Review of Kingdom Come – The Complete Saga

ECC Editions presents the comprehensive volume that brings together the iconic DC Comics saga: Kingdom Come.

There are few who represent the greatness of heroes, not only for their physical strength, but also for the noble morals they are supposed to represent, rather than the advent of kingdoms. The work of Alex Ross and Mark Waid has now come to us in one comprehensive volume titled Come to the Kingdom – The Complete Saga, along with the direct and indirect sequels that have been published over the years.

The second coming

American superhero comics changed a lot in the second half of the 1990s. Young, cool illustrators flocked to Marvel Comics to quickly achieve multi-million dollar sales that delighted the publisher’s bosses. Strong characters with clenched teeth and hollow eyes look great on comic pages and new generations of readers love that. Apparently, this new style spread like a plague and soon ceased to be a handful of new talents …

But while some saw it as a breath of fresh air, others saw the lack of moral values ​​embedded in men’s tight clothing for decades and how looks came before materiality. Old readers now have more of Frank Castle’s quick-witted nature and ability to resolve conflicts, orphaned by good stories about their favorite characters.

In response to this new trend, a number of authors have emerged who believe that old values ​​(not to be confused with conservative prudence) and, above all, funny stories are about telling good stories and not just a collection of pictures. Oops. One of the answers that Ross and Waid forcefully put on the table, history as a metaphorical narrative, is one of the clearest reflections of the problems facing the comics industry at the time…

A world without Superman, a world without morality

The origin of the plot begins ten years before the main story, when a new hero named Magog ends the Joker’s life and takes Lois Lane’s life after destroying the Daily Planet. And even though the world’s moral compass is Superman venting his rage at the death of a loved one and Magog, not a threat but a savior, society doesn’t think so either. Desperate, Tomorrowman abandons humanity and retreats to the Fortress of Solitude. Similarly, some of his colleagues also disappear from the scene…

Without these heroes, the metahumans who fight the villains would soon become vigilantes and eventually tyrants. Amidst this chaos, the religious Norman McKay has strange visions that herald the coming apocalypse.

After a nuclear explosion destroys Kansas in one of these clashes between superhumans, Wonder Woman decides it’s time to take matters into her own hands and take back the world. But the heroes are broken and unable to join forces, so instead of joining her, Kal-El and Batman form their own team of heroes to solve the problem in their own way. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor steps in to make his move…

The story is as simple as it is effective, playing with basic but powerful concepts that serve to develop a story where the ideas conveyed resonate strongly with the reader. Waid is a master at playing with these characters and their entire mythology, and what Ross does is nameless. In their hands, these heroes are veritable gods in lycra. Their work will go down as one of the most important works in DC Comics history.

Series and prefixes

Among the many spins we’ve found in The Voice, The Kingdom has to stand out. The absence of talented artist Alice Ross here is a liability that all stories share, but perhaps it deserves more attention here since the original screenwriter is present and we’re talking about a live-action series.

Here we find one of the casualties of the Kansas incident that wiped out almost the entire population. One of the survivors of that disaster, William, is now a Superman devotee, but due to a complex and somewhat inexplicable group of quintessences (consisting of Shazam, Gantt, Zeus, Highfeather, and the Mighty Ones). The Wandering Ghost) soon receives an unimaginable power. He then assumes the name Gog and, after losing his faith, aims to destroy Superman in all hypertime locations (a concept created by Waid), which goes back in time day by day.

Also for Kid Flash, Nightstar, Magog or the planet Krypton, among other things, the story of the JSA series in which Geoff Johns will hold, in a separate continuity, the events of Kingdom Come should be mentioned. Alex Ross collaboration. So Gog returns to the forefront, this time as a killer of criminals whose hearts are ripped from their chests. Although in fact here Jones is limited to recovering certain concepts from the original story, in the hands of this man the characters of the DC universe shine more than ever and for this alone it is worth it.

Edition for avid readers.

ECC Ediciones offers this volume in cardboard format. It has a recommended retail price of €80 and goes on sale in March 2024. The slightly reduced size is not the best way to enjoy the pink pages, the work is rewarded with large editions, but despite its impressive thickness, we must be grateful. , this volume is really easy to manage and read without fear of cracks indicating that the spine is out. In fact, for readers who are not very demanding in terms of page size, if you want to have the whole series, it is an ideal solution in the quality / price ratio.

The volume contains 1024 full-color pages and includes translations of the American version of the four editions of The Gog Special, the two editions of The Ministry, The Kingdom Special: Kid Flash, The Kingdom Special: Kid Flash, The Kingdom: Nightstar Special, The Kingdom: Special Race, The Kingdom: Special Planet Krypton, issues #9 through #22 and the first annual of the regular Justice Society of America series, Special Kingdom Come Special Superman, Special Kingdom Come Special Magog and Special Kingdom Come Special Kingdom.

Additionally, an introduction by Elliot S. Maggin and a massive final section are included with extras. The correlation between this and the number of pages is generally not bad, so the inclusion of each issue’s covers and the price point are appreciated.