives than converts, they have to hold them somewhere, and end up building a penal colony called the Gulag in the Kansas wastelands, filling it to capacity faster than they built it. With hostile villains like 666, Kabuki Kommando, and Von Bach locked up together, the pressure builds. |
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In an epilogue scene, Clark Kent and Diana Prince meet with Bruce Wayne at a superhero-themed restaurant, Planet Krypton. Bruce deduces that they are expecting a child, and Diana asks him to serve as his godfather. While Bruce is initially surprised, Clark tells him that he still trusts him, even after all these years, and that he can count on him to be a balancing force for the child. Bruce agrees, and as the three leave the restaurant, he notices Norman and [[Jim Corrigan]], the Spectre's human host, discussing a menu item named after him, with Norman stating, "Look at it this way. It's flattering to be remembered somehow..." |
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The MLF ally with Batman and his cadre of heroes ([[Blue Beetle]], [[Green Arrow]], [[Black Canary]], and a group of second and third-generation superheroes), and Norman McCay's apocalyptic visions continue to increase in intensity. When the Gulag's inmates start rioting, Batman and Luthor's forces clash, and Luthor's ace, a severely brain-scrambled [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]], speaks his word of power to carry out the mission Luthor had for him: bust open the Gulag and unleash the prisoners. |
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== Characters == |
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When the Gulag breaks open, the Justice League clash with the bloodthirsty inmates, while Superman and Captain Marvel battle (Marvel wounding him by saying his magic word--"[[Shazam (comics character)|Shazam]]!"--and dodging the magic [[lightning]] bolt), and the Spectre and Norman watch, helpless (or unwilling) to do anything. |
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{{Main|List of Kingdom Come (comics) characters}} |
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==Appearances in mainstream continuity== |
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As the conditions worsen, the [[United Nations]] Secretary General Wyrmwood authorizes the deployment of three tactical [[nuclear weapon|nuclear warheads]], hardened against metahuman powers, to save the world from their uncontrollable powers. |
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===''The Kingdom''=== |
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Batman and Wonder Woman clash in the middle of the warzone, taking to the skies, where they see the incoming nukes. They manage to stop two of them, but the third slips past and drops from its carrier. Captain Marvel is continuing to beat Superman by avoiding his magic lightning bolt. However, as Marvel says the name again, Superman grabs him and the lightning finds its mark; Marvel turns back into Billy Batson. Superman tells Batson that he is going to stop the nuke, and Batson must make an important choice: either stop Superman and allow the nuke to kill all the metahumans, or let Superman stop the bomb and allow the metahumans' war to engulf the world. Superman releases him and flies off to stop the incoming bomb. Batson, his mind now clear, says the name, turns into Marvel, flies past Superman, and takes hold of the bomb. Marvel says "Shazam!" three more times, and the lightning sets the nuke off. |
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{{main|The Kingdom (comics)}} |
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Due to the popularity of the series, Mark Waid and Alex Ross began to plot a sequel/prequel titled ''The Kingdom''. Alex Ross's original intent was for [[Gog (DC Comics)|Gog]] to be an alien, twice the size of a human, from the planet Urgrund that split into two and created [[Apokolips]] and [[New Genesis]] and for Magog to be the grown son of Superman and Wonder Woman, who would be mentored by Gog. Waid and Ross disagreed on several concepts, and Ross decided to leave the project.<ref name="alexrossdcart">{{cite book|last1=Kidd|first1=Chip|last2=Spear|first2=Geoff|last3=Ross|first3=Alex|title=Mythology: the DC Comics Art of Alex Ross|date=2005|publisher=Pantheon Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0-375-71462-7}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=May 2015}} |
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Without Ross's involvement, Waid continued the story in the ''New Year's Evil: Gog'' one-shot. ''The Kingdom'' miniseries soon followed, featuring a two-part series and several one-shots focusing on specific characters. The series was used to present [[Grant Morrison]]'s [[Hypertime]] concept. |
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Most of the metahumans are obliterated in the explosion, but because Captain Marvel detonated it far above the ground, a few survive beneath Green Lantern's force field, and Superman is virtually untouched. Enraged, he flies to the UN Building and starts bringing it down. The surviving metahumans arrive, but Norman McCay is the one who talks him down. Superman produces Captain Marvel's cape and tells the UN representatives that they will use his wisdom to guide, rather than lead, humankind. |
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===''Thy Kingdom Come''=== |
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Later, Waid and Ross developed an epilogue for the trade paperback collection of the series. The epilogue features Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman (in their secret identities) eating at Planet Krypton, a theme restaurant based on superheroes. It is revealed that Superman and Wonder Woman are expecting a child, with Batman accepting the role of godfather and mentor of the child. |
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The final issue of ''[[52 (comics)|52]]'' reveals that Earth-22 is the designation of the ''Kingdom Come'' alternate universe. |
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In [[Justice Society of America#Justice Society of America vol. 3 (2006–2011)|''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3)]], a new Starman appears wearing a costume identical to that of the Starman from the ''Kingdom Come'' series. It is soon revealed that this individual is indeed the Starman from ''Kingdom Come'', and that he is also [[Thom Kallor]], a native of the planet Xanthu and member of the [[Legion of Super-Heroes]] in the 30th and 31st centuries. Due to a time-travel error, Starman traveled to Earth-22 before arriving in 21st-century New Earth. |
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==Characters== |
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The "Thy Kingdom Come" story arc of the ''Justice Society of America'' title features the involvement of Alex Ross, as well as the appearance of the ''Kingdom Come'' Superman. Seeing the connection between [[Gog (DC Comics)|Gog]] of New Earth and Magog of Earth-22, Superman from Earth-22 and the JSA seek to prevent New Earth from going the way of his own world by stopping Gog in his crusade to rid the world of false gods, and before he can choose a successor one day in Magog. The JSA is split in their opinions on Gog; some believe he is truly benevolent, while others are suspicious of his true intentions. To prove himself, Gog heals certain JSA members such as Starman, [[Doctor Mid-Nite]], and [[Damage (DC Comics)|Damage]], and he resurrects [[Lance (DC Comics)|Lance]] from the dead to make him his successor, Magog. |
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===Superman's Justice League=== |
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Soon, the JSA learns that Gog is forming a parasitic relationship with the planet Earth. If he remains long enough, the planet will not be able to survive without him. The JSA remove Gog's head, and Superman and Starman take it to the [[Source Wall]]. Starman sends Superman back to Earth-22 in time to see the carnage caused by Captain Marvel detonating the bomb. The events of ''Kingdom Come'' continue from there and conclude in its entirety, with additional scenes depicting Superman's life and legacy for the next 1,000 years. |
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Many of the new Justice Leaguers are either old characters in new forms or brand new adaptions of old names. Partial list: |
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* [[Wonder Woman]]: Superman's lieutenant is being quickly consumed by an inner rage directed at the state of the world and her exile from Paradise Island. |
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* Red [[Robin (comics)|Robin]]: The former [[Nightwing]] and the first Robin has replaced Batman on the Justice League |
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* [[Flash (comics)|The Flash]]: After melding with the Speed Force, the Flash's molecules have become unstable and as a result he is constantly in motion. Waid and Ross later confirmed this Flash to be Wally West. |
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* [[Green Lantern]]: Ending his vigil among the stars, the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, returns to Earth and joins Superman's crusade. |
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* Power Woman (formerly [[Power Girl]]): Though she has grown older, Power Woman still retains her trademark cleavage. |
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* [[Hawkman]]: Now a literal 'hawk-man', Carter has become a guardian of nature. |
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* [[Donna Troy]]: Now an Amazonian warrior much like her mentor, [[Wonder Woman]], Donna Troy has aged the most of her former Teen Titans members. |
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* Red Arrow: The former [[Speedy]] and Arsenal is now following in the footsteps of his mentor, the [[Green Arrow]]. |
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* [[Aquaman]] II: The former [[Aqualad]], now the inheritor of his mentor Aquaman's mantle. |
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* King Marvel: The former [[Captain Marvel, Jr.]] has married his love, the former [[Mary Marvel]], and changed his name. |
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* Lady Marvel: King Marvel's wife and mother of The Whiz. |
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* The Whiz: The natural inheritor of the Power of Shazam. |
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* [[Captain Comet]]: The epitome of human perfection. |
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* [[The Ray]] II: The son of the original "Lord of Light". |
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* Avia: The daughter of [[Mister Miracle|Mr. Miracle]] and [[Big Barda]]. |
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* Midnight: The ghost of the original [[Doctor Mid-Nite]] manifesting itself as a living cloud of black smoke. |
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* [[Hourman]] III: The current inheritor of the name with none of the time limits implied by the name. |
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* Robotman III: Formerly [[Cyborg (comics)|Cyborg]] of the [[Titans (comics)|Teen Titans]]. |
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* [[Atom Smasher]]: The godson of the original Atom. |
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* Alloy: A metahuman who might be the merging of the original six [[Metal Men]]. |
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Alex Ross states that this story is not intended as a sequel to ''Kingdom Come'' since that would negate the purpose of the original story.<ref>''Justice Society of America: Kingdom Come Special - Superman'' (January 2009). p. 25.</ref> |
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===Batman's group=== |
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===''Justice League: Generation Lost''=== |
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Batman has formed a group of metahumans, many of which are second-generation heroes, to combat the Justice League and the Mankind Liberation Front. Partial list: |
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{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}} |
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{{main|Justice League: Generation Lost}} |
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A major subplot of [[Judd Winick]] and [[Keith Giffen]]'s 2010 maxiseries, ''[[Justice League: Generation Lost]]'' concerns the events of ''Kingdom Come''. The story sees [[Maxwell Lord]] being tasked by [[White Lantern Corps#Entity|the Entity]] with killing Magog before he can inadvertently trigger an apocalyptic war between Earth's superhumans, which ultimately brings Magog and Lord into conflict with [[Justice League International]]. To drive the point home, the Entity shows Lord a series of visions taken directly from ''Kingdom Come'', including Magog and the Justice Battalion attacking Parasite. Lord eventually succeeds in arranging Magog's demise, and his life is returned by the Entity. |
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===''Superman/Batman''=== |
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*[[Green Arrow|Oliver Queen]]: One of Batman's partners, he has married his long-time love Dinah Lance, Black Canary II. |
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{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}} |
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*[[Black Canary|Dinah Queen]]: One of Batman's partners, she watches over her daughter. She died in action during the Gulag battle, as we saw Oliver and Black Canary III grieving over her. |
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During the first arc of the ''[[Superman/Batman]]'' series written by [[Jeph Loeb]], what appears to be the Kingdom Come Superman appears via a [[Boom Tube]] in the Batcave with the intent to kill Clark Kent, because according to him, Clark is responsible for the destruction of the Earth. Kingdom Come Superman suddenly vanishes while being distracted by his past self calling him "Clark". It is eventually revealed that this Superman came from a future in which a kryptonite meteorite crashed to the Earth. |
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*Black Canary III: Daughter of Dinah and Oliver Queen, she is part cyborg and the only one of the Canaries to be a natural blonde. |
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*[[Blue Beetle]]: Ted Kord, one of Batman's partners, who now wears a Blue Beetle battle suit. |
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*John Jones: Once the [[Martian Manhunter]], he has become a shell of his former self and can no longer control his powers. |
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*[[Fate (comics)|Fate]] V: After four hosts, the Helmet of Nabu no longer requires a human host to enact its magic. |
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*[[Nightstar]]: The daughter of Dick Grayson and the late [[Starfire (comics)|Starfire]]. She has her mother's powers, except her starbolts are purple instead of red-orange. |
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*Kid Flash II is the daughter of Wally West. |
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*Green Lantern VI/Jade: The sister of Obsidian, she is a living battery of the power. |
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*Obsidian: A generic superhero of little relevance. His look is based on the pulp-fiction hero The Shadow. |
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*[[Steel (comics)|Steel]]: After Superman went into seclusion, Steel switched his devotion to Batman. He now wields an iron bat-shaped battle axe. |
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*[[Wildcat (comics)|Wildcat]] III: A man-panther with the spirit of the first. |
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*[[Menagerie]]: Formerly Beast Boy, he can now only take the forms of imaginary creatures. His look is based on the Flying Monkeys from ''OZ'' and the Grinch. In Kingdom Come #4 we see him take the form of the Jabberwocky. |
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*[[Huntress (comics)|Huntress]] III: The warrior queen of the African jungle. Her appearance is more based off of the first Huntress. |
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*Cossack, Samurai, and Dragon: Three of the Batmen of many nations. Cossack is the champion of Russia, based off of the czarist military units. Samurai is Japan's champion and is based off of the ancient Japanese warriors. Dragon is China's champion, and, like Batman, he is named after a creature that strikes fear into the hearts of men. (It should be noted that the dragon of Asian myth was a revered creature, rather than a feared one as in Western myth.) |
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*Batwoman II: Batwoman II is a Batman admirer from the Fourth World and Ace II is her steed. Ace II can fly and has the diamond shaped mark on his head the original did. Batwoman II wears a yellow and red costume like the original, but it is more based off the animal bat. |
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*Zatara II: The son of the late [[Zatanna]] and [[John Constantine]]. In ''[[The Kingdom (comic)|The Kingdom]]'', he was revealed to be dating Avia. He may have inherited his father's ability to see otherworldy beings as he noticed the Spectre and Norman McCay in Kingdom Come #3. |
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*[[Creeper (comics)|Creeper]]: Jack Ryder has aged and is still the screwball hero he's always been. |
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*Lightning: The metahuman daughter of [[Black Lightning]]. |
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*Ralph Dibny: Formerly the [[Elongated Man]], he is now permanently stretched out. The only shots we see of him are his head and neck. |
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Later, due to a burst of quantum energy, [[Captain Atom]] arrives in this future. He appears in a devastated Kansas (an homage to the ''Kingdom Come'' series) although Superman states the entire planet is in the same condition. With advice from this future Superman, Captain Atom returns to the present and uses a robot made by [[Toyman]] to destroy the giant meteorite of kryptonite, preventing this future from coming true. |
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===Luthor's Mankind Liberation Front=== |
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In a follow-up to this story, ''Captain Atom: Armageddon'', the titular Captain Atom finds himself in the [[WildStorm]] universe and in another homage to ''Kingdom Come'', his appearance mysteriously changes to that of his Earth-22 counterpart. |
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Since Superman's depature ten years ago, Luthor and the MLF have been conducting events behind the scenes in an attempt to destroy metahumans and rule the world at last. |
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=== ''Batman/Superman: World's Finest'' === |
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*[[Lex Luthor]]: The MLF's leader. |
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In the second arc of ''Batman/Superman: World's Finest'', entitled "Strange Visitor" and written by [[Mark Waid]] and illustrated by Dan Mora, a young boy named David Sikela arrives on Earth-0, where he is found by [[Batman]], [[Superman]], and [[Dick Grayson|Robin]]. They quickly realized the unique properties of David's biology give him powers upon exposure to the Earth's sun, and is brought to the Bottled City of Kandor to be examined by the Kandorian scientist Kim-Da. While there, Kim-Da fabricates David a costume inspired by Hel-Oz, an ancient Kryptonian hero. After a brief, but traumatic, excursion to Gotham, Robin takes David to the base of the [[Teen Titans]], where he introduces David to his friends and partners. David joins the Titans and becomes Superman's sidekick, Boy Thunder.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waid |first=Mark |title=Batman/Superman: World's Finest #7-8 |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |year=2022}}</ref> |
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*[[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]]: Luthor's houseboy and the last step in his plan for destroying the League. |
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*[[Ibn al Xu'ffasch]]: The son of [[Batman]] and [[Talia al Ghul]], the heir to [[Ra's al Ghul]]'s criminal organization. |
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*[[Vandal Savage]]: The only willing member of the MLF with any powers to speak of; immortality. |
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*[[Catwoman]]: The only female member of the MLF. |
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*[[Riddler]]: There only as a courtesy to Catwoman (they seem to be in a relationship) and tends to get under Luthor's skin. |
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*[[Kobra (comics)|Kobra]]: A cult leader. |
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*King of the [[Royal Flush Gang]]: The MLF's newest member. |
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While things start out well, a team-up between the [[Joker (character)|Joker]] and [[The Key (comics)|The Key]] results in David being tortured by the Joker, which heavily traumatized him. In a fit of rage, David attempts to kill the Joker. While he was unsuccessful, David vows that he will one day kill the Joker, as it is revealed he is a younger version of [[Magog (DC Comics)|Magog]] from ''Kingdom Come''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waid |first=Mark |title=Batman/Superman: World's Finest #9-10 |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |year=2022}}</ref> David's actions deeply concern Superman, Batman and the Titans, with Superman briefly considering siphoning off David's powers, but decided against it, believing that David deserved a chance to try to fix his own mistakes. The Key took this opportunity to attempt to use David's ship to unlock the secrets of the multiverse, triggering the ship's systems and causing it and David to be transported into an unknown world in the Multiverse, where he meets an alien being going by the name of Gog.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waid |first=Mark |title=Batman/Superman: World's Finest #11 |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |year=2023}}</ref> |
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===Rogue metahumans=== |
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==Collected editions== |
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The superheroes of the future have virtually no regard for human life. Many of them were killed in the Gulag battle but most have already made their mark in the world as monsters. Listed below are the major, supporting, or otherwise notable characters. |
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{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}} |
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A boxed-set of the four individual issues was packaged in a die-cut cardboard sleeve with a Skybox trading card, part of a short-lived experimental program to package comics for resale at [[Toys "R" Us]] and other mass-market retailers. |
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The original trade paperback from 1997 collects the entire series along with twelve additional pages by Ross, including the epilogue. Promotional artwork and sketches of the major characters were also included. The trade was also printed as a hardback (without dustjacket) by Graphitti Designs. Alex Ross provided a new cover painting for a new trade paperback released in 2008 that features a deluxe foldout cover only on its first printing (subsequent printings will not include the foldout). |
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*Magog: The new Man of Tomorrow. His first act as a hero (shown in a flashback sequence) was killing the [[Joker (comics)|Joker]] for the murder of 92 men and one woman ([[Lois Lane]] among them) at the [[Daily Planet]]. When the Joker was arrested, Magog blew a hole right through him. He was put on trial and was [[Acquittal|acquitted]]. He and Alloy were the only survivors of the Kansas blast for which he seeks forgiveness. He is no relation to [[Gog (comics)|Gog]] from ''[[The Kingdom (comic)|The Kingdom]]''. |
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*[[Von Bach]]: A Yugoslavian would-be dictator who speaks in German. He was imprisoned in the Gulag for killing opponents who had already surrendered. He was killed by Wonder Woman during the Gulag battle to stop him from killing Zatara II. |
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*Joker's Daughter II/Harlequin: One of the many followers of [[Joker (comics)|the Joker]]'s style. This one has no relation to Harlequin I/Molly Mayne Scott, Joker's Daughter I/Harlequin II/Duela Dent, Harlequin III/Marcy Copper, or [[Harley Quinn]]. She was one of the survivors of the Gulag Battle. |
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*Thunder: A new [[Johnny Thunder]] with the mischievous spirit of Thunderbolt, he was one of the survivors of the Gulag battle. |
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*Catwoman II: The armored metahuman successor to [[Catwoman|Selina Kyle]], this one might be more feline than the other. |
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*[[Plastic Man]]: A bouncer at Titans Tower, which is now a bar and dance hot-spot. |
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*[[Solomon Grundy (comics)|Solomon Grundy]]: Fellow bouncer at the Titans Tower. |
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*[[Lobo (comics)|Lobo]]: He has aged badly, becoming similar in appearance to [[Homer Simpson]]. |
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*The Americommando and his Minute Men: They are terrorists seen at the [[Statue of Liberty]] trying to slaughter immigrants seeking shelter when they were stopped by Superman. The Minute Men were at the command of the mysterious Brain Trust. |
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*Red, White, and Blue: Superhumans trying to kill the Americommando, Red uses fire, White uses rockets, and Blue uses lasers. White and Blue were taken to the Gulag while it appears Red escaped and has been reporting the events of the Gulag to Lex Luthor. |
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*Vigilante IV: Based on the [[Vigilante (comics)|cowboy version]], he is a mesh of metal and flesh with a pin-wheel, machine gun arm. |
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A separate deluxe slipcased two-volume hardback edition, also copublished by DC and Graphitti Designs, added a second volume ntitled ''Revelations'') to the text, containing further sketches and developmental artwork from Ross, showing the development of the character designs and the storyline. |
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==Behind the story== |
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A 1998 special from ''Wizard'' magazine contains the original proposal for the series by Ross, providing notes on what was changed and why. Ross's comments on ''The Kingdom'' are also included. |
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''Kingdom Come'' is interpreted by many as a clash between the Silver Age of comics and the "modern age," ([[1994]]), highlighted by the [[Image Comics]] revolution in two-dimensional [[stereotype|stereotypical]] anti-heroes, laden with excess muscle and guns, committing graphic [[violence]] for its own sake. The League's replacements, the Justice Battalion, is comprised mostly of superheroes from [[Charlton Comics]], several of which -- Captain Atom, Peacemaker and Nightshade -- were the basis for [[Alan Moore]]'s ''[[Watchmen]]'', the story many find to be a major influence for the "modern age" style of storytelling. On a side note, one panel from the first issue of ''Kingdom Come'' shows a bookstore window that shows the book ''Under the Hood'' by Hollis Mason, a fictional book in ''Watchmen''. Another panel on the same page shows graffiti that clearly reads, "Who Watches the Watchmen?", although part of it is cut off. Also, ''Watchmen'' character [[Rorschach_%28comics%29|Rorshach]] appears next to [[The Question]] at the bar/nightclub. |
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DC released an ''[[DC Comics Absolute Edition|Absolute]] Kingdom Come'' hardcover edition in 2006. It collects the entire series in a significantly larger page format, along with interviews with Waid and Ross, character artwork, sketches, and a complete annotation for the series. It was released again in the second quarter of 2018. |
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The iconic leader of KC's "new heroes," Magog, is an amalgamation of the [[Bible|Biblical]] Golden Calf and [[Marvel Comics]]'s [[Cable (comics)|Cable]], considered to be the prototype of the Image style. Ross and Waid originally planned to have Magog lead the final Gulag riot, and die, but admitted they had grown too fond of him. Superman is a [[Christ]]-like figure, depicted as a carpenter, walking on water (in Batman's flooded Batcave), and when he returns, a reporter refers to it as "the [[Second Coming]] of Superman". The Book of [[Revelation]] and Apocalyptic imagery heavily influence the story. |
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The novelization was written by [[Elliot S. Maggin]]. It was published by Warner Aspect as a hardback, and (in limited numbers) a slip-cased, signed edition. It fleshes out characters such as Magog, the world leaders, and the Batman/Ib'n connection. The book contains four new color pages by Ross, as well as four black and white sketches of the major players. |
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Captain Marvel is often, fittingly enough, interpreted as a stand-in for [[Marvel Comics]] itself. Like the company, which introduced human frailties to superheroes, the Captain is simultaneously "man and god." |
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==In other media== |
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The artist, Alex Ross, took the opportunity to insert many visual references in the story: Norman McCay is based on his own father, and the bar/nightclub features many "washed-up" Silver Age figures and a stage performance by [[the Beatles]], among countless other features. Ross also threw in a couple of references to the cartoon series ''[[Super Friends]]'': the United Nations' new headquarters resembles the Justice League's Hall of Justice, while the superhuman gulag is styled as the [[Legion of Doom]]'s [[Darth Vader]]-helmet shaped dome. Marvin, a supporting character created for the early seasons of that series, also appears in a couple of panels -- one in his familiar appearance, and another in his current, older appearance, apparently emulating Lobo's clothing and drinking habits. A gang of urban criminals stalked by Batman robots in Gotham City are based on ''[[Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids]]''. Other visual references included depictions of the [[The Monkees | Monkees]], [[John Steed]] and [[Emma Peel]], as well as [[Captain America]] and [[Thor (Marvel Comics) | Thor]] from [[Marvel Comics]]. |
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* The production team of ''[[Justice League: Warworld]]'' planned to develop a film adaptation of the ''Kingdom Come'' comic book mini-series, but the idea was discarded by [[James Gunn]] and [[Peter Safran]] after they were named CEOs of [[DC Studios]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-25 |title=SDCC 2023: Justice League Warworld Creative Team On Reinventing Iconic Characters & Getting R-Rated |url=https://screenrant.com/justice-league-warworld-movie-sdcc-interview/ |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> |
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===DC Animated Universe=== |
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Many of the heroes who were members of the Justice Society of America became the living embodiments of their namesakes. Hawkman is a hawk/man hybrid. Wildcat is an anthropomorphic panther. Dr. Mid-Nite is a walking cloud of the dark smoke he uses to disorient his enemies. |
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* In the [[DC Animated Universe]] series ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' episode "Clash", Superman and Captain Marvel fight, as a nod to the comic version from ''Kingdom Come''. Captain Marvel uses his magic lightning to attack Superman, while Superman manages to make one of the bolts strike Marvel and proceeds to gag Billy. |
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===Arrowverse=== |
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Several visual references to [[Star Wars]] can also be found: Batman's exo-skeleton bears strong resemblance to [[Darth Vader]]'s armor; the Batcave's light panels and multi-level interior structure recall the carbon-freezing chamber on [[Bespin]]; and Peacemaker's helmet is clearly modeled after the one made famous by [[Boba Fett]]. |
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[[Brandon Routh]] reprised his role of [[Superman|Clark Kent / Superman]] from the 2006 film ''[[Superman Returns]]'' in the 2019–2020 [[Arrowverse]] [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] event "[[Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse)|Crisis on Infinite Earths]]". This version of Superman takes inspiration from ''Kingdom Come''. He wears a similar suit and works at the Daily Planet, which was attacked, presumably by the Joker. His Earth was designated as Earth-96, a reference to the year the comic was released. Furthermore, [[Kevin Conroy]] portrayed a variation of [[Batman|Bruce Wayne]] from Earth-99 that also incorporated elements of the ''Kingdom Come'' version, such as the character wearing an exo-suit.<ref>{{Cite web|first=James|last=Whitbrook|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/brandon-routh-will-play-superman-again-for-this-years-c-1836533157|title=Brandon Routh Will Play Superman Again for This Year's ''Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover'' [Updated]|publisher=Gizmodo|date=July 19, 2019}}</ref> |
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===DC Extended Universe=== |
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A novelization of the comic book was written by [[Elliot S! Maggin]] and published in [[1999]]. |
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* In ''[[Wonder Woman 1984]]'', Wonder Woman is seen wearing her ''Kingdom Come'' armor. |
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* Hiram Garcia expressed interest to make a ''Kingdom Come'' film adaptation as part of the DCEU franchise.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://collider.com/hiram-garcia-black-adam-red-notice-jumanji-3-red-one-interview-dwayne-johnson/ |title = Exclusive: Producer Hiram Garcia on 'Red Notice', 'Black Adam', the Next 'Jumanji' Sequel, and Dwayne Johnson's Upcoming Schedule |work = Collider |date = December 31, 2021|access-date = January 4, 2022}}</ref> |
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== |
===DC Universe=== |
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* The DC Universe incarnation of ''[[Superman (2025 film)|Superman]]'' will use the ''Kingdom Come'' incarnation of the "S" emblem on his suit. This was revealed in a teaser image posted on [[Threads (social network)|Threads]] by writer/director [[James Gunn]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Behbakht |first=Andy |date=February 29, 2024 |title=New Superman Movie Title Revealed With First Official DCU Costume Tease |url=https://screenrant.com/superman-new-movie-title-2025-costume-tease/ |access-date=February 29, 2024 |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> |
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*''[[The Kingdom (comic)|The Kingdom]]'' - a sequel set in the ''Kingdom Come'' continuity. |
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== |
==Spin-offs== |
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===Audio play=== |
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* ''[http://www.comics-db.com/DC_Comics/K/Kingdom_Come/index.html Kingdom Come]'' at the [[Big Comic Book DataBase]] |
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{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}} |
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Hachette Audio released an audio dramatization of the story, adapted from the novelization, featuring the voice talent of Mike Mearian, Don Peoples, Garet Scott, John Cunningham, Kent Broadhurst, Jeff David, Chuck Cooper, [[Harry Goz]], Barbara Rosenblat, Craig Zakarian, Mike Arkin, Bob Lydiard, Peter Newman, Birgit Darby, Mark Finley, Igot Goldin, Macintyre Dixon, and Chloe Patellis, along with the guest voices of Dennis O'Neil, Mark Waid, Mike Carlin, Dan Raspler, Charles Kochman, Peter Tomasi, Greg Ross, Janet Harvey, Elisabeth Vincentelli. The music for the audio version was composed by John Bauers. |
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===''The Comicology Kingdom Come Companion''=== |
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[[Category:Elseworlds Titles]] |
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In January 1999, Harbor Press published the first (special) issue of their comics magazine ''Comicology''. The 272-page ''Comicology: Kingdom Come Companion'', edited by Brian Lamken, focuses heavily on ''Kingdom Come'', featuring an A-Z of almost everything, with extensive illustrations by Ross and various other commentary on the miniseries. It was the subject of a swift [[cease-and-desist]] notice from DC, objecting that the volume "constitute[d] an unauthorized derivative work that infringe[d] upon [DC's] copyrights, violates [their] trademark rights, and misappropriates [their] good will".<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/mar99/pr.shtml#harborpress | title=Harbor Press calls an end to Comicology's coverage of ''Kingdom Come'' | work=Sequential Tart | access-date=January 12, 2008}}</ref> Lamken acquiesced to the recall, despite protesting that DC had prior knowledge of the project. It is likely that the similarities between the material contained in the ''Revelations'' volume (available only with the purchase of the considerably-more-expensive Graphitti/DC two-volume set) contributed to the recall of the ''Comicology'' volume. The recall made the ''Companion'' arguably the most difficult ''Kingdom Come'' item to find. |
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===Trading cards=== |
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[[fr:Kingdom Come]] |
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{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}} |
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In 1996, [[Fleer]]/[[Skybox International|Skybox]] released a set of trading cards based on ''Kingdom Come'', entitled ''Kingdom Come eXtra''. Alongside the 50 basic cards, featuring art by Ross and text by Waid, there are 15 "sketchboard" cards, three "Kingdom Classics" (featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in iconic poses), six "Alex Ross Original" cards, and some rarer autograph cards. |
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===Action figures=== |
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{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}} |
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[[DC Direct]] (the exclusive collectibles division of [[DC Comics]]) has produced three waves of action figures based on ''Kingdom Come''{{'}}s artwork. The first wave of figures included [[Superman]], [[Wonder Woman]], [[Alan Scott|Green Lantern]] and [[Hawkman]]. The second wave included [[Batman]], [[Dick Grayson|Red Robin]], [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]] and [[Kid Flash (Iris West)|Kid Flash]]. The last wave included [[Magog (comics)|Magog]], [[Flash (DC Comics character)|Flash]], Armored [[Wonder Woman]] and [[Deadman (DC Comics)|Deadman]]. An exclusive figure of [[Roy Harper (comics)|Red Arrow]] was released through ''[[ToyFare]]'' magazine. [[DC Direct]] also released several other characters through their [[Elseworlds]] toylines. These figures included the [[Spectre (DC Comics character)|Spectre]], [[Norman McCay]], [[Jade (comics)|Jade]], [[Nightstar (character)|Nightstar]], [[Aquaman]] and [[Blue Beetle]]. An updated version of Kingdom Come Superman was released in ''JSA series2'', which was based on the covers that Alex Ross worked on. |
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An action figure of Superman based on ''Kingdom Come''<nowiki/>'s artwork was released as part of Wave 10 of [[Mattel]]'s DC Multiverse toyline. |
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==See also== |
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* ''[[Earth X]]'', another alternate universe series written and illustrated by [[Alex Ross]] that has similar themes and artwork to ''Kingdom Come'' |
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* ''[[Injustice: Gods Among Us]]'', a series of video games and comic books that have a story similar to ''Kingdom Come'' such as the Joker killing Lois Lane in Metropolis or Superman and Batman forming their own factions of superheroes and fighting each other. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|30em}} |
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{{Wikiquote|Kingdom Come}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingdom Come (Comics)}} |
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[[Category:1996 comics debuts]] |
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[[Category:Apocalyptic comics]] |
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[[Category:DC Comics limited series]] |
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[[Category:Eisner Award winners for Best Limited Series]] |
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[[Category:Comics by Mark Waid]] |
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[[Category:Fiction about nightmares]] |
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[[Category:Fiction books about precognition]] |
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Latest revision as of 09:54, 31 December 2024
| Kingdom Come | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cover of the original trade paperback edition (1997), art by Alex Ross. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Miniseries |
| Publication date | May–August 1996 |
| No. of issues | 4 |
| Main character(s) | Superman Batman Wonder Woman Shazam The Spectre Norman McCay |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Mark Waid |
| Artist(s) | Alex Ross |
| Letterer(s) | Todd Klein |
| Collected editions | |
| Trade Paperback | ISBN 1563893304 |
| Hardcover | ISBN 1563893177 |
| Absolute Edition | ISBN 1401207685 |
| Deluxe Edition | ISBN 1401260829 |
| 2019 Trade Paperback | ISBN 1401290965 |
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book miniseries published in 1996 by DC Comics under their Elseworlds imprint. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea.[1]
The story is set in an alternate future of the DC Universe. The new generation of heroes have lost their moral compass, becoming as reckless and violent as the villains they fight. The previous regime of heroes—the Justice League—returns under dire circumstances, which sets up a battle of the old guard against these uncompromising protectors in a conflict that will define what heroism truly is and determine the future of the planet.[2][3]
Development
[edit]When comic book artist Alex Ross was working on Marvels, published in 1994, he decided to create a similar "grand opus" about characters from DC Comics. Ross wrote a 40-page handwritten outline of what would become Kingdom Come and pitched the idea to James Robinson as a project similar in scope to Watchmen (1986–1987) and Alan Moore's infamous "lost work" Twilight of the Superheroes. Ultimately, Ross teamed with writer Mark Waid, who was recommended by DC editors due to his strong familiarity with the history of DC superheroes.[4]
Plot
[edit]In the near future, the new generation of metahumans becomes increasingly violent and reckless, engaging in destructive battles with little distinction between heroes and villains. Notably, 10 years ago, a superhero named Magog kills the Joker in retaliation for a mass murder of the Daily Planet staff, including Lois Lane. Magog being acquitted during the trail and subsequently gaining public support prompts Superman to retire and Wonder Woman to be exiled from Themyscira, with other superheroes following suit. With the apocalypse drawing near, The Spectre recruits minister Norman McCay, having received visions from a dying Wesley Dodds, to help pass judgement when the moment arrives.
An attack on the Parasite, led by Magog, goes awry when Parasite tears open Captain Atom. As a result, much of the American Midwest is irradiated, killing millions and devastating the economy.[5] Coaxed back into action by Wonder Woman, Superman returns to Metropolis and re-forms the Justice League.[5] He begins recruiting several heroes to his cause, stopping battles around the world while facing opposition from Wonder Woman's militant leadership style. In response to Superman's idealist notions, Batman forms his own network of heroes called the Outsiders, and Lex Luthor organizes the Mankind Liberation Front, or MLF, a group of classic and third-generation villains who works to take back control of the world from heroes, with defeating the Justice League as its priority.
Superman's Justice League gathers more captives than converts, and after talking to Orion, the leader of Apokolips after Darkseid, he builds a prison on the wastelands of Magog's fight with Parasite. his prison, nicknamed the Gulag, is quickly filled to capacity. His attempts to convince the inmates to redeem themselves fails, and pressure starts to build between the heroes and villains locked inside. Batman and his Outsiders seem to ally themselves with the MLF, and learns that he has brainwashed Billy Batson (also known as Captain Marvel, the only metahuman to match Superman's power) to his side. When the inmates riot and kill Captain Comet, Luthor reveals that he intends to use him to break open the Gulag and incite a battle between them and the Justice League. The Outsiders ambush the group, and although Batman confronts Billy, he transforms into Captain Marvel and flies off.
While Wonder Woman leads the Justice League to stop the prison riot, Superman confronts Batman and tries to convince him one last time to fight. Moved by Superman's sentiments, he tells him that Captain Marvel is on his way to the Gulag, and later enters the battle with the Outsiders as Superman and Captain Marvel fight. United Nations Secretary General Wormwood authorizes the deployment of three nuclear warheads on the battlegrounds to defeat the metahumans once and for all. Batman and Wonder Woman stop two bombs from deploying but miss one. Seeing the third one about to land, Superman plans to stop the last bomb, and reverts Captain Marvel back to Billy Batson. Norman McCay is given his opportunity to pass judgement, and, having experienced life as a mortal and as a superhero, Batson is presented with a choice: Either let the bomb hit and free humans of being controlled by superheroes, or destroy it and let the battle rage across the world. Batson decides to stop the bomb himself, sacrificing himself to let it detonate prematurely.
Most of the metahumans are obliterated in the explosion. Blinded by rage, Superman flies to the UN building and threatens to kill the delegates as punishment for the massacre. Norman tells Superman to back down, reminding him of the fear his actions can instill onto others. Superman stops his rampage, admitting that these events were caused by his inability to adapt to the future, and promises to work alongside the surviving heroes and humans to better humanity. Wonder Woman's exile ends as she helps rehabilitate the surviving metahumans, and Batman gives up his crusade on crime and turns his manor into a hospital. Superman begins restoring the farmlands destroyed by Magog in the battle with Parasite, reconciling with his past after being gifted a pair of glasses by Wonder Woman. Norman resumes his pastorship, delivering a message of hope for humanity.
In an epilogue scene, Clark Kent and Diana Prince meet with Bruce Wayne at a superhero-themed restaurant, Planet Krypton. Bruce deduces that they are expecting a child, and Diana asks him to serve as his godfather. While Bruce is initially surprised, Clark tells him that he still trusts him, even after all these years, and that he can count on him to be a balancing force for the child. Bruce agrees, and as the three leave the restaurant, he notices Norman and Jim Corrigan, the Spectre's human host, discussing a menu item named after him, with Norman stating, "Look at it this way. It's flattering to be remembered somehow..."
Characters
[edit]Appearances in mainstream continuity
[edit]The Kingdom
[edit]Due to the popularity of the series, Mark Waid and Alex Ross began to plot a sequel/prequel titled The Kingdom. Alex Ross's original intent was for Gog to be an alien, twice the size of a human, from the planet Urgrund that split into two and created Apokolips and New Genesis and for Magog to be the grown son of Superman and Wonder Woman, who would be mentored by Gog. Waid and Ross disagreed on several concepts, and Ross decided to leave the project.[6][page needed]
Without Ross's involvement, Waid continued the story in the New Year's Evil: Gog one-shot. The Kingdom miniseries soon followed, featuring a two-part series and several one-shots focusing on specific characters. The series was used to present Grant Morrison's Hypertime concept.
Thy Kingdom Come
[edit]The final issue of 52 reveals that Earth-22 is the designation of the Kingdom Come alternate universe.
In Justice Society of America (vol. 3), a new Starman appears wearing a costume identical to that of the Starman from the Kingdom Come series. It is soon revealed that this individual is indeed the Starman from Kingdom Come, and that he is also Thom Kallor, a native of the planet Xanthu and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. Due to a time-travel error, Starman traveled to Earth-22 before arriving in 21st-century New Earth.
The "Thy Kingdom Come" story arc of the Justice Society of America title features the involvement of Alex Ross, as well as the appearance of the Kingdom Come Superman. Seeing the connection between Gog of New Earth and Magog of Earth-22, Superman from Earth-22 and the JSA seek to prevent New Earth from going the way of his own world by stopping Gog in his crusade to rid the world of false gods, and before he can choose a successor one day in Magog. The JSA is split in their opinions on Gog; some believe he is truly benevolent, while others are suspicious of his true intentions. To prove himself, Gog heals certain JSA members such as Starman, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Damage, and he resurrects Lance from the dead to make him his successor, Magog.
Soon, the JSA learns that Gog is forming a parasitic relationship with the planet Earth. If he remains long enough, the planet will not be able to survive without him. The JSA remove Gog's head, and Superman and Starman take it to the Source Wall. Starman sends Superman back to Earth-22 in time to see the carnage caused by Captain Marvel detonating the bomb. The events of Kingdom Come continue from there and conclude in its entirety, with additional scenes depicting Superman's life and legacy for the next 1,000 years.
Alex Ross states that this story is not intended as a sequel to Kingdom Come since that would negate the purpose of the original story.[7]
Justice League: Generation Lost
[edit] |
A major subplot of Judd Winick and Keith Giffen's 2010 maxiseries, Justice League: Generation Lost concerns the events of Kingdom Come. The story sees Maxwell Lord being tasked by the Entity with killing Magog before he can inadvertently trigger an apocalyptic war between Earth's superhumans, which ultimately brings Magog and Lord into conflict with Justice League International. To drive the point home, the Entity shows Lord a series of visions taken directly from Kingdom Come, including Magog and the Justice Battalion attacking Parasite. Lord eventually succeeds in arranging Magog's demise, and his life is returned by the Entity.
Superman/Batman
[edit] |
During the first arc of the Superman/Batman series written by Jeph Loeb, what appears to be the Kingdom Come Superman appears via a Boom Tube in the Batcave with the intent to kill Clark Kent, because according to him, Clark is responsible for the destruction of the Earth. Kingdom Come Superman suddenly vanishes while being distracted by his past self calling him "Clark". It is eventually revealed that this Superman came from a future in which a kryptonite meteorite crashed to the Earth.
Later, due to a burst of quantum energy, Captain Atom arrives in this future. He appears in a devastated Kansas (an homage to the Kingdom Come series) although Superman states the entire planet is in the same condition. With advice from this future Superman, Captain Atom returns to the present and uses a robot made by Toyman to destroy the giant meteorite of kryptonite, preventing this future from coming true.
In a follow-up to this story, Captain Atom: Armageddon, the titular Captain Atom finds himself in the WildStorm universe and in another homage to Kingdom Come, his appearance mysteriously changes to that of his Earth-22 counterpart.
Batman/Superman: World's Finest
[edit]In the second arc of Batman/Superman: World's Finest, entitled "Strange Visitor" and written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Dan Mora, a young boy named David Sikela arrives on Earth-0, where he is found by Batman, Superman, and Robin. They quickly realized the unique properties of David's biology give him powers upon exposure to the Earth's sun, and is brought to the Bottled City of Kandor to be examined by the Kandorian scientist Kim-Da. While there, Kim-Da fabricates David a costume inspired by Hel-Oz, an ancient Kryptonian hero. After a brief, but traumatic, excursion to Gotham, Robin takes David to the base of the Teen Titans, where he introduces David to his friends and partners. David joins the Titans and becomes Superman's sidekick, Boy Thunder.[8]
While things start out well, a team-up between the Joker and The Key results in David being tortured by the Joker, which heavily traumatized him. In a fit of rage, David attempts to kill the Joker. While he was unsuccessful, David vows that he will one day kill the Joker, as it is revealed he is a younger version of Magog from Kingdom Come.[9] David's actions deeply concern Superman, Batman and the Titans, with Superman briefly considering siphoning off David's powers, but decided against it, believing that David deserved a chance to try to fix his own mistakes. The Key took this opportunity to attempt to use David's ship to unlock the secrets of the multiverse, triggering the ship's systems and causing it and David to be transported into an unknown world in the Multiverse, where he meets an alien being going by the name of Gog.[10]
Collected editions
[edit] |
A boxed-set of the four individual issues was packaged in a die-cut cardboard sleeve with a Skybox trading card, part of a short-lived experimental program to package comics for resale at Toys "R" Us and other mass-market retailers.
The original trade paperback from 1997 collects the entire series along with twelve additional pages by Ross, including the epilogue. Promotional artwork and sketches of the major characters were also included. The trade was also printed as a hardback (without dustjacket) by Graphitti Designs. Alex Ross provided a new cover painting for a new trade paperback released in 2008 that features a deluxe foldout cover only on its first printing (subsequent printings will not include the foldout).
A separate deluxe slipcased two-volume hardback edition, also copublished by DC and Graphitti Designs, added a second volume ntitled Revelations) to the text, containing further sketches and developmental artwork from Ross, showing the development of the character designs and the storyline.
A 1998 special from Wizard magazine contains the original proposal for the series by Ross, providing notes on what was changed and why. Ross's comments on The Kingdom are also included.
DC released an Absolute Kingdom Come hardcover edition in 2006. It collects the entire series in a significantly larger page format, along with interviews with Waid and Ross, character artwork, sketches, and a complete annotation for the series. It was released again in the second quarter of 2018.
The novelization was written by Elliot S. Maggin. It was published by Warner Aspect as a hardback, and (in limited numbers) a slip-cased, signed edition. It fleshes out characters such as Magog, the world leaders, and the Batman/Ib'n connection. The book contains four new color pages by Ross, as well as four black and white sketches of the major players.
In other media
[edit]- The production team of Justice League: Warworld planned to develop a film adaptation of the Kingdom Come comic book mini-series, but the idea was discarded by James Gunn and Peter Safran after they were named CEOs of DC Studios.[11]
DC Animated Universe
[edit]- In the DC Animated Universe series Justice League Unlimited episode "Clash", Superman and Captain Marvel fight, as a nod to the comic version from Kingdom Come. Captain Marvel uses his magic lightning to attack Superman, while Superman manages to make one of the bolts strike Marvel and proceeds to gag Billy.
Arrowverse
[edit]Brandon Routh reprised his role of Clark Kent / Superman from the 2006 film Superman Returns in the 2019–2020 Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths". This version of Superman takes inspiration from Kingdom Come. He wears a similar suit and works at the Daily Planet, which was attacked, presumably by the Joker. His Earth was designated as Earth-96, a reference to the year the comic was released. Furthermore, Kevin Conroy portrayed a variation of Bruce Wayne from Earth-99 that also incorporated elements of the Kingdom Come version, such as the character wearing an exo-suit.[12]
DC Extended Universe
[edit]- In Wonder Woman 1984, Wonder Woman is seen wearing her Kingdom Come armor.
- Hiram Garcia expressed interest to make a Kingdom Come film adaptation as part of the DCEU franchise.[13]
DC Universe
[edit]- The DC Universe incarnation of Superman will use the Kingdom Come incarnation of the "S" emblem on his suit. This was revealed in a teaser image posted on Threads by writer/director James Gunn.[14]
Spin-offs
[edit]Audio play
[edit] |
Hachette Audio released an audio dramatization of the story, adapted from the novelization, featuring the voice talent of Mike Mearian, Don Peoples, Garet Scott, John Cunningham, Kent Broadhurst, Jeff David, Chuck Cooper, Harry Goz, Barbara Rosenblat, Craig Zakarian, Mike Arkin, Bob Lydiard, Peter Newman, Birgit Darby, Mark Finley, Igot Goldin, Macintyre Dixon, and Chloe Patellis, along with the guest voices of Dennis O'Neil, Mark Waid, Mike Carlin, Dan Raspler, Charles Kochman, Peter Tomasi, Greg Ross, Janet Harvey, Elisabeth Vincentelli. The music for the audio version was composed by John Bauers.
The Comicology Kingdom Come Companion
[edit]In January 1999, Harbor Press published the first (special) issue of their comics magazine Comicology. The 272-page Comicology: Kingdom Come Companion, edited by Brian Lamken, focuses heavily on Kingdom Come, featuring an A-Z of almost everything, with extensive illustrations by Ross and various other commentary on the miniseries. It was the subject of a swift cease-and-desist notice from DC, objecting that the volume "constitute[d] an unauthorized derivative work that infringe[d] upon [DC's] copyrights, violates [their] trademark rights, and misappropriates [their] good will".[15] Lamken acquiesced to the recall, despite protesting that DC had prior knowledge of the project. It is likely that the similarities between the material contained in the Revelations volume (available only with the purchase of the considerably-more-expensive Graphitti/DC two-volume set) contributed to the recall of the Comicology volume. The recall made the Companion arguably the most difficult Kingdom Come item to find.
Trading cards
[edit] |
In 1996, Fleer/Skybox released a set of trading cards based on Kingdom Come, entitled Kingdom Come eXtra. Alongside the 50 basic cards, featuring art by Ross and text by Waid, there are 15 "sketchboard" cards, three "Kingdom Classics" (featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in iconic poses), six "Alex Ross Original" cards, and some rarer autograph cards.
Action figures
[edit] |
DC Direct (the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics) has produced three waves of action figures based on Kingdom Come's artwork. The first wave of figures included Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Hawkman. The second wave included Batman, Red Robin, Captain Marvel and Kid Flash. The last wave included Magog, Flash, Armored Wonder Woman and Deadman. An exclusive figure of Red Arrow was released through ToyFare magazine. DC Direct also released several other characters through their Elseworlds toylines. These figures included the Spectre, Norman McCay, Jade, Nightstar, Aquaman and Blue Beetle. An updated version of Kingdom Come Superman was released in JSA series2, which was based on the covers that Alex Ross worked on.
An action figure of Superman based on Kingdom Come's artwork was released as part of Wave 10 of Mattel's DC Multiverse toyline.
See also
[edit]- Earth X, another alternate universe series written and illustrated by Alex Ross that has similar themes and artwork to Kingdom Come
- Injustice: Gods Among Us, a series of video games and comic books that have a story similar to Kingdom Come such as the Joker killing Lois Lane in Metropolis or Superman and Batman forming their own factions of superheroes and fighting each other.
References
[edit]- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
- ^ "KINGDOM COME". DC Comics. March 16, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "ABSOLUTE KINGDOM COME". DC Comics. March 9, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Ross, Alex (May 10, 2006). "Alex Ross: Inside the Artist's Gallery". Wizard Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Kingdom Come #1 (May 1996)
- ^ Kidd, Chip; Spear, Geoff; Ross, Alex (2005). Mythology: the DC Comics Art of Alex Ross. New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN 978-0-375-71462-7.
- ^ Justice Society of America: Kingdom Come Special - Superman (January 2009). p. 25.
- ^ Waid, Mark (2022). Batman/Superman: World's Finest #7-8. DC Comics.
- ^ Waid, Mark (2022). Batman/Superman: World's Finest #9-10. DC Comics.
- ^ Waid, Mark (2023). Batman/Superman: World's Finest #11. DC Comics.
- ^ "SDCC 2023: Justice League Warworld Creative Team On Reinventing Iconic Characters & Getting R-Rated". ScreenRant. July 25, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ Whitbrook, James (July 19, 2019). "Brandon Routh Will Play Superman Again for This Year's Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover [Updated]". Gizmodo.
- ^ "Exclusive: Producer Hiram Garcia on 'Red Notice', 'Black Adam', the Next 'Jumanji' Sequel, and Dwayne Johnson's Upcoming Schedule". Collider. December 31, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ Behbakht, Andy (February 29, 2024). "New Superman Movie Title Revealed With First Official DCU Costume Tease". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Harbor Press calls an end to Comicology's coverage of Kingdom Come". Sequential Tart. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
