From: Jess Nevins <[j j nevins] at [ix.netcom.com]>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info,rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
Subject: Kingdom Come #3 Annotations
Date: 27 Jun 1997 10:13:00 -0700
Kingdom Come #3 Annotations
All descriptions, unless specifically noted otherwise, are done
moving left to right and top to bottom within a panel or a page.
Cover Front Row: Tula, Blue Beetle II, Red Hood, Flash IV, Green
Lantern VI, Batman, Captain Marvel, Black Canary III.
Second Row: Phantom Lady II, Spy Smasher, Darkstar,
Fate, Nightstar, Condor, Lightning, Oliver Queen, Dinah Queen.
Third Row: Steel, Menagerie, Ralph Dibny, Mr. Scarlet,
Obsidian, Wildcat III, Nuculoid.
Last Row: Bat-Knight, Deadman, Huntress III, Cossack,
Ace II, Batwoman II, John Jones, Mysteryman, Zatara II, Samurai,
Dragon, Bat-Knight, Creeper.
Tula is described in the card set as "seafaring malcontent
and daughter of Aquaman II." The Revelations supplement says this
about her: "The most estranged Titan child is the mysterious
daughter of Aquaman II, for whom the mother is unknown. As her
features are vaguely Asian, we are uncertain who these genes could
have come from. Tony Akins designed the seashell-like armor and
weapons brandished by this most aggressive, malcontented Titan
offspring. Her being named Tula after Aquagirl, her father's late
girlfriend, indicates that he must have had a presence in her life,
even if not for long." The Revelations genealogy establishes that, as
unofficially rumored, Tula's mother is "Mizuko Perkins," aka Deep
Blue (recently introduced into the DC universe in _Aquaman_),
who is in turn the child of Tsunami and Neptune Perkins, the World
War Two heroes formerly with the Young All-Stars. The idea for
Tula's mother to be Deep Blue was originally Leah Adezio's.
The Revelations supplement gives the following information
about Blue Beetle II: "As an inventor brilliant enough to build
himself a flying beetle-shaped aircraft, it would seem possible, even
probable, that Ted Kord's technical expertise could be applied to a
flying, mechanized suit of armor to help him get around better in his
old age and reflect more of the scarab beetle style. The original
Blue Beetle's physical prowess derived from an ancient mystical
scarab amulet, and it was incorporated here as a power source
melded to the armor."
Red Hood is Lian Harper, the daughter of Red Arrow (Roy
Harper, formerly Speedy) and the villainess Cheshire. The
Revelations supplement says this about her: "Not named after the
Joker's original alter ego, but more after Little Red Riding Hood,
this Titan child is the daughter of Red Arrow (originally Speedy)
and the villainess Cheshire. Since she has been raised under his care,
she has more in common with her father and has taken up his
crimefighting craft of archery. Her costume is loosely based on one
of the earliest Golden Age heroes (and the first archer), The
Arrow."
Flash IV is the daughter of Wally West (the _Kingdom
Come_ Flash III), and (according to the Revelations supplement)
Angela Margolin (who? - Annotator). Flash IV's costume is very
similar to the costume that Wally West wore as Kid Flash I, while
he was with the Teen Titans. The Revelations supplement says this
about her: "The young girl in the Kid Flash-derived outfit is the
daughter of the adult Kid Flash, Wally West (now simply The
Flash). I justify two people running around with the same superhero
name by saying that it's simply part of longtime DC history to have
lots of guys share a mantle (though the excuse of having alternate
versions of Earth is now gone). She would have gained this super-speedster lineage by blood, but her more natural humanity contrasts
with her father's evolved, near-godlike state. Also, if Flash truly is a
composite of more than Wally West's sentience, he would be
further hampered in relating to his offspring. Certain costume
details in her lightning-striped pants and booties reflect the design
of the original Flash, Jay Garrick."
The card set describes Green Lantern VI (currently known,
in DC continuity, as the heroine Jade) as "daughter of Green
Lantern I and Harlequin, and a living battery of the Lantern's
power." The Kingdom Come Revelations supplement also adds
this: "Alan Scott has two children, the super-powered Jade and
Obsidian. Jade is now sporting the Silver Age Green Lantern's
mantle, suggesting that she is truly the inheritor of the mission of
Kyle Rayner (DC's current GL) and the once interplanetary GL
Corps, and that Alan Scott is acting on his own and fulfilling his
own ambitions (a la Hal Jordan). My original intention was to name
this character (Green Lantern I) the Green Knight, and separate him
from his daughter as the true bearer of the name Green
Lantern.....Following more in Hal Jordan's shoes than her father's,
Alan Scott's daughter Jade is the new bearer of the GL mantle after
Kyle Rayner. Due to her natural-born ability, the green-skinned
spawn of the first man on earth to wear a Green Lantern ring does
not need the Guardians' gift to be passed on to her - she has always
been a living power battery. It could be assumed that part of the rift
between the original GL and his kids was caused by Alan Scott's
reclaiming the remaining power ring, adding its power to his agenda
and not to the Guardian's will."
The card set describes Batman as "a master strategist, and
still the world's greatest detective."
The card set describes Captain Marvel in this way: "under
the control of Lex Luthor, the World's Mightiest Mortal quickly
becomes the world's mightiest villain."
The Revelations supplement adds this information about
Black Canary III: "This is the only mother-daughter passing of a
super-hero mantle in the series (and the only healthy parent-child
relationship shown). Black Canary is a name used for the third time
here, with Dinah's mother being the first. The crossbow-armed
child of Oliver and Dinah has additional equipment for warfare and
flight. This Black Canary is the first natural blonde to hold the title
thanks to her father's genes."
Phantom Lady II is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the
GA heroine Phantom Lady and is described in the card set as "a
literal phantom of the original." As Mark Coale notes, she seems to
be visually based on Bettie Page, the 1950s pin-up queen.
Spy Smasher is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the Golden
Age hero seen in various Fawcett comics and recently introduced
into the DC universe in the pages of _Power of Shazam_. The card
set describes Spy Smasher as an "independent operative in the post-Cold War world." The Revelations supplement says: "This update
of the oft-forgotten Fawcett character and movie serial hero is
intended to be a combat-equipped, post-Cold War independent
operative with somewhat of a nomadic status."
Darkstar is Robert Long, the son of Donna Troy and Terry
Long, Donna's first husband. Darkstar is wearing the uniform of the
Darkstars, the galactic police force created by the alien Controllers;
Donna Troy was a member of the Darkstars, and the card set
describes Darkstar as "inheritor of her Darkstar role." His blond
hair is inherited from his father. As Donald MacPherson notes, in
an alternate DC future Donna Troy's son became a dictator named
Lord Chaos, who had long, curly hair, just like Darkstar. Al
Schroeder and Marc Singer also note that Robert Long's uniform is
a combination of the Darkstar uniform and the caduceus, the
symbol of Mercury - fitting, given Donna Troy's mythological
background. The Revelations supplement says this about him: "The
child of Donna Troy and ex-husband Terry Long (human guy) has
died in current continuity and been an adult in another, possible
future timeline. There, he was imbued with the power of all the
Titan gods of Greek myth at birth and became the evil Lord Chaos,
despotic ruler of the future Earth. Responsible for the creation of
the time-displaced Team Titans, Lord Chaos's existence was
ultimately averted in a story of time travel and alternative futures.
Considering that in current continuity his mother, formerly known
as both Wonder Girl and Troia, was this planet's Darkstar (an
intergalactic police force), it seemed perfectly logical that he might
assume that role one day. This frees Donna Troy to return to her
Amazonian origins and provides a new, heroic future for her once
darkly-destined son. To include a touch of his mom's mythological
Greek connection, I adapted his Darkstar chest emblem to resemble
the Caduceus, the staff carried by the god Hermes (also used as the
symbol for medicine), whom he resembles."
Fate is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC hero Dr.
Fate. The card set describes it this way: "the Helmet of Nabu, a
talisman that no longer needs a human host." The Revelations
supplement adds the following: "Reconstituting itself from the knife
form it is currently in, the gold helmet of Nabu, one of the ancient
Lords of Order, reclaims the sentience it once held in the old Dr.
Fate/Kent Nelson relationship, but this time without the need for a
human host to bear its mystical power."
Nightstar is the daughter of Nightwing (Red Robin) and
Starfire. The Revelations supplement says this about her:
"Definitely her mother's daughter, the flying starbolt-firing vixen
with the rich, flowing hair and green eyes seems to show more of
the superhuman/alien side of her parentage. The half-human, half-Tamaranean child of longtime Titans couple (separated in current
storylines) Starfire and Nightwing (Red Robin) is the focal example
in _Kingdom Come_ of the generational divide between the classic
super-heroes and their children. Nightstar's estrangement from her
father and her mother's absence in the series could be explained
through Starfire's death, and that that loss somehow led to a rift.
That she is a clear visual reminder of her mother (with the
exception of her dark, straight hair from dad's genes) may have
been too haunting to Dick Grayson, and therefore he either
distanced himself or he may have become overprotective and
constrictive of her, fearing for her life.
"Throwing in with Batman puts her close to the figurative
grandfather she probably never got to know due to the split
between him and her father. She may be instrumental in linking up
the other original Titans' offspring.
"Visually, she combines her parents' individual costumed
identities with the wing motif of Nightwing and the more violet hue
of her starbolt power (Starfire's was red).
"Nightstar's name and likeness originate in my oldest,
longest-running childhood super-heroine designs which, by pure
fortune, found a perfect home in the linking of these longtime
lovebirds.
Condor is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC hero
Black Condor. The card set describes him as the "current inheritor
of the Black Condor mantle." The Revelations supplement adds
this: "The third man to take up the Black Condor mantle is referred
to simply as Condor (for obvious reasons). His costume reflects
more of the Quality Comics original than his native American
predecessor. Artist Tony Akins drew this design."
Oliver Queen is described in the card set as "formerly Green
Arrow, now married to Dinah Lance, Black Canary II."
Dinah Lance Queen is described in the card set this as
"formerly Black Canary II."
Steel is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC hero Steel,
and the card set says he "has switched his devotion from Superman
to Batman, and is accented with his bat-shaped battle ax." Alex
Ross has said that the _Kingdom Come_ Steel is a version of the
character if he'd come under the influence of The Batman after
Superman retired, rather than being influenced only by Superman,
as he was/is in current DC continuity. (Thanks to Randy Patton and
David J. Snyder for correcting my errors here).
Menagerie is described in the Revelations supplement as
"Doom Patrol's Beast Boy and the Titans' Changeling, deformed
over time by his ability to mimic the forms of animal creatures, now
transforms himself into images of imaginary beasts. Gar's much less
happy, permanent form is inspired by the winged monkeys from
_The Wizard of Oz_ and Dr. Seuss' Grinch."
Mr. Scarlet is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the Golden
Age hero seen in various Fawcett comics and recently introduced
into the DC universe in the pages of _Power of Shazam_. Mr.
Scarlet is described in the card set as "blue-collar bruiser, with
bright red skin."
Obsidian is described in Revelations supplement as "One of
my favorite infrequently-seen characters, Obsidian has always been
at his sister's side. Since they were not raised by their natural
father, Alan Scott, they have always been a team and I see that
extending into their later years. Obsidian's appearance reflects the
pulp roots of his supernatural "Shadow"-based powers."
Wildcat III is described in the Revelations supplement as
"The former boxer turned superhero has been followed by a female
version and now a half-animal creature, looking much like the
costume come to life. This man-panther is obviously more feral and
ferocious."
The Revelations supplement states the following about the
Huntress III: "The Huntress comes from the jungles of the Amazon
to represent a more historically faithful Amazon warrior, and she is
our one jungle hero in the story. Notice that she has removed her
right breast as legend demands of the Amazons to better pull their
bowstrings. She also harks back to the original Injustice Society
villainess The Huntress, who partnered with the Sportsmaster and
made a similar use of tiger skin."
Cossack is described in the card set as the "champion of
Russia, from the Batmen of many nations." DC had a tradition,
pre-Crisis, that Batman (and Green Arrow) had inspired other, non-American crimefighters to take up costumes and war against evil;
_Detective Comics_ #215, "The Batmen of All Nations," listed
them as the Legionary (Italy), the Ranger (Australia), the
Musketeer (France), the Knight (Robin), and the Gaucho ("South
America"); _Batman_ #65 added "Northern Europe's Wingman" to
the list. The Cossack, Samurai and Dragon were not seen in these
issues, but their inclusion here is a logical extrapolation of that
trend, as well as being a nice nod to the international-Batmen
tradition. The Revelations supplement adds this about the Cossack:
"Russia's champion is also derived from classical military
costuming. The Cossacks were part of an elite corps of horsemen in
czarist Russia."
Ace II is described in the card set as "otherworldy bat-hound, and Batwoman II's steed."
Batwoman II is described in the card set as "Batman
admirer from the Fourth World." Obviously there is some
backstory here - how did a Fourth World god become enamored of
The Batman? In the 1940s and 1950s there was a tradition that the
Batman had inspired beings on other worlds and in other, future
times to fight evil; Waid and Ross may be making a reference to
that long-lost tradition here. The Revelations supplement says the
following about Batwoman II & Ace II: "The lighthearted and
forgotten Batwoman, Batman's romantic compatriot and his
faithful, masked canine sidekick, Ace the Bat-Hound, are two of my
favorites. These versions are meant to make those concepts work in
a more fantastic and somehow serious way. Stylistically, I saw this
Batwoman hailing from Kirby's Fourth World as an admirer of
Batman (stating the far-reaching implications of his legend) with the
unearthly bat-winged, wolf-like Ace as her steed. As the original
Ace wore a mask to cover up his diamond-shaped white patch of
hair in the middle of his forehead, so too does this Bathound have
the same mark."
John Jones is described in the card set as "former Martian
Manhunter, now has psychological problems."
Mysteryman is described in the card set as "one of Batman's
fellow crimefighters." Chris Gumprich and Hunter Rose point out
that there was a Silver Age Batman story (_Detective Comics_
#245, "The Dynamic Trio") in which Batman teamed up with a
green-suited hero called "Mysteryman." The hood of that
"Mysteryman" (who was later revealed to be Commissioner
Gordon) is quite similar to the one seen here.
The Revelations supplement says this about Zatara II: "The
son of the late Zatanna and grandson of the original Zatara is a
youthful Harry Houdini-like successor to the magician super-hero
lineage." The Revelations genealogy reveals that Zatara II's father
was John Constantine.
Samurai is described in the card set as "champion of Japan,
from the Batmen of many nations." The Revelations supplement
says this about him: "The champion of Japan is more along the lines
of the original Batman of many nations, his basic costume taken
from classical Japanese armor. The samurai were a hereditary
warrior class in feudal Japan."
Dragon is described in the card set as "champion of China,
from the Batmen of many nations." The Revelations supplement
adds this: "The champion of China is styled most closely like
Batman, using a fearsome creature, well associated with Chinese
culture and history, for his costume."
The Creeper is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC
hero, and is described in the card set as an "aging, wretched
screwball superhero."
As was pointed out by Waid/Ross, while the original Teen
Titans - Flash III (most likely Wally, formerly Flash IV), Red
Arrow (formerly Speedy), Red Robin (formerly Robin, formerly
Nightwing) Aquaman II (formerly Aqualad), and Donna Troy
(formerly Wonder Girl) are siding with Superman, their children -
Flash IV, Red Hood, Nightstar, Tula, and Darkstar - are aligned
with The Batman.
As James E. Heath pointed out, all of the characters on the
cover are lit from below, with the exception of Captain Marvel and
Deadman. Symbolic, as he said, of intimate connections with higher
powers, perhaps?
Page 1 (111). The Biblical quotation accompanying Norman
McCay's vision of Captain Marvel is Revelation 10:3. As Donald
MacPherson points out, this is an indication that Captain Marvel's
role in the story is about to become important - even paramount.
Page 2 (112). Spectre once again points out to McCay that his role
in _Kingdom Come_ is as the divine judge; those events that are
played out in the pages of this series are, in a very real sense, only
the preliminaries to the Spectre's final judgment - and given the
character, that judgment will indeed be final. McCay's role,
conversely, is to lead the Spectre to that judgment; while the
Spectre is McCay's spirit guide, in somewhat the same way that
Virgil led Dante through Heaven, Hell and Purgatory in the Divine
Comedy, the Spectre's knowledge of the future is as limited as
McCay's. They are companions in this respect, rather than mentor
and student.
"Ragnarok" is the Norse twilight of the gods, the final
apocalyptic battle in which the Norse gods will die. Interestingly,
one man and one women survive Ragnarok, and they go on to raise
a new race of gods in a world of complete love and peace. Waid
and Ross might be implying, through the Spectre's choice of this
word, that an archetypal Adam-and-Eve couple may survive the
coming battle - perhaps Superman and Wonder Woman (or, as Just
Joe suggests, maybe Nightstar and Ibn Al Xu'ffasch)? This follows
a similar implication in issue #1 in the Fortress of Solitude scene.
Page 3 (113). Superman's Gulag is visually based on the Hall of
Doom, the headquarters of the Legion of Doom in the _Challenge
of the Super-Friends_ cartoon. The fact that the Gulag is a visual
double of the Hall of Doom, and that the Spectre himself (a divinely
appointed instrument of vengeance) calls the prison a "gulag," with
all the connotations that word has gathered (it was originally a
Russian acronym for the Soviet department responsible for
"corrective labor"), is indicative of the way in which the moral
centers of the series - Superman, Wonder Woman, and their fellow
heroes in the Justice League - have lost their moral edge, and come
much closer to the moral gray zone inhabited by their opponents.
Tony Pi notes the padlock design on the fins - quite fitting
for a prison.
Pages 4-5 (114-115) The inside of the Gulag; a considerable
contrast to both the exterior of the Gulag and the Kansas milieu in
which it is placed.
Panel 1: Shade III, Demon Damsel, Nowhere Man (last seen in
issue #2), Stealth II, Fantom of the Fair, Tyrant-Tula, Jeepers,
Black Manta II, Killer Moth II, Shining Knight II, Dragonknight,
Blue Devil II, Hawk II & Dove II, a Gulag-bot (my name for what
the Waid/Ross Annotations calls a "Kryptonian-armored robot
guard), and Rag Doll (lower right).
Shade III is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC hero
Shade, the Changing Man - not the Vertigo version, but the
traditional, heroic character who appeared in his own comic in the
1970s and in the pages of _Suicide Squad_.
Tyrant-Tula (so named by the Waid/Ross Annotations) is a
new character and was designed by Tony Akins.
Jeepers is the _Kingdom Come_ version of a Fawcett
character and opponent of Captain Marvel; he was an intelligent
bat-monster and stooge of Mister Mind and served in Mind's
Monster Society of Evil.
Black Manta II is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC
character (originally a male) and enemy of Aquaman I; we get a
better view of her on page 7 (117), panel 1.
Killer Moth II is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the
Batman villain Killer Moth.
Shining Knight II is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the
Shining Knight, a GA DC hero & member of the Seven Soldiers of
Victory. The Revelations supplement says this about him: "My
throwaway design for a flying, futuristic, silver-plated knight
seemed well applied to updating the original's gold-chainmail-wearing, winged-horse-riding character. He is transplanted from the
future instead of the medieval past." Shining Knight II's colors
change as it moves from background to background; here it is
black/silver/grey, while later, on page 7 (117), panel 6, it has a
golden color
Several people noted that the "Gulag-Bot" seems to be
based on the Kryptonian Battlesuits, which we saw on page 25 of
issue #1, in Superman's Fortress of Solitude.
As Donald MacPherson noted, we can see the yellow grid
of Superman's holographic technology on the top of the Gulag's
dome, while the architecture of the Gulag is obviously derived from
the Greek buildings of Wonder Woman's home, Paradise Island.
There is an ironic, inner conflict here between paradise and prison.
Similarly, while the Gulag's interior is pastoral and placid in
appearance, the uppermost level of the Gulag is ringed by arches
similar to those ringing the Colosseum in Rome - a perhaps
deliberate symbolic equation between those unfortunates forced to
fight in the Colosseum, and the metahuman inhabitants of the
Gulag?
The Revelations supplement says the following about the
Gulag: "It is all too obvious to many that I took the design from the
prison from the _Challenge of the Super Friends_ tv cartoon and
the Legion of Doom's mobile, domed headquarters. The evil facade
seemed to be an appropriate one to give to this enormous, city-sized penitentiary made to house the most ruthless and unruly
superhumans. The design inside the prison was meant to create an
extremely hospitable atmosphere: a large Roman theater-like
design, the layout of individual, non-barred cells, and a friendly
tree-lined central park - complete with fountain-sculptures and
benches under a holographic projection of the sky on the inside of
the domed ceiling. It also combined design influences from Wonder
Woman's Paradise Island heritage and used Kryptonian robot
guards, reconstructions of lost Kryptonian technology from
Superman's Fortress of Solitude. The exterior of the prison
attempted to infuse a certain touch of a Kirby design to reflect the
jail's mastermind, Scott Free. The shapes of giant locks intersect
with the five legs reaching out from the base structure."
Panel 2: Scott Free is the civilian identity of the hero Mr. Miracle;
he is the child of the Fourth World New Gods Izaya Highfather and
Avia (a different Avia from the heroine in this series). His
mustache-less beard is similar to the beard of Izaya Highfather. As
Donald MacPherson notes, his role as a jailer, rather than as an
escape artist, is "consistent with the various role reversals we've
seen in _Kingdom Come_ so far." Donald also notes that the
circuitry/tech-gear on his left arm could be a new configuration of
the Mother Box, the sentient computer that guided him through
many of his adventures.
Of the characters in the viewscreen panels: Pinwheel, Jade
Fox, Mantis II, Fiddler, Kongo, Big Barda, Demon Damsel,
Magog, Killer Moth II, Gulag-Bot, and Barda again.
Jade Fox is the woman in green in the lower left hand
corner of panel 2, who was last seen blasting Red Arrow in issue
#2, page 31 (89), panel 2; Tony Pi translates the ideogram tattooed
over her left eye as "Hu'," meaning "orphaned, alone, abandoned."
Mantis II is a new character.
Fiddler (silhouetted figure playing a violin) is the _Kingdom
Come_ version of the Golden Age DC villain the Fiddler.
Kongo (with troll-doll hair) is a new character.
Big Barda is the New God, heroine, and wife to Scott Free.
She is visually different - the eyepatch is a new addition for her -
but she has Barda's mega-rod and, as Kenneth Jennings points out,
the red hexagons on the belt and the black arm- and wrist-bands
with golden circles that Barda always wore. Gustavus also points
out the similarities between the physical build of this character and
that of the DC continuity Big Barda.
Page 6 (116). Panel 1: April Fool, Black Mongul (silhouetted),
Goblin Lord, Stealth II, Buddha (silhouetted), Bloodlust,
Somnambulist, Catwoman II, Tokyo Rose, Iron Bow, Big Barda,
Blue, Gulag-Bot, Spade, Kongo and Nightmaster.
April Fool and Goblin Lord are visually based on,
respectively, Columbia and Riff-Raff from the film _The Rocky
Horror Picture Show_. The Goblin Lord is also very reminiscent
visually of Max Schreck's "Nosferatu" in the film of the same
name.
Bloodlust is a new character, described in the Revelations
supplement in this way: "This would be the only vampire thrown
into the series' melting pot. I took an old childhood design (named
Vamp, strangely enough) and dressed her in a more Japanese-inspired manga costume."
Somnambulist is a new character.
Iron Bow - the stone-colored character on horseback - is a
new character, based visually on a statue of a Native American on
Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
Spade is a new character. The Waid/Ross Annotations
identify him as based on "artist David Williams's signature
persona."
The original Nightmaster was a 1970s DC sword-and-sorcery hero; it is unclear whether this is meant to be the same
character, or the _Kingdom Come_ version.
Panel 2: The repentant Magog; judging from the fallen (or thrown)
wineglass, he is dealing with his captivity and his guilt no better
than he dealt with his freedom. Although, as Just Joe points out, he
isn't really confined to his cell, based on the freedom of movement
that the other prisoners have.
Panel 4: Iron Bow, Norman McCay, Spectre, Gulag-Bot, Iron
Butterfly, Oggar, Swastika, Goat-Man, White, Superman, Ibac,
666, Mr. Banjo, Crocodile Man, King Kull, Demon Damsel, and
Mr. Mulch (with cigarette).
Iron Butterfly is, as Thad Doria points out, visually quite
similar to the robot in Fritz Lang's _Metropolis_, which in turn was
the model for the robot villain Mechanique, who appeared in DC's
_All-Star Squadron_. Michael Cavanagh completes the reference
by noting that the blue wings were added on to the figure for the
cover of the first Iron Butterfly album.
Oggar is the _Kingdom Come_ version of Oggar, who was
originally a Fawcett character, the "World's Mightiest Immortal."
Oggar put up quite a fight against Captain Marvel across six issues
- a minor record for Captain Marvel opponents.
Goat-Man (seen in silhouette here and more fully on page 7
(117), panel 5) is be the _Kingdom Come_ version of the Goat-Man, originally a Fawcett character who was a minion of Mr. Mind
in the Monster Society of Evil.
Ibac is the _Kingdom Come_ version of Ibac, who was
originally a Fawcett character. Ibac sold his soul to the devil in
exchange for great power, but who never managed to best Captain
Marvel; later, Ibac served in the Monster Society of Evil under Mr.
Mind.
Mr. Banjo is the _Kingdom Come_ version of Mr. Banjo,
originally a Fawcett character who was a spy for the Axis and
enemy of Captain Marvel.
Crocodile Man is the _Kingdom Come_ version of one of
the Crocodile Men of the planet Punkus. They were a part of the
original Monster Society of Evil.
King Kull is the _Kingdom Come_ version of King Kull,
originally a Fawcett character and enemy of Captain Marvel. King
Kull was the last survivor of a prehistoric race of Beastmen.
Mr. Mulch (so identified by the Waid/Ross Annotations) is a
National Lampoon character.
C. Boldman points out that the hologram of Superman
sports a double-S hair curl, rather than the traditional single-S curl.
Mark Semich and Jerry Stratton note that Superman's
words in this panel are a direct quote from both of Elliot S.
Maggin's Superman novels, _Last Son of Krypton_ and _Miracle
Monday_.
Page 7 (117). Panel 1: White, Joker's Daughter II, Swastika,
Marley, Jeepers, 666, Superman, Black Manta II, Demon Damsel,
Stripes, Von Bach.
Marley is a new character; s/he is the figure on the edge of
the Colosseum above Superman's first word-balloon.
Panel 2: Von Bach, Stripes, Mr. Banjo, Crocodile Man.
Stripes' "Who bagged Eclipso...who toasted Ra's Al Ghul"
certainly implies that these more violent "heroes" did achieve one
thing - the deaths of some of the more dangerous villains. Eclipso
was a villain of various powers who was recently revealed to be a
warped version of the Spectre; and Ra's Al Ghul, mentioned in
passing in issue #2, was one of The Batman's most dangerous
enemies. As well, here and on the rest of the page, Stripes and 666
actually make some valid points in attempting to rebut Superman's
argument. Again, the moral boundaries between Superman and the
imprisoned metahumans is not nearly so well-defined as they
originally appeared.
Just Joe he notes that the "Who bagged Eclipso" line further
establishes the distance between Superman and the new breed of
hero; Superman spent his life helping to stop Ra's and Eclipso from
criminal acts, while the new kids simply stopped Ra's and Eclipso
from being. This is true; but Superman and the Justice League, by
imprisoning the amoral new heroes without due process and
seemingly without much legal justification, are violating any number
of the prisoners' civil rights - and that is a very slippery slope to
start down.
Panel 3: The Slaughter Brigade, mentioned here by 666, are new
characters.
Panel 5: Gulag-Bot, Oggar, 666, and Goat-Man.
Panel 6: Stripes, Von Bach, 666, Iron Butterfly, Killer Moth II,
White, Joker's Daughter II, and Shining Knight II.
Page 8 (118). Panel 1: Captain Comet, Gulag-Bot, and Big Barda.
Panel 2: Von Bach, 666, Joker's Daughter II, Spectre, Norman
McCay, Captain Comet, Gulag-Bot, Big Barda, Stripes, and, in
flight, Shade III and Stealth II.
Von Bach calls Captain Comet a "Pig-dog," a bad insult in
German (Stefan Ullrich notes that "schweinhund" should actually be
"schweinehund"). The word on Von Bach's left forearm is "hass,"
the German word for hate. In issue 2 we saw the German word for
love on Von Bach's right forearm. Robert Mitchum's demented,
evil preacher, in the film version of _Night of the Hunter_, had the
words "love" and "hate" tattooed on his right and left hand (in
somewhat the same manner that the _Kingdom Come_ Mr. Terrific
has "good sport" on his hands in issue #1). Given the depth of
detail Ross and Waid have poured into this issue, this parallel is
likely not coincidental.
Panel 4: (working clockwise from Von Bach), Pinwheel,
Salamander, Cathedral, Fantom of the Fair, Trix, King Kull, Mr.
Mulch, 666, Swastika (back of his head visible), Stripes, Ibac,
Hippieman, and Kabuki Kommando.
Hippieman (identified as such by the Waid/Ross
Annotations) is visually based on Glenn Carnagey, who is, as
Michael Chary pointed out, a long-time net.personality and friend
to Alex Ross.
Von Bach is being blasted off his feet by Captain Comet,
who is a powerful telekinetic, among other things.
Panel 5: Hippieman, Captain Comet, King Kull, Von Bach and
Kabuki Kommando.
Von Bach (in German): "No threat, Kosmonaut."
Kabuki Commando (in Japanese): "He's heavier than he
looks." (Thanks to Tony Pi for translating this)
Von Bach's statement - "No threat, Kosmonaut" - is, in my
view, directed not at Hippieman, but rather at Captain Comet;
given the meaning of the word "Kosmonaut" (a Russian word for
astronaut), it seems to apply much more to Captain Comet than to
Glenn Carnagey. Stefan Ullrich notes that Mr. Waid was apparently
using an English-German dictionary published in the German
Democratic Republic (the pre-unification East Germany);
"kosmonaut" was the GDR word for astronaut.
Page 9 (119). Panel 1: Hippieman, Von Bach, Kabuki Commando,
White, Joker's Daughter II (not Columbia as I originally thought -
thanks to Mike Schmidt for correcting my error), Blue, Manotaur,
Big Barda, "Gulag-Bot," Stripes, Thunder, Swastika, Stars, Oggar.
Flying is Dragonknight.
Von Bach (in German): "I will kill that guy."
Kabuki Commando (in Japanese): "Don't get mad at
me...get mad at him!" (Thanks to Tony Pi for translating this)
Panel 4: Swastika, Fantom of the Fair, Marley, Stripes, Stealth II,
Jeepers, Goat-Man, Stars, Crocodile Man, Dragonknight, Kabuki
Kommando and Hippiman.
The discontented and angry looks on the prisoners' faces is
another indication of how high the tensions are running in the
Gulag.
Panel 6: Red, Lex Luthor, Captain Marvel.
How Red escaped capture is a question that may perhaps
never be answered. Moreover, Luthor's control over Red seems to
imply (as Dave Van Domelen suggested) that Red, White and
Blue's attack upon the Americommando and the Minutemen in the
beginning of issue #2 was perhaps engineered by Luthor, possibly
with the sole intent of getting White into the custody of the heroes
so that Luthor could monitor the prisoners; ideally, Luthor is crafty
and forward-looking enough to pull this sort of maneuver off
successfully.
As well, there's a multi-layered symbolism in this panel. The
imprisoned metas are being watched by both Scott Free, their jailer,
and Lex Luthor, who wishes to exploit them. Luthor is being
watched by McCay and the Spectre, who will judge Luthor. Luthor
in turn is being watched by Ross, their creator (for this comic, at
least), and by the readers, who are exploiting him (in the sense that
we are using the comic for our own entertainment and
enlightenment). It may be far-fetched, but, given the statement Ross
and Waid made in the first two issues about the state of the comics
industry today, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Ross and
Waid may be making a statement about the comic's audience and
our complicity in creating the shallow, violent, grim-n-gritty (tm)
"heroes" that Magog represents.
Or perhaps this is all in my head.
Page 10 (120). The Cosmic Conference - what the Waid/Ross
Annotations refer to as "The Quintessence." We see Zeus, Phantom
Stranger, Shazam, Ganthet, and Izaya Highfather. The Revelations
supplement says this about the Quintessence: "This five-person elite
of the major spiritual/unearthly powers in the DC cosmos converge
to judge the importance of events that might command their
involvement and/or interference."
Zeus is, of course, the leader of the Greek pantheon of
gods. He is also, as Mark McConnell pointed out, one of the
sources of Captain Marvel's powers, as well as being one of the
gods that the Amazons of Themyscyra worship. Rob Harris notes
that his portrayal here is similar to his appearance in the Greek myth
sequence of _Fantasia_.
The Phantom Stranger is a character of some mystery and
stature within the DC universe; his precise origin has never been
determined, and theories range from the Wandering Jew to a fallen
angel.
Shazam is the aged wizard/god who granted Captain Marvel
his powers.
Ganthet is, in current DC continuity, the last remaining
Guardian of the Universe, the group of figures who acted as
universal overseers and who gave the Green Lantern Corps their
powers. The Revelations supplement adds that Ganthet "supervised
the passing of Green Lantern's mantle from Hal Jordan to Kyle
Rayner and, in time, to Jade."
Izaya Highfather, mentioned earlier as Scott Free's father, is
the leader of the New Gods of New Genesis. His seeming
contempt for humans is a new wrinkle to the character, and, as the
Spectre points out, not - perhaps - to be taken seriously. The
"grand life equation" that he speaks of is presumably the opposite
of the Anti-Life Equation which Darkseid (Izaya's opposite and
arch-enemy) seeks and which will give Darkseid control over all
life; Thomas Howard corrects my original observation and notes
that something similar to the "grand life equation" was mentioned
in _New Gods_ #1.
Through the simple move of making the Cosmic Overlords
much, much larger than McCay and Deadman, Ross and Waid
successfully give Zeus, Izaya, the Stranger, Ganthet and Shazam
the appearance of being truly powerful beings, cosmic in scope.
This is a subtly managed effect, but a well executed one, I think.
And as Just Joe pointed out, placing them beneath Earth illustrates
their symbolic position; they are extremely powerful, but at the
same time they are servants of humanity, rather than our masters.
Interestingly, it is Shazam who is pleading humanity's case
with the other cosmic powers. Zeus has traditionally (in the DC
universe, at least) kept himself apart (mostly) from humanity's
affairs, but each of the other entities have involved themselves in
the goings-on of the Earth. The noticeably-quiet Phantom Stranger
was more often a detached observer than an active participant, but
Ganthet and the other Guardians of the Universe, through their
Green Lantern Corps, often took an active role in Earthly
happenings. As well, Shazam seems to be pleading his case more
on behalf of Captain Marvel than for humanity; and Ganthet, who
might be thought to have some sort of attachment to Earth or the
happenings upon it - Jade/Green Lantern VI, is directly involved in
this conflict - refuses to take part.
Page 11 (121). The spirit with whom Norman McCay speaks is
Deadman, formerly the aerialist Boston Brand who was made into
the agent of a higher power (as he says in panel 5) after his death.
As several people pointed out, Deadman's chatty, goofily-sarcastic manner is a change from his original, angst-ridden
conception but is relatively close to the way in which he has been
portrayed in the 1980s and 1990s, since Alan Moore wrote him that
way in _Swamp Thing Annual_ #2. Many folks also pointed out
that his skeletal appearance here is a change from his original
portrayal but is in line with his more recent appearances. Rob Harris
notes that his appearance here resembles the medieval illustrations
of Death as a skeleton, with strips of flesh and muscle hanging from
the bones. Craig Kostelecky quotes Ross to the effect that
Deadman's skeletal appearance signifies Boston Brand's
"acceptance of his fate." The Revelations supplement says this
about him: "One of the most delightful characters to make an
appearance in the series, Deadman's skeletal appearance is an
extrapolations from where Kelley Jones had recently brought him,
with his spiritual form reflecting his true physical body's decay from
the robust, superhero physique of the Neal Adams version. With his
flesh far behind him, the visual projection of his appearance may
either indicate a final acceptance of his (after)life's fate or a loss of
his own mind."
Page 12 (122). The "Rama Kushna" that Deadman mentions in
panel 1 is the name of the "Eastern Deity" that allowed Boston
Brand's spirit to live on and fight evil after his death.
Deadman's comments on the evolution of the Spectre's
character is in line with the character's history. As Elayne Wechsler-Chaput points out, the Deadman's down-to-earth (so to speak)
nature is counterpointed with the Spectre, whose character has
become even farther alienated from humanity than any of the
cosmic beings with whom he is discussing matters.
Page 13 (123). The Brainiac Superman mentions here was one of
Superman's deadliest enemies, an alien robot (pre-Crisis).
Superman mentions that he buried part of Brainiac on Argo,
which is a reference to Argo City, a piece of Krypton which
survived the planet's destruction; it is most notable as being the
birthplace of the pre-Crisis Supergirl, but has recently appeared in
DC Continuity. As Michael Denton notes, this fate is somewhat
poetic justice for Brainiac, who (in pre-Crisis continuity) stole
Kandor, Krypton's capital, from Krypton before the planet
exploded.
Donald MacPherson notes that Superman, in panel 3, refers
to his secret identity as another person - further evidence of the
disassociation between Superman and his past.
As a few people pointed out, while Wonder Woman is
restricted to a breathing apparatus and helmet, Superman needs
only a radio and earpiece to speak with Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman here slips up and calls Superman "Clar--Kal" - another indication, perhaps, that Wonder Woman, like the
Batman, is having a hard time dealing with the disappearance of
Superman's civilian identity?
Michael Hazlett notes that both Superman and Wonder
Woman were holding on to her lasso of truth in this scene - we can
presumably take what they are saying at face value.
Page 15 (125). The "cestus" Wonder Woman refers to in panel 1
was a hand covering of leather bands, often loaded with lead or
iron, that was used by the boxers of ancient Rome (and, as Mark
Coale points out, by the Silver Age Hawkman).
Donald MacPherson usefully notes that Wonder Woman's
trial, described here, can be seen as a parallel to the trial of Magog.
The freeing of Magog went against all of Superman's morals, so he
rejected the verdict, and the society which produced it, and left.
The verdict of Wonder Woman's trial went against all of her efforts,
so she adjusted her outlook, unlike Superman.
Several people (but not me, originally) caught the (in
retrospect obvious) symbolism of Wonder Woman's actions and
Superman's actions in this sequence. Superman throws a small rock
against several asteroids, knowing exactly where it will go and
causing no damage. Wonder Woman throws a larger rock and
shatters an asteroid; her control is not nearly the equal of
Superman's. Superman then uses Wonder Woman's golden lasso to
rope together the asteroid that Wonder Woman has just destroyed;
he mends what she has broken. This mirrors their discussion, in
which Wonder Woman's more militaristic tone is opposed by
Superman's pacifistic argument. In a sense, Wonder Woman and
Superman have switched places from their original, Golden Age
conception; in Superman's early appearances he was rough and
exercised little restraint with his enemies, while Wonder Woman
was always precise in her violence and seemed desirous of peace,
rather than combat.
Page 16 (126). Waid and Ross must have known that this page
would remind some readers of the events in _Miracleman_ #15, one
of the grimmest issues of a superhero comic ever published.
Marvelman was a thinly-veiled British copy of Captain Marvel
published in the 1950s by the British publisher L. Miller and Sons;
Alan Moore brought the character back in the 1980s (renamed
"Miracleman" to avoid a lawsuit from Marvel Comics). In
_Miracleman_ #15 the hero waged a fierce battle against his ally-turned-enemy Kid Miracleman; most of London was leveled during
the battle, which was preceded by Kid Miracleman's massacre of
most of London's citizens in the most gruesome ways that writer
Alan Moore could think of - as a reviewer for the _Comic Journal_
said, the issue should have been wrapped in brown paper.
Unfortunately, as we saw then and see now, this sort of slaughter
would be all too real a possibility, given a no-holds-barred super-being fight. The fact that we see characters from the Fawcett line of
comics - perhaps the most innocent of the Big Three superhero
publishers of the Golden Age - makes this scene all the more
sobering, and frightening.
Panel 1: Mr. Atom, Captain Nazi, Mr. Scarlet, Bulletman II, Black
Adam, and Sivana.
The running figures are Fat Billy Batson, Freddy Freeman,
Jr., Billy Batson, Uncle Dudley, Hill Billy Batson, and Mary
Batson, holding on to a Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny doll.
Mr. Atom was originally an indestructible robot, powered
by atomic energy, who proved to be Captain Marvel's toughest
opponent.
Captain Nazi was the Aryan Nazi version of Captain
Marvel, although not as tough (goodness being equated with
toughness in the Fawcett comics). His costume here is somewhat
different from his original, Fawcett costume - a lighter shade of
green, and the swastika chest emblem is horizontal, rather than
being point down and in a circle.
Black Adam is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the Fawcett
character and Captain Marvel opponent Black Adam, who had been
Captain Marvel's Egyptian predecessor but had become corrupted
by his power. His costume here is different from the one he
originally wore - armored leggings and an Egyptian-style wrap
around his waist. He also has an eye-beam power, which the
original, Fawcett Black Adam lacked.
The robot ship is called "Sivana" in the Waid/Ross
Annotations. It bears the profile of Dr. Sivana, originally a Fawcett
character and the arch-enemy to Captain Marvel. It also
incorporates elements from the post-Crisis Brainiac (mentioned by
Superman on page 13 (123), above), who flew a massive metal
ship, complete with tentacles. Sivana, here, is quite similar in
appearance to Brainiac's metal ship, which was shaped in the
profile of Brainiac, just as Sivana here bears the profile of Sivana.
Sivana seems to be holding the corpse of someone or something in
two of its tentacles - perhaps Pinky the Whiz Kid, the partner of the
original Mr. Scarlet, or Bulletman's partner, Bulletgirl?
Fat Billy Batson was a Fawcett character and civilian
identity of one of the Lieutenant Marvels (and member of Captain
Marvel's Squadron of Justice) - three children named Billy Batson
(Fat Billy was a porky Brooklynite) who read about Captain Marvel
in the comics and decided to see if they could get superpowers by
saying the magic word "Shazam." They did, and became the
Lieutenants Marvel, sidekicks and assistants to Captain Marvel.
Freddy Freeman, Jr. was the lame (literally - he had to make
use of a crutch) civilian identity of Captain Marvel, Jr., who in
_Kingdom Come_ is King Marvel.
Billy Batson, seen here wearing his traditional red shirt (and
unfortunately being blown apart), is the civilian identity of Captain
Marvel.
Uncle Dudley is - well, to make a long story short, he's
someone pretending to be Mary Batson's uncle and pretending to be
one of the Marvels. He was modeled originally on W.C. Fields, but
was much mellower.
Hill Billy Batson was the civilian identity of Hill Marvel,
another of the Lieutenant Marvels.
Mary Batson is the twin sister of Billy Batson who shared
Billy's ability to turn into a superbeing; Mary Batson would say the
magic word and turn into the heroine Mary Marvel.
The doll Mary Batson is holding is a Hoppy the Marvel
Bunny doll; Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, in _Fawcett Funny Animals_
#1, was reading an issue of "Captain Marvel Comics" (not one of
the Fawcett line) and decided to see if saying the magic word would
work for him. It did, and he became Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, the
World's Mightiest Bunny.
As Rob Harris pointed out, the silver arms of Bulletman and
Bulletgirl is a reference by Ross to the 1970s Bulletman doll, which
was a part of the G.I. Joe line of action figures. The Bulletman doll
had no connection to the Fawcett character, but looked like him -
with the exception of the silver arms, something that the original
Bulletman lacked.
Panel 2: Freddy Freeman (in silhouette, being thrown back by the
force of an explosion), Black Adam, Bulletman II, Spy Smasher II,
and the corpses of Tall Billy, Hill Billy, Mary Batson, Hoppy and
Billy Batson.
The newspaper headline identifies the enemy that is fighting
the Fawcett heroes: the Monster Society of Evil. In the early 1940s
the evil alien worm Mr. Mind gathered together the greatest
assemblage of evil superbeings ever seen: The Monster Society of
Evil. Captain Marvel defeated them, but only after almost three
years of continual fighting. Interestingly, Mr. Atom and Black
Adam were never part of the original Monster Society of Evil; their
inclusion here significantly increases the threat and menace of the
Monster Society of Evil.
The newspaper is called the "Fawcett Journal," a reference
to both Fawcett City, the home to Captain Marvel in the DC
Universe, as well as to Fawcett Comics, the original publishers of
the adventures of Captain Marvel et al.
Panel 3: Steranko, in his _History of Comics_, referred to Mr.
Atom as "a grim parable in comic form." Captain Marvel first
encountered Mr. Atom after he (Mr. Atom) had destroyed a world
in a nuclear war; here we see Mr. Atom beginning to do the same
thing.
Panel 4: There are some interesting parallels between this scene and
the brainwashing scene in _A Clockwork Orange_. Both Billy
Batson (here) and Little Alex (in _ACO_) were restrained - Little
Alex by physical manacles, Billy Batson by the worms and
chemicals Luthor has been putting into his brain. The films shown
to both characters are of horrible scenes, each perverting things
near and dear to the characters' hearts - Alex and Beethoven, Billy
and his Fawcett friends. Alex is brainwashed to turn him from an
Ignoble Savage into a decent, peaceful citizen. Billy is brainwashed
to turn him from an innocent, even noble child to a frightened,
obedient thrall.
Page 17 (127). Continuing with the Fawcett theme...the "Sivana"
mentioned here is Doctor Thaddeus Sivana, the greatest of Captain
Marvel's enemies. As Luthor says, Sivana is the quintessential mad
scientist - his stated goals were "1 - To become the Rightful Ruler
of the Universe in fact as well as name. 2 - To humiliate, discredit
and ultimately to kill Captain Marvel. 3 - To spread horror, terror
and nastiness throughout the cosmos." Yeechang Lee points out
that the equipment behind Luthor "would be at home in every
grade-B mad scientist flick ever made, complete with bubbling
chemicals, electric sparks, old-style rotary dials, and a generally
cobbled-together look." Thad Doria also notes that the lab seems
similar to Sivana's vault, which was seen in the story "Sivana's
Good Intentions," in which Sivana stored every one of his
inventions that might actually help mankind. (Sivana really was
delightfully evil) The Waid/Ross Annotations state that "some of
Sivana's equipment is from _Whiz Comics_ #1, which was the first
appearance of both Sivana & Captain Marvel."
Luthor removes a worm from Captain Marvel's ear, then
replaces it with another, quite similar worm. This is a
reference/homage to Captain Marvel's other archfoe, Mr. Mind (the
leader of the Monster Society of Evil), a sentient worm from outer-space. In the original GA series there was only one Mr. Mind, and
he did not occupy anyone's body; the current _Power of Shazam_
book has made Mr. Mind into a telepathic alien race of worms who
control people's bodies by taking over their minds, in much the
same way that Marvel is shown to be possessed here. Andrew
Farrell points out that Luthor removes the worm from Billy's right
ear and replaces it with one in Billy's left ear, implying that the
worms are burrowing through poor Billy's brain.
Note the hanging bat in panel 6. His glowing red eyes seem
to indicate that this is not a real bat, but one of The Batman's
surveillance devices - a smaller version of the Bat-Monitors.
Page 18 (128). My guess would be that Batman, through the red-screened watch on his wrist, was watching Luthor via the Bat-Knight seen on the last page. This, and Batman's statement of
"Don't double-cross me" to Luthor, indicate that The Batman has
not gone into his alliance with Luthor unsuspectingly. (The
Waid/Ross Annotations state that Batman "observes through bat-sized Bat-monitor via a Dick Tracy-style `wristwatch tv.'")
The two characters at the near end of the ramp, in the
lower-lefthand corner of the panel, seem to be two of Kobra's
guards - they have snake-wrapped staves and cobra-like
headdresses. Thanks to Donald MacPherson and Thad Doria for
i.d.ing them.
Page 19 (129). Sitting at the table are Oliver Queen, Dinah Queen,
Ted Kord, Selina Kyle, Edward Nigma, the King (with his back to
us), Lord Naga, Vandal Savage (with his back to the reader), and
Ibn Al Xu'ffasch. In silhouette we can see Black Canary III,
Wildcat III, Ralph Dibny, Huntress III, and Captain Marvel
(standing behind Ibn Al Xu'ffasch).
Keith Baird and Peter Li point out that Luthor's command
center is a duplicate of the War Room in _Dr. Strangelove_. Austin
Loomis notes that the Legion of Doom also had a War Room in
their Hall of Doom. Yeechang Lee points out that Ollie is drinking
from an espresso cup, which is appropriate for someone who has
made Seattle his home base.
Note the grouping of the figures here; they may be allied,
but Luthor's group (former criminals all) clearly have no love lost
for Batman's allies (former heroes or children of heroes).
Donald MacPherson and Just Joe note that the "K-bomb" -
a bomb containing kryptonite, the element deadliest to Superman -
has only been referred to once before, in the Amalgam Comics
_Super-Soldier_, in which a combination of Superman and Marvel's
Captain America appears. _Super-Soldier_ was written by Mark
Waid, as is _Kingdom Come_.
Page 20 (130). Panel 1: John Jones, Tula, Flash IV, Darkstar, Red
Hood II, Nightstar, Zatara II, Batman, Obsidian, Green Lantern VI,
Wildcat III, Black Canary III, the Ralph Dibny, Huntress III, and
Oliver Queen.
Note the groupings of the characters; the children of the
Teen Titans are again together. As Marilee Stephens noted, Waid
and Ross have changed the sexes of the kids of each of the Titans -
all four of the original male Titans had daughters, and Donna has a
son. Ross, at the Chicago Con, pointed out that while the original
Titans are with Superman, all of their children are siding with
Batman; this clash between generations is one of the central themes
to this series.
Green Lantern VI's chest symbol is that of the Green
Lantern Corps; she is the new Green Lantern. (Thanks to Elayne
Wechsler-Chaput for this information)
Panel 2: Lex Luthor, Captain Marvel, and Ibn Al Xu'ffasch.
The large red dot on the map of the US in the background is
presumably the site of the Gulag.
This is the only page in the series so far when Batman
directly refers to Ibn Al Xu'ffasch as his son. Interestingly, he does
in an exchange in which he and Ibn Al Xu'ffasch are discussing
youth's tendency to rebel against their elders; this might be seen as a
premonition of a coming conflict between Ibn Al Xu'ffasch and
Batman himself.
Panel 3: (moving clockwise from the far left) Lord Naga, Vandal
Savage, Norman McCay, the King, Ibn Al Xu'ffasch, Nightstar,
Tula, Ted Kord, Zatara II, Flash IV? (behind Batman's head), John
Jones, Green Lantern VI (behind Oliver Queen's head), Oliver
Queen, Obsidian, Black Canary III, Darkstar, Ralph Dibny, Wildcat
III, Huntress III, Captain Marvel, Dinah Queen, Batman, Selina
Kyle, Lex Luthor, and Edward Nigma.
I very much like the body language of Nightstar and Ibn Al
Xu'ffasch in this panel. Another nice touch is the interaction
between Black Canary III and her parents.
Page 21 (131). Alas, poor J'onn J'onzz - the Martian Manhunter (he
was literally from Mars), who has been credited with starting the
Silver Age of comics, and who is one of the noblest and most
respected of DC's heroes; as Batman says, he "fought the good
fight longer than any of us." His fate, described here, is a sad one -
but then, this isn't a very happy future. Conversely, the compassion
shown for J'onn J'onzz by the Batman is very nice and fitting, and is
a side of The Batman not shown nearly enough.
The Spectre "unveiling" J'onn's real identity is a very nice
effect. It bears repeating that this is a lovely looking book, in
addition to being a fun read.
Austin Loomis notes that the Manhunter, in human form,
was traditionally known as John Jones - as the Spectre says, "In this
form? An Everyman." As the Waid/Ross Annotations point out, this
is "the only appearance of John Jones in his super-hero Martian
form (still not his true Martian form though)."
The Revelations supplement adds this about the Martian
Manhunter: "The source of one of the greatest debates we had
while working on the series was J'onn J'onzz, the Silver Age alien
superhero, and how he would make an appearance in our series.
Mark insisted that our presentation of the classic DC players
(especially the Justice League) necessitated a strong role for the
Martian Manhunter. I maintained that his presence would
undermine the Superman-Captain Marvel balance in the story. Also,
we'd be adding a third Superman-power-level character who
couldn't be tossed in like the rest and easily follow another's
leadership. I felt that J'onn would demand too much of the story
and that, furthermore, he would be torn between the Justice League
and Batman. The solution we came to was one suggested by Kurt
Busiek: have him appear in his human guise, as the former detective
John Jones (much inspired from Gerard Jones's work on _Martian
Manhunter: American Secrets_). This did not make much use of
this sketch of his more or less unchanged outfit but did provide him
with some wonderful poignancy in the story as a classic hero who
had become overwhelmed by the world he now inhabited."
Page 22 (132). For facial expressions this is perhaps the best page
of the series so far. Wildcat's wide-eyed glance at Captain Marvel,
Ralph Dibny's typically silly expressions, then his recoiling from
Captain Marvel, the hurried conversation between Flash IV and
Green Lantern VI (a continuation of the traditional friendship
between these two characters' predecessors), the mutual
admiration/attraction of Ibn Al Xu'ffasch and Nightstar, and
Zatara's glance at the departing Spectre, are all wonderful.
As Yeechang Lee points out, Marvel's interest in Canary's
crossbow is natural; Marvel is a little boy at heart, "and what little
kid can resist playing with a cool-looking set of arrows?"
Page 23 (133). That is the Living Doll perched on Superman's
shoulders; she was last seen on the cover of issue #2, and is the
daughter of Doll Man and Doll Girl. As Donald MacPherson notes,
the Living Doll's position is quite reminiscent of the way the Ray
Palmer Atom used to sit atop his teammates' shoulders in the early
days of the Justice League of America.
In Panel 3 we see the original Teen Titans gathered together
yet again.
The discussion in panels 3 and 4 is, as the Marilee Stephens
and the Redheads said, quite similar to children's discussions behind
their parents' backs, as well as recalling the clashes in the Teen
Titans between Speedy and Robin.
Jacquelyn Koh Lian Ngee points out that Batman has a son
on both sides - Xu'ffasch in the MLF, and Dick Grayson in the
Justice League. She goes on to speculate that perhaps Robin's
statements here were an effort to throw discord in the ranks of the
Justice League, and that Dick Grayson is actually Batman's mole
inside the Justice League. Although this theory didn't pan out, it's
certainly an interesting one.
RJ points out that the star chart/navigational device in
panels 3-5 is very similar to the navigation device on _Lost in
Space_.
David Gross notes that in panel 5 Flash III is both with the
Titans and watching Superman and the reader.
Page 24 (134). As Donald MacPherson pointed out, Power
Woman's bad temper here - threatening to beat up an old man? for
shame - is similar to her temperament in the DC universe. This
panel is also an indication of the tension level inside the satellite;
things are grim, and everyone seems to know it.
Kevin Lafferty observes that the voyeur symbolism of the
series can also be seen in this sequence - in his words, "the
placement of Norman as voyeur and narrator is a plot device, but it
could also be a device which signifies the reader's relationship to the
book (and, since the series is about comic books, the relationship of
the reader to comic books in general). I hadn't thought about it too
much until Flash III pulled Norman into his world. I found that
scene exciting, because it took the silent voyeur (Norman, or by
extension the reader) and planted him suddenly into the story,
where the characters suddenly demanded to know who he was and
what he wanted. (Also, when Flash III spots McCay, he - Flash III -
is looking virtually off the page and at the reader)."
Page 25 (135). Panel 1: Upper Row - Atlas the Great (last seen on
the cover of issue #2), Green Lantern, Bulletman II, Bulletgirl II,
King Marvel, Lady Marvel, Whiz, Tornado, Red Tornado III, Red
Tornado I, Ray II, and Phoebus (legs only).
Ground level: Hawkman, Power Woman, Norman McCay,
Superman, Flash III, Wonder Woman, Atom-Smasher, Midnight.
This is the first really good look we've had at King Marvel,
and it quickly becomes apparent why he's named as he is - he's now
a dead ringer for Elvis (The King) Presley. This is not merely
whimsy on Alex Ross' part, however; the historical truth of it is that
Captain Marvel, Jr. was Elvis Presley's favorite superhero.
Moreover, Elvis based his stage costume on the Captain Marvel, Jr.
costume as an homage. Thanks to Thomas Howard and Ed
Mathews for that neat bit of trivia. The Revelations supplement
adds this about King Marvel: "This may not be the most serious
extrapolation on a Golden Age character but it's certainly rich in
subtext. Elvis Presley was such a big fan of Captain Marvel Jr.'s
comics in the 40s that this inspired the stage costumes worn in the
King's later years. The joke here is to have the adult Freddy
Freeman absorb some of that design back, as filtered through
Presley. Thus it appears that King Marvel is an Elvis impersonator
super-hero."
Jonathan Woodward points out that when Power Woman
was about to punch out McCay, on page 24, a strand of her hair
got caught in her mouth; in this panel she is seen picking it from her
mouth. Alex Ross, clearly, has a splendid eye for detail.
Panel 2: Aleea Strange, Sandman IV, Starman VIII, Hourman,
Robotman III, Norman McCay, Red Arrow, Aquaman II, Donna
Troy.
Interestingly, McCay, who to this point has been a relatively
articulate character, loses coherence, and is reduced to spouting
phrases. The strain is obviously showing on him, as well.
Panel 5: Power Woman, Powerman, Superman, Golden Guardian,
Norman McCay.
Powerman was, in DC continuity, an android who for the
space of one issue replaced Batman as Superman's partner in the
pages of _World's Finest_ #94. Thanks to Jonathan Woodward for
identifying his first appearance. Michael Grabois and Donald
MacPherson note that contrary to what I'd originally written,
Powerman actually showed up again in the 1980s. Rick Hodges
notes that the Powerman costume originally appeared in the "Atom
Man vs. Superman" serial.
The verses Norman McCay are quoting here are from, as
usual, the book of Revelation - 8:7, 9:2, 14:7 - the same verses he
quoted in issue 1, page 16, in the sermon which frightened his
congregation.
Panel 6: Robotman III, Human Bomb, Norman McCay, Red
Arrow, Donna Troy, Aquaman II, Superman, Red Robin.
As a few people pointed out, Robin's "Holy GOD!" is a sly
homage to and use of Robin's traditional way of expressing his
excitement - viz, "Holy knit-one purl-two!" "Holy invisible
commander in chief!" etc. It's also a very good way of punctuating
the gravity of the situation. And, as Yeechang Lee pointed out, it
occurs in the same panel as Superman's dismissal of Pastor McCay's
warnings of the impending Armageddon.
Page 26 (136). Panel 2: Avia, Hawkman, Norman McCay, Red
Robin, Powerman, Power Woman, Superman, Flash III, Wonder
Woman.
The manner in which everyone looks at McCay in this panel,
realizing that his seemingly incoherent ramblings might actually be
the truth, is a very nice touch.
Panel 3: Superman, Red Robin, Wonder Woman, Power Woman,
Atlas, Flash III, Green Lantern I, Bulletman, Bulletgirl, King
Marvel, Golden Guardian.
Wonder Woman's interrupting Superman seems to belie her
claim below, on page 27 (137), panel 2, that Superman was not
reacting confidently or in an unqualified manner. Wonder Woman
seems to be reacting against Superman's leadership style, rather
than any orders he might give.
Panel 4: Red Robin, Hawkman, Superman, Power Woman,
Powerman, Wonder Woman, Midnight, Golden Guardian, Atom-Smasher, Brainiac's Daughter.
A further, perhaps ridiculous comparison may be made in
this panel between Superman/Wonder Woman and Martin Luther
King/Malcolm X. Wonder Woman's "by whatever means
necessary" echoes Malcolm X's "by any means necessary;" both are
taking a more militant position and are opposed by the more
pacifistic (Superman and MLK).
Panel 6: Just Joe points out that McCay's flesh-tones disappear as
soon as the Spectre pulls him back out of reality.
Page 27 (137). The Waid/Ross Annotations note that the "use of a
transportation beam device (is) similar to that of the old Justice
League satellite."
Page 28 (138). Secretary Wyrmwood begins to live up to the
connotations of his name with his barely-veiled threat against
Superman and the Justice League.
The question might be raised as to what the UN might
possibly do to Superman and the Justice League. Granted, they
have atomic weapons (as well as bio-chemical ones), but a nuclear
explosion was not enough to kill Alloy - who knows what effect it
would have on Superman, Green Lantern I, et al.?
Page 29 (139). Panel 1: Zatara II, Oliver Queen, Dinah Queen,
Captain Marvel, Darkstar, Nightstar, Batman, Huntress III, Ibn Al
Xu'ffasch, Lord Naga, Red Hood, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern VI,
Flash IV, Wildcat III, King, Edward Nigma, Tula, Selina Kyle,
Vandal Savage, Obsidian.
Another nice touch here is Nightstar's leaning on the back of
Batman's chair - an affectionate gesture between granddaughter and
grandfather. Just Joe notes that Flash IV is "putting her glasses
back on; she knows that the game is afoot."
Just Joe also points out that Selina's interest in Wildcat's tail
is natural, given her background; it makes sense that she would be
interested in observing a human-feline hybrid at close range. Just
Joe further notes that Nigma is reaching his arm out to Selina,
perhaps protectively or to remind her to pay attention to what
Luthor is saying.
The Waid/Ross Annotations note that "the Batman sits at
the side of his natural son, Xu'ffasch, and they're both wearing the
same suit."
Page 30 (140). Nightstar's whispering to Ibn Al Xu'ffasch, in panel
4, is somewhat curious; she seems to be warning Xu'ffasch that
things are about to fall apart for his side, yet on page 31 (141),
panel 2, she seems somewhat surprised at the turn events have
taken.
This may have been obvious to everyone else, but it was
only after repeated readings that I understood that Batman, in panel
2, is stepping on Billy Batson's throat to keep him from changing
into Captain Marvel.
Anthony Sebro pointed out that Batman's line that he hates
"wild cards" is a clear reference to the now-deceased Joker.
Ollie's line "You're KIDDING me! All this time, we've been
in MORTAL FEAR of BILLY BATSON?" is not only a good line
for a laugh, but in keeping with the DC Continuity Oliver Queen's
irascibility.
Page 31 (141). Another page full of lovely little touches: Nightstar
seeming to protect Ibn Al Xu'ffasch from Darkstar; Selina
forearming Tula (more than one dance in that old dame yet),
Selina's cat running for it, King's fear as Obsidian envelops him,
Flash IV taking Edward Nigma for a spin, the shreds of clothing
flying as Wildcat III tears into Vandal Savage, and Obsidian tipping
his hat and grinning after dealing with King.
The exchange between Darkstar and Batman in panel 1
would seem to indicate that Batman's side were ready and waiting
to spring the ambush on Luthor's forces. Nightstar, though, seems
shocked (in panel 2) to have to protect Ibn Al Xu'ffasch; either
Darkstar did not know that Ibn Al Xu'ffasch was Batman's mole
within the MLF, or Nightstar was unaware of Batman's plans and is
instinctively moving to protect Ibn Al Xu'ffasch. I tend towards the
latter explanation, especially since Nightstar, as the daughter of the
Red Robin, might not be fully trusted by Batman. (Of course,
Nightstar might also be shocked at what Darkstar, who is virtually
her cousin, is about to do)
Page 32 (142). Note the shape of Ted Kord's remote control.
We can also assume that the newly-activated Bat Knights
did away with Kobra's guards, seen in panel 2.
This sequence reminded me of Hank Pym's demolition of
Egghead and the Masters of Evil in the _Avengers_, where
Egghead had Pym build a "Longevity Machine," after which Pym
used it to single-handedly wipe out Egghead and all of the Masters
of Evil. Any resemblance between that sequence and this one, of
course, is likely coincidental and probably exists only in my brain.
Page 33 (143). In the finest tradition of comic books, Batman takes
this opportunity to lecture Billy Batson on what he, Batson, already
knows - but of which most of the audience is probably ignorant.
Page 34 (144). Note the smoke and Batman's fading away in panel
4, which is (as the Waid/Ross Annotations confirm) the result of
Zatara's transporting Batman to the Batcave - we can see Zatara
snapping his fingers.
Yeechang Lee notes that Zatara II keeps taking his hat off
and putting it back on, and surmises that he's fidgeting out of
nervousness - "quite appropriate for someone who's among the
youngest there, and who no doubt feels the weight of his heroic
heritage." Mike Denton points out that Zatara calls the Batman
"Batman," rather than "Bruce" - a measure of respect for his stature
and prestige.
Xu'ffasch's appearance with Batman's group in this panel
lends some weight to the argument that he (Xu'ffasch) was
Batman's mole inside the MLF; I remain unconvinced, though I'll
admit that Zatara's statement that "all" of Luthor's men are in
custody, while Xu'ffasch is standing next to Nightstar, does help
that argument. I hope we'll learn the answer to this, along with
many other questions, when the novel comes out.
Page 145. The Waid/Ross Annotations note the presence in panel 1
of a statue of Diana, the goddess of the hunt, in Wonder Woman's
quarters. The Revelations supplement says this about Wonder
Woman's armor: "Playing up the eagle symbolism of her costume
provided the inspiration for a redesign of George Perez's Wonder
Woman suit of armor into a Hawkman-like affair which seemed
appropriate for a clarification of her identity in battle."
Page 36 (146). Panel 3: Alloy, Green Lantern I, Pepperguard, Avia,
Human Bomb, Snapper Carr, Super Mike Nesmith, Red Robin,
Super Mickey Dolenz, Super Davy Jones, Super Peter Tosh,
Aquaman II, Donna Troy, Wonder Woman, Bulletman, Superman,
Robotman III.
Snapper Carr was originally the teen sidekick to the Silver
Age Justice League of America.
Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tosh
were, of course, the tv stars/musicians The Monkees. As Dave Van
Domelen and Johanna Draper noted, there were actually episodes
of _The Monkees_ in which the quartet revealed their superpowers
and became the costumed "Monkeemen" (which is how the
Waid/Ross Annotations identify them). With Ross' eye for detail,
their costumes probably looked something like what we see here.
(David Tai and Johanna Draper confirm this)
Panel 4: Ugh. From the top: Stealth II, Killer Moth II, Blue
Devil II, Shining Knight II, Dragonknight, Black Manta II,
Vigilante IV, Black Mongul, Captain Comet, Von Bach, Trix,
Kongo, Marley, Mantis II.
Vigilante IV is the _Kingdom Come_ version of the DC
cowboy hero Vigilante. The Revelations supplement says this about
him: "The half-robotic, one-armed villain Mean Machine from
Britain's Judge Dredd inspired a cyborg version of the classic
cowboy character Vigilante. His hideous metal-meshed body and
wagon-wheel arm were designed by Barry Crain."
Von Bach, unfortunately, was good to his word in killing
Captain Comet. Heath Rosenbaum notes that Captain Comet is
generally seen (along with the Martian Manhunter) as ushering in
the Silver Age, and that his positive beginning there "inversely
parallels the negative emergence of the hostile youth taking over
the KC universe."
Page 37 (147). Panel 3: Avia, Human Bomb, Wonder Woman,
Super Mike Nesmith, Super Mickey Dolenz, Red Robin, Super
Davy Jones, Super Peter Tork, Aquaman II, Superman, Lady
Marvel, King Marvel, Hourman.
King Marvel's resemblance to Elvis Presley is pronounced in
this panel.
Panel 4: Pepperguard, Donna Troy, Red Arrow, Whiz, Living Doll,
Tornado, Wonder Woman, Superman, J'oan J'onzz, Aleea Strange
(silhouetted on stairs), Norman McCay, Spectre.
The Super Beatles' appearance here seems to be, as a
number of people have called them, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band turned into Transformers - what Ross, in the
Revelations supplement, calls the "Pepperguard."
A number of people have speculated that the female Martian
Manhunter seen over Superman's left shoulder is actually J'onn
J'onzz. The woman has J'onzz's cape, green skin color, and bald
head, but lacks his pronounced brow. Moreover, no explanation is
given for J'onzz's defection from Batman's group to the Justice
League. Craig Kostelecky quotes Ross to the effect that J'onn
J'onzz had a daughter at one time, and the _Kingdom Come_
female Martian Manhunter_ is a clone of that daughter; the
Waid/Ross Annotations refer to her as "J'oan J'onzz."
Yet another of the numerous nice touches in this series is
King Marvel and Lady Marvel seeming to tell their son Whiz to
stay behind - a logical move for parents on the brink of such a
battle.
Page 38 (148). We see Batman's bank of allies, again: Fate, Steel II,
Phantom Lady II, Mr. Scarlet, Spy Smasher II, Batwoman II and
Ace II, Menagerie, Creeper, Samurai, Dragon, Condor.
As Randy Patton notes, Steel is carrying a bat-headed axe;
again, this shows how, in _Kingdom Come_, the character was
influenced by The Batman, rather than Superman.
A number of people pointed out that rather than flying
around the Earth and descending into the Batcave, Superman took
the most direct route - entering the planet through an Asian country
(note the pagoda silhouette in panel 3), boring through the middle
of the planet (note the magma streaming from his body in panel 4),
and entering the Batcave from below. This is, yet again, an
indication of the urgency of the situation, in both our eyes and
(more importantly) in Superman's; Superman, noble character that
he is, has always tried to do as little harm as possible. Only the
gravest of situations would drive him to an action like this.
Page 39 (149). Superman here is finally letting himself go -
something that has rarely been seen in the comics. His speech might
be described as a fit of pique; but Superman has been driven to the
edge and is desperate, and this comes through in his plea to
Batman.
Just Joe notes that Batman has the layout of the Gulag on
his viewscreen - he's studying up.
As a few people pointed out, McCay, in panel 4, is looking
(through the Spectre's cloak) at the events of page 40.
The Waid/Ross Annotations point out that the Batman is
working on "the wing armature for his suit of armor seen in chapter
#4."
Page 40 (150). Panel 2: Snapper Carr ("fat and old," according to
the Waid/Ross Annotations), J'oan J'onzz, Pepperguard, Bulletgirl
II, Sandman IV, Bulletman II, Robotman III, Midnight, The
Monkeemen (in flight), Atlas, Avia, Wonder Woman, Aquaman II,
Red Robin, Donna Troy, Hawkman, Thanagarians (in flight), Alloy,
Red Arrow, Starman VIII, Brainiac's Daughter, Lady Marvel (in
flight), King Marvel (in flight) and Atom Smasher.
The presence of the Thanagarians (the Silver Age
Hawkman's alien race) here is somewhat curious; the Revelations
supplement emphasizes Hawkman's solitude, apart from
_everyone_ of his own kind, including Thanagarians. It may be,
though, that Ross just wanted to draw a bunch of hawk-people.
Batmite reappears again in panel 3.
Page 41 (151). For my money the superheroic ideal and ethos has
rarely, if ever, been summed up as well as Superman's speech in
panel 2. Batman's expression - he is undoubtedly thinking about the
death of his parents, the motivating factor that drove him to
become The Batman - shows that Superman, at least in this panel,
struck a nerve.
The naked desperation on Superman's face in panel 3 and
his surprise and dismay in panel 4 are a marked change from the
impassivity he has shown through most of the rest of the series. It
is also a contrast to the more craven fear that showed up on Billy
Batson's face on pp 30 (140), 32 (142) and 33 (143).
Superman's appeal to The Batman to join him and become
"the World's Finest Team" is a reference to the _World's Finest
Comic_, in which Superman and Batman regularly teamed up, back
in the pre-Crisis days. As Chris Blakeley notes, _World's Finest_
was in fact the first place that Batman and Superman teamed up.
Batman's wry "so that's what that feels like" is an amusing
reference (even he is smiling as he says it) to the many times that
Batman has disappeared during a conversation and left
Commissioner Gordon talking to himself.
Page 43 (153). I don't remember if this was a part of the original
Legion of Doom headquarters or not, but the giant locks along the
top of the Gulag are yet another reminder that what we are looking
at, despite its pastoral inner appearance, is a prison.
Aquaman II and Donna Troy holding their ears at the sound
of the explosion is another of Ross' many well-done touches.
Panel 5: Silhouettes of King Crimson, Black Mongul,
Demon Damsel, Kongo, Catwoman II and Buddha.
King Crimson is a new character, described in the
Waid/Ross Annotations as the "big demon version of the (Golden
Age hero and member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory) Crimson
Avenger."
Page 44 (154). I can't definitively identify every character on this
page, no matter how hard I try. Further effort will only result in
more migraines for Yr. Obd't Srvt...(contributions are welcome)
Panel 1: Silhouetted, in foreground: King Crimson, Kongo,
Buddha, Pinwheel, Catwoman II, Spartian, White, Von Bach, Black
Mongul, Trix, Swastika, Manotaur, Cathedral, Nowhere Man,
Tyrant-Tula, Blue, and Salamander.
Spartian is a new character; the Revelations supplement
says this about him: "This is a mostly unused design for a character
that may be seen in the backgrounds of the superhero war scene.
Spartian is a childhood invention of mine, inspired by a Frazetta
painting of a stone statue of a Greek soldier."
Page 45 (155). That's Captain Marvel, in costume, and looking
more evil than we've ever seen him. One point that several people
raised was, since Captain Marvel shares his power with Mary
Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr., how do all three have their power
at the same time? The Revelations supplement refers to this
somewhat: "The idea that she, Billy and Freddy shared the power of
Shazam equally may be thrown off kilter by the reemergence of
Captain Marvel."
Among the characters in the background are King Marvel, Red
Tornado III, Lady Marvel, Tornado, Red Tornado I, Brainiac's
Daughter, Alloy, Spiderman, Hawkman, Captain America, Atom-Smasher, Donna Troy, Thor, Red Arrow, Red Robin, Aquaman II,
Wonder Woman, XO Manowar, Atlas, Monkeemen, Midnight,
Avia, Robotman III, Pepperguard, Sandman IV, Dr. Strange, the
original, Golden Age Blue Beetle, Bulletman II, and Bulletgirl II.
Thanks for various notes, corrections, contributions, and good
thoughts to:
Michel Alpert, Keith Baird, Chris Blakeley, C. Boldman, Jason
Borelli, Don Brinker, Michael Cavanagh, Mike Chary, Mark Coale
(of course), John S. Danknich, Delfuego, Mike Denton, David
Diano, Thad A. Doria, Johanna Draper, David Drewelow, Duggy,
Elmeaux, Andrew Farrell, Jason Fliegel, John Forbus, Daniel Frank,
Matt Gore, Michael R. Grabois, [Grendel 824] at [aol.com], Jack Grims,
Chris Gumprich, [G--ta--s] at [iglou.com], Rob Harris, Jesse
Hochstadt, James E. Heath, Rick Torgo Hodge, Thomas Howard,
Jay J, Kenneth Jennings, Just Joe, RJ, Paul.Kaczmarek, David
Knott, Kevin Lafferty, Yeechang Lee, Sonny Lemmons, Peter Li,
Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni, Austin Loomis, Sean MacDonald,
Donald MacPherson, Ed Mathews, Mark McConnell, Jacquelyn
Koh Lian Ngee, Randy Patton, Tony Pi, Chris Rednour, Hunter
Rose, Heath Rosenbaum, Mike Schmidt, Al Schroeder, Anthony
Sebro, Mark Semich, [D--lb--g] at [tfgdirect.com], Joel Shin, Hal
Shipman, Marc Singer, David J. Snyder, Marilee Stephens and The
Redheads, Derek Stevenson, Joseph Sturgeon, David Tai, Alan
Turniasky, Dave Van Domelen, the divine Elayne Wechsler-Chaput, Andrew Woodard, and Jonathan Woodward.
[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