From: Jess Nevins <[j j nevins] at [ix.netcom.com]>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info,rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
Subject: Kingdom Come #2 Annotations
Date: 27 Jun 1997 10:12:01 -0700
Kingdom Come #2 Annotations
Cover Front row: Hawkman, Green Lantern, Power Woman,
Superman, Norman McCay, Wonder Woman.
Second Row: Flash III, Aquaman II, Red Arrow, Red
Robin, Donna Troy.
Third Row: Aleea Strange, Midnight, Captain Comet,
Brainiac's Daughter, Robotman III, Golden Guardian, Hourman
III, Tornado, Ray II.
Last Row: Red Tornado I, Lady Marvel, King Marvel,
Human Bomb, Whiz, Bulletman, Bulletgirl, Starman VIII,
Powerman, Sandman IV, Red Tornado III, Living Doll, Avia,
Atlas, Atom-Smasher.
Unless noted otherwise - by quotation marks - the names of
the new characters, and new names for old characters, have been
confirmed by Waid and Ross at various store signings and
conventions.
The card set says this about Hawman: "combining the spirit
of the old with the other-worldly flesh of the new."
The card set says this about Green Lantern I: "merging his
lantern into his armor, Alan Scott is the most powerful champion of
that name." (Thus putting to an end the long-running debate of the
identity of the _Kingdom Come_ Green Lantern)
Power Woman is the adult, _Kingdom Come_ version of
the heroine Power Girl, formerly a cousin to Superman. Michael
Starsinic notes that she is wearing her old, pre-Crisis/Zero Hour-style belt buckle; in current DC continuity she wears a belt buckle
with an Atlantean motif - the starburst symbol of her grandfather,
the Atlantean mage Arion. The card set describes Power Woman
as "formerly Power Girl, and still a major superhuman wrecking
machine." The Kingdom Come Revelations supplement adds the
following: "The former Earth-2 Power Girl, cousin to Superman,
still has a strong relationship with him in his new amalgamated
group of Justice Leaguers and Societies. Her role as a top-rung
member comes from the Supergirl-like status she once held. It is my
contention that she has aged, but not terribly so, and that her
physical stature has swelled to impressive bodybuilder-like
proportions so that she represents the most aggressive superhuman
attitudes from the female side. Her appearance harks back to her
original outfit from the 70s. What became of her son born during
Zero Hour crisis is not dealt with in our series."
The card set says this about Norman McCay: "a preacher
and the Spectre's human anchor."
Flash III is described in the card set as "emanating from the
Speed Force, Wally West fights crime 24 hours every day at super-speed." (Thus putting to an end the long-running debate as to the
identity of the Kingdom Come Flash). The Revelations supplement
adds this: "Flash's evolution has the character become more godlike
in power (a la his inspiration "Mercury"). All of the Flash's classic
abilities were in use constantly, and we saw him as a vibrating
motion blur, glowing red with heat friction with small bolts of
electricity licking around him. He is always in several places at
once, stepping between planes of reality, thinking several steps
ahead of normal human capacity (one nice unused idea was that
Superman would be the only one who could hear him speak).
Before this evolution, Wally West sired a super-speedster daughter
who acts in our story as the very young "new" Flash, but apparently
has no direct connection to the evolved, Mercury-like Flash. An
explanation for this could be that his personality may have grown
from the singular mind of Wally West to synthesize all three Flashes
into a composite."
As we'll find out (on page 33 (91) below), Aquaman II is
actually Garth, the former Aqualad, who worked as the sidekick to
Aquaman I. Aquaman II is described in the card set as "formerly
Aqualad, now inheritor of his mentor's mantle." The Revelations
supplement adds this: "As one of the original Teen Titans, the
former Aqualad holds an important place, being a high-strength-level character (from his ability to survive the ocean depths) and his
role as the current Aquaman in our almost-complete rebuilding of
the classic JLA. His look is influenced by a story where he retraced
his roots to a lost race of purple-eyed Atlanteans like himself. The
principal character from that tale was bearded as he is here.
Aquaman II has an estranged daughter Tula, after his late girlfriend,
whom he may have had little or no part in raising, something he has
in common with some of his fellow Titans."
Red Arrow is actually Roy Harper, formerly Speedy, the
sidekick to Oliver Queen, and currently seen as Arsenal. The card
set describes him this way: "formerly Speedy, and later Arsenal,
now following more closely the methods of his mentor, Green
Arrow." The Revelations supplement adds this: "The fifth member
of the original Titans, Speedy returns in a role closer to that of
Green Arrow. Speedy, later Arsenal, may have grown more
comfortable with his roots by taking on his mentor's old Neal
Adams-designed costume. Longtime Titans fans should remember
that Speedy and Wonder Girl shared an innocent relationship as
youthful Teen Titans and that now he, like she, is a single parent.
His daughter is the product of a youthful coupling with the
villainess Cheshire. This girl followed the archer's lineage as Red
Hood..."
Red Robin is Dick Grayson, formerly Robin, the sidekick to
The Batman. The card set describes Red Robin as "formerly
Nightwing, Dick Grayson, the original Robin, is following in his
mentor's footsteps again."
Donna Troy used to be Wonder Girl, the sidekick to
Wonder Woman. The card set says this about her: "formerly
Wonder Girl, Troia and Darkstar, now an Amazonian champion."
The Revelations supplement says this about her: "It would have
seemed appropriate to have the former Wonder Girl eventually take
up the mantle of Wonder Woman, but the original never left that
role. Instead of playing with that concept, I used an older Wonder
Girl to illustrate how much her mentor hadn't aged. Her grey-streaked hair and increased weight indicate a physical maturity
unlike her immortal Amazon sister. Wearing a costume closer to
her older Titan roots, she has left her Darkstar mantle to the son
she had with her former husband Terry Long - the first of many
failed Titan relationships."
Aleea Strange is the daughter of Adam Strange, a DC space
hero, and Alanna Strange (Adam's wife, who has never had a last,
patronymic/matronymic name of her own) of the planet Rann. The
card set calls Aleea Strange the "half-human, half-alien daughter of
Adam Strange and Alanna Strange." Someone whose name I've
since lost pointed out that Ross has wonderfully incorporated into
Aleea Strange's helmet the design of the helmet of Gary Concord,
the Ultra-Man, who appeared in _All-Star Comics_ #1-3, back in
1940. Gary Concord is just another of the incredibly obscure
characters to whom Messrs. Waid and Ross pay tribute in this
series. The Revelations supplement says the following about Aleea
Strange: "Aleea is the half-human, half-alien daughter of the human
adventurer Adam Strange and Alanna of the planet Rann,
introduced in the 1990 Adam Strange miniseries by Richard
Bruning and Andy Kubert. Replacing her father in this story, she
holds a stronger costume resemblance to Strange's Golden Age
stylistic predecessor, Gary Concord, the Ultra-Man from _All-American Comics_." (Issues 8-19, to be precise - Annot.)
Midnight is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the Golden
Age hero Dr. Mid-Nite. The card set describes him as "a spirit
manifesting itself as a living smoke cloud." The Revelations
supplement says this about him: "Since my design for the older
Robin looked so similar to the classic Dr. Mid-Nite outfit, I wanted
to try to design something as different as possible here. The
elemental approach I gave to former Justice Society members Fate
and Tornado made me consider a more ethereal physical presence.
He is a living void cloaked by the classic cape and cowl billowing
out a black soupy smoke, much like his namesake's old grenade
weapons."
Captain Comet was a mutant space hero for DC during the
1950s (years before the more famous mutant heroes the X-Men
were a gleam in Stan Lee's eye). The card set describes the
_Kingdom Come_ Captain Comet as a "former L.E.G.I.O.N.
member and the first superhero of the Silver Age." The Revelations
supplement says this about him: "Along with the Martian
Manhunter, Captain Comet signaled the onset of the Silver Age and
they both epitomized the new direction into heavier science fiction
being applied to super-heroes. Comet's attire is most similar to his
earliest costume with a helmet more akin to those used in _2001: A
Space Odyssey_. The strength of his advanced human physiology
coupled with time spent in space appears to have slowed his aging
process since his first appearance in 1951."
Brainiac's Daughter (informally known as XTC) is a new
character here. The card set describes her as "the living computer's
human progeny, and ancestor of Brainiac 5." David Goldfarb, Bill
Jennings and David J. Snyder also note that the alternate name of
Brainiac's Daughter - "XTC" - is almost certainly a nod to prog-pop band XTC, who recorded the songs "That's Really Super,
Supergirl" and "Brainiac's Daughter" (the latter under the
pseudonym The Dukes of Stratosphear). The Revelations
supplement says this about her: "As silly as it sounds, this character
is the combination of two songs by one of my favorite groups,
XTC: "That's Really Super, Supergirl" and "Brainiac's Daughter."
Apparently people assumed that her origin was from the coupling
of old-time Legion lovebirds Brainiac 5 and Supergirl, and so,
never having answered this question before myself, I'll go along
with this idea. This also suggests that she...has traveled back in time
from the 30th Century."
Robotman III is a future version of the Teen Titan Cyborg.
The card set says this about him: "Victor Stone, formerly Cyborg,
now an organism made of liquid metal." The Revelations
supplement adds "The third Robotman is the former Cyborg (now
Cyberian), Vic Stone, who has lost his physical humanity to
robotics. He has achieved greater acceptance of this through the
fact that his newest body utilizes liquid metal technology so that he
actually looks and feels more human than he has in years."
Golden Guardian is a future version of the DC hero The
Guardian; the character's name was originally, in the Golden Age,
the Guardian, but during Jack Kirby's run on _Jimmy Olsen_, back
in the early 1970s, the character was brought back as the Golden
Guardian. The card set describes the Golden Guardian as the
"second body cloned from the original Golden Age shield-bearer,
the Guardian." (Lest anyone be confused by this, Captain America
predated the Guardian by over a year) The Revelations supplement
adds the following: "The original Guardian has been cloned to be
youthful for the modern age, so it seemed natural that 20 or so
years in the future he could be cloned again. Instead of simply
having a protective shield, this new Guardian is armored head to
toe. This is one of several gold-plated characters in the series.
When I enhance characters who are classically colored wearing
yellow, I usually illustrate it as true gold."
Hourman III is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the former
Justice Society hero Hourman. The card set describes Hourman III
as the "current inheritor of the mantle with none of the time limits
the original Hourman had." The KC Revelations supplement adds
that "this is a brand-new Hourman, whose costume is in the vein of
the original with greater powers (including flight) but without the
time limitations inherent in his name."
The Tornado is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the former
Justice League hero Red Tornado, a heroic android who later
became a sort of air elemental; he was last seen in the pages of
_Primal Force_. The card set describes the Kingdom Come
Tornado as the "reformed spirit of the Tornado Champion." The
Tornado Champion was a pre-Crisis being who fought Adam
Strange, changed sides to become a hero, and then aided the Justice
League against Kanjar Ro; the Tornado Champion inhabited the
body of the Red Tornado and gave him his powers. The
Revelations supplement adds the following: "The body of the more
familiar Justice League member Red Tornado is formed by swirling
red and violet mists. This was inspired by the knowledge that the
former android's incarnated spirit was the alien entity known as the
Tornado Tyrant, later the Tornado Champion, an early JLA villain
with a dual nature. It was that same spirit here taking a physical
shape similar to the robot shell it once inhabited."
Ray II is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the current DC
hero the Ray, who is the son of the GA hero Ray. The card set
says this about him: "son of the original, and Lord of Light." The
Revelations supplement adds this about him: "The current Ray
takes after his father, not only with a gold-chrome version of the
original Ray's costume but he has apparently halted his own aging
process as well. Rather than following the Ray's Quality Comics
origins and noteworthy association with the Freedom Fighters, he is
included in our primary League lineup for the phenomenal power he
wields and the asset that would prove to be. Much of the radiation
poisoning and fallout documented in _Kingdom Come_ could be
cleaned up by his energy-converting abilities."
In one of those strokes of genius that only true keepers of
the obscure, arcane, and trivial can appreciate, Waid and Ross have
included here a futuristic version of Red Tornado I - that is, the
*first* Red Tornado, the one who was going to be a member of the
JSA until her pants tore. The first Red Tornado, back in 1939, was
Ma Hunkle, who grew disaffected with the crime in her
neighborhood and put on a costume (which included a soup pot as
a helmet) and fought crime. The card set describes Red Tornado I
as "armored with more than a pot for a helmet." The Revelations
supplement says this: "Another one just for fun I updated the
cooking-pot-helmeted, long-underwear-wearing Ma Hunkel from
_All Star Comics_ to a fully armored version , still keeping the
squat stature and general appearance of the humorous Golden Age
character."
Lady Marvel is the grown-up, _Kingdom Come_ version of
Mary Marvel, the Fawcett heroine who was the younger sister of
Billy Batson (aka Captain Marvel) and who shared his power. The
Revelations supplement adds this about Lady Marvel: "Mary
Batson has the new role of wife and mother along with being the
Big Red Cheese's sister. Mary's costume uses the classic white
cape she always wore as the basis for her whole look..."
King Marvel is the grown-up, _Kingdom Come_ version of
Captain Marvel, Jr., the Fawcett hero who shared the power of
Captain Marvel.
Human Bomb is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the
Golden Age hero. The card set calls him "still the same
combustible hero of old."
Whiz is a new character. The card set describes him as the
"son of Lady and King Marvel, and natural inheritor of the power
of Shazam." "WHIZ" are also the call letters of the radio station at
which Billy Batson, the human identity of Captain Marvel, worked,
as well as the name of the magazine in which Captain Marvel first
appeared. Tony Pi points out that Whiz's lightning motif and
costume colors indicate the connection with Shazam. The
Revelations supplement says this about Whiz: "This truly is one of
my earliest superhero designs. Originally called `The Spider'
(obvious design origins), he appears almost identical to the way I
drew him at age 8. `The Whiz' is the child of Freddy and Mary with
a suggested genetic link to the power of Shazam, and, of course,
his name is a reference to _Whiz Comics_."
Bulletman and Bulletgirl were heroes from the Fawcett line
of comics, the same company that published Captain Marvel in the
1940s; Bulletman (but not Bulletgirl, unfortunately) was recently
introduced into DC continuity in the _Power of Shazam_ book.
The card set describes both Bulletman and Bulletgirl as "modern
steel-coated human bullet." The Revelations supplement says this:
"These Fawcett Comics characters were the next rung down from
the Marvel Family in popularity. Their appearance is a homage to
the original jodhpurs style and the steel-arms and full mask of a G.I.
Joe Bulletman doll from the early `70s."
Starman VIII was formerly Thom Kallor, Star Boy, of the
Legion of Superheroes. The card set describes him this way:
"formerly Star Boy, from the 30th century." The Revelations
supplement adds the following: "The eighth character to bear this
title is actually a design culled from my childhood supergroup
creation. Since my design was so obviously inspired by the Legion
of Super Heroes 1970s Star Boy costume, I figured that this
Starman should be the grown-up incarnation of that character,
transplanted to our time from the 30th Century (much like Karate
Kid was for a time, as well as many of his contemporaries have
been on occasion)."
Powerman is described in the card as the "robot minion of
Superman."
Sandman IV is described in the card set as "formerly Sandy
the Golden Boy, who now doesn't age." Sandy the Golden Boy
was the Golden Age sidekick to Sandman I. Sandman IV is
visually based on the Garrett Sanford Sandman (Sandman II), who
was created during the 1970s by Jack Kirby in a memorable, if
short-lived, series; the character was also brought into mainstream
DC continuity, first in the pages of _Infinity, Inc_ and more recently
in the new _Sandman_ book.
Red Tornado III is described in the card set as the "fire-haired, wind-manipulating successor to the mantle." Ray Randell
points out that, according to Ross, Red Tornado III is the protégé'
of Tornado. A number of people noted Red Tornado III's visual
and power similarities to the current DC character Maxima. The
Revelations supplement says this: "As an afterthought to having
already developed the concept of the windstorm body of Tornado, I
realized that the name would work well on a female version (much
as it did for the original), with red, flowing hair along with wind-manipulating powers. The appearance of her costume as metal
bands swirling about her suggests that she can twist more than just
the wind with her powers."
Living Doll is described in the card set as "daughter of Doll
Man and Doll Girl," who were heroes during the Golden Age in
the pages of _Feature Comics_.
Avia is described in the card set as "Big Barda and Mister
Miracle's daughter." Mister Miracle and Big Barda are both DC
heroes and Fourth World gods; Avia's parentage is reflected in her
costume, which is a combination of the costumes of Scott Free
(Mister Miracle) and Big Barda. Thad Doria and David Goldfarb
also noted that the name of the wife of Izaya Highfather, the mother
of Mr. Miracle, was "Avia." The Revelations supplement says this
about Avia: "Our second Kirby-derived character here is the
obvious product of the marriage of Scott Free (Mister Miracle) and
Big Barda. Barda's strong female genes seemed to have won out in
the chromosome game....she is named after Scott Free's late
mother."
Atlas is described in the card set as "legendary demigod
figure." Atlas was a Jack Kirby character introduced in _First Issue
Special_ #1, back in 1975, and has not been seen since.
Atom-Smasher is described in the card set as "formerly
Nuklon, godson of the original Atom." As Scott Casteel, among
others, pointed out, Atom-Smasher has a costume somewhat
similar to the Golden Age Atom's. The Revelations supplement
adds that "The original Atom's masked-wrestler look is the basis of
this attempt to amplify the Atom into a giant character instead of a
little guy. The original's godson Nuklon fit the part of the atomic-enhanced giant that I was looking for."
John B. Sterner III echoes a number of people's
observations in pointing out the lighting on the cover; all of the
characters are lit from below on each cover except for the Spectre
on the cover of issue #1 and Norman McCay on the cover of this
issue. This, as John and many other folks pointed out, obviously
means _something_; there have been a number of conflicting
interpretations as to the reason for this effect.
Page 1 (59). We've seen this image before, as a prepublication
publicity poster from DC. It takes on a more ominous meaning
now that we have a context in which to put it.
The quotations here are from the _Bible_ - the book of
Revelation, once again: 8:2, 8:3, 8:5, and 8:6.
As Michael Cavanagh points out, this is a nice visual
foreshadowing of page 5 (63) - the Justice League members in
McCay's vision here are flying through the flames of the torch of
the Statue of Liberty. And as Dean Velasco points out, this quote
leaves the implication that the seven angels are the seven Justice
League members we see on page 5 (63).
Page 3 (61). The figure ranting and raving atop the damaged Statue
of Liberty is the Americommando. Most familiar to modern readers
as the penultimate villain in the DC Elseworlds series _The Golden
Age_, the Americommando debuted in _Action Comics #1_ as Tex
Thomson, who traveled the world with his sidekick Bob Daley,
fighting crime and encountering the bizarre and grotesque. In
_Action Comics #33_ Tex put on a domino mask, took up a whip,
and began fighting crime and costumed criminals (including a
Chinese cyclops named Gorrah) as Mr. America; in _Action
Comics_ #54 Mr. America went behind enemy lines and fought the
Nazis as the Americommando. The Americommando returned to
America in _Action Comics_ #74 and was not seen again until brief
cameos in _All-Star Squadron_, thirty years later. Although Mr.
America and the Americommando were somewhat colorless and
two-dimensional characters, little in those adventures indicated that
Tex Thomson would become the fascist seen here - although, as
Johanna Draper points out, this might well be a commentary by
Messrs Waid and Ross about the changing view of America in the
world's eyes, or simply the changing nature of America's view
towards the world itself.
His assistants, the Minutemen, were not a part of Tex
Thomson's original entourage. However, the original, Golden Age
Hourman had three sidekicks who were named the Minutemen,
which may be what Waid and Ross are referring to here. As a few
people pointed out, it is also, more likely, another reference to _The
Watchmen_; the Minutemen were the WW2 heroes group in that
miniseries. Sean MacDonald points out that it might also be a
reference to the patriotic Fawcett hero the Minuteman. A 1970s
right-wing terrorist group also bore the name "The Minutemen."
The Revelations supplement adds this about the Minutemen: "I
asked my artist friend and military enthusiast Tony Akins to provide
me with a bunch of rag-tag militia men designs with souped-up
armaments and somewhat flag-laden costume. I later gave some of
them rubber masks of famous presidents to further show their lack
of finesse. There is no relation between these Minutemen and the
Golden Age Fawcett character Minuteman, or the Alan Moore
group of the same name from _Watchmen_."
The Americommando's costume here seems quite similar (to
me, at least) to that of Judge Dredd, the stern, take-no-nonsense
futuristic British lawman. Neil Barnes adds that Dredd's Mega-City
One is on the East Coast of the old US, and still features the Statue
of Liberty - but Mega-City One's Statue of Liberty is over-shadowed by a larger statue of a judge - the Statue of Justice.
Michael Denton sees some of Erik Larsen's Superpatriot in
Americommando's costume. The Revelations supplement says this:
"This again was intended as an example of overblown modern
superhero design aesthetics. Americommando has nothing to do
with the original Americommando, Tex Thompson, earlier known
as Mr. America. Barry Crain provided the art with excessive
costume design to meet my request."
The familiar phrases in the Americommando's speech -
"wretched refuse," "poor, tired, huddled masses" - are cobbled from
the famous speech by Emma Lazarus which is engraved on the
inscription of the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse
of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to
me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Mighty, inspiring
words, and to see them twisted in the mouth of such as the
Americommando is angering - which is, no doubt, as Messrs. Waid
and Ross desired.
Note the graffiti on the Statue of Liberty; that seems quite
in keeping with Lobo's characterization. Also, as Brad Lile astutely
noticed, the Statue seems to have had her heart torn out - more
symbolism.
Juice Fritzius points out that the Minuteman in panel 3 has a
tied-on goatee.
The Waid/Ross Annotations point out the presence of a
Daily Planet newscopter.
Page 4 (62). The three figures parachuting into battle against the
Americommando are based on characters who are, if anything, even
more obscure than Red Tornado I; they are futuristic versions of,
respectively, Red Dugan, Whitey Smith, and Blooey Blue -
otherwise known as Red, White and Blue, agents of G-2, Military
Intelligence. Red, White and Blue's first appearance was in _All-Star Comics #1_; they were regulars in that magazine until edged
out by a bunch of nobodies known as the Justice Society of
America. More obscure than Red, White and Blue it may not be
possible to go (unless it's Sandra of the Secret Service) - Messrs
Waid and Ross, you have my compliments and fanboy awe for
including them.
Waid's script for this panel reads as follows: "Red carries as
his primary weapon a big m.f. of a flamethrower; Blue totes a
Steranko coffeemaker that fires bluish electrical bolts; and White is
just armed to excess with firearms and bandoliers."
The Revelations supplement adds this: "This is one where I
was actually unaware of the Golden Age characters of the same
names from _All Star Comics_ (who, paradoxically enough to our
series, were ousted from their starring spot in that magazine by the
arrival of the Justice Society). The approach with these characters
was similar to the Metal Men. They are sentient robot figures
capable of manipulating their bodies into complex mechanical
shapes with complex functions but appear to be living paint instead
of metal. The main weapon function of each corresponds to their
color: Red uses a flamethrower, White uses a bazooka that fires a
projectile with a white smoke trail, and Blue uses a laser that fires a
blue beam of light."
Page 5 (63). Enter the new Justice League - from the top, the Ray
II, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Superman, Power Woman, Green
Lantern I, and Flash III.
The Flash has never had the ability to fly - but Johnny Quick
did; too, like Mort Meskin's Johnny Quick, the Kingdom Come
Flash III has the appearance of being in several places at once.
Page 6 (64). As a few people - Chris Blakeley and Jonathan
Woodward among them - have pointed out, Flash III and the
Lantern are smiling at each other in panel 3; this could be pleasure
at working together again, as well as an homage to the friendship
which has traditionally existed between these two characters, or
simply a sign of their pleasure at not having to work in the shadows
any more. Waid's script for this panel reads "Flash and Green
Lantern grinning at each other with an expression that says, `Great
to be back in the saddle again, isn't it?'"
Neil Hogan notes that the S insignia is now gone from
Superman's cape.
Page 7 (65). The Brain Trust seen here being knocked out by the
Red Robin - whose costume, as Alex Ross pointed out in an
interview, is a mix of the traditional costumes of Robin and The
Batman - are new characters; the Waid/Ross Annotations credit
their design to Tony Akins. The Americommando mentioned them
on page 3 (61), panel 4, and their comments here would seem to
indicate that they are the ones in control of the Minutemen, rather
than the Americommando.
As Melody Womack, among others, pointed out, Red
Robin's boots, lack of outside trunks, and cowl-modeling suggest
that his costume is based on the Michael Keaton movie version of
The Batman.
The Revelations supplement says this about Red Robin:
"The name `Red Robin' has a ring to it of a classical folk hero like
Rob Roy or the Red Baron. Intending to give the former (and first)
partner of Batman a role much closer to the one he was trained to
eventually fill, I designed the adult Robin to reflect the look of his
former mentor.
"Leaning more in design to his flying creature association (a
robin "redbreast") than the Robin Hood roots of his name, he also
appears to be more like Neal Adams's version of Batman. I was
raised with a split perception of Batman: the Adams-influenced 70s
style, alongside reprints of Bob Kane's original square-bodied,
angular symmetry. There seemed to be no way to make perfect
peace between these two approaches to Batman, so I split the
aesthetics on two separate characters. Also, with all of the varying
treatments of Robin's classic "R" logo, I wished to contribute
something that made use of the shape while integrating a hopeful,
more universal birdhead motif.
"As an adult, Dick Grayson should stand as a preeminent
member of DC's big guns for his important role in history. Certainly
Dick Grayson is one of the best-known superhero alter egos in the
world and is best suited to having his original identity (presently he
is Nightwing) returned to him. Due to his troubled relationship over
the years with Batman, he could reacquire his heritage through his
last replacement moving on or passing away. Or with Superman
forming a league of justice when he too is estranged from Batman,
he could enlist Grayson's aid, encourage him to reclaim his mantle,
and join his cause. All this to possibly inspire Batman to see a place
for himself at Dick's side again...."
Page 8 (66). Hawkman's taloned feet, clearly visible (for the first
time in the series) in panel 1, are another indication that he has truly
become a hawk-man.
Several people, Michael Denton among them, have noted
that two of the Minutemen are dressed like George Washington and
Abraham Lincoln.
Page 9 (67). The U.N. Building which the Justice League is headed
for, in panel 4, was seen on page 6 (16) of issue #1; its model is the
Hall of Justice, from the _Superfriends_ tv cartoon. Waid's script
for this panel reads "Make sure the U.N. building is damn imposing
looking -- a fortress ringed by guards and with maybe even a couple
of tanks on the lawn....we've got to begin drawing a stronger
connection between the U.N. and the military." This will become
significant in issue 4.
As Jonathan Woodward notes, the "red glare" referred to in
the first caption of panel 1 is likely a reference to the American
national anthem; Michael Grabois notes that it's a double reference,
for the national anthem as well as Superman's heat vision.
Page 10 (68). Superman's word balloons have a heavier black
outline than any of the other characters; this is subtly effective, to
me, in conveying the force and impact of his statements, as well as
the symbolic weight of his words and his presence.
What the Justice League is proposing to do here - take
charge, "if necessary, with force," of the rogue vigilantes and
metahumans - is somewhat similar to the events of the _Squadron
Supreme_ miniseries that Marvel published in 1985, where the
Squadron Supreme (who were themselves analogues for the Justice
League of America) were forced to assume control of the United
States after a prolonged series of bad events. The Squadron's
efforts came to a sorry end; we will find out if the _Kingdom
Come_ Justice League's attempt at enforcing order is similarly
doomed. (David Goldfarb points out that the Squadron's Batman
analogue, Nighthawk, gathered together a group of villains to
oppose the Squadron, and ended up defeating them in a climactic
battle - yet another parallel between _Kingdom Come_ and the
_Squadron Supreme_ miniseries)
As Michael Cavanagh points out, the reporter's phrase "the
second coming of Superman" reinforces the Superman-Christ
connection. Thad Doria notes that Roger Stern introduced the
notion of a religion, in the DC Universe, claiming that Superman
was the second coming of Christ.
Page 11 (69). Phil Sheldon, from the miniseries _Marvels_, makes
an appearance in panel 1.
The reporter's words, in panel 2, provide a foreshadowing
of the news we are to see later in this issue: why Superman left
Metropolis and retreated into his Fortress of Solitude. The
Waid/Ross Annotations point out that the reporter is holding a
Daily Planet microphone.
Note the name of the Secretary General of the UN, in panel
6: "Wyrmwood." A "wyrm" is a snake, or dragon; wormwood is a
plant which yields a bitter oil, and means "something bitter or
grievous." Worse still, in the book of Revelation we find:
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great
star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the
third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and
the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died
of the waters, because they were bitter. (8:11-12)
It seems highly likely that Secretary General Wyrmwood will be
playing an unpleasant role in the events to come. Kevin Maroney
adds that "Chernobyl" means "wormwood" in Russian.
Page 12 (70). The red sunset and cityscape in panel 3 give the
impression of a nuclear explosion, with the cityscape being the
ruined buildings left standing in the explosion's aftermath. This
puts an ominous twist on the Spectre's words about McCay's
"prophetic dreams."
Page 13 (71). Superman is flying into Stately Wayne Manor, home
of Millionaire Bruce Wayne - otherwise known as The Batman. As
Superman descends into the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor,
however, we see that time has not treated the Manor or the Batcave
well. Waid's script for this panel reads: "We see some familiar
sights -- the Joker-card hanging crookedly, the support-wire on one
corner having snapped; the giant penny, badly tarnished; and if
you've got room, the giant dinosaur, mottled and in disrepair,
patches of loose-hanging rubber flesh exposing rusted joints
beneath." Alex Ross has put the date on the giant penny at 1937,
which it was originally (in the penny's first appearance in the
Golden Age) rather than at 1902, which it became in later stories.
Note the bulletholes in the wall beside the famous
grandfather clock in panel 2. Craig Kostelecky, in the _Wizard_
article on _Kingdom Come_, says that the hands on the grandfather
clock are stopped minutes before "the eleventh hour," which is an
allusion to the final confrontation in issue 4.
In panel 3 we can see two models of the Bat Knights seen in
issue 1 of _Kingdom Come_. In panel 4 we see several of the
familiar Batcave artifacts - the giant penny, the T-Rex robot, and
the Joker's giant playing card; in the right foreground we see
another Bat Knight and in a grotto in the left background we can
just make out what looks like the Batplane.
Superman's walking on the water of the flooded Batcave in
panel 5 is still another indication of the Superman-Christ
connection.
The Waid/Ross Annotations note the presence of the 1950s
Batmobile.
Page 14 (72). Enter The Batman. He may not be wearing the cowl
now, and is confined to some sort of mobile life-support system,
but Bruce Wayne was never much more than a disguise for the
Batman, even more than Clark Kent was a cypher for Superman.
Now, with his mansion destroyed and his public identity revealed,
Bruce Wayne seems to have disappeared altogether, leaving only
The Batman.
Note the "Bruce" mug by Batman's left arm; we don't see
Alfred (Bruce Wayne's faithful butler) here, but that seems a very
Alfred-esque touch.
Note also the liver spots on Batman's left hand; this is an
older Batman, clearly - but a figure to be wary of nonetheless.
Bane and Two-Face, mentioned in panel 2, are two of
Batman's worst enemies; Two-Face (formerly Assistant DA Harvey
Dent) is dominated by a dualistic, good-evil compulsion, while
Bane is the villain who broke The Batman's back in a much-publicized series a few years ago. Although they seemingly
destroyed Wayne Manor, they weren't enough to stop The Batman.
As Michael Denton points out, the life-support system is
reminiscent of Darth Vader's in the _Return of the Jedi_. Craig
Kostelecky quotes Mark Waid saying, "As Alex and I envisioned it,
even though this guy had one of the most perfect bodies on Earth,
he put it through so much abuse over the years that it just broke
down and shattered."
Batman is obviously keeping track of Gotham City from his
control center here - we get several views of Gotham City from his
command post, and we can see several of the new Bat Knights lined
up in the background.
Note, in the lower right hand screen in panel 3, the grinning
face of The Batmite, a mischievous imp who bedeviled The Batman
for many years during the 1950s.
According to Superman and the Batman, Arkham Asylum,
Belle Reve Prison, and Blackgate were blown up by "Genosyde."
Genosyde is a new character here; Arkham Asylum is where the
criminally insane supervillains of DC Comics, which include almost
all of The Batman's Rogues Gallery, are sent; Belle Reve Prison
was the major holding facility for supervillains in DC Comics, and
was the Louisiana home for the anti-hero group the Suicide Squad;
and thanks to Chris Eckert I now know that Blackgate is where
Gotham sends its "sane" criminals. The upshot of this exchange,
however, is that The Batman clearly doesn't have to worry about
most of his Rogues Gallery any more...
Page 15 (73). The Bat Knights can fly - and, appropriately, they
form giant bats as they patrol Gotham, rather than giant birds or
hawks.
One further Biblical allusion is The Batman's statement that
"right now, the metahumans have the keys to earth's kingdom."
Which is, I'm certain, a deliberate reference to Matthew 16:19, in
which Jesus says to Simon Peter, "And I will give unto thee the
keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven." Batman's stated ambition to wrest
control of the "keys to earth's kingdom" shows either vaulting
ambition or frightening hubris - or both.
Dave Stein points out that this sequence, with Batman
giving orders to the patrolling Bat Knights, is almost an exact copy
of a scene in a _Darkwing Duck_ episode. Go figure.
Page 16 (74). Batman and Superman debate Batman's methods
here, in much the same way that the regulars of the Usenet
newsgroup Rec.Arts.Comics.DC.Universe debated the Batman's
methods after the publication of the first issue of _Kingdom
Come_. I'd judge the discussion here a draw.
Superman's comment - "You're willing to turn ordinary
citizens into a superstitious, cowardly lot" - is ironic, hearkening
back to Bruce Wayne's words, in _Batman_ #1: "Criminals are a
superstitious, cowardly lot, so my disguise must be able to strike
terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black,
terrible...a...a...A Bat!"
The two Bat Knights guarding the stairway leading from the
Batcave up to the light may be a reference to the lair of the jackal-headed Egyptian god Anubis, who was the guardian of tombs and
who judged the dead, and whose underworldly headquarters'
entrance was guarded by two jackal-headed figures, in much the
same way that the Bat Knights stand guard over the entrance to the
Batcave. Batman, in this light, can be seen as an analogue for
Anubis, which might imply that where Superman is symbolically
looking towards and planning for the future, the Batman is
concerned with keeping the past alive.
Michael Denton notes that there is a Christian tradition that
Jesus descended into the underworld after his death to minister to
saints sent their prior to his birth. In this light, and given the
equation of Superman with Christ throughout _Kingdom Come_,
that would make Batman less of an anti-hero and more of a
tarnished hero in need of redemption.
Batman's comments here about his allies is a foreshadowing
of the coming, apocalyptic conflict; we can see the outline of his
allies in that same panel.
Bat-Mite is visible, as Chris Eckert caught, in panels 4 and
5, spying on the proceedings.
Peter Li points out that one of the screens in panel 4 shows
the lamppost in Crime Alley where Bruce's parents were killed.
Scott Rogers notes that the head of the original, 1930s-style
Batmobile is visible in panel 4, as is the Wayne Foundation
(Batman's home and hq in the late 1960s and early 1970s).
Johanna Draper notes that the "Star City" mentioned by The
Batman here is where the hero Green Arrow was originally located.
The Revelations supplement has this to say about Batman:
"Because so much had been done visually and creatively with
Batman in recent years, it became the greatest challenge to find a
different take from all the rest. At first I had no different approach
in mind other than continuing on Frank Miller's Dark Knight
version, using a refined suit of armor. It finally occurred to me that
I was more inspired by drawing the out-of-costume Bruce Wayne.
With an abused body held together by sticks along with intense
features and charisma, this negated the need for a costumed
identity. The idea that the revelation of his secret identity would
lead to his true soul as The Batman being exposed was the newest
wrinkle I think we brought to his character. This take allowed for
more focus on things around Batman, such as the robot sentries
who patrolled in his stead.
"The greatest departure from the norm was that this Batman
smiles. To have this man smiling all the time seemed to grant him a
creepier presence, as if to betray a sense that he's up to something.
The precedent for a grinning Batman comes from the earliest days
of his career, just before Robin arrived in 1940. In fact, the
interesting dichotomy is that the Batman of the Golden Age was
smiling on his covers while Superman wore a grim expression with
squinty, evil-seeking eyes. The reason for turning the
characterization back around to this can be found in the strange
idea that while a number of tragedies have befallen Superman,
making him more grim, Batman has grown to accept his fate and is
almost relieved by his injuries. He may be grateful that the stress
from the life he had been leading, the pushing of his own body to
the breaking point, has changed into a lifestyle where he had to find
other means to continue his war on crime - basically letting him
take a bit of a break. The technology available to him along with
friends who know how to wield it...could provide a satisfying
application of his efforts without compromising his ideals."
Page 17 (75). Enter three of The Batman's allies, all heroes: Ted
Kord (the Blue Beetle II), Dinah Lance (Black Canary II), and her
lover Oliver Queen (Green Arrow).
Ted Kord's characterization here, as a knowledgeable
scientist, is a welcome change from the more recent Giffen Justice
League Blue Beetle, which portrayed Ted Kord as something of a
ninny. Kord's appearance - as a bespectacled man going slightly to
pot - is somewhat similar to the appearance of the Nite Owl, in
_The Watchmen_, who was in turn originally based on the Charlton
Comics Blue Beetle. Kord's weight was also a feature of the Justice
League Blue Beetle.
Oliver Queen's appearance here has evoked comparisons to
Sean Connery and Patrick Stewart; the traditional Green Arrow has
always had a full head of hair, but the balding _Kingdom Come_
Green Arrow seems pretty clearly based on Frank Miller's version
of the hero in _The Dark Knight Returns_ miniseries.
The Revelations supplement has this to say about Oliver &
Dinah Lance Queen: "JLAer Green Arrow (currently thought dead)
is finally reunited with his former romantic partner, Black Canary,
in classic Robin Hood/Maid Marian tradition. Both are retired from
super-heroics but aid Batman as two of his closest friends. Oliver's
baldness is symptomatic of the all too human, thin-haired state of
the older crimefighters on Batman's side. Dinah's dark hair and
white clothing is intended to be in contrast to her previous black-leather-clad, blonde-wig-wearing identity which has been handed
down to their daughter, the new Black Canary."
The lineup of The Batman's allies is as follows, reading left
to right, top to bottom:
First Row: Fate (the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC
mystic, hero, and Lord of Order Dr. Fate), Lightning (obscured by
panel three; she was last seen in issue #1), and Samurai, who we'll
see more of later. (Credit must be given to David Goldfarb for
catching the latter two figures).
Second Row: Plastic Man (according to the Waid/Ross
Annotations), Wildcat III (the _Kingdom Come_ version of the
Golden Age hero Wildcat), Obsidian (son of the Golden Age Green
Lantern and the Golden Age villainess Thorn, and brother to the
heroine Jade - the KC Green Lantern VI), Black Canary III (as we'll
see, the daughter of Dinah Queen and Oliver Queen), Condor (the
_Kingdom Come_ version of the GA hero Black Condor), and Red
Hood.
Third Row: Ralph Dibny (kudos to Chris Eckert and Thad
Doria for i.d.ing him), Zatara II (the grandson of the Golden Age
sorcerer Zatara, and son of the current heroine Zatanna), Green
Lantern VI (aka Jade, the daughter of the Golden Age villainess
Thorn and the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and
inheritor of his power), Batwoman II (along with Ace II, who is
based on Batman's canine companion during the 1950s), Menagerie
(the _Kingdom Come_ version of the Teen Titans hero Garfield
Logan, aka Changeling), and Dragon (who we'll see more of later).
As Dave Van Domelen, among others, has pointed out,
Wildcat III's new "costume" might be a physical transformation into
a cat-man, similar to Hawkman's transformation into a bird-man.
Note the Bat-mite spying on The Batman behind his chair in
panel 1 and in the lower right of Panel 4.
Page 18 (76). Panel 2 shows Batman and Superman in scenes quite
similar to the covers of their debuts, in _Detective_ #27 and
_Action_ #1, respectively. And as Chris Blakeley pointed out, the
scene featuring Wonder Woman in panel 3 is very reminiscent of
the cover of _Wonder Woman_ #1; although on that cover Wonder
Woman is wielding her lasso, rather than the spear seen here. David
Goldfarb points out that Wonder Woman here is in her old, Golden
Age costume - single-pointed tiara, no loincloth, and eagle chest
insignia - an outfit which she has never worn in current continuity.
The Spectre refers here to Wonder Woman as "Eternal
Princess of the Amazons," a statement which will take on more
significance later in this issue.
As Norman McCay says, it is indeed "hard to tell" if they
are friends - pre-Crisis, they were best of friends, but post-Crisis
they only respected each other. It's hard for characters to keep this
straight, but harder still for long-time comic book readers.
Page 19 (77). More recruits join the new Justice League: from left
to right, we see the Ray II, Flash III, Power Woman, Superman,
Wonder Woman, Donna Troy (who is referred to in Waid's script
as "Wonder Girl"), the Golden Guardian, Red Robin, Robotman
III, Hawkman, Green Lantern I, and Midnight.
The hand-holding between Wonder Woman and Donna
Troy, her former sidekick, is a very nice touch.
Note that Superman is shaking hands with the Golden
Guardian, the futuristic version of the Golden Age hero The
Guardian. The Guardian was created by Jack Kirby as a thinly-veiled imitation of the Marvel character Captain America - who
Kirby also created (along with Joe Simon - thanks to Keith Baird
for correcting my mistake here). Since Superman and Captain
America are both apotheoses of the heroic ideal, it's nice to see
them grouped together, and their obvious pleasure at meeting each
other. As Gregg Allinson points out, in the post-Crisis DC
Universe both the Guardian and Superman operated in Metropolis,
and teamed up on several occasions, so that perhaps Superman is
greeting an old friend here.
Note also the grouping of Hawkman, Green Lantern I, and
Midnight, all former members of the GA DC superhero group the
Justice Society of America.
Panel 2 shows us the new Justice League in combat:
Hawkman, Green Lantern I, Superman, and Flash III, in combat
against Red Tornado III (seen on the cover of issue #2), Phoebus
(last seen in issue #1), Starman VIII, and Brainiac's Daughter (seen
on the cover of issue #2).
Jim Cowling points out that Starman VIII seems to be able
to hurt Flash III without any visible power effects; this is, as he
noted, close to the gravity-wielding powers of the Legion of Super
Heroes Star Boy, as is the _Kingdom Come_ Starman's costume.
Page 20 (78). More combat in panel 1: Starman VIII, Red Tornado
III, Superman, Hawkman, Green Lantern I, Phoebus, Red Robin,
Brainiac's Daughter, and Flash III fighting three new characters:
Buzzbot (designed by Aldrin Aw), Doc Smog (designed by Andrew
Kudelka), and Horny Toad (who will show up again in issue 4 and
was designed by Andrew Kudelka) (The Waid/Ross Annotations
provided the names for these characters).
The logos on the shirts of the children (who, as the
Waid/Ross Annotations point out, are walking down a street
[Michigan Avenue? - Annotator] in Chicago, Illinois - the home of
Alex Ross) in panel 2 are the logos of the new Superman and the
Flash; as the narrator says, the people are embracing the new
Justice League - through their marketing, perhaps, or simply
through the sort of child-like hero-worship most comic book fans
went through, once upon a time.
Jim Cowling points out that Brainiac's Daughter's costume
has a hidden "Superman-S-Shield" design, which would fit, given
her parentage.
Page 21 (79). The figure that Wonder Woman swats away here is
Cathedral, a new character last seen on the cover of the first issue.
The character that Cathedral is choking and about to spear is Whiz
(previously seen on the cover to this issue).
Page 22 (80). Enter the -real- badguys.
The man killing the woman is Vandal Savage, the million-year-old man and a long-time enemy of both the Green Lantern
(Golden and Silver age version) and the Flash (Golden Age, Silver
Age, and modern versions). The man nonchalantly watching this
murder, and calmly smoking a cigarette, is the King of Spades,
former leader of the Royal Flush gang, a group of supervillains who
menaced the Justice League. (Note that the King has just drawn a
one-handed cut, and, as Dean Velasco caught, the card- and
gambling-related metaphors in his speech) Lex Luthor enters in
panel 4; Luthor is, of course, the greatest of Superman's enemies.
The Spectre's bristling at the sight of Savage's murder of
Luthor's secretary is natural, as the Spectre's brief is to avenge
murder.
Page 23 (81). The Mankind Liberation Front will play a major role
in the coming events. They are, moving around the table from left
to right:
- Vandal Savage; the Revelations supplement adds this
about him: "Alive since the dawn of man, this flamboyantly-dressed
immortal is a former member of the Injustice Society of the World
(1940s JSA enemies) and the founder of the Illuminati, a secret
organization that has influenced and supported nearly every evil
empire through the millennia. His presence in this group gives
strong indication that no good will come of it."
- King; the Revelations supplement adds this: "the former
leader of the Royal Flush Gang still appears like the playing card for
which he is named and does not appear to have aged because he is
immortal. This state resulted from events that took place during the
_Invasion!_ series from 1988."
- Lord Naga (aka Kobra, a would-be world-conqueror who
most recently bedeviled the Suicide Squad and the Flash); the
Revelations supplement adds this: "The leader of the powerful
Cobra Cult of India seems to have forsaken his former colorful
costume trappings with age, just like his collaborators. Somehow
this would-be world conqueror finds equal ground as part of a joint
enterprise without himself as absolute ruler."
- Lex Luthor; the Revelations supplement says this about
him: "As clone bodies, hairlines and renewed youth come and go, I
figured you could count on Luthor's eventually turning into a big,
fat, old, bald guy. Luthor's group might have been quite different
had the Joker been alive in this future to join their little black-suited
brigade."
- Ibn al Xu'ffasch (who is a new character; he is "heir to the
empire of Ra's Al Ghul," who was one of The Batman's greatest
enemies and another would-be world-conqueror). The Revelations
supplement adds this about him: "The only youthful member of this
organization stands out like a younger version of his father...Bruce
Wayne in his prime. As the conduit for the Batman-Luthor alliance,
he may have manipulated the parent-child bond which there was no
opportunity to have before."
Selina Kyle (Catwoman I, another member of The Batman's
Rogues Gallery and a long-time potential flame of The Batman).
The Revelations supplement adds this: "Former costumed criminal
and romantic adversary to Batman, the original Catwoman is
content to sit back and plot with her compatriots, leaving the
physical stuff to a younger generation. Paired with the aged Riddler
out of some old familiarity, she may look upon Ibn as the child she
could have had, and may still harbor strong feelings for the older
Batman. Please notice that the dress she wears is from her first
apperance in _Batman_ #1 (1940) as `The Cat.'"
- Edward Nigma (the Riddler, another member of The
Batman's Rogues Gallery). The Revelations supplement adds this
about him: "E. Nigma, The Riddler, has had age truly catch up with
him in his shrivelled state - but he never was the most physical of
opponents. I kept the aesthetic of question-mark-laden clothing to
the most subtle area I could find."
Waid's script identifies Catwoman and Riddler as being
lovers.
Kobra speaks of having integrated "another" 120 vigilantes,
including the Arkham and Belle Reve survivors. The coming
conflict will not be a pretty one.
Justin Mohareb consulted with an Arabic speaker and noted
that "Ibn Al Xu'ffasch" means "Son of The Bat." This ties in to the
long-running romance, or potential romance, in DC continuity
between Talia Al Ghul (Ra's Al Ghul's daughter) and The Batman;
here, obviously, the relationship took a more fruitful turn. Waid
and Ross confirmed that Ibn Al Xu'ffasch is in fact the character
who appeared in the graphic novel _Son of the Demon_, where
Talia and The Batman did conceive a child which was later given up
for adoption. According to Waid and Ross, Ibn Al Xu'ffasch was
tracked down and recruited by Ra Al Ghul's men to run Ra's empire
after the latter's death. (Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni points out that
the _Son of the Demon_ is, post-Zero Hour, no longer in
continuity). The Revelations supplement says this about Ibn Al
Xu'ffasch: "Just as Ra's al Ghul's name translated from Arabic
means `demon's head,' Ibn's Arabic name means `son of bat.'
Xu'ffasch is the heir to Ra's al Ghul's secret empire for one simple
reason: he is Ra's's grandson. The child sired by Ra's's daughter
Talia and his greatest enemy, The Batman, made his first
appearance in the _Son of the Demon_ graphic novel by Mike W.
Barr and Jerry Bingham. The child was given away to adoptive
parents in America (without Batman's knowledge). Later reclaimed
by the criminal order the League of Assassins to be their master,
one could assume that the long life of Ra's al Ghul had finally come
to an end. Strangely enough, this character fit the design for my
lead childhood hero's physical appearance whose costumed identity
was also coincidentally named `The Dark Knight.'"
Daniel Frank and Melody Womack (keeper of _Feline
Fatale_) point out that Selina is wearing the same style dress and
same hair style that she wore in her first appearance, in _Batman_
#1, as The Cat - the first villainess in comics.
Chris Eckert, Just Joe and Neil Hogan point out that
Edward Nigma's glasses here are made up of two question marks.
Loki Carbis notes that the name of the "Mankind Liberation
Front" is quite similar to the "Mutant Liberation Front," the Marvel
Comics group of mutant terrorists. It is also quite similar to the
"Animal Liberation Front," a real-life group of Animal Rights
activists (or terrorists, depending on your point of view). Mike
Schmidt notes that the MLF was also the acronym for a joint
nuclear deterrent force in the mid-60's whose idea was to break
down political barriers and work together toward the common
good, which they saw to be the regulation of nuclear weapons.
This makes an interesting link to Luthor and Batman breaking
down their "political barriers" to work together toward a common
good, which they see as the elimination of the Justice League (the
comic book equivalent of nuclear weapons).
The Waid/Ross Annotations state that "Selina is gesturing
to Xu'ffasch point out to the Riddler, `That's him,' while her cat is
noticing McCay and Spectre's presence."
Page 24 (82). There are a number of parallels between _Kingdom
Come_ and _The Watchmen_; one, that Randy Patton (among
others) has raised, is Superman's abandonment of his human
persona and Dr. Manhattan's gradual detachment from human
affairs, and the reaction of those around them - the Comedian's fear
that a dehumanized, amoral Manhattan may doom humanity and
Luthor's conviction (voiced in panel 4 and on page 25 (83), panel 1)
that the metahumans have become a separate race, with separate
morals, than normal humans.
Page 25 (83). Vandal Savage's comment, "I never dreamed they'd
return. Not in a million years" is somewhat ironic, given his
lifespan.
Luthor's fit of pique at the mention of Superman's name is
fitting, given the numerous defeats Luthor has suffered at
Superman's hands over the decades.
The "boy" that Luthor refers to, who is serving Luthor as a
valet/manservant, is "the Captain of the Lightning and the Thunder"
- aka Captain Marvel, the Fawcett (and now DC) character who is
in some ways the epitome of superheroic innocence. His
seemingly-willing servitude to Luthor is perhaps the clearest
indication of the depravity of the _Kingdom Come_ world;
although the backstory seen in issue 3 explains this. Dean Velasco
notes that Captain Marvel's wisdom is not that of the normal
person, but rather the wisdom of Solomon, who in the Old
Testament often equated wisdom with righteousness. This is a
good point, and pokes a damaging hole in my theory that Waid is
making a point about wisdom not always being the same as
goodness - a theory which the series goes on to prove incorrect.
Tony Pi suggests that there may be more to the relationship
between Lex and Cap here than just an alliance. Several people
have raised the question whether this is a grown-up Billy Batson or
actually Captain Marvel himself. As we'll see, this is most likely
Billy Batson, not Captain Marvel. David Goldfarb also notes that
Alex Ross is painting Captain Marvel here to look like Fred
MacMurray, who was CC Beck's original model for Captain
Marvel; Dave Van Domelen added that MacMurray, in the movie
_No Time For Love_, played a caped superhero in a dream
sequence; those two observations prompted me to recall
MacMurray's turn as a bad-guy in _Double Indemnity_, which
might be the MacMurray reference on which Waid and Ross were
basing the _Kingdom Come_ Captain Marvel. Johanna Draper
notes that Ross has drawn Captain Marvel in panel 5 with squinty
eyes, which was always a CC Beck (co-creator of Captain Marvel)
trademark. The Revelations supplement identifies the real-life
model of Captain Marvel as Ross friend Sal Abbinanti.
Page 26 (84). This page, and the following three pages, must have
been a dream for Waid to write, and either a dream or a nightmare
for Ross to paint.
At the metahuman rave/bar, we see (from left to right):
Panel One: On the floor: The Weather Wizard (a weather-controlling enemy of the Silver Age Flash) joking with Jayna (one
of the Wonder Twins, from the _Superfriends_ tv cartoon; the
Wonder Twins were recently introduced into DC continuity in the
pages of _Extreme Justice_), the Creeper (whose ruff/mane is just
visible along the bar), an aging, fat, unshaven Lobo (wearing a
"Bite me, Fanboy" t-shirt, and reportedly visually based on Peter
David), Vril Dox II (former leader of L.E.G.I.O.N. - thanks to J.
Crowhurst for identifying him), the neck of Dragonknight (a new
character, who we see more of on page 27 (85), panel 1; the
Revelations supplement describes him as "the role of St. George,
the heroic knight, is combined with the dragon he slayed (sic)"),
Ultra the Multi-Alien (a Silver Age character who was a pilot
transformed in an accident into a being of four separate alien parts -
thanks to Mark Coale for correcting my original mistake here),
Village Warrior (a futuristic version of the 1970s band the Village
People), Black Canary III, the new, African-American Lady
Blackhawk II (the Blackhawks were World War Two airmen in the
pages of GA comics _Military_ and _Blackhawk_, and Lady
Blackhawk, a relatively recent addition to their ranks, was their
only female member), a Blackhawk pilot (the figure wearing a
helmet), Solomon Grundy (the malevolent Golden Age villain and
failed wood elemental most recently seen in the pages of
_Starman_; he seems to be working as a bouncer here, which may
be a reference to the Incredible Hulk's stint as a bouncer in the
pages of _Incredible Hulk_, some years ago. David J. Snyder points
out that he seems to be visually based here on Lurch from the
_Addams Family_), Lydea Mallor (aka Shadow Lass of the Legion
of Super Heroes; she is wearing the costume of Storm of the X-Men, as David Goldfarb points out), Obsidian, and Lightning (seen
previously in issue #1 of _Kingdom Come_).
Overhead we see the head of Spy Smasher (who we'll see
more of later), Demon Damsel (also seen in issue #1), Menagerie,
and the Fantom of the Fair (a Golden Age hero, originally) hanging
from the ceiling.
Juice Fritzius notes that the shadow on the wall between
Obsidian and the Lightning seems to have the profile of the long-time Hawkman enemy the Shadow-Thief.
Shadow Lass' presence here raises the question of who we
saw with the Legion of Super Heroes in issue 1. But then, this may
be yet another of those delightful Time Paradoxes (tm).
The Waid/Ross Annotations point out that the chairs are all
"in the shape of a 40s-era Batman silhouette."
Panel Two: The Icicle (making ice for his drink), Brother Power
The Geek (a pacifist dummy and puppet elemental, and one of DC's
more obscure characters), The Question (a faceless vigilante first
seen in Charlton Comics), Mr. X (haunted hero and architect of the
independent comic _Mister X_), Rorschach (the grim-n-gritty [tm]
vigilante from the miniseries _The Watchmen_, who was originally
based on The Question), Space Cowboy (Steve Miller in the
Spider-Girl mask), Ultra the Multi-Alien, Zan (the other Wonder
Twin waiter), Nightstar (the daughter of Red Robin - aka Robin
and Nightwing II - and Starfire of the Teen Titans; we saw her in
issue #1), Avia, Human Bomb (a Golden Age hero), Spectre,
Norman McCay, Pinwheel (last seen on the cover of _Kingdom
Come_ #1), Cesar the Somnambulist, an aged Creeper (a weird DC
hero), Deadman (a revenant/ghost hero who possesses the living to
pursue the guilty), and the back of the Weather Wizard's head.
Brother Power's presence in the bar is perhaps the saddest
indication of just how far the world of _Kingdom Come_ has slid
into depravity and sin. Rorschach appears to be breaking one of
Brother Power's fingers, in much the same way that he (Rorschach)
harmed a low-life criminal during an interrogation in _The
Watchmen_. Of course, Brother Power, not being truly alive,
should be impervious to pain, and doesn't have any bones to break
- but this is an Elseworlds, so I shouldn't nitpick.
Cesar the Somnambulist is a character in the classic German
Expressionist film _The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari_. Cesar was played
by Conrad Veidt, who in turn played The Man Who Laughs in the
silent film of the same name. The Man Who Laughs was the visual
template Bob Kane used for the Joker. Credit is given to Kevin L.
Gilbert for i.d.ing Cesar and noting the Veidt connection.
Space Cowboy is a new character, based on the Spider-Girl
mask that appeared on the cover of the album "The Joker" by the
Steve Miller Band. Craig Kostelecky says that the figure behind the
mask is in fact the rock star Steve Miller himself.
Jonathan Woodward points out that, given how much the
Wonder Twin waiters look like Vulcans here, this might be a
reference to the Mirror Universe of Star Trek, in which Vulcans act
as servants.
As a few folks, David Goldfarb among them, have pointed
out, the Human Bomb's beer is "Q" brand, rather than "DC" brand;
the Human Bomb was originally a Quality Comics character.
Dean Velasco points out that Deadman is not simply
wearing a deathly white mask, but is in fact skeletal; Deadman has
traditionally been portrayed as a somewhat decayed human, but in
the 1990s he has become more skeletal. Mark Waid explained
Deadman's skeletal appearance here as being an indication that he
has finally accepted his fate.
Finally, in another moment of demented genius, we get to
see the Human Bomb playing "pull my finger." I won't explain this -
if any of you don't know what that means, get a junior-high-school
boy to explain it to you.
Panel Four: I'm not even gonna try to identify everyone here.
There do seem to be some notable figures in this mass, though:
Tommy the Pinball Wizard, and Tina Turner's Acid Queen from the
play/film _Tommy_ (credit to Thad Doria and Sean Donnelly for
i.d.ing them); the stretched-in-five-directions Plastic Man (a Golden
Age hero); and Kabrini (who the Waid/Ross Annotations name; he
is the "big green guy with chains" who is pulling on one of Plastic
Man's legs).
"Cabrini-Green" is the name of a particularly dangerous
housing project in Chicago; it may be that Ross was implying that
Kabrini, and characters like him, will be produced by the Cabrini-Greens of the future.
I believe the band playing at the top of this panel is The
Beatles - I think the lettering on their drum is similar to what the
Beatles used in their first American concert.
Chris Eckert notes that the current Ray Terrill Ray appears
near the stage on the left. Michael Denton adds that hovering above
him seems to be the non-DC hero the Rocketeer.
The architecture and decor of the club are, as Michael
Cavanagh points out, very Giger-esque. He also notes that the
band onstage is the Beatles, "circa 1964...matching grey suits, two
guys standing off to our left at one mike, so close that the only way
they could do it while playing instruments is to have one
right-hander (George) and one left- (Paul), the drum logo with the
T extending downwards, and -- the giveaway for musicians -- the
amps are Vox AC-30s."
Greg Sheets notes that the logo on their drum was used
throughout their touring career (early 1960s through late 1966),
and that the drumskin appears in the beginning of their film _Let It
Be_. He also says, "the stances are a dead giveaway, too. Clearly,
from left to right we see Paul (feet close together, knees slightly
bent), George (feet close together, with the left foot apparently
tapping--George tended to alternate between his feet when tapping
to keep time, and often did little dances during his guitar solos) and
John at the stage-leftmost mic alone (as always--feet well apart,
tapping vigorously with the left foot pointed off to the side). Take
a look at the Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, or at the
climax of A Hard Day's Night. Plus they're clearly wearing Beatle
boots."
Page 27 (85). Panel One: Lady Blackhawk II, a Durlan (a shape-changing alien with twin forehead antennae who are seen in the
future of the _Legion of Superheroes_), Signalwoman (decorated
with moons and stars - a new character who we'll see more on page
28 (86) below), Jayna, Weather Wizard, Patrick Macnee (as John
Steed of the television show _The Avengers_), Diana Rigg (as
Emma Steed on _The Avengers_), Captain Cold (a member of the
Silver Age Flash's Rogues Gallery), Superman, helmeted
Blackhawk (from page 26 (84)), Black Canary III, Dragonknight,
Nuculoid (last seen in issue #1 of _Kingdom Come_), Joker's
Daughter II (last seen in the previous issue), Mr. Scarlet (the
_Kingdom Come_ version of the old GA Fawcett hero, who we'll
see more of in the next issue; Craig Kostelecky quotes Alex Ross as
calling him a "pre-Savage Dragon"), Ultra the Multi-Alien,
Metamorpho (the element-bodied DC hero), and Solomon Grundy.
Panel Two: Human Bomb, Weather Wizard, Steve Miller (in
Spider-Girl mask), John Steed, Superman, helmeted Blackhawk,
Captain Cold, and Black Canary III.
Note the pictures over the old-fashioned cash register - one
of Captain Cold, the Weather Wizard, and Captain Boomerang -
three buddies from the Flash's Rogues Gallery - and an autographed
(as Leonardo Rizzi caught) glossy of the Silver Age Flash, Barry
Allen, the enemy of the Rogues Gallery who they nonetheless
respected. Craig Kostelecky quotes Ross to the effect that while
the Weather Wizard and Captain Cold run the bar, Captain
Boomerang is more of an old favored patron.
Panel Five: Black Canary III, Golem, Nuculoid, Superman, Joker's
Daughter II, Mr. Scarlet, Lydea Mallor.
The Golem was the title character in the landmark 1920
German horror film _The Golem_ - Kevin L. Gilbert spotted and
explained this one.
Page 28 (86). Panel One: The Gay Ghost (another obscure Golden
Age hero, he was the ghost of a 17th century English lord who
came back in the 1940s to fight evil; he haunted the Nazis during
WW2 and was later renamed the Grim Ghost), Village Warrior #1,
Village Warrior #2, Marvin (from the _Superfriends_ tv show -
kudos to the folks who recognized him, including Sean MacDonald,
Jim Cowling, and Scott Casteel), Village Warriors 3, 4, 5, and 6,
and Atom-Smasher.
Right foreground: an aged Virman Vundabar (faithful
lackey to the Apokoliptian harridan Granny Goodness), Desaad,
and Spy Smasher II (the anti-Nazi Fawcett hero who was recently
introduced into the DC Universe in _Power of Shazam_).
As David Goldfarb pointed out, Marvin is drinking a "HB"
brand of beer; he was created by Hanna Barbera Studios. As Scott
Casteel usefully pointed out, although we were all shocked by the
juxtaposition of Marvin and Lobo on the facade of Planet Krypton
in issue #1, it seems that Marvin has hung around with Lobo long
enough to try to become like him.
Dean Velasco points out that Village Warrior #2 - the
"Indian" - has wings, which might imply that he's a member of the
same race as Dawnstar, a member of the Legion of Super-heroes.
Desaad was the figure of some debate; he was originally
(and correctly) identified as Desaad, the sadistic torturer and
faithful servant to the Apokoliptian tyrant Darkseid, but Kevin L.
Gilbert argued that based on this figure's costume and most
especially the shape of his head, he is Mr. Edward Hyde as played
by John Barrymore in the 1920 version of _Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde_. Or perhaps he is John Barrymore as DeSaad.
Panel Three: Vril Dox II, Lobo, Gay Ghost, Superman, Village
Warrior, Atom-Smasher, Village Warrior, Virman Vundabar,
Desaad, Spy Smasher, Creeper, and the outline of the Oliver Queen
(credit to Jonathan Woodward for catching this).
Waid's script describes Superman in this panel this way:
"Everything about his expression and stance suggests a peeved dad
who's ordering his daughter's slumber party to knock it the hell
off."
Panel Four: Signalwoman, Mister Talky Tawny (the lovable talking
tiger who appeared in the Captain Marvel Fawcett comics during
the 1940s and who was recently introduced into DC Continuity in
the _Power of Shazam_ book), OWAC (the One-Woman-Army-Corp, a variation of OMAC, a Kirby creation), the Spectre, Lady
Blackhawk II, Jayna, Superman, Icicle, Ambush Bug (the wacky
teleporting nemesis of Superman), Lightning, Catwoman II,
Captain Boomerang, Plastic Man, and Kabrini.
Panel Five: Solomon Grundy, Superman, Death's Head Moth (a
new character), the Black Racer (the Fourth World Harbinger of
Death), Ultra the Multi-Alien, Blue Devil II (last seen on the cover
of issue #1), and Metamorpho.
In response to questions as to why the Black Racer would
be hanging out in a metahuman rave bar, Dave Van Domelen
succinctly said, "A bar full of drunken superhumans sounds like
one-stop shopping for an angel of death."
The Waid/Ross Annotations credit the design of Death's
Head Moth to Andrew Kudelka.
Page 29 (87). Panel One: Plastic Man (based on his profile; he can
just be seen to the left of Lady Blackhawk II), Lady Blackhawk II
Icicle, Dragonknight, Jayna, Golem, Mr. Scarlet, Joker's Daughter
II, Lydea Mallor, Gentleman Ghost (the ghostly enemy of
Hawkman - thanks to Dean Velasco for clearing up the question of
GG's ontological status), Solomon Grundy, Superman, the Fantom
of the Fair, Demon Damsel (flying overhead), Signalwoman,
Metamorpho, and Ultra the Multi-Alien.
Panel Two: Cesar the Somnambulist, Phantom Lady II (a new
character who will appear in issue #3), Pinwheel, Nowhere Man (a
new character; the Revelations supplement adds that "This was
nothing more than the Lennon/McCartney song giving form to a
visual trick illustrating an invisible form"), Norman McCay, 666
(from issue #1), Deadman, Ambush Bug and Lightning.
Panel Three: Lightning, Swamp Thing (heroic DC plant elemental),
the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes, the Shadow (classic pulp
vigilante of radio, books, movies and comic books), the Question,
Rorschach, Obsidian, Ambush Bug, 666, Zan, Nightstar, Avia,
Deadman, Norman McCay, and the Acid Queen.
Deadman is clearly reacting to McCay's presence
throughout this scene; as a spirit, Deadman can see other spirits.
As Jonathan Woodward pointed out, both Deadman and the
Spectre were murdered as part of their origins.
Avia's words are another example (more explicit, this time)
of this issue's Superman-as-Christ connection.
One of my favorite touches of this entire series is Deadman waving
bye-bye to Norman McCay, and McCay's startled half-wave in
return, in panel six.
Page 30 (88). The Justice League of the World, in their new
satellite home, the Emerald City of Green Lantern I. Working
counterclockwise around the table from Superman: Superman,
Power Woman, Ray II, Captain Comet, Aleea Strange, Hourman
III, Golden Guardian, Sandman IV, Robotman III, Red Arrow,
Aquaman II, Donna Troy, Red Robin, and Wonder Woman.
Standing, working counterclockwise: Flash III, Atom-Smasher, Hawkman, Midnight (lower left), Avia, Brainiac's
Daughter, Phoebus, Starman VIII (upper right), Green Lantern I,
Red Tornado III, and Tornado.
Note the giant Green Lantern symbol on the table.
The Justice League had a satellite home once before, during
the 1970s. One hopes that the GL's Emerald City does not come to
a similar fate as the JLA's satellite hq.
Some people have speculated on this scene as being either
an homage to the Last Supper or to King Arthur's Round Table;
given the assemblage, I would tend to think it's closer to the Round
Table, especially because the poses of the figures are wrong for it
to be a Last Supper homage. Waid's script for panel 2 here reads
this way: "Superman and the League sit at a giant council table like
King Arthur and his knights. (Superman's chair's got to be a little
larger and higher than the rest to suggest a throne, so as to play off
the Revelation quote.)"
Jonathan Woodward came up with a very nice interpretation
of this scene: he quotes from Revelation 4:1-6 - "After this I
looked, and lo, in heaven an open door!...At once I was in the
Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the
throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian,
and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.
Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the
thrones were twenty-four elders....And before the throne there is as
it were a sea of glass, like crystal" and then notes that, besides
Superman, there are 24 people at the meeting table. Good call, JW.
As Dean Velasco caught, all of the original Teen Titans
(Dick Grayson/Red Robin, Donna Troy, Garth/Aquaman II, and
Roy Harper/Red Arrow) are seated together, except for Wally
West, who is part of the _Kingdom Come_ Flash III.
Page 31 (89). The Justice League On The Road To Moscow and
Tokyo:
Panel One: The Justice League, fighting in Moscow: Avia,
Superman, Hourman III, and Green Lantern I, fighting The Iron
Curtain (a new character, one designed by Barry Crain), Ibis the
Invincible (the sorcerous hero of the Fawcett group, recently
introduced into the DC Universe in _Power of Shazam_), Taia
(below Avia) (identified by the Waid/Ross Annotations; Taia was
originally Ibis' Egyptian princess love), and Shiva the Destroyer
(the Hindu god of destruction, last seen on the cover of issue #1).
Panel Two: Tokyo: Red Robin, Flash III, Superman, Aquaman II,
Donna Troy, Power Woman and Red Arrow III fighting
S.H.O.G.U.N. (the giant robot - a new character named by the
Waid/Ross Annotations), Tokyo Rose (a new character, last seen
on the cover of issue #1), Kabuki Kommando (swinging a halberd -
last seen on the cover of issue #1), Samurai (we'll see him on the
cover of issue #3), and Jade Fox (identified as such by the
Waid/Ross Annotations; she is a new character who will appear
again)
Note that both Aquaman II and Donna Troy are down, and
wounded - these "rebellions," as the narrator calls them, are
growing increasingly vicious.
Again, the former Teen Titans are teaming together in this
scene.
Chris Eckert, John Crowhurst and Chris Sypal point out
anime' hero Astro Boy (original Japanese name: "Tetsuwan Atom" -
"Mighty Atom") on the screen behind Power Woman. Atan812
points out that Tokyo Rose is visually extremely similar to Chun-Li,
aka the Crimson Rose, from the arcade game _Street Fighter II_.
The Waid/Ross Annotations point out that both Kabuki
Kommando and Jade Fox were designed by Aldrin Aw.
Page 32 (90). The fallen figure in front of Superman and Wonder
Woman in panel four is Von Bach, whom we last saw on the cover
of issue #1. The word written on his right arm - "liebe" - means
"love" in German.
The figures in panel 4 are Germ-Man (a new character who
appeared on the cover of issue #1) and the "Gotterdammerung
Reich," which the Waid/Ross Annotations identify as "the twilight
of the gods empire."
"Hass," written on the right arm of one of the fallen, means
"hatred" or "detestation"; Dirk Bansch corrects my original note
and says that, when the double s is printed in block letters, it is not
replaced with the "B" symbol (which Keith Baird notes is called an
"ess-tett.")
The Waid/Ross Annotations state that "the layout of the
descending destruction in the background is inspired by _Mad
Comics_ #8 (1954)." I'm unaware of the significance of that issue,
however.
Page 33 (91). The King and Queen of Atlantis speaking with
Superman and Wonder Woman are the former Aquaman I (the
aquatic Atlantean hero-king) and Dolphin (a nautical heroine who
can currently be seen in the pages of _Aquaman_).
Mr. Waid pointed out in an interview that he'd thought of
the Dolphin-Aquaman I pairing before Peter David created it in the
current run of _Aquaman_. Mr. Waid also wished to make the
Arthurian similarities with Aquaman I obvious, pointing out the first
name of Aquaman I - Arthur - and the fact that he was in fact a real
king, like the legendary Arthur.
King Arthur here seems to have both of his hands; the
current incarnation lost his left hand in battle and had it replaced
with a harpoon hook.
Dean Velasco points out that King Arthur's statement that
they are "being burdened with the surface world's refuse" is a
reference to the 1970s and 1980s Aquaman, who was often
indignant at the way his oceans were treated as a dumping ground.
Dean also points out that Dolphin's silence here is consistent with
her traditional characterization.
Robert Faires notes that the sea horse on King Arthur's
tunic might well be a nod to the Aquaman animated series of the
Sixties in which Arthur rode a giant sea horse (named "Storm;"
Aqualad's sea horse was named "Imp" - thanks to Dean Velasco for
providing that info).
Wonder Woman traditionally has had no need for the
helmet, as Johanna Draper notes; she had "oxygen-bearing earrings"
with which she could breath underwater. Kevin Lafferty sees
similarities between the helmet design here and those drawn by the
great artist of the 1950s and 1960s Wally Wood.
Page 34 (92). Given what the Spectre said on page 18 (76) about
Wonder Woman - that she was the "Eternal Princess of the
Amazons" - her statement here that she has been stripped of her
"royalty and...my heritage" seems somewhat curious - although, as
Johanna Draper pointed out, Wonder Woman is the only member of
the second generation of the Amazons.
Wonder Woman has been stripped of her Amazonian
heritage at least once before, though; Johanna Draper points out
that traditionally Wonder Woman lost her heritage of immortality
simply by leaving Paradise Island. As well, the post-Crisis Wonder
Woman's mission was "to teach the ways of her just and peaceful
civilization to a violent world." Clearly she failed in _that_
category.
The Waid/Ross Annotations note the character in panel 1,
above and to the right of Dolphin's head, 1 is "Sub-Lime, an
Andrew Kudelka design."
Page 35 (93). Donna Troy and Red Arrow interrupting a potential
moment of passion between Superman and Wonder Woman is a
classic bit of comic humor.
Page 36 (94). Loki Carbis, among others, notes that Magog's
actions here mirror those of Superman in issue #1 when we first see
him. Both are repairing a barn in Kansas. As we'll soon see, there
are many similarities between the two: both are the champions of
Metropolis and symbolic leaders of their generations of
metahumans. But, as Loki points out, Magog tries to do too much
and the wrong way, and loses his temper when he fails, destroying
what he has done and symbolically demonstrating where he differs
from Superman.
Page 38 (96). All of the magazines shown in the newsstand in panel
1, with the exception of Newstime, Metal Hurlant, and Juggs, were
real pulp magazines that flourished in the 1930s and 1940s. Of all
these magazines, only Juggs is still being published.
The Joker here bears a great deal more resemblance to the
chubby, middle-aged and balding Jack Nicholson Joker of the first
_Batman_ movie than to the tall, lean Joker of the comics.
The "Ninety-two men...and one woman" killed in the Daily
Planet massacre - Joker-gassed to death, as we see in panel 2 - was
the loss referred to in issue #1 by Wonder Woman; as we see,
Superman lost his wife, Lois Lane, as well as his friends Perry
White and Jimmy Olsen (still wearing his red bow-tie, and with his
watch flashing, which was what happened when Jimmy turned on
the Superman Emergency Signal to call for Superman's help).
As Gregg Allison and Mark Semich point out, "Must there
be a Superman?" - seen here on the cover of Newstime magazine -
was the title of a famous 1970s Superman story (_Superman_
#247) by Eliot S. Maggin. That story defined Superman for the
1970s. Gregg also pointed out that Clark Kent edited Newstime in
DC continuity for a brief period. The Newstime cover itself, as
Yeechang Lee notes, bears a great deal of resemblance to the cover
of John Byrne's _Man of Steel_ #1. H. Jameel al Khafiz adds that
the newsstand operator here is visually similar to the newsstand
operator in _Watchmen_.
Page 39 (97). Magog's murder of the Joker seems quite reminiscent
to me of Jack Ruby's killing of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Note that Superman, in this flashback, is wearing his old
costume, with the yellow background for the red S on his chest, as
well as his ponytail.
This, then, was the trial that drove Superman from
Metropolis - Magog was acquitted of what was obviously murder.
As Yeechang Lee succinctly put it, "How can the foremost
protector of Truth, Justice and the American Way continue to
protect a city whose citizens appear willing to condone blatant
murder, a murder Superman himself would have been justified in
committing, if anyone at all?"
Donald MacPherson points out that Ron Troupe, who is
credited here for writing the Planet article on Magog's acquittal, is a
supporting cast member in the current _Superman_ comics. Just
Joe and David J. Snyder note that the Inspector Henderson quoted
in the article was a supporting character in the _Superman_ tv show
and is now a supporting character in the comics. Finally, Donald
MacPherson notes that Inspector Henderson was part of the
Metropolis law enforcement community as far back as _Superman
Family_, back in the 1970s.
Page 41 (99). Waid's script for panel 5 here reads: "Suddenly,
Magog hits Superman with enough power to level a mountain -- so
much power that we can't even see Superman.
"Dot this image with several inset shots of Wonder Woman,
Green Lantern and others thunderstruck at this sudden action and
flinching in anticipation of Superman's imminent death."
Page 42 (100). Waid's script for panel 10 here reads: "Pull back to
show Superman unharmed. He's staring slightly down at his
smoking palms and chest; even he's a bit surprised that he's still
here."
Page 43 (101). "We are at war." And so Superman begins to lead
his troops in the Justice League down the same road which led to
Magog's downfall. Wonder Woman is shocked by this
pronouncement, and with good reason; as Michael Denton notes,
his comment here is a sort of reaction to her speech on page 35
(93), panel 2, where she says "We are at war, Kal..." Given his
misgivings there to her argument, his determined agreement with it
here is surprising.
Page 102. This is Apokolips, the blasted, burning and damned
planet that is home to Darkseid. The figure in panels 3 and 4 is in
the classic Darkseid pose - but, as we quickly discover, it's not
Darkseid.
Page 103. Note that Superman is holding the helmet of Orion in
panel 1, and that Orion is using Metron's old Moebius chair as his
throne. Orion's face has changed; he is no longer using his Mother
Box to alter his features, but is instead letting his true face be seen.
And, as he's grown older, he is obviously more and more coming to
resemble his true father, Darkseid, even though he has the beard of
his adopted father, Izaya.
Clearly Orion killed Darkseid, as he was destined to do, and
took over his role as master of Apokolips. Superman's reluctance
to call it as such - he says Orion "usurped" the throne - is curious.
The Revelations supplement says this about Orion: "One of
my early concepts for the series which had to be cut due to the
similar story presence to the Arthur (Aquaman) & Dolphin
sequence was Orion's future as the ruler of Apokolips after
defeating (and having killed) his father Darkseid. Originally, I was
looking to visit a character like Darkseid to show the perspective of
the classic supervillain schemer, who would look at the situation
and say, `Why should I get involved? They're destroying their
world far better than I could have planned!' Instead, I later arrived
at the Godfather-esque conclusion to Orion's part in Kirby's New
Gods saga, where despite his previous warring against his own
`dark side,' the son eventually becomes the father. I represented
this physically in the growth of his facial features into a much
sourer, craggy state, with his receding hairline now mimicking
Darkseid's headpiece. I boast no special foresight into where Kirby
wished to take this part of his epic. It simply seemed to be an
interesting turn in the generational tale he was telling."
Page 104. Note, in panels 1 and 2, the blood stains on the throne.
Orion's resemblance to Darkseid is pronounced on this page.
Superman's refusal to see anyone deported from their
homeworld obviously hearkens back to his own origin as The Last
Survivor Of The Doomed Planet Of Krypton.
Page 44 (106). The Justice League members putting together the
super-gulag are, from the top: Green Lantern I, Lady Marvel,
Bulletman, Starman VIII, Hawkman, the Ray, Alloy, King Marvel
(the adult version of Captain Marvel Jr., most recently seen in the
pages of the _Power of Shazam_ book), Wonder Woman, Power
Woman, Flash III, and Red Robin.
As a few people have noted, Green Lantern I is shooting
green rays from both hands; previous Lanterns have been restricted
to firing their power from their ring hands.
The Gulag is being built on the ashes of Kansas. Alan
Turniasky usefully points out that the original Armageddon
happened in the plain of Megiddo, and that the heart of the Great
Plains of North America is, in fact, Kansas.
Page 45 (107). We see the Batman, Oliver Queen, Ted Kord, and
Dinah Lance Queen again, but now aligning with Luthor's Mankind
Liberation Front. Again, this does not bode well for the future of
_Kingdom Come_.
As a few people noticed (Loki Carbis among them), both
Ollie and Dinah are shocked in panel 4 - they are looking at
Luthor's valet and are quite surprised, even alarmed, by what they
see.
Just Joe notes Xu'ffasch's body language in this panel as he
looks at the Batman - standing slightly stooped, and smiling
sheepishly - somewhat like a proud child. Moreover, as Elayne
Weschler-Chaput notes, Selina smiles at Nigma, Xu'ffasch and
Bruce Wayne have similar faces, and Luthor says that Xu'ffasch
was responsible for "negotiating" Batman's alliance with the
Mankind Liberation Front; obviously Batman has somewhat kept in
touch with Xu'ffasch, just as he didn't abandon Gotham City (in
contrast to Superman).
The following folks were very helpful in correcting my errors and
otherwise giving me helpful additional information:
[A--ra--l] at [grfn.org], fellow MSTie Gregg Allinson,
[Atan 812] at [aol.com], Keith Baird, Dirk Bansch, Neil Barnes, Andrew
Black, Chris Blakeley, Loki Carbis, Scott Casteel (to whom I'm
eternally grateful for his copious notes on the Chicago Con),
Michael Cavanagh, Dwayne Chun, Gerry Clark, Mark Coale
(source of all DC knowledge), Jim Cowling, J. Crowhurst, Michael
Denton, Sean Donnelly, Thad A. Doria, Edward Douglas, Johanna
Draper, Chris Eckert, Robert Faires, Andrew Farrell, Daniel Frank,
Eric "Juice" Fritzius, Mike Gallaher, Kevin L. Gilbert, David
Goldfarb, Michael Grabois (to whom I'm quite grateful for his notes
on the San Diego Con), Eric Harding, Adam Hardy, Rob Harris,
Michael Hazlett, Bill Jennings, Just Joe, H. Jameel al Khafiz, Kevin
Lafferty, Yeechang Lee, Peter Li, Brad Lile, Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni, Austin Loomis, Donald MacPherson, Sean MacDonald,
Kevin Maroney, Edward Mathews, Brian McGinely, Bill Messick,
"Mr. Miracle," Justin Mohareb, Hans Ongchua, Page, Asmin
Pahare, Randy Patton, Tony Pi, S L Post, Jim Puga, Ray Randell,
Scott Rogers, Michael Scheu, Mike Schmidt, Mark A. Semich,
Greg Sheets, Joel Shin, Marc Singer, David J. Snyder, Michael
Starsinic, David Stein, John B. Sterner III, Sean M. Sullivan, Chris
Sypal, [T--gf--d] at [aol.com], Gregory B. Tiede, Alan Turniasky,
Dave Van Domelen, Virgilio Dean Velasco Jr., Elayne Weschler-Chaput, Melody Womack, Andrew D. Woodard, Jonathan
Woodward, and [y--n] at [netvoyage.net.]
[Annotator's Note: the page number in parentheses is the page
number of the bound edition; I've retained the original numbering
of the separate issues]
All characters mentioned and described and text quoted herein are
copyright 1997 DC Comics. No infringement of copyright or
trademark is intended by this annotations, nor has permission been
given by DC Comics to quote from _Kingdom Come_. The text to
this annotation is copyright 1997 Jess Nevins. This annotation may
be quoted in its entirety as long as this acknowledgement is
included.
jess