Although I don't generally read books based on comics, Kingdom Come was a good story which kept a steady pace and retained my interest.

This was one of about a half dozen books I received as a gift from a friend of mine, Charlie Kochman, when he still worked at DC comics. I didn't realize until much later that this beautiful hardcover copy was signed by all three authors: Elliot S. Maggin, Mark Waid, and Alex Ross. Nice.

The story takes place a century or so in the future, after Superman has given up on humanity due to its folly and secluded himself in Antarctica, Hawkman has become an environmental terrorist, and Green Lantern spends all his time in a space station. The old Justice League is in self-imposed exile.

The world's supers are now superpowered punks, having destructive "rumbles" in populated areas - their battles cause a lot of destruction, but serve no purpose. In fact, they are slowly destroying civilization through their irresponsible behavior. This all leads towards Armageddon.

The story is told through the point of view of a preacher who is taken in by The Spectre, and made to witness the critical events leading up to The End. At the critical moment, he will have to make a critical decision. I won't give away too much of the plot here, but the climax certainly was climactic.