Reign of the Supermen #379: Kingdom Come Superman

Source: Kingdom Come #1-4 (1996), The Kingdom #1-2 (1999)
Type: ElseworldsIt's a future where the superheroes of our youth have given way to the anti-heroes of the 90s... Where fighting amongst themselves has become the main activity of "heroes" (stop me if this sounds familiar)... Indeed, where Superman had to retire because it just wasn't worth it anymore, not after the Joker killed Lois and somebody sliced Captain Atom open, turning Kansas into a radioactive wasteland...
Yeah, that's not a real farm. That's a holodeck inside the Fortress of Solitude. Wonder Woman makes him come out of retirement because anti-hero Magog and his pals are out of control. Superhuman war ensues, and the United Nations drop the bomb on the battlefield, leaving few survivors. It could go either way. Superman could have done something he'd have regretted, but instead he leads the remaining heroes towards a new trust between them and humanity. First order of business, plowing Kansas some new farm land.
Oh, and getting married to Wonder Woman. In their twilight years, they've finally found each other (sorry, Arthur-Diana shippers!).

The Kingdom #1 and 2 take us beyond "ever after", to the birth of their son Jonathan, who'll become THIS guy.
Yeah, never heard of him either.

NB: Kingdom Come Superman is not to be confused with the Earth-22 Superman (see Reign next week).

Comments

I could not read The Kingdom. A terrible book, though Hypertime might have worked if certain writers were allowed to handle such matters. For example, I could see Grant Morrison showing Hypertime as burps in The Bleed, I believe it was said the in the (old) Authority universe, they still had all the alternate Earths created in the original series.

And Kingdom Come marked the first time Alex Ross used me as a photo model, and I was able to meet the models for KC Superman and KC Wonder Woman at one of his annual Halloween parties.
Siskoid said…
Which character(s) did you "play"?
waarschuwing said…
@Wayne Allen Sallee: Rumour has it that Mr. Moore wanted to handle hypertime in the first place. It would have been called Twilight of the Superheroes. I've read his original pitch, and I think it's a shame Mark Waid did as well.
@Siskoid: J'onn J'onzz and Spectre, and then again as a member of the UN party. I'm basically the same UN character in Superman: Peace on Earth. In JUSTICE, I was Brainiac.

@waarschuwing: I'm aware of Twilight, and I know a little about the Mark Waid pitch. With The Bleed and then the new 52 Earths, Hypertime was pretty much handed to DiDio on a platter. We could have had Earth-Haney, fer cry-eye. Sorry for the late reply, guys.
Alex has a wonderful set-up in his basement, different costumes smashed together, best example I can think of is Deadman and the Daredevil of Earth-X. He has taken photos of me from all sorts of angles, using all types of emotions. In the end, though, I'm always the angry bald guy. :)
Siskoid said…
Nice. Spectre is a big role.
If you look back and see Spectre's big nose, that is me. I don't believe I was in every panel as Spectre, Alex works his own magic. But he likes to photograph faces that are downcast or uplifted, a lot of what you see in KC. I gave him a Blackhawk-type outfit I found in a thrift store once. Wonderful guy.

But I did like posing as J'onzz, looking all weary. Fit how I felt back in the 90s.