Rating: 
Summary: The Child of the Silver Age
Review: "The Kingdom" is a sequel-of-sorts to the 1996 phenomenal "Kingdom Come" by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. This volume collects the "Kingdom" book-ends and all the one-shot character-studies that make up the deeper exploration of the future DC Universe. "The Kingdom" was a controversial work when it was released in the late nineties, chiefly because this work was done without the participation (nor the blessing) of "Kingdom Come's" original artist, Alex Ross. And as you can see from the other reviews here, that alone warrants this work to be condemned to comic-book hell for all eternity. I find that quite laughable really!You see, there are comicbook fans and there are Alex Ross fans. The latter are nothing more than lap-dogs of the famed painter. Granted, the artwork here falls short of the fine paint jobs by Ross in the prequel but then that's an unfair comparison (comparing any artist to Ross is usually an unfair comparison anyway - and should never be the chief reason to accept or dismiss a specific work). But the issue is deeper than that even. Many of these aforementioned lap-dogs believe that "Kingdom Come" is chiefly the work of Alex Ross and that Mark Waid actually stole Ross' ideas for this lame-sequel. Nothing can be further from the truth. Mark Waid is the most passionate fan of Silver-Age comics and his work here as well as in "Kingdom Come" is a testimony to that fact. While "Kingdom Come" serves as a final tribute and celebration of what makes Silver-Age heroism great (in view of the darker, grim-and-gritty characters of then-popular X-Men and Image books), "The Kingdom" is a true return of the Silver Age. The Silver Age is examined in a very deep and poignant way through the eyes of the children of those same heroes (i.e. Ibn, son of Batman; Nightshade, daughter of Robin; and the children of Flash and Plastic Man). Furthermore, we see the ramifications of Superman's actions (or, more appropriately, inaction) during "Kingdom Come" - and also the child of Superman and Wonder Woman (and god-child of Batman) as the "everyman" representing everyone of us who grew up influenced by the John Broome heroism of the 50s and 60s. This "child" (representing all us Silver Age fans) is therefore the appropriate guardian of all the best stories that DC had to offer in the past through a device called "Hypertime". To this "child", the Golden Age Superman and Silver Age Superman is as real as the current canonical post-Crisis Superman. The "Hypertime" concept is really representative of the imagination. It does not supplant the effects of "Crisis on Infinite Worlds". It is really the infinite universe of "Just Imagine..."! This is the passion of Mark Waid. This is the celebration of the spirit of imagination. This work returns us to the Silver Age and the Silver Age back to us. Every work of imagination "counts" (not just those that are "in-continuity"). Every work of imagination is to be celebrated (not just those painted by Alex Ross!). This is the Kingdom of "Just Imagine..." and the purpose of comic-books in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: The Child of the Silver Age
Review: "The Kingdom" is a sequel-of-sorts to the 1996 phenomenal "Kingdom Come" by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. This volume collects the "Kingdom" book-ends and all the one-shot character-studies that make up the deeper exploration of the future DC Universe. "The Kingdom" was a controversial work when it was released in the late nineties, chiefly because this work was done without the participation (nor the blessing) of "Kingdom Come's" original artist, Alex Ross. And as you can see from the other reviews here, that alone warrants this work to be condemned to comic-book hell for all eternity. I find that quite laughable really! You see, there are comicbook fans and there are Alex Ross fans. The latter are nothing more than lap-dogs of the famed painter. Granted, the artwork here falls short of the fine paint jobs by Ross in the prequel but then that's an unfair comparison (comparing any artist to Ross is usually an unfair comparison anyway - and should never be the chief reason to accept or dismiss a specific work). But the issue is deeper than that even. Many of these aforementioned lap-dogs believe that "Kingdom Come" is chiefly the work of Alex Ross and that Mark Waid actually stole Ross' ideas for this lame-sequel. Nothing can be further from the truth. Mark Waid is the most passionate fan of Silver-Age comics and his work here as well as in "Kingdom Come" is a testimony to that fact. While "Kingdom Come" serves as a final tribute and celebration of what makes Silver-Age heroism great (in view of the darker, grim-and-gritty characters of then-popular X-Men and Image books), "The Kingdom" is a true return of the Silver Age. The Silver Age is examined in a very deep and poignant way through the eyes of the children of those same heroes (i.e. Ibn, son of Batman; Nightshade, daughter of Robin; and the children of Flash and Plastic Man). Furthermore, we see the ramifications of Superman's actions (or, more appropriately, inaction) during "Kingdom Come" - and also the child of Superman and Wonder Woman (and god-child of Batman) as the "everyman" representing everyone of us who grew up influenced by the John Broome heroism of the 50s and 60s. This "child" (representing all us Silver Age fans) is therefore the appropriate guardian of all the best stories that DC had to offer in the past through a device called "Hypertime". To this "child", the Golden Age Superman and Silver Age Superman is as real as the current canonical post-Crisis Superman. The "Hypertime" concept is really representative of the imagination. It does not supplant the effects of "Crisis on Infinite Worlds". It is really the infinite universe of "Just Imagine..."! This is the passion of Mark Waid. This is the celebration of the spirit of imagination. This work returns us to the Silver Age and the Silver Age back to us. Every work of imagination "counts" (not just those that are "in-continuity"). Every work of imagination is to be celebrated (not just those painted by Alex Ross!). This is the Kingdom of "Just Imagine..." and the purpose of comic-books in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst sequal ever!
Review: A better name for this book would have been stupid stories about characters in knigdome come. All this book does is tell a really bad story that has a really bad pay off. It makes all the characters in kingdome come look really dumb and weak then twists somethings in the kingdome come plot around. For me this book almost took away some of my great regard for the original kingdome come with the dumb things the authors did, you dont mess with something that was really good. This is what happens when you let someone write a sequal that oviously didn't like the prequal. In conclusion dont read or buy this book because if you do you'll regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Worst sequal ever!
Review: A better name for this book would have been stupid stories about characters in knigdome come. All this book does is tell a really bad story that has a really bad pay off. It makes all the characters in kingdome come look really dumb and weak then twists somethings in the kingdome come plot around. For me this book almost took away some of my great regard for the original kingdome come with the dumb things the authors did, you dont mess with something that was really good. This is what happens when you let someone write a sequal that oviously didn't like the prequal. In conclusion dont read or buy this book because if you do you'll regret it!
Rating:
Summary: This is NOT by Alex Ross
Review: Alex Ross had nothing to do with this. And it shows. This book is nothing like "Kingdom Come" It's just a sad attempt by DC to through as many of their characters into a book as possible. This was a thorougly unenjoyable read for me.
Rating:
Summary: This is NOT by Alex Ross
Review: Alex Ross had nothing to do with this. And it shows. This book is nothing like "Kingdom Come" It's just a sad attempt by DC to through as many of their characters into a book as possible. This was a thorougly unenjoyable read for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Good and bad; the bad does it in
Review: As single issues, the comics that make up The Kingdom" were fairly good, some better than others. As a collection, they don't work very well together. The storytelling is very patchy. The beginning gives a great set-up: the creation of Gog, the birth of Superman and Wonder Woman's child, the deaths of multiple Supermen, the appearance of the Linear Men, and the reappearance of many supporting characters from Kingdom Come. The middle of the book, however, breaks the flow by setting aside this storyline and focusing waaaaaaay too much on a select few supporting characters, even one who wasn't IN Kingdom Come. By the end of the book, when the original storyline resumes, you'll be hard-put to still be interested in what's happening, and the horrible art in the last chapter was an insult to Jerry Ordway's and Ariel Olivetti's beautiful work in the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Good and bad; the bad does it in
Review: As single issues, the comics that make up The Kingdom" were fairly good, some better than others. As a collection, they don't work very well together. The storytelling is very patchy. The beginning gives a great set-up: the creation of Gog, the birth of Superman and Wonder Woman's child, the deaths of multiple Supermen, the appearance of the Linear Men, and the reappearance of many supporting characters from Kingdom Come. The middle of the book, however, breaks the flow by setting aside this storyline and focusing waaaaaaay too much on a select few supporting characters, even one who wasn't IN Kingdom Come. By the end of the book, when the original storyline resumes, you'll be hard-put to still be interested in what's happening, and the horrible art in the last chapter was an insult to Jerry Ordway's and Ariel Olivetti's beautiful work in the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Good and bad; the bad does it in
Review: As single issues, the comics that make up The Kingdom" were fairly good, some better than others. As a collection, they don't work very well together. The storytelling is very patchy. The beginning gives a great set-up: the creation of Gog, the birth of Superman and Wonder Woman's child, the deaths of multiple Supermen, the appearance of the Linear Men, and the reappearance of many supporting characters from Kingdom Come. The middle of the book, however, breaks the flow by setting aside this storyline and focusing waaaaaaay too much on a select few supporting characters, even one who wasn't IN Kingdom Come. By the end of the book, when the original storyline resumes, you'll be hard-put to still be interested in what's happening, and the horrible art in the last chapter was an insult to Jerry Ordway's and Ariel Olivetti's beautiful work in the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Bad, bad, bad!
Review: Coming after the excellent "Kingdom Come", this must surely rank as the worst sequel ever written or published in the comics industry. "The Kingdom" starts promisingly enough where "Kingdom Come" ended, a couple of decades in the future, with a very pregnant Wonder Woman about to give birth to the son of an older Superman on Paradise Island. The villain Gog appears, and after a brief battle with some of the younger surviving heroes from "Kingdom Come", manages to kidnap the newborn child, which he then brings back to the past (i.e. the present) for his own nefarious purposes. "As I am Gog, so you shall be my Magog". Will the baby boy become the very same Magog that precipitated the events in "Kingdom Come"? Suffice to say, the rest of the story does not live up to the promise of that exciting first chapter. What follows is mostly author Mark Waid's personal rant against comic fans who insist on continuity in their favorite comic books as against comic fans who aren't opposed to reading "good" stories (i.e. the "kingdom of wonder" touted by "The Kingdom") regardless of whether such stories follow the established continuity of a comic book character's life. The premise of "The Kingdom" is a good one, but the execution could have been much better. Plus, turning a story into a personal rebuke to a selected few in an audience who did not happen to concur with his views must have been the worst thing that an author could have done. And the art in the final chapter is really awful. All in all, a very bad sequel that most fans of "Kingdom Come" must have wished had never seen the light of day. Alex Ross had minimal involvement, the blame is solely Mark Waid's.
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