The only other comic book I have read and finished is Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite and that was years ago so I don’t really know how to go about this but I’ll try my best.
I freaking loved Kingdom Come. This is an Elseworlds DC comic set in a distant futuristic scenario where superheroes have been so absorbed by the general masses that people have forgotten the value of their own achievements. The things our main character, Norman MaClay, reminisces about include Nobel Prizes, sports competitions. We see modern world absorb superheroes into their culture and as a result we have justice league themed restaurants (a prominent one in the story is called Planet Krypto).
Superheroes too have changed, apparently people got bored of “truth, justice and the American way”, of Superman being a symbol of hope and peace that doesn’t kill and after a tragedy, he is rejected by people who used to believe in him- in favor of more brutal and savage superheroes.
What follows is a story of moral responsibility written in a way that doesn’t answer “must there be a Superman” as much as it feels like a more realistic evolution of Spider-Man’s motto “With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.”
In a way it reminds me of the modern trend of superhero media’s shift towards more adult deconstructions of the genre with shows like Invincible and The Boys and the superhero fatigue. In following them we somehow forgot what it really meant to be a superhero until Superman (2025) came and reminded us that kindness and helping others is what superheroes should be teaching
I also think this is one of the best visual feasts I have ever experienced in comic books. The art style, I don’t know what it’s called but it feels so realistic yet very aesthetic at the same time. This is one of those comics where if you had to adapt it you would have to just make it in live-action because I don’t think this art style can be done justice in animation. It already looks and feels so real
It’s very cinematic too, I loved the Wonder Woman in this comic and every scene with her especially her scenes with Superman look so damn good.
My minor complaint and this maybe because I’m not used to this stuff, is the amount of other side heroes that fight in these huge scale full panels that I did not recognize and feel connected to. That’s a part of the story, the newer generation of superheroes are cool but I don’t feel anything towards them and that makes the action sequences just beautiful eye-candy.
Also I thought the ending especially the epilogue could have been more impactful.