Kingdom Come: Blast from the Past

“Kingdom Come” is widely regarded as one of the finest tales to ever grace the pages of a comic book. This 1996 masterpiece by superstar creators Alex Ross and Mark Waid heralded the inception of a radical new era and style of storytelling to comics as we know them today. With the massive scope and ethical conundrums weaving the whole story together, “Kingdom Come” may very well be the most debated and politically righteous comic ever published. This book exudes a level of maturity seldom achieved with superhero-lore and a degree of idealism that challenges the role of human beings in the modern world.
The story takes place in the not-so-distant future, where the first generation of superhumans and the like (led by Superman) has gone into retirement, making way for a cohort of young, amoral “metahumans” whose core principles differ greatly from their idealistic successors. This new breed of superheroes is rash and doesn't regard saving lives with paramount significance. When their attack on the supervillain, Parasite, goes horribly wrong, the entire state of Kansas falls prey to radiation effects, killing off a million people and reducing most of the American Midwest into an irradiated wasteland. This triggers an economic downfall that signals the beginning of the end and causes Superman to come out of seclusion and take up his mantle as supreme protector of the planet.
Superman and his newly reformed Justice League set out to re-establish the classical order and moral codes that defined heroes of their time, only to be appalled by the colossal opposition from a world that wants to be ruled by humans rather than god-like beings. Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman are divided on how to deal with the growing animosity towards superhumans, while Lex Luthor and his “Mankind Liberation Front” devise their own plan to counteract the rise of the heroes once more (and of course, take over the world in the process). The final blow is delivered when Captain Marvel (Shazam) goes berserk and an all-out war breaks out between the old and the new heroes. The United Nations' solution to the superhuman war makes for an electrifying penultimate chapter of biblical proportions. Rarely before in comic books did the stakes escalate to such dangerous heights.
The whole story is seen from the perspective of a clergyman named Norman McCay, who, with the help of the Specter, the spirit of vengeance, glimpses his visions of Armageddon and is tasked with imparting judgment for the apocalyptic series of events that unfolds before him.
“Kingdom Come” is unsurpassable in many ways. The core concept of the story is the value of morality and goodness in a world that is desperately being pushed over the edge. Everything about the idea of a superhero that inspires us is explored with much emotion. We realise that what makes a hero so “super” is his or her innate humaneness.
Alex Ross's idea of the story was grand, no doubt. But it was his artwork in “Kingdom Come” -- arguably the greatest in comic book history -- that cemented his place as comics' premier painter. The level of realism that Ross generates through every single panel of this gorgeous graphic novel brings out an ethereal explosion of nuance and nostalgic remembrance. Mark Waid handles the plot expertly despite its tendency to overwhelm anyone reading it (such is the vastness of its intrinsic notion).
“Kingdom Come” has changed the complexion of the comic industry and will keep on inspiring fans and creators alike for many generations to come.

Farhanul Hasan is a 12th grade student at The Aga Khan School, Dhaka.