Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "alex-ross"

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kingdom Come is legendary in the history of comics. It tells the story of a world overrun by a new darker breed of metahumans who don't hesitate to kill and have put down most of the world's great supervillains but have become the new oppressors of mankind while Superman and the old line Superheroes have withdrawn.

The old Sandman, Wesley Dodd dies babbling incoherently about the book of Revelation and his pastor Norman McCay begins to have the visions and is then brought on board by the Spectre to witness the state of the world, and the horrific events to come beginning with an Atomic explosion that obliterates Kansas and brings Superman back out of retirement and the old heroes determined to restore moral order to the wild metahuman population through example and if necessary by force.

As good a writer as Mark Waid is, the art is the hightlight of the book. Artist Alex Ross painted art is absolutely gorgeous with great details, rich colors, and the use of evocative imagery that speaks as loudly as any of Waid's well-written words. A couple examples are his rendering of Captain Marvel, brainwashed by Lex Luthor and made into Luthor's pawn. Ross makes Marvel look menacing at times, and at others shows the tragic fate of the great man/boy suberverted by Luthor. Superman's reactions to the events in Issue 4 or the end page of Issue 1 are powerful bold renderings. Comic has never looked this good. Ever.

Waid's writing is top notch, using apocalyptic imagery from the book of the Revelation, and creating complex emotions and situations for our characters. The book is in many ways a critque of the rise of anti-heroes and addresses big issues while also bringing together an awesome amount of heroes, and including some great plot twists.

The big negative of Kingdom Come is that it's too self-aware. Waid intended this to be a serious story and it's as serious as a heart attack even though it involves a lot of iconic running around in primary colored costumed suits. There's little time for laughter or old fashioned excitement or the joy that people derive from these heroes.

The story is good most of the time but has moments where it seems more than a bit pretentious. The book while trying to bring heroes down to Earth and make the point of importance working together ends with a development that makes the DC heroes seem more godlike as they talk about the coming of most important child in the world.

This is in the 8-pages of text filled pictures which the book would have been better without. It's the biggest single flaw with the book as Waid and Ross didn't know when the book is finished and we get an epilogue meant to answer all questions in a way that help but come off as stiff.

To be clear, this is a flaw in a great comic book, that's a must-read for any fan of graphic novels and Superhero fiction despite its few issue.




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Marvels by Kurt Busiek

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Marvels takes a look at the genesis of the Marvel Universe, from the Golden Age to "The Night Gwen Stacy Died," through the eyes of photojournalist Phil Sheldon.

The art is stunning. This is the stuff that put Alex Ross on the map. Many of these painted pages are so good, you could spend hours looking at them. However, they're not just pretty, they're emotionally evocative and powerful.

Kurt Busiek writing is equal to the task. Through Phil Sheldon's eye, we see the reaction of the ordinary person to the beginning of an agent of giants, both the fear and doubts, and the bouts of wonder and awe. Phil goes on a great and totally believable journey.

Busiek and Ross do a good job of taking a well-worn and well-known story and giving us a new angle that's an absolute classic.



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Justice, Volume 1 by Jim Krueger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Justice, Volume 1 is a slow build but a really good one. There's a lot of narration and build up as to what the villains' plans are and why they involve doing seemingly heroic things. There are multiple mysteries that are raised.

Jim Kruegger has a handle and manages to balance all these characters. Alex Ross' artwork is at its captivating best. The fourth issue a real treat. The entire book builds to it and the first four issues end on one heck of a cliffhanger that definitely leaves the reader wanting more. Overall, a just superb start to this series.



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Justice, Volume 3 by Jim Krueger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Justice, Volume 3 brings the story to a conclusion and heroes and villains head into final conflict. While story has a satisfying resolution, it is a bit of a mess to get there. So many different plot lines and plot points have been set out through the story, meaning there's a lot of confusion and it can be hard to keep track of as we're switching back and forth a lot. Still, even if you're a bit confused, you can always feast your eyes on the glorious artwork, which really carries this tremendous book through the pitfalls of trying to resolve this massive plot.



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