First published in 1996, the DC Comics miniseries "Kingdom Come" has become a pillar in the comic book pantheon. The amazing Gouache watercolor style paintings, the work of Alex Ross, mixed with the sharp reflective writing by Mark Waid combine for something unforgettable within the comic book community.
To dig deeper into what made Kingdom Come so iconic is the kickstarter project The Legend of Kingdom Come, the new documentary by director Remsy Atassi and producer Sal Abbinanti, screened recently at the Music Box Theatre. It’s here we learned that there’s so much more to this four-issue miniseries than even the most die hard fans could ever know.
The film can be broken down into a few separate sections. Firstly, we begin with an origin story of our artist Alex Ross. Coming from humble beginnings, following in the footsteps of his mother as an advertising artist and landing his first gig with Terminator: The Burning Earth at the age of 23. This landed him his next gig: Marvels, a four issue miniseries exploring different stories in the Marvel Comics universe. It’s around this time that Ross had gathered a community of fellow artists and comic aficionados for weekly bar nights where they would exchange ideas and tips. These nights included his future manager, Sal Abbinanti. It’s here where he found a lot of inspiration, specifically in his friends' likenesses.
This is where we get into the second focus of the documentary, the creation of "Kingdom Come." Alex had always been a DC comics dictionary, so when he developed the idea of "Kingdom Come," he was pulling from a deep well of knowledge. He tapped his friend Mark Waid to help him with the story, a tale of a pastor questioning his faith and having it reinvigorated with that of heroes who had aged out and passed the mantles onto a more cold and apathetic set of heroes who needed a reminder of what it really means to be a hero, taught by the older generation. This comes to a massive climax of old vs new and clashing ideologies. The pastor acts as the audience surrogate, playing the everyman in a world of gods.
What makes this story so fascinating, as displayed by the documentary, is how realistic each panel is. Alex Ross uses a lot of his friend community as the models. The main narrative of the pastor is modeled directly after his own father, whom he had asked to sit and pose for him. He also recruited his not yet manager Sal Abbinanti as Captain Marvel, and friend Frank Kacy as Superman. Alex would force them to put on these ridiculous handmade costumes and pose, just so he could get the fabric folds perfectly articulated. The documentary has some really solid shots of these original poses with the models in costume compared to what we see on the page and it’s a fascinating process.
Speaking of the process, we definitely got an insight into the Alex Ross painting process. Specifically how he uses a Gouache paint, instead of a pure watercolor. This gives the pages a more vibrant color while also being less runny in the process. Alex is humble enough to accredit all those that came before him; at one point he says, “I’m only picking up where Jack Kirby left off.” The entire development of "Kingdom Come" took only a year and a half, which is quite unheard of—but not for Alex’s work ethic. Even at the documentary screening, he was not available as he was working on another new project that he didn’t want to take a break from, which is admirable in the comic business.
The final chapter of the documentary focuses on the community that has surrounded the comic industry, from the old guard to the new modern day casuals who have come along with every Marvel movie to date. The community has grown to a mainstream appeal, where comics are now the norm, and no longer something to hide. This is a stark contrast to how far things have come from even comics in the '90s vs now. That massive jump in popularity has also led to entirely new fandoms and communities. This is represented in the movie when a local comic shop, Third Coast Comics, hosts a community book club discussion regarding "Kingdom Come," its legacy and impact on comics moving forward. This also includes how the "Kingdom Come" legacy is still represented in modern movies, from the Zach Snider films to the upcoming James Gunn Superman film.
This all brings the conversation regarding "Kingdom Come" full circle, from its inception in advertising art all the way to modern mainstream acceptance and influence it still has to this day. A comic book that came out back in 1996 still has relevance felt for generations to come.
To put into perspective this generational shift, I received a Blu-Ray copy of the documentary that I was able to watch with my father, who originally shared his love of comics with my brothers and I. He loved learning more about something that stood out so much to him as a comic lover as well as a father. That’s what makes "Kingdom Come" and this documentary so special and such a fascinating look into art that has transcended media and time. I do feel like the documentary could have done a bit of a better job completing this full circle view, but as an avid fan, I was able to understand its deeper impact in the comic book antiquity. It's clear that director Atassi and producer Albinanti have a passion for the art but also for telling the stories behind the art.
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