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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know what to write to really give this graphic novels its dues. Should I start with the amazing story or the fabulous artwork, some of the best I've seen or the fantastic characters, all perfectly executed and interesting. There are so many cute little references or moments that I can't keep track of them all. Definitely one of my favorite graphic novels. While it took a little while for me to catch on and roll with the storyline (being told by the third-party character Norman McCay threw me off for a bit) it really accelerated throughout the course of the book and kept me involved until the last page. Essential read for any superhero lover.
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
It took me far too long to finally commit to reading this. That being said, while I understand why this is an important work for the genre, I didn't really enjoy it as much as I feel I could have it I was more deeply immersed within the lore of DC. I really wanted to like this book, I'm really just disappointed that I didn't...
A masterstroke of comics, one would be hard-pressed to find a comic with comparable writing, art, characterisation, and a message.
Waid and Ross create a beautiful, melancholic work that asks what happens when we fail our heroes, and our heroes fail us in turn. As one of those works with no antagonist in its pages, the reader must ask who is the antagonist. And, in my opinion, there is no answer.
Ross's art is beautiful and evocative of the mid-20th century, the time of the Golden Age of Comics and the nostalgic yesteryear.
A must-read for any DC fan, especially those who may not readily admit to having an idealised view of their heroes.
Waid and Ross create a beautiful, melancholic work that asks what happens when we fail our heroes, and our heroes fail us in turn. As one of those works with no antagonist in its pages, the reader must ask who is the antagonist. And, in my opinion, there is no answer.
Ross's art is beautiful and evocative of the mid-20th century, the time of the Golden Age of Comics and the nostalgic yesteryear.
A must-read for any DC fan, especially those who may not readily admit to having an idealised view of their heroes.
A solid story made historic by a stunning visual style.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The art, as everyone has said, is incredible. I can see how good Alex Ross's works are but they don't "work" for me most of the time. Not here though. Here I really loved it for the most part.
The story, most probably because of a lot of them that came after it and copied it, is... ok. It's fine. I didn't find a lot of "new" things - plot or theme wise in it though. There are a few great touching moments and a few awe-inspiring moments too. I feel like this must have been an influence on the Zack Snyder movies too, though much like with Watchmen, there is a serious case of missing-the-point happening there too, so perhaps I shouldn't hold the book responsible for that. Overall, it's a pretty good story.
The story, most probably because of a lot of them that came after it and copied it, is... ok. It's fine. I didn't find a lot of "new" things - plot or theme wise in it though. There are a few great touching moments and a few awe-inspiring moments too. I feel like this must have been an influence on the Zack Snyder movies too, though much like with Watchmen, there is a serious case of missing-the-point happening there too, so perhaps I shouldn't hold the book responsible for that. Overall, it's a pretty good story.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The art of Alex Ross is absolutely breath-taking, and making me heavily consider bumping this to a 4.25, but unfortunately I don't think the story fully lived up to my expectations... I wanted to see more of the public's reaction to the superheroes, especially at the end, which maybe could have created a more emotionally resonant ending, rather than the one we got which felt a bit hollow to me (i'm not talking about the epilogue with Clark, Bruce and Diana in the diner though, that was so wholesome, even if I don't like 'SuperWonder' as a ship).
I think when I consider the contextual backdrop of comics when this came out, and it's existence as a response to the rise in gritty anti-heroes and consumers who were simply buying comics in the hopes they could resell them and make thousands, I understand this better. Unfortunately I still think it's primarily the religious aspect that brought this down a bit for me due to it's heavy-handed nature... (then again, what did I expect from a comic called 'Kingdom Come'?).
Also after reading Birthright by Mark Waid, which made me fully sob at the end our of sheer joy and love for Superman lmao, I was surprised by how... impenetrable he was? Idk, I suppose this is an Elseworlds-type version where Lois was killed, but I would have liked an appearance of the Kents at least to ground him a bit... Idk, still glad I own this though, if nothing else to look at Ross' incredible art.
I think when I consider the contextual backdrop of comics when this came out, and it's existence as a response to the rise in gritty anti-heroes and consumers who were simply buying comics in the hopes they could resell them and make thousands, I understand this better. Unfortunately I still think it's primarily the religious aspect that brought this down a bit for me due to it's heavy-handed nature... (then again, what did I expect from a comic called 'Kingdom Come'?).
Also after reading Birthright by Mark Waid, which made me fully sob at the end our of sheer joy and love for Superman lmao, I was surprised by how... impenetrable he was? Idk, I suppose this is an Elseworlds-type version where Lois was killed, but I would have liked an appearance of the Kents at least to ground him a bit... Idk, still glad I own this though, if nothing else to look at Ross' incredible art.