So I just got Kingdom Come TPB

[Ragnorok64]

Yeah I know i'm like a decade late or somehting like that but I picked up Kingdom Come so that I'd have an order over $25 and qualify for supersaver shipping on amazon.

I liked it. Alex Ross's art is really neat and the premis and story was interesting. It had a weighty feel to it (if that makes any sence). Though I do have some issues with it.

As I was reading it and reading all the Biblical allusions in it I couldn't help be feel that it was taking itself just a bit too seriously. I realize that it was going for the Epic feel and all but there were times when I felt like it was beating me over the head with its sence of self importance. One line that irks me is after Superman crashes the party at a superhero bar and ask them to join his new Justice League Avia says it's like someone asked her to be the 13th disciple. Whaa!? He's Superman not Jesus. Yes i know that superman is a classic example of a christ figure like Owen Meany but still it just seems like alittle too much.

Also at the big fight at the end while it looks nice, I just can't tell what the heck is going on. I know it's ment to be chaotic but some stuff just doesn't make sence. One panel Red robin is fighting that Swastika guy then the next he's fighting Tokyo Rose/Chun-li then hes punching the Joker's daughter. I have no idea who the Ray is blasting. Suddenly Red Robin is down and bleeding from the head. And her's the one I don't get, why the Heck is Green Arrow shooting arrows through Grean Lantern!? then the next panel Green arrow is holds someone's dead body and crying. then before the explosion Barda and Avia are taking a dead looking Mr. Miracle into a boom tube, Power girl is holding deadish Darkstar and theres some other confusing stuff.

Also who alls petrified skelotons do we see. I recigized blue beatle and Hawkman but not al whole lot else. Also who all survives?

in any case i still enjoyed it and have been reading it over and over again since I got it. Definately deserves its classic status, i think maybe i just got my hopes up alittle too high based on all the buzz i'd read prior to reading it.

[noh-varr]

Yeah I know i'm like a decade late or somehting like that but I picked up Kingdom Come so that I'd have an order over $25 and qualify for supersaver shipping on amazon.

I liked it. Alex Ross's art is really neat and the premis and story was interesting. It had a weighty feel to it (if that makes any sence). Though I do have some issues with it.

As I was reading it and reading all the Biblical allusions in it I couldn't help be feel that it was taking itself just a bit too seriously. I realize that it was going for the Epic feel and all but there were times when I felt like it was beating me over the head with its sence of self importance. One line that irks me is after Superman crashes the party at a superhero bar and ask them to join his new Justice League Avia says it's like someone asked her to be the 13th disciple. Whaa!? He's Superman not Jesus. Yes i know that superman is a classic example of a christ figure like Owen Meany but still it just seems like alittle too much.

Also at the big fight at the end while it looks nice, I just can't tell what the heck is going on. I know it's ment to be chaotic but some stuff just doesn't make sence. One panel Red robin is fighting that Swastika guy then the next he's fighting Tokyo Rose/Chun-li then hes punching the Joker's daughter. I have no idea who the Ray is blasting. Suddenly Red Robin is down and bleeding from the head. And her's the one I don't get, why the Heck is Green Arrow shooting arrows through Grean Lantern!? then the next panel Green arrow is holds someone's dead body and crying. then before the explosion Barda and Avia are taking a dead looking Mr. Miracle into a boom tube, Power girl is holding deadish Darkstar and theres some other confusing stuff.

Also who alls petrified skelotons do we see. I recigized blue beatle and Hawkman but not al whole lot else. Also who all survives?

in any case i still enjoyed it and have been reading it over and over again since I got it. Definately deserves its classic status, i think maybe i just got my hopes up alittle too high based on all the buzz i'd read prior to reading it.


Yeah Kingdom Come does lose some relevance this long after, it was written in a differant time (obviously) so the "heaviness" was part of it and allowed at the time. Just like in ten years something from Crisis will seem overtly cliche. But I digress.
As for the art, yeah the battle scenes were hectic and sometimes didn't seem like they were correctly staged from panel to panel. Eh it happens I guess. The skeletons I don't think really were many of the big names from the present DCu, from what I remember most of them were just random guys created during the series.
It was a great work though i remember picking up the secound issue on a whim and falling in love with it all. I do wonder if I reread it now if it would feel the same.

[The Shadow]

It's my FAVORITE DC book ever.

Did you spot some of the "hidden" characters Ross dropped in?

The mute Kryptonian from Superman 2 was in the car crash scene in the first issue, there are Bjork posters, the Fat Albert gang is running from the Batman robots, the superpets are on Clarks farm and so on. :D Fun stuff!

[MythicBrawn]

Love that story. Easily, one of my favorite stories from DC. What was cool was all the old characters that were brought back. Too bad the sequel wasn't up to par.

[Calybos]

Well, it didn't do much for me. At the time it was released, it still seemed overwrought and self-consciously Important... and now, looking back, it seems even more so.

Plus, I'm not a fan of the Alex Ross "everything must be a painting" style. And deconstruction, as a rule, strikes me as silly. Definitely not my first choice.

[Lubichev]

I met Alex Ross at Wizard World Chicago in 2001. His dad was there too. The main character in KC was modeled after him. It looked EXACTLY LIKE HIM!! It was bizarre to see the old man from Kingdom Come sitting behind a table, watching his son sign autographs. I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen Spectre there either.

[SoulOnIce]

Kingdom Come is one of my five favourite comics. I think it is pure brilliance.

I totally understand the 13th disciple comment. This is freakin' Superman. The Legend. He has come back after a long absence and he is going to choose you for his new Justice League. How else would you feel?

The fight is supposed to be chaotic. Hundreds, if not thousands of superpowered beings in a battle royale. How could it not be chaotic?

And that glorious scene at the end of the battle with Superman and Shazam battling it out. You can just feel the earth thundering at their blows. Then Superman leaving the final choice up to Shazam because he alone is both human and superhuman.

And in the end he made the only choice one can make; he chose life (to paraphrase a line in the book).

Wow. Just wow.

BTW, an absolute edition comes out later this year.

[PercussionMasta]

One thing that I love about Kingdom Come is that it gets deeper the more times I read it. The message of it sinks in a little more each time. I think that's something very unique in comics, where I can read the same story over and over again and I pick up something new each time. I think it's a profound and striking artistic work.

You should be reading Justice if you enjoyed Kingdom Come. I'm not sure how it's all going to end or if the message will be as powerful, but #4 is kicked things into overdrive. I loved the latest issue.

Plus, I'm not a fan of the Alex Ross "everything must be a painting" style. I'm sorry, but this just seems ridiculous to me. Painted art is Ross' style. If you don't like it, then there's a gazillion other artists out there who stick to straight pencils. I love Ross' art because it is unique and stands out in a landscape of similarity. It's like a breath of fresh air, and I think the fact that he really doesn't do a huge amount of work contributes to it not being overused.

[Calybos]

How is it ridiculous? I don't like Ross's style, so I don't buy his stuff. I never said it was overexposed, just uninteresting to me.

[PercussionMasta]

That's your opinion, and that's great. Yet, you said you bought Kingdom Come and then you said you don't like his style, and that doesn't make sense to me.

[nateslate8]

BTW, an absolute edition comes out later this year.

Does that mean Hardcover edition?? Please, oh please...
(crossing fingers)

[Bored at 3:00AM]

And her's the one I don't get, why the Heck is Green Arrow shooting arrows through Grean Lantern!? then the next panel Green arrow is holds someone's dead body and crying.


If you look carefully, you'll notice that Black Canary was just hit in the head with flying debris and killed. Ollie, who was understandably upset by this turn of events, is irrationally lashing out at Green Lantern, who was on the opposing faction. Ollie then calms down a bit and starts craddling Dinah's body in his arms before he gets blown up real good by the nuke.

[SoulOnIce]

Does that mean Hardcover edition?? Please, oh please...
(crossing fingers)

Absolute editions are those huge mega-expensive hardcover editions. Worth every penny BTW.

[SoulOnIce]

One thing that I love about Kingdom Come is that it gets deeper the more times I read it. The message of it sinks in a little more each time. I think that's something very unique in comics, where I can read the same story over and over again and I pick up something new each time. I think it's a profound and striking artistic work.

You should be reading Justice if you enjoyed Kingdom Come. I'm not sure how it's all going to end or if the message will be as powerful, but #4 is kicked things into overdrive. I loved the latest issue.

I'm sorry, but this just seems ridiculous to me. Painted art is Ross' style. If you don't like it, then there's a gazillion other artists out there who stick to straight pencils. I love Ross' art because it is unique and stands out in a landscape of similarity. It's like a breath of fresh air, and I think the fact that he really doesn't do a huge amount of work contributes to it not being overused.

I agree. Like Watchmen, the more you read Kingdom Come the more you appreciate it. And I feel comfortable putting KC and Watchmen in the same sentence.

[Calybos]

That's your opinion, and that's great. Yet, you said you bought Kingdom Come and then you said you don't like his style, and that doesn't make sense to me.

Actually, I didn't buy it. I said I read it, and didn't like it.

[PercussionMasta]

Welp, alright, duly noted.

[bfrank]

why the Heck is Green Arrow shooting arrows through Grean Lantern!?
Because Green Lantern was on Superman's side, and Green Arrow, Batman's...

The arrows worked on Green Lantern, because he was Alan Scott, not Hal Jordan....

[davids]

i wonder if Scott was angry when Superman and Wonder woman all most knocked his space station out of orbit with their sexual trist?

{chapter 14 of the kingdom come novel} :evilsmile

[davids]

This is the original, uncensored and unpublished version of Chapter 13 (Originally Chapter 14) of the Kingdom Come novel, written by Elliot S! Maggin. Copyright © 1997 Elliot S! Maggin and DC Comics.


Kingdom Come


Chapter 14

New Oa

by Elliot S! Maggin

version for printing




"To the Fortress?" he asked her.

"No, I don't want to go back there. Right here," she said.

"Is it private enough?"

"They're our friends."

"Is it safe?"

"Green Lantern builds good gyroscopes. They'll accommodate." :evilsmile

[PercussionMasta]

Is there seriously a Kingdom Come novel, or is it a spoof?

[PercussionMasta]

Is there seriously a Kingdom Come novel, or is it a spoof?

[davids]

http://superman.ws/Maggin/kingdom.php
try the above link to read all about it and check out the uncensored version of the nivel;s chapter13 the ephants dance. :)

[CURSD BLADE]

I also just recently got around to reading this in October. I like the read, the biblical themes, at times are riveting and at others come across as heavy-handed. The way the tale echoes our current political is a bit disturbing, considering it was written ten years ago.

I am not the biggest Alex Ross fan, I find the more stylistic painters such as Gabrielle Dell 'Otto, Paolo Rivera, Adi Granov, ect. to be more my cup of painted tea, but Ross' work is quite beautiful. The only problem I have with his style is that his art is much more "pin-up-esque" and the sense of motion is lost in his work.

I liked the story, but didn't put down the TPB thinking "Oh My God, this was one of the best things I have ever read". Had I read it in 1996, I would probably like it so much better, but having read other superhero deconstructionist books, such as Ellis' Authority, Millar's Ultimates, and JMS' Supreme Power, I have become a bit jaded.

[Joker2503]

I can't wait for the Absolute Edition. I really hope it has something like annotated notes. There is sooo much in the background that you don't catch the first time you read through. I say this with absolutely no exaggeration, but I notice something new everytime I read Kingdom Come.

[seaflower]

http://superman.ws/Maggin/kingdom.php
try the above link to read all about it and check out the uncensored version of the nivel;s chapter13 the ephants dance. :)


Thanks for the link

[cactusmaac]

Here's something about the KC novelisation and an ilustration of how even creators get fanboyish:

http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/features/alexross/default_4.asp


UGO: Did it hurt Superman also because Captain Marvel wanted the lightning to hurt him?

ALEX: Just to give you an idea of where this comes from, it's from the Superman vs. Shazam tabloid book from, I think 1979. That was the first time the idea was put out there, but it wasn't used. Gerry Conway wrote it in as something Captain Marvel was thinking about doing, but then never actually tries. So I read that when I was a little kid and thought, "Wow. Why didn't he? I want to see what that looks like." That was one of the things I pushed for in the Kingdom Come book. So again, it's very subjective as to whatever you want it to turn it in to be. In fact, I've seen people recently use it in the comics where he actually allows himself to get hit at the same time, kind of nullifying the point of protecting himself and making sure he's not going to somehow be beat to hell by Superman whenever he's getting turned back into Billy Batson.

UGO: Okay, I'll leave you alone about it. I love Kingdom Come, but it was always something I always wondered.

ALEX: I'll give you a very inside answer. This was the source of a huge fight between myself and the author who did the Kingdom Come novelization, Elliot Maggin. He wanted it to be turned into this different thing where Captain Marvel didn't get hit at the same time and we had this ridiculous argument about, "How can Captain Marvel be faster than magic lightning? It's magic lightning!" I said, "You can do whatever the hell you want with this. These rules are applicable to however we bend them. There's nothing fixed. This is the way it was written the first time. You're writing a version of something. You're not rewriting it." This became a huge fight that ultimately resulted in a very strained collaboration over that novel.

UGO: Oh my God.

ALEX: He stuck his ground about it. He literally called in my editors but my editor had my back and said, "Look. You're doing a job to do a book they've already written. Follow what they did. Don't tell us it's a different physical law of the universe there." That was a terrible interaction.

UGO: I can't believe it went that far.

ALEX: Yeah. Absolutely bizarre.

UGO: These are funny arguments that should be recorded and podcasted.

ALEX: I would rather forget that ever happened, but it's still burned into my brain.

UGO: The idea of two grown men fighting over Captain Marvel's magic lightning is hysterical.

ALEX: Exactly. What can I tell you? It all comes down to who wants to fight more over what stupid thing.

[AllisterH]

*LOL*

Here I thought we were geeks. Alex Ross and Maggin have nothing on us.....I no longer feel as much as a geek as before.

Personally, while the art and the plot for the storyline were interesting, the actual setup makes no sense whatsoever.

Think about it. Superman leaves because the jury doesn't think Magog is guilty (and he believes probably correctly that the jury approved of what Magog did).

The problem with this is that a jury that would free Magog would also have produced juries beforehand that would have ordered the death penalty for the joker.

[stealthwise]

The problem with this is that a jury that would free Magog would also have produced juries beforehand that would have ordered the death penalty for the joker.

Joker would never have been even fit to stand trial, according to mental defect or disease.

[AllisterH]

Joker would never have been even fit to stand trial, according to mental defect or disease.

I actually doubt that.

IRL, the joker after his Xth mass murder rampage would have been sentenced to death via some law after enough people wrote in to their congress(wo)man and demanded a change in the laws.

[stealthwise]

I actually doubt that.

IRL, the joker after his Xth mass murder rampage would have been sentenced to death via some law after enough people wrote in to their congress(wo)man and demanded a change in the laws.

(What does IRL mean?)

I think it's more likely they would have found a different place to keep him, probably one where he's much less likely to escape. I'm sure that he's got about fifty different hiding places and escape routes in Arkham after having been there so long.

But then again, that's the fun part about comics, they don't follow our real life logic.

[Shellhead]

Kingdom Come wasn't merely a deconstruction of super-heroes. It was a direct response and rebuttal to the grim and gritty crappiness of the 90's comics that preceded it. The idea of super-heroes acting just as ruthless as villains had gone too far, and I think Kingdom Come made such a strong point about it that it helped guide comic creators back to quality by the end of the 90's.

[Matt]

A fair chunk of the Joker's criminal acts can no longer be brought before a court since, as per A Death in the Family, the Joker received diplomatic immunity from a certain Middle Eastern country.

While that diplomatic status has since been revoked, those past acts can still not be used to bring the Joker to trial and can not be counter in any way.

Crazy? Inplausiable? Certainly - but this is a fantasy setting where teenage kids can throw planets through suns, so you kind of just have to roll with it and enjoy the ride.

[mgs]

One thing that I love about Kingdom Come is that it gets deeper the more times I read it. The message of it sinks in a little more each time. I think that's something very unique in comics, where I can read the same story over and over again and I pick up something new each time. I think it's a profound and striking artistic work.
ditto.

and it also becomes more and more fascinating the more I read about it as well.

[AllisterH]

(What does IRL mean?)

I think it's more likely they would have found a different place to keep him, probably one where he's much less likely to escape. I'm sure that he's got about fifty different hiding places and escape routes in Arkham after having been there so long.

But then again, that's the fun part about comics, they don't follow our real life logic.

IRL - In Real Life

Your last statement is what makes me consider Kingdom Come's Superman's leaving pretty piss poor reasoning.

It tries to be realistic, but to get to the final situation as described requires a lot of unrealistic situations and responses.

As for the whole diplomatic immunity, again, comic writers should never use things they have no idea what it actually does or if they have gotten only it from tv/movies.

If the joker was a diplomat, he would have been expelled or the US would ask said country to waive his immunity. If they didn't, he would be expelled and as such, if he was found in the country again, depending on the situation, would be treated as a foreign citizen who had committed terrorism.

ergo, the joker would have LESS protection under the law than before.

[davids]

In the novel Kingdom come that was diana's answer when superman lamented on the lack of concern there "New kind of heroes" had for human life.
She was telling him that he wasn't there to lead by his exsample.

In the Novel Joker attacked the daily planet as gift to the toyman who he met while he was locked up in arkam. The staff died of the joker poison Lois didn't.

years before Perry got the brigt idea of installing a super computer at the daily planet to keep intouch with every news srvice and info around the world. He built a clean room for it, then discovered how much it would cost to program and run and let the idea drop.

Lois used the clean room as her editor office so she was safe from the gas attack. When Joker smashed open a window and began to escape lois attacked him with a computer key board. he beat her brains out with a daily planet paper weight. Superman arriving from a rescue in space caught him right there and then.

Instead of killing him he threw him thru an office door and into the arms of the ariving police, who made a hasty retreat when superman screamed for them to get out as he held his dead wife in his arms.

During the trasfer magog killed the joker, superman arested magog, who was put on trial. Superman testified when magog did and the jury set him free. They and the citizens had chosen the hero who would kill over the hero who would not.

Broken hearted and disaluted superman left and began his self imposed exile. The new genration of so called heroes came on board with out him to led by exsample and the world began circuling the drain. :eek:

[AllisterH]

Your point?

Like I said and which people seem to have trouble understanding,

IT WOULD NEVER GET TO THAT POINT IF THE DCU HAD ANY SHRED OF REALISM.

Yet, the KC novel is held up as an example of good storytelling and realism? Watchmen, sure, Squadron Supreme, yeah, I'm with you. But KC?

Not a chance.

[PercussionMasta]

Since when do you the comics you read accurately depict reality?

[Shellhead]

Your point?

Like I said and which people seem to have trouble understanding,

IT WOULD NEVER GET TO THAT POINT IF THE DCU HAD ANY SHRED OF REALISM.

Yet, the KC novel is held up as an example of good storytelling and realism? Watchmen, sure, Squadron Supreme, yeah, I'm with you. But KC?

Not a chance.

Psst. You do know that superpowers aren't real, right?

[The Humanist Hero]

Your point?

Like I said and which people seem to have trouble understanding,

IT WOULD NEVER GET TO THAT POINT IF THE DCU HAD ANY SHRED OF REALISM.

Yet, the KC novel is held up as an example of good storytelling and realism? Watchmen, sure, Squadron Supreme, yeah, I'm with you. But KC?

Not a chance.
I've never heard anyone praise Kingdom Come by calling it a realistic comic. Ever. They praise the art, the story, the epic scale, the effects on the industry, etc. It's never because it's "realistic."

[jaguarshark]

Originally posted by Shellhead
Psst. You do know that superpowers aren't real, right?
I'm sure he does, Shellhead. If I've interpreted the argument correctly, I think AllisterH's point is that Kingdom Come seems to pick and choose when to be 'realistic' and 'relevant'. And, sure, all comics do that. But it's more noticeable with KC because, let's face it, it's a great book, but it has a huge aura of self-importance. Plot details like Magog's trial can be seen as attempts to make the book more realistic, when AllisterH's point, if I understand it correctly, is that the whole scenario is ridiculous anyway.
Personally, I liked Kingdom Come a lot, but it might take itself a bit too seriously. I don't have any trouble with the Magog trial, although the ending seemed a bit contradictory to me. More likely, I'm just stupid, and it confused me.

[Ragnorok64]

Thanks to a link to some annotations

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/7160/annos.html?200617

some of the last fight makes more sence to me. But he's a little hoophole in the plot that makes very little sence to me. I the final battle some of the villainous heros use fire arms. Why do they still have guns of they were just in the Gulog, and where did they get ammo?

[Apathy Boy]

I never liked KINGDOM COME.

Hokey, pretentious story. And for what purpose? So Alex Ross can show everyone that DC's classic superheroes are better than '90s-style Image heroes. Deep.

The story's pretty much a fanfic.

[lordlad]

too bad Mark Waid can't do any follwup as powerful as this.

[davids]

We even might forget most of that so called sequle called the kingdom.

I know Ross had ideas, i even saw some of his art for the story. Two drawings of Wonder Woman and her baby boy. :)

[PercussionMasta]

Hokey, pretentious story. And for what purpose? So Alex Ross can show everyone that DC's classic superheroes are better than '90s-style Image heroes. Deep.
If you want a deeper meaning, then your complaint should be something more than what the art looks like. Seems to me you're not looking for a deeper meaning.

[Mainline]

It tries to be realistic, but to get to the final situation as described requires a lot of unrealistic situations and responses. Not at all. Superman is not a Vulcan or stoic logic-machine. He leaves to punish humanity, WW says as much. Magog's trial serves only as an EXCUSE to do it, not a fully conceived rational argument. By the time Lois is already dead, Superman is already wounded and looking for retreat. Wounded people do NOT act 100% rationally otherwise we'd all go around 100% emotionally whole. People don't. I thought that would have been obvious to any reader.

[Apathy Boy]

If you want a deeper meaning, then your complaint should be something more than what the art looks like. Seems to me you're not looking for a deeper meaning.Err... I'm a little confused about how you construed my comment as a criticism of the artwork (though admittedly, I'm not a fan of that either). I stated that the story was hokey, and then made a comment on the theme of the story.

Still, KINGDOM COME is a fairly well-regarded book, so perhaps I should've paid the courtesy of explaining in full what I disliked about the story.

1. Overly melodramatic writing that too often relies on telling, not showing. "It is a kiss completely devoid of passion." Uh, thanks. You can kind of tell that from the picture.

2. A lot of high-falutin' biblical allusions that have absolutely nothing to do with the story. The only connection I can see is that the climax is kind of like Judgement Day, but that's weak at best. Nope, the primary reason for the biblical stuff is to make the story seem deeper than it really is.

3. The theme. I hate to keep coming back to this, but the underlying message of this book is that classic superheroes are cooler than '90s superheroes. While I find that overly fannish, I don't think that alone makes it a bad story. But the fact that Ross treats it as a deep, important topic makes it too much of a wank-fest for my liking.

[scratchie]

3. The theme. I hate to keep coming back to this, but the underlying message of this book is that classic superheroes are cooler than '90s superheroes. While I find that overly fannish ... That's not the only theme in the book, you know. Waid could be using comic book superheroes as, I don't know, a metaphor for something or other.

[Shellhead]

Err... I'm a little confused about how you construed my comment as a criticism of the artwork (though admittedly, I'm not a fan of that either). I stated that the story was hokey, and then made a comment on the theme of the story.

Still, KINGDOM COME is a fairly well-regarded book, so perhaps I should've paid the courtesy of explaining in full what I disliked about the story.

1. Overly melodramatic writing that too often relies on telling, not showing. "It is a kiss completely devoid of passion." Uh, thanks. You can kind of tell that from the picture.

2. A lot of high-falutin' biblical allusions that have absolutely nothing to do with the story. The only connection I can see is that the climax is kind of like Judgement Day, but that's weak at best. Nope, the primary reason for the biblical stuff is to make the story seem deeper than it really is.

3. The theme. I hate to keep coming back to this, but the underlying message of this book is that classic superheroes are cooler than '90s superheroes. While I find that overly fannish, I don't think that alone makes it a bad story. But the fact that Ross treats it as a deep, important topic makes it too much of a wank-fest for my liking.

"...writing that too often relies on telling, not showing."

Compared to Chris Claremont? No.

"...allusions that have absolutely nothing to do with the story."

The best writing often works on multiple levels. Merely describing a series of events is only part of it. By working with themes, symbols, archetypes and allegory, writing can aspire to simultaneously engaging the different readers in different ways, or the same readers on several levels. When nearly every hero and villain and anti-hero on DC Earth ends up in a huge deadly battle with few survivors, I think the Judgment Day comparison is entirely justified. And the narrator is a minister accompanied by the Spectre, who is apparently the embodiment of God's wrath in the DCU, so biblical overtones are perfectly logical.

As for the theme, remember that Kingdom Come was written in the 90's, a low point in comics for most readers, when classic characters were getting pushed aside in favor of an excessive number of grim, kewl gun-toting anti-heroes wearing trenchcoats and lots of black. At that time, a lot of traditional fans were worried about the direction comics were headed, and some just gave up on comics for a few years. Today, with DC apparently headed back towards more iconic heroicism, and with Marvel doing more funny titles, like Thing and She-Hulk, Kingdom Come may seem like an overreaction.