DC's Kingdom Come
By Munawar Mobin
"In this world, there is right and there is wrong, and that distinction is not difficult to make.”
DC's graphic novel 'Kingdom Come' written by Mark Waid and Alex Ross had been on the top of almost every 'to-read' list on the internet for a long while. Earlier this week I happened to scratch it off my own list.
Kingdom Come is said to be a “Superman” based graphic novel where Superman is the actual centre of all the attention but that's the wrong idea; the novel is a brilliantly written piece of art which enhances the world of superheroes with incessant twists of politics.
The story starts off ten years after Superman retires, when the whole world promptly went down the drain. Each offspring of each superhero (and there are lots) now rule Earth, with the same might as the previous generation of superheroes but not the same morals and ethics. Thus today's heroes start to become no different than any villain. Their acts cost innocent lives and the destruction of Planet Earth itself.
This story is told through a priest, Norman McCay, who has visions and visits from a Spectre. To keep this review simple, we can say the Spectre and McCay have kind of a 'Scrooge' situation going on.
This is one of those plotlines which cannot be spoken about too much because uttering even the littlest of details can reveal important plot twists, which is why the storyline ends here. The reason you should find out how this book ends is because there is no other comic book out there which has so successfully managed to connect real life situations and conditions and politics with that of the superhero world. Such a combination sounds more humorous than impossible, but Waid and Ross had done it justice. It's also fun to see superman as a 60 year old still wearing underwear over latex.
The book is a testimony to DC's darkest hour is the land of heroes. Everyone out there should grab a copy.
