Kingdom Come by Mark WaidMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
So, I'd heard about this comic and decided to give it a shot when I came across it. Turns out, the artwork is done by Alex Ross, a weird coincidence, given I have only just completed Marvels, which was also illustrated by Ross.
This series is about a possible DC future where the old guard has been chased away by humanity, only for the newer generations to be a vile and violent lot, too busy fighting each other to notice the damage done to the mere mortals beneath them.
People live in fear, but no one comes to anyone's rescue till a battle kills almost a million people and irradiates agricultural land. This Earth-shattering moment is followed by Wonder Woman (hasn't aged a day) going over to meet Superman (old, wrinkly, long, white hair and bulkier than before) in an attempt to convince him to rejoin the fight.
He, in turn, heads to meet Batman (old, white haired and balding, bulkier and has metallic supports for his arms and shoulders), who rejects his proposition because he has his city under control.
Convoluted stuff happens - Lex Luthor's up to no good and he has an ace up his sleeve that none of us see coming till much later.
All of this is witnessed by a pastor, Norman McKay, who is hanging out with an angel-like figure in a Doctor Doom cloak. These two are nothing more than a plot device to show us the juicy bits of this superhero civil war, they add nothing to the plot (the writer tries to assert their importance at one point, but doesn't follow through with it).
The entire series is one giant war waged between the old heroes and the new ones. We don't get to know the new ones at all - but we are witness to the atrocities they commit through their disregard for human life. The cards are stacked against them - it's evident the writer doesn't like or care for them. The true heroes for the writer are the originals, which seems unfair, really.
Most of the old guard who join Superman look different or have donned different outfits more befitting their age. Not Power Woman though. For all intents and purposes, she's 50 years old in this comic, but somehow her assets look the same. Even her hair remains straight, thick and blonde, and her figure only slightly more muscular than we're used to.
The artist, despite his stunning work, couldn't bring himself to equally age up the female characters. Diana isn't allowed to age at all, though Superman, for all his alien genetics, ages almost at the same rate as everyone else. Oliver Queen is absolutely bald, but Dinah Lance still has dark hair. The ladies aren't drawn with obvious wrinkles or natural blemishes that mark their age. I don't understand it. Also, I don't know why the artist felt that all the older male characters had to be balding - it's not a necessity.
This being a DC comic, we're stuck with plenty of really stupid costumes for the ladies. Diana's outfit is so bizarre, it's almost an insult. Power Woman's outfit - well, whoever was her creator really should have been sent to a psychologist, because it's not normal behaviour. Most of the new, nameless heroes are drawn to wear really appalling stuff. It's ludicrous to think anyone would want to walk around in those, forget fight. There's one hero, I think she's Grayson's daughter, who, in reality, would not have been able to move a muscle in her costume without causing a wardrobe malfunction. Seriously, when comic book artists look at their work, do they not realise what an atrocity they are committing by drawing this crap? Then people wonder why comics get so much flack! It's well-deserved flack.
I am not sure if I like this story, because I feel it wasn't executed well. The concept is great, but there are plotholes aplenty. {SPOILER: Like, where did the old guard go, and why did they all decide to abandon humanity? What about the younger lot? We see the former members of the Teen Titans fighting alongside Supes, so where were they all these years? END SPOILER}
It felt like the writer had a vendetta against Wonder Woman. No decision she made seemed good enough for Supes or Bats. They took turns belittling and berating her - when, their inaction and pacifism was only fueling the fire. She's written as this bloodthirsty, uncontrollable soldier, while Supes and Bats get on their holier-than-thou high horses. She does more for the fight than they do, but the writer gives them all the credit. {SPOILER: And what does she get in return for all her efforts? A stupid romance with Superman. It's just thrust on her, despite him cribbing about everything she does throughout all four issues. Like, shut up already, pal. And this book ends in a way that... honestly, I don't think that ending was ever appropriate. It's not okay, and it reduces Wonder Woman to a love interest and mother figure, when she's the damned reason the world got saved in the first place! I hate everyone. END SPOILER}
I wanted to like this book, but Christian rhetoric, confused and overlong battle scenes and contrived efforts to eke out emotions just didn't work for me. The art, despite it's signature look, feels like one, long painted canvas with no character.
Worth a read if you can get past DC's inherent misogyny and sexism, as well as the preachy sentiments. Otherwise, just go for the loud and rambunctious Civil War: A Marvel Comics Event - when it comes to superhero battles, that one's got what it takes.
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