” Look….up in the sky…. it’s a bird…. it’s a plane…IT’S SUPERMAN! ”
Yes, I used to loved that simple statement and still do today. I think that when we think of iconic superheroes, the first name that rolls off our lips is Superman, but why is that?
Okay here comes my shameless plug now…one might only read the story of “ Kingdom Come ” to get the real answer to the above question….
As a baby, sent from the doomed planet Krypton, baby Kal-El, would be found by a kindly couple in the fields of Smallville, Kansas. The baby is adopted by this couple, Martha and Jonathan Kent, and the baby is raised as their own son. They name him Clark, and they teach him the lessons of right and wrong, and as Clark’s powers and abilities start to manifest under the Earth’s yellow sun, he is taught to use his abilities for the good of man. And thus, a legend is born…..
But is Superman infallible? Is he really like the rest of us? Is he something more?
In Kingdom Come, we get to see a different Superman, and a different view of the superhero in general. In this ” Elseworlds ” story, Superman and the rest of the superheros who pretty much comprise the Justice League are almost viewed as godlike, and due to this misconception, become detached from those they are sworn to protect. In the end, Superman leaves the world and it’s people to it’s own devices, after an incident with the hero called called Magog, who is responsible for the decimation of Kansas in an accident involving the ” Parasite ” and ” Captain Atom “. And when Superman vanishes, the old guard fade into memory along with him, leaving in their stead a new generation of heroes who while powerful, have no social conscience when it comes to using their powers for the good of mankind.
In essence, a world without ” True ” heroes.
What really strikes me here is the way the man of steel is portrayed….he is essentialy a recluse, working his family farm in what we are led to believe is Smallville, Kansas, but a visit from Princess Diana, Wonder Woman leads to a confrontation with Clark…Kal…and in pushing a hidden panel, it is revealed to us to actually be the Fortress of Solitude.
The one player, who is only human and yet plays an integral part in this story is Norman McCay.
A Human.
A man of god, who is witness to events that test his faith, and question man’s future.
He is witness to the re-emergence of Superman, and the League.
He is witness to a hero prison camp, for those who are deemed unworthy and are a detriment to mankind.
And the most compelling thing he is witness to is a hero who has lost his faith and leadership ability….
Norman McCay is witness to an all too human…Superman.
I don’t want to say too much more about Kingdom Come, other than the simple fact that it is one of the best tales ever written about Superman, and the DC universe and that is saying alot.
In my opinion, and remember I have been reading comics for better than twenty years now, there might be a handful of stories written between both Marvel and DC that are memorable and will stand the test of time , and if I were to make a list of those memorable reads, Kingdom Come would have to be number one, both in the way the story was written, and in the way the artist portrayed the story and makes it come alive for the reader thru his art.
Kingdom Come, will be a story that will stand the test of time, and will be relevant for many generations to come
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