Citizendia

Kingdom Come

Cover to the Absolute Kingdom Come Hardcover edition (2006). Art by Alex Ross.
PublisherDC Comics
Formatminiseries
Publication dateMay 1996 – August 1996
Number of issues4
Main character(s)Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
The Spectre
Norman McCay
Creative team
Writer(s)Mark Waid
Artist(s)Alex Ross

Kingdom Come was a four-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and Superhero who has appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. Norman McCay is a Fictional character from the DC Comics series Kingdom Come. Mark Waid (born March 21 1962 in Hueytown Alabama) is an American Comic book Writer. Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American Comic book painter, Illustrator and A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea. Mark Waid (born March 21 1962 in Hueytown Alabama) is an American Comic book Writer. Gouache, Pronounced "Gouash" (from the Italian guazzo, "water paint splash" or bodycolor (the term preferred by art historians Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American Comic book painter, Illustrator and Set some 20 years into the future of the then-current DC Universe, it deals with a growing conflict between "traditional" superheroes, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League, and a growing population of largely amoral and dangerously irresponsible new vigilantes. A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. Between these two groups is Batman and his assembled team, who attempt to contain the escalating disaster, foil the machinations of Lex Luthor, and prevent a world-ending superhuman war. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Lex Luthor is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics.

The series draws heavily on biblical apocalyptic imagery, especially that of the Book of Revelation. Eschatology (from the Greek, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of" is a part of Theology The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου

Contents

Background

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. Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American Comic book painter, Illustrator and Marvels is a four-issue Comic book Limited series written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Ross wrote a 40-page handwritten outline of what would become Kingdom Come and pitched the idea to James Dale Robinson. Ross sought for Kingdom Come to be similar to Alan Moore's Watchmen (1986-1987), and thought that Robinson's talent was akin to Moore's. Alan Moore (born November 18 1953 in Northampton) is an English Writer most famous for his influential work in Comics, including the acclaimed Watchmen is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series written by Alan Moore, and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins Ultimately, Ross teamed with writer Mark Waid, who was recommended by DC editors due to his strong familiarity with the history of DC superheroes. Mark Waid (born March 21 1962 in Hueytown Alabama) is an American Comic book Writer. [1]

Plot

Impending disaster

The story is set roughly a generation after the then-current DC universe. Ten years prior to the start of the story, the Joker massacres the staff of the Daily Planet, killing (among others) Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and Lois Lane. The Joker is a fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. The Daily Planet is a Fictional Broadsheet Newspaper that appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. James Bartholomew "Jimmy" Olsen is a Fictional character, a Photojournalist who appears mainly in DC Comics ’ Superman stories Perry White is a Fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. Lois Lane-Kent is the primary love interest in the DC Comics ’ Superman stories As he arrives for his trial, he is killed by a new superhero named Magog. Magog is a fictional Antihero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Kingdom Come #1 (May 1996 and was created by In an instance of Jury nullification, Magog is acquitted for his cold-blooded act and Superman is appalled by the public embracing a killer as a hero (it is implied in the story that the public had grown weary of 'do-gooder' superheroes whose refusal to kill allowed supervillains to terrorize the populace over and over again once they escaped or were paroled). Jury nullification means making a law void by jury decision in other words "the process whereby a jury in a criminal case effectively nullifies a law by acquitting a defendant regardless Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Already disheartened at the death of Lois Lane, Kal-El abandons his life as Superman, retreating to his Fortress of Solitude where he will spend the next decade, failing to realize his importance as a constant inspiration/role model to other heroes. The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional Headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Other heroes, equally disturbed at the public's overwhelmingly positive reaction to Magog's actions, withdraw from the world at large, leaving a power vacuum that is soon filled by the new generation of "heroes" Magog represents.

Without the moral compass provided by Superman and his generation, there is little or no distinction between 'heroes' and 'villains'. Metahumans battle openly in the streets without true cause, or concern for collateral damage or innocent passers-by. Average humans, demoralized by the loss of their true heroes, the disregard that the new generation shows for them, and their inability to do anything about the state of affairs created by these metahumans, have fallen into a societal depression. Efforts that celebrate human achievement, like professional sports, the Olympics, and Nobel Prizes, have been abandoned. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature

Certain heroes like the Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Batman have remained active, although their methods have changed dramatically, all of them becoming more distant from humanity. For other meanings of the term see Hawkman (disambiguation Hawkman is a Superhero in the DC Comics universe. Alan Scott is a Fictional character, a Superhero from the DC Comics universe and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Hawkman, now an anthropomorphized hawk, has become an eco-terrorist. Eco-terrorism, also called ecoterrorism or green terrorism, is Terrorism committed in support of ecological, environmental, or Batman, now an old man who relies on a metal exo-suit to support his broken body, enforces the rule of law in Gotham City with an army of remotely controlled bat-like androids. A powered Exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of a skeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the The Flash has become permanently hyper-accelerated, patrolling Keystone city at speeds so fast that he seems to be everywhere at once, but can no longer be seen or heard by human beings. Green Lantern lives alone in a huge orbiting space station, ready to defend the Earth against an extraterrestrial threat that may never appear.

The narrator and point of view character of the story is a minister named Norman McCay. A narrator (or the extremely rarely used female equivalent narratress) is within any story (literary work movie play verbal account etc In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform clergy functions such as teaching of beliefs Norman McCay is a Fictional character from the DC Comics series Kingdom Come. McCay is a longtime friend of Wesley Dodds, the original Sandman, now infirm and bedridden. Sandman ( Wesley Dodds) is a fictional Superhero appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. The nightmares that once aided Dodds' crimefighting have become disturbing, apocalyptic visions. McCay, like Dodds' doctors, attribute the visions to senility. Dementia (from Latin de- "apart away" + Mens ( genitive mentis) "mind" is the progressive decline When Dodds passes away, his visions are transferred to McCay. Already suffering from a crisis of faith, McCay is convinced he has finally gone insane when the Spectre appears to him. The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and Superhero who has appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. The Spectre, still hosted by Jim Corrigan, but no longer in touch with his humanity, recruits McCay to bear witness, and help him determine the innocent from the wicked and ultimately to pass judgment on the approaching superhuman apocalypse. Jim Corrigan is the name of three Fictional characters that have appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics.

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
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

The dark state of the world comes to a head when the Justice Battalion, led by Magog, attacks the Parasite with excessive and unnecessary force — they refuse his offers to surrender and deny his pleas for mercy. The Parasite is the name of several Fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. Parasite panics and tears open Captain Atom, releasing his nuclear energies and irradiating the entire state of Kansas and parts of the surrounding states, killing millions and taking out a large portion of America's food production. Captain Atom is a fictional Comic book Superhero. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American "

Second coming of Superman

Coaxed back into action by Wonder Woman, Superman decides to return to Metropolis and re-form the Justice League following the Kansas disaster. The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. The yellow aspects of his costume replaced by black as a badge of mourning for those lost in the Kansas disaster, Superman intends to enforce morality upon the runaway metahumanity by offering them a choice: join his League and abide by a code of ethics, or be made a prisoner by it. Morality (from the Latin la moralitas "manner character proper behavior" has three principal meanings Metahuman is a term to describe Superhumans in DC Comics ' Shared universe, the DC Universe. He manages to collect former heroes (including Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkman, and Dick Grayson, now known as Red Robin, among others) and reformed "new heroes," such as Avia (Mr. Miracle and Big Barda's daughter), but Batman, one of the most prominent of the old guard, refuses to join Superman's crusade. Robin (also referred to as The Boy Wonder) is the name of several Fictional characters appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics, originally Robin is a Fictional character, a Superhero in publications from DC Comics. Mister Miracle ( Scott Free) is fictional Superhero published by DC Comics. Big Barda is a fictional Superhero and New God in the DC Comics universe. Batman believes Superman's idealist notions are outdated and that his interference will only exacerbate the problem. He interprets Superman's plan as an example of the strong exerting their will upon the weak, something to which he will not be party. He instead begins to organize a third group of heroes, made up largely of non-powered heroes like Green Arrow and the Blue Beetle, as well as second and third generation heroes like Jade, daughter of the first Green Lantern, and Zatara, son of Zatanna and grandson of the first generation hero whose name he shares. For the LNER Steam locomotive, see LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow Green Arrow ( Oliver Jones "Ollie" Queen Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional, American Comic book Superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1940 Jade ( Jennifer-Lynn Hayden) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Comics DC universe. This article is about Giovanni "John" Zatara For his nephew see Zachary Zatara. Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe.

Lex Luthor is still alive and well, and has organized the Mankind Liberation Front. Lex Luthor is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The MLF is primarily a group of Silver Age Justice League villains, including Batman foes Catwoman and the Riddler; Vandal Savage; King, leader of the Royal Flush Gang, as well as third generation villains like Ra's al Ghul's successor, Ibn al Xu'ffasch, who is Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul's son, although their relationship is understandably strained. Catwoman is a Fictional character associated with DC Comics ' Batman franchise. The Riddler ( Edward Nigma or Nygma, or Nashton) is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Supervillain, an enemy of Vandal Savage is a Fictional character, a Supervillain published by DC Comics. The Royal Flush Gang are Fictional characters in DC Comics. They first appeared in Justice League of America #43 in March 1966 under Ra's al Ghul, sometimes written Rā's al Ghūl (رأس الغول is a DC Comics Supervillain and an enemy of Batman. Ibn al Xu'ffasch ( Arabic: ابن الخفّاش literally "Son of the Bat" is a Fictional character, the biological son of Batman and Talia Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Talia al Ghul (طليعة الغول - "Vanguard of the Demon" is a Fictional character in the DC Comics universe, the now-estranged The MLF work to wrest control of the world away from the heroes. Luthor's group also have an ace in the hole, a man the Spectre calls "the captain of the lightning and the thunder. " Luthor captured Captain Marvel years earlier, and has been controlling him through the use of worms that affect Marvel's brain. Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. The worms play upon the psychological dichotomy of the teen Batson inhabiting the adult body of the world's mightiest mortal, Captain Marvel, and resemble Mr. Mind, Marvel's nemesis. Mister Mind is a Fictional Comic book Supervillain created for Fawcett Comics, and now owned and published by DC Comics. Batman and his group ally themselves with Luthor's group, to better protect mankind during the impending metahuman war.

Superman's Justice League gathers more captives than converts, and his requests to build a prison safely away from humanity are refused by both Aquaman, who wants no part of the coming war to reach his undersea kingdom and Orion, who has wrested control of Apokolips from his father Darkseid, and sees the inherent flaws and inevitable collapse in Superman's plan. Orion is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Darkseid is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Superman and the League end up building the Gulag, a massive penal colony in the Kansas wastelands; security for the Gulag is designed by Scott Free, the universe's ultimate escape artist. The Gulag was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " The prison is filled to capacity almost as soon as it is built. Superman designates Captain Comet as warden and works to persuade the inmates that their methods are wrong-headed and dangerous, but his entreaties fall upon deaf ears. Captain Comet ( Adam Blake) is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine With hostile hero-villains like 666, Kabuki Kommando, and Von Bach locked up together, pressure builds. Meanwhile, Superman, urged on by Wonder Woman, reacts with increasing inflexibility towards the inappropriate behavior of the metahuman community. He learns that Wonder Woman's ardent militant stance may be influenced by her recent exile from Paradise Island: in the eyes of the Amazons, her mission to bring peace to the outside world has failed. The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical

Pact

Batman and his cadre of heroes turn the tables on Luthor and the MLF. Luthor has revealed his plan to exacerbate the conflict between the League and the inmates by pitting Captain Marvel against the League, the Gulag and Superman: the ensuing chaos will afford Luthor an opportunity to seize power. Assisted by the Martian Manhunter, Batman discovers that an adult Billy Batson is under the villains' control. Batson, who becomes Captain Marvel when he utters the word "Shazam!", is the one being capable of matching Superman's power. Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics.

When the Gulag's inmates riot, killing Captain Comet, Batman's forces ambush Luthor and his conspirators. Batman is unable to restrain the brain-washed Batson, who transforms into Marvel and flies to Kansas. He opens the Gulag and unleashes chaos.

Superman and Captain Marvel face off in the final page of Kingdom Come #3. Art by Alex Ross.
Superman and Captain Marvel face off in the final page of Kingdom Come #3. Art by Alex Ross.

After Captain Comet's murder, Wonder Woman convinces the members of the League to use deadly force to deal with the inmates of the Gulag; Superman still objects. The Justice League clash with the bloodthirsty inmates, and Superman finds Batman and forces him to recognize that they may very well be facing the end of the world. Superman knows that Batman will act, because his entire crime-fighting life is based upon the desire to prevent the loss of human life.

Upon arriving at the Gulag, Superman and Captain Marvel battle while The Spectre and Norman look on. Although Batman's forces join the fray, aiding Superman's League in quelling the riot, he also works to restrain Superman from imposing narrow rules upon all metahumans. Batman, wearing an armored battle suit with the power of flight, comes into direct conflict with Wonder Woman, who had killed Von Bach in retaliation for his murder of Captain Comet.

As the conditions worsen, the United Nations Secretary General Wyrmwood authorizes the deployment of three tactical nuclear warheads, hardened against certain metahuman powers. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Wormwood, αψινθιον ( apsinthion) in Greek, is a Star, or Angel, that appears in the Biblical New Testament A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. While this action will destroy hero and villain alike, the UN feels it has no choice in the matter: if humanity is to survive, metahumanity must be destroyed.

Armageddon

An armored Batman and Wonder Woman clash in the middle of the warzone, taking to the skies, where they see the incoming Blackhawk fighter-bombers delivering the nuclear bombs. They manage to stop two of them, but the third slips past and drops its payload. Captain Marvel continues to batter Superman by using his magic lightning bolt over and over, but dodging before it hits, leaving Superman to bear the brunt of a magical lightning strike. However, as Marvel says the name again, Superman grabs him and the lightning finds its mark; Marvel turns back into Billy Batson. Holding Batson's mouth shut, Superman tells Batson that he is going to stop the remaining bomb, and Batson must make an important choice: either stop Superman and allow the warhead to kill all the metahumans, or let Superman stop the bomb and allow the metahumans' war to engulf the world. Superman tells Batson he must be the one to make this decision, as he is the only one who lives in both worlds, that of normal humans (as Batson) and the metahuman community (as Marvel).

Superman releases him and flies off to stop the incoming bomb. Batson, his mind now clear of Luthor and Mr. Mind's influence, says the name, turns into Marvel, flies past Superman, and takes hold of the bomb, having found a third option. Marvel shouts "Shazam!" three more times in rapid succession, and the lightning sets off the bomb prematurely, killing Marvel in the process.

Despite Marvel's sacrifice, most of the metahumans are obliterated in the explosion, although some survive beneath a force field generated by Green Lantern and his daughter Jade, and others are teleported away at the last second by Fate. Jade ( Jennifer-Lynn Hayden) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Comics DC universe. Superman, though outside the force field, is virtually untouched. His uniform torn and blackened by the lightning and the nuclear explosion, his eyes glowing red with restrained heat vision, he rises from the ashes looking more villain than hero. Enraged at the tremendous loss of life, he flies to the UN Building and threatens to bring it down atop the delegates as punishment for killing all his friends--not realizing there were survivors at this point--and reacting in such a fearful and cowardly way to the metahuman war. The surviving metahumans arrive, but Norman McCay is the one who talks him down, pointing out how his appearance and behavior are exactly the sort of reasons that normal humans fear the super-powered. Chastised and ashamed, Superman immediately ceases his rampage. He is handed Captain Marvel's cape, the only remnant of the hero, and tells the UN representatives that they will use his wisdom to guide, rather than lead, humankind. Superman ties Captain Marvel's cape to a flagpole and raises it among the flags of the member nations of the UN, suggesting that this role of guidance would be more political and global in nature than the classic crime-busting vigilantism of the past. A vigilante is a person who ignores Due process of law and enacts their own form of Justice in response to a perception of insufficient response by the

Epilogue

In the aftermath of the metahuman civil war, the heroes actively strive to become fully integrated members of the communities they had previously tried to distance themselves from. Masks are abandoned. Wonder Woman's exile from Paradise Island ends, and she becomes an ambassador for super-humanity, taking the survivors of the Gulag to Paradise Island for rehabilitation. An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country

Batman abandons his crusade and becomes a healer, opening his mansion as a hospital to care for those wounded by the destruction of Kansas and the ensuing violence. He also reconciles with both Dick Grayson/Red Robin, and his son Ibn al Xu'ffasch. Superman lashes himself to a giant plow and begins the arduous task of restoring the Midwestern farmlands, devastated by nuclear explosions. He even comes to terms with his past as Clark Kent by accepting a pair of glasses from Wonder Woman, and shares a kiss with her before she returns to Paradise Island. It is a fitting parallel to the end of the generational conflict that started the war, as both men have come full circle in their lives and adopted the vocations of their fathers; Thomas Wayne, the doctor, and Jonathan Kent, the farmer. Thomas Wayne is a Fictional character in the Batman series of Comic books. Martha Clark Kent and Jonathan Kent, also known as Ma and Pa Kent, are Fictional characters published by DC Comics.

Green Lantern represents superhumanity on the UN Security Council. He no longer dons his green armor, but can still use the green lantern energy.

The former leaders of the MLF are orderlies in Batman's hospital, wearing inhibitor collars which keep them under control. Luthor is reduced to emptying bedpans, and is taunted by Batman over his defeat. A bedpan or bed pan is an object used for the Toileting of a bedridden Patient in a Health care facility usually made of a metal glass

Norman McCay resumes pastorship of his congregation, preaching a message of hope for humanity. Among the congregation is Jim Corrigan, the Spectre's human host. In the novelization, Clark Kent attends a sermon as well.

Collected edition additional scene

The final scene in the collected edition features Clark Kent, Diana, and Bruce Wayne meeting for a meal at Planet Krypton, a theme restaurant based upon the golden age of superheroes. Now a couple, Clark and Diana intend to inform Bruce they are expecting a child, but Bruce deduces the news before they can tell him. Diana does manage to surprise Bruce by asking him to serve as godfather and mentor to the child, whom Bruce rightly describes as potentially the most powerful in the world. A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's Baptism. He accepts after Clark states that he believes that Bruce will provide a balancing influence to the child, adding that in spite of their differences over the years he has always trusted Batman. Bruce is moved by this and they embrace.

As they leave, Plastic Man can be seen looking in through the window; his symbol also appeared on the table that the three other heroes had lunch on (implying he was the table). Plastic Man ( Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a fictional Comic-book Superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later

A framed photo of Batman's TV nemesis King Tut (Batman) hangs on the wall overlooking the heroes' table. King Tut is a Fictional character, a villain created for the 1966[[ 968|-68]] Batman Television series

They also pass a display case featuring the Sandman's effects on one wall and framed copies of Whiz Comics #2, the first appearance of Captain Marvel, and More Fun Comics #1, the first comic printed by DC, on the other. Bruce gazes thoughtfully at the two, as he exits the restaurant with Clark and Diana to begin a new era. It seems, however, that Batman's attention is more directed towards Jim Corrigan (aka The Spectre) and Norman McCay, who are also dining in the restaurant, than towards the display case — Corrigan expressing his incredulity at what is included in a "Spectre platter" (spinach and cottage cheese) while McCay remarks that it's flattering to be remembered at all, as Phil Sheldon (from Marvels) looks on in a wordless cameo. Spinach ( Spinacia oleracea) is a Flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. Cottage cheese is a Cheese Curd product with a mild flavor It is drained but not pressed so some Whey remains Marvels is a four-issue Comic book Limited series written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus

In the novelization, the epilogue is slightly different, as Diana recognizes Jim as she enters with Clark. Norman convinces Jim to use his powers to help him eavesdrop on the conversation that Clark, Diana and Bruce have, even doing a spit-take from across the room when Bruce notices Diana is pregnant. The novel ends with Clark attending Norman's church one Sunday to hear his sermon on perfection in God's universe.

Characters

Although an Elseworlds tale, Kingdom Come was for all intents and purposes set in the future of the then-current mainstream DC Universe, as reflected by the general lack of explicit contradictions to characters' established continuity at that time (unlike Ross' later series Justice) that are the cornerstone of most Elseworlds titles. Elseworlds is the publication Imprint for a group of Comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon This included ensuring that characters who were dead in DCU at the time of publication (e. g. Barry Allen, Hal Jordan and Jason Todd) remained so, as well as conforming to the post-Crisis mix of originally segregated characters from the Golden and Silver Ages, as well as characters from companies acquired by DC such as Captain Marvel all co-existing in the same reality. Bartholomew "Barry" Allen is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Comics universe and the second Flash Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. Jason Todd is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Other subtle indicators were used such as portraying Hawkman in a fashion consistent with his post-Zero Hour "Hawk-god" form, and Superman having long hair in flashbacks, as he did in the mid-90s. Zero Hour Crisis in Time is a five-issue Comic book Limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994 Whether this implicit adherence to 1996 DCU continuity in the creation of Kingdom Come's extrapolated future was the result of elective choice on the part of the authors or via editorial mandate is unknown.

Many developments in the DC Universe in the ensuing decade, such as the death of Ted Kord for example, have essentially invalidated Kingdom Come's status as a potential future of the mainstream DC Universe, as was indicated in the then-canonical but now likely apocryphal (in the wake of Infinite Crisis) sequel The Kingdom (but it is, of course, not impossible that Kord will be back from the dead at some stage in DC's continuity). Theodore (or Edward "Ted" Kord is the second version of the Blue Beetle, a fictional Superhero who was originally published by Charlton Infinite Crisis is a seven-issue Limited series of Comic books written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George

Superman's Justice League

Many of the members of the re-formed Justice League are either old characters in new forms or brand new adoptions of old names. Partial list:

Batman's "Outsiders"

Batman has formed a group of metahumans, similar to his Outsiders many of which are second-generation heroes, to combat the Justice League and the Mankind Liberation Front. The Outsiders are fictional characters a DC Comics Superhero team Playing upon the generational differences between the heroes, five of his heroes are the children of the original Teen Titans, while the Titans have all sided with Superman. Partial list:

Luthor's Mankind Liberation Front

Since Superman's departure 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.

Rogue metahumans

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.

Others

Appearances in mainstream continuity

The Kingdom

Main article: The Kingdom (comics)

Due to the popularity of the series, Mark Waid and Alex Ross began to plot a sequel and prequel. Alex Ross' concept of Gog, mentor of Magog, is an alien from the original "super world" that split to create Apokolips and New Genesis. Gog is the name of several different Fictional characters all of which are Supervillains and have been published by DC Comics. New Genesis is a Fictional planet in the (or rather in a parallel dimension adjacent to it Because he came from a super planet, Gog is twice as large as a normal human. Waid and Ross disagreed on several concepts and Ross decided to leave the project. [2]

Without Ross' involvement, Waid continued the story in New Year's Evil: Gog. The Kingdom 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. Grant Morrison (born January 31 1960 is a Scottish Comic book writer and artist Hypertime is a Fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity

Thy Kingdom Come

The Kingdom Come Superman on the cover of Justice Society of America #10. Art by Alex Ross.
The Kingdom Come Superman on the cover of Justice Society of America #10. The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics Superhero group the first team of superheroes in Comic book history Art by Alex Ross. Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American Comic book painter, Illustrator and

The final issue of 52 reveals that Earth-22 is the designation of the Kingdom Come alternate universe.

In Justice Society of America, a new Starman appears wearing a costume identical to that of his Kingdom Come counterpart. Thom Kallor is the name of a Comic book character owned by DC Comics, spanning many incarnations all connected to the various incarnations of the Legion of Super-Heroes Due to a time-machine error, Starman traveled to Earth-22 before arriving in the present time-stream.

The "Thy Kingdom Come" story arc of the JSA title features the involvement of Alex Ross, as well as the appearance of the Kingdom Come Superman. Barring additional story information for the moment, it appears as if the events of the final issue of the original mini-series take place concurrently with the "present-day" events of "New Earth" at the time of publication of the JSA story arc. Seeing the connection between Gog of New Earth and Magog of Earth-22, Superman-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. Gog is the name of several different Fictional characters all of which are Supervillains and have been published by DC Comics.

Collections

Collection of the four issues of Kingdom Come, packaged for resale at Toys R Us.
Collection of the four issues of Kingdom Come, packaged for resale at Toys R Us.

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. Toys "R" Us ( currently typeset as Toys Я Us in the logo and before as Toys "Я" Us) is a Toy store chain based

The original trade paperback collected 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.

A separate deluxe, slip-cased two-volume hardback edition, also co-published by DC and Graphitti Designs added a second volume (entitled "Revelations") to the text, containing further sketches and developmental artwork from Ross, showing the development of the character designs and the storyline.

Elliot S! Maggin wrote the novelization which was published by Warner Aspect as a hardback, and (in limited numbers) a slip-cased, signed edition. Elliot S Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin (born 1950 is an American writer of comic books film television and novels 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.

A 1998 special from Wizard magazine contained the original proposal for the series by Ross, providing notes on what was changed and why. Ross' comments on The Kingdom were also included.

DC released a Absolute Kingdom Come hardcover in 2006. DC Comics Absolute Edition is a series of archival quality printings of graphic novels published by DC Comics and its imprints Wildstorm Productions and Vertigo It collected 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.

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 Harney, Elisabeth Vincentelli.

The Comicology Kingdom Come Companion

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, focused heavily on Kingdom Come, featuring an A-Z of almost everything with extensive illustrations by Ross and various other commentary on the mini-series. 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. A cease and desist (also called C & D) is an order or request to halt an activity or else face legal action "[3] Lamken acquiesed 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

In 1996, Fleer/Skybox released a set of trading cards based on Kingdom Come, entitled Kingdom Come eXtra. The Fleer Corporation founded by Frank H Fleer in the mid-19th century was the first company to successfully manufacture Bubblegum. SkyBox International Inc was an American Trading card manufacturing company based in Durham North Carolina. Alongside the 50 basic cards, featuring art by Ross and text by Waid, there are 15 "sketchboard" cards, 3 "Kingdom Classics" (featuring Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in iconic poses), 6 "Alex Ross Original" cards, and some rarer autograph cards.

Action Figures

DC Direct (The exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics) has produced 3 waves of action figures based on Kingdom Come's artwork. DC Direct is the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics, the Time Warner Subsidiary that publishes Comic books and licenses characters DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The first wave of figures included Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Hawkman. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Alan Scott is a Fictional character, a Superhero from the DC Comics universe and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern For other meanings of the term see Hawkman (disambiguation Hawkman is a Superhero in the DC Comics universe. The second wave included Batman, Red Robin, Captain Marvel and Kid Flash. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a fictional Superhero that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Kid Flash ( Iris West II) is a Superheroine in the alternate future of ''Kingdom Come'' in the DC Comics universe. The last wave included Magog, Flash, Armored Wonder Woman and Deadman. Magog is a fictional Antihero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Kingdom Come #1 (May 1996 and was created by Deadman is a Fictional character, a Superhero appearing in DC Comics. An exclusive figure of Red Arrow was released through ToyFare magazine. For the English musician see Roy Harper Roy Harper is a fictional Superhero in the DC Comics ToyFare is a monthly comedy and collecting Magazine published by Wizard Entertainment that focuses on collectible Action figures, busts DC Direct also released several other characters through their Elseworlds toylines. DC Direct is the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics, the Time Warner Subsidiary that publishes Comic books and licenses characters Elseworlds is the publication Imprint for a group of Comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon These figures included The Spectre, Norman McCay, Jade, Nightstar, Aquaman and Blue Beetle. The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and Superhero who has appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. Norman McCay is a Fictional character from the DC Comics series Kingdom Come. Jade ( Jennifer-Lynn Hayden) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Comics DC universe. Nightstar is a Fictional character, the daughter of Starfire and Red Robin aka Dick Grayson, who was also the first Robin and Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional, American Comic book Superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1940

See also

Other Versions & Allusions

A roster of Kingdom Come characters make cameo appearances in Justice League Adventures #20. The Psycho Pirate hallucinates battles with three various superhero teams, including one containing Supergirl, Kid Flash, Red Arrow, Jade and Red Robin as they appeared in Kingdom Come. The Psycho-Pirate is the name of two DC Comics Supervillains dating back to the Golden Age of Comics. [4]

The fight between Superman and Captain Marvel, in which Captain Marvel struck Superman with magical lightning, is used in the Justice League Unlimited episode The Clash. Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) is the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on

A group of "Titans" from Kingdom Come appear including Kid Flash, Red Hood, Darkstar, Tula and Nightstar during the Who is Donna Troy? story arc in The Titans #23-25.

Alan Moore's "Watchmen" is referenced in issue 1. When Norman McCay walks by a collectibles store, "Under the Hood" by Hollis Mason is featured in the shop's window. Also Rorschach is seen in the Meta Human Bar. Rorschach is a municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency of Rorschach in the canton of St [IMG]http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm78/ct_avery/Rorschach.jpg[/IMG] In an early panel a graffiti covered wall has the tale end of the infamous 'Who Watches the Watchmen?' grafitti. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property [IMG]http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm78/ct_avery/WATCHMEN.jpg[/IMG]

References

  1. ^ Alex Ross. "ALEX ROSS: INSIDE THE ARTIST'S GALLERY", Wizard Entertainment, 2006-05-10. Wizard Entertainment, formerly known as Wizard Press, is a Congers New York-based Publisher of several notable Magazines in Fandom: Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Retrieved on 2007-08-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus.  
  2. ^ Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross
  3. ^ Sequential Tart's Article on the Comicology matter. Accessed on January 12, 2008
  4. ^ Psycho Pirate comic page

External Links

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