This file created by Jess Nevins, jjnevins@ix.netcom.com. Kingdom Come #4 Annotations (corrections and additions are of course welcome - post them to rec.arts.comics.dc.universe, or send them to me at kalkin@sunspot.tiac.net) Unless noted otherwise - by quotation marks and/or question marks - the names of the new characters, and new names for old characters, have been confirmed by Waid and Ross at various store signings, conventions and in the _Kingdom Come_ card set. All descriptions, unless specifically noted otherwise, are done moving left to right and top to bottom within a panel or a page. Cover Dave Van Domelen notes that Superman, on the cover, is lit from above, which is how the central figures on the previous covers were shown. The rest of the cover is also lit from above, rather than below, which is unlike the previous covers. Superman is also looking down, like the Spectre and Captain Atom on the cover to issue 1 and the Batman on the cover to issue 2; this would seem to imply that Superman's role in the judgment to come will be somewhat similar to the Spectre's. Ed Mathews points out that the covers of the four issues of _Kingdom Come_ are each primarily done in one of the four colors used in the four color process used for periodicals - cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow, and black. As a number of people noted, the titles to all four issues are quotes from the opening to the old, black and white _Superman_ television show. p 1 A close-up version of Norman McCay's vision seen in issue 1, page 2. The quotation is the same quotation that began the series, in issue 1, page 1, from Revelation 8:5. p 2 The final battle. One would hope that this issue sets to rest Waid's mostly-unearned (IMHO) reputation for "not being able to end a saga properly." This is Ragnarok, as threatened - the final clash of the gods. With what result, though, is the question. Green Lantern (ragged cloak and all), Kabuki Kommando? (based on the helmet and the reddish cape), Tinkerbell? (kudos to Alex Tam for identifying her), Oggar? (seated), unknown (bat-wings), unknown (crouched on the wall), Icicle (sliding down the wall), Ray, Raggedy Andy/Rag Doll, Magog? (just to the right of Alloy's head), Alloy, Charaxes? (in flight, having taken Wonder Woman's spear through the shoulder - from issue 3, page 4), "Cape" (my name for the unknown figure running along the wall - the same unknown figure from issue 3, page 7, panel 1), unknown (in red cape, floating down to the ground), Demon Damselle, Stealth II, Donna Troy, Phoebus, White, Black Manta, Bulletman, "White Eyes" (my name for the flying black caped figure with white eyes below Black Manta), unknown (figure on horseback, seen in issue 3, page 6, panel 1), Stars, Wonder Woman, Aleea Strange, unknown figures in silhouette, "Black Claw" (same figure from issue 2, page 20, panel 1), Nocturna? (from from issue 3, page 6, panel 1), Stripes (on his back, to Red Robin's left - credit to Andrew Farrell and Chris Rednour for identifying him), Red Robin, Swastika, unknown (kneeling on ground, wounded), Tokyo Rose, "Hu'," (from issue 3, page 4, panel 2), Black Mongul (in silhouette to Wonder Woman's right), unknown (prone, lower lefthand corner -the "Ace of Spades" figure from issue 3, page 6, panel 1). The sketchbook for Captain Marvel, written by Mark Waid, says this about the Captain Marvel-Superman battle: "My inspiration for their fight, in fact, was Wally Wood's classic MAD magazine parody `Superduperman vs. Captain Marbles." Mr. Waid, that's just too cool. p 3 I'd just like to thank Messrs Waid and Ross for giving me my very first migraine ever...and I'm only 3 pages into this book! oy. Unknown and unknown (hands held over the Flash's backdraft), unknown (red costume with white stripe), "Black Sun" (slugging Alloy - my name for this character, the same figure seen in issue 3, page 43, panel 5), unknown (with bat wings, catching Hawkman's spear), Hawkman, "St. George's Dragon" (my name for the dragon, last seen in issue 3), unknown figures in silhouette, Pinwheel (in silhouette), unknown (fighting with Pinwheel), Superman, unknown figures in silhouette, Captain Marvel, Vigilante? (from issue 3, page 36, panel 4), Red Arrow, Catwoman II? S.L. Post surmises that the figure I'm calling "Black Sun" may be the _Kingdom Come_ Crimson Avenger, based on the sun symbol, the yellow ridge on its head and the overall crimson color of the figure. pp 4-5 Norman McCay's plea to the Spectre to "Do something! For the love of God, make it stop!" and the Spectre's refusal do raise the troubling question as to why the Spectre can only punish, not prevent. Although I suppose this ties back into the age-old question of evil - if God can prevent evil, why doesn't S/He? Panel 1: Norman McCay, KC Hawk? (from issue 3, page 4, panel 1), King Marvel, unknown running in silhouette, unknown (in front of Flash's backdraft), Spectre, "Iron Butterfly" (from issue 3, page 6, panel 4), Super Beatle (from issue 3, page 36, panel 3), KC Dove? (from issue 3, page 4, panel 1), Shade? (from issue 3, page 4, panel 1), unknown (white, running), unknown, Phoebus, Super Beatle, Charaxes?, Avia (tackling Charaxes?), Alloy, "Black Sun," various figures on the ground (your guess is as good as mine for most of them), Man- Bat/Jeepers? (below "Black Sun" - the same figure in issue 3, page 4, panel 1), Green Lantern, Black Manta (thanks to Chris Rednour for pointing him out), "White Eyes" (from page 2, just below Black Manta), Madman? (the alternative comic hero - just to the right of the Green Lantern's shield), and "Copperhead?" (from issue 3, page 8, panel 4 - just below Green Lantern's shield and Madman?). Panel 5: Starman VII, Bulletgirl, Brainiac's Daughter, Ray, Spectre, Norman McCay, Wonder Woman, Red Robin, Tokyo Rose, Hourman II, Super Beatle, unknown (getting blasted by Super Beatle), "Martian Manhuntress" (in flight - thanks to Chris Rednour for i.d.ing her), Power Woman, Manotaur, unknown ("Shadow Lass"?), "Tank" (my name for it), Catwoman II, Trix, "Hu'." p 6 Panel 2: Vigilante?, unknown (figure to the left of Captain Marvel), Midnight, Red Tornado III, Aquaman II, 666 (being tackled by Aquaman II - credit to Andrew Farrell for identifying him), unknown (speeding yellow figure) Stars, Thunder?, unknown (throwing lightning - perhaps Thunder, based on the type of lighting bolt s/he is shooting), unknown (being zapped by lightning bolts), unknown (to the right of Superman's right hand - perhaps Red Tornado I, based on the shape of the helmet/head). p 7 As anticipated, Secretary General Wyrmwood is playing a somewhat major role - in this case, the nuking of the heroes, as was oft-discussed on Rec.Arts.Comics.DC.Universe - hardly much of a surprise, of course, given his name. Dave Van Domelen usefully points out that Wormwood authorizes three bombs, and that the Biblical star called wormwood destroyed one-third of the Earth. That's a Blackhawk standing at attention. The Blackhawks were crack pilots in World War Two comics - first in _Military_, then later in various DC comics after DC bought the rights to the character. This Blackhawk may be the same one that appeared in issue 2, page 26, panel 1. Quite a few people seem to want to believe that the Blackhawk pilot is Tim Drake, the current Robin in DC continuity. The card set indicates that Tim Drake joined the CIA, though, and not the Blackhawks. As Scott B. Casteel caught, the lefthand man in panel 6 is a dead-ringer for Mark Waid. Elayne Wechsler-Chaput points out that the righthand man is a lookalike for Dan Raspler. And Martha Thomases notes that between them is Pete Tomasi. p 8 Yeechang Lee notes that Secretary General Wyrmwood has a relatively small office - surprising, given the evident power of the "New United Nations." Yeechang Lee also notes the New UN's shield, which resembles the pre-Giffen JLA log (and for Scott Casteel the _Superfriends_ symbol), Wyrmwood's family photo, and the "World's Best Dad" coffee mug. Ed Mathews notes that Wyrmwood's speech on pages 7 and 8 is "close in flavor to the declaration of war that President Woodrow Wilson made re: WW1 against Germany. It is said that after he had his speech in front of Congress and was granted his `wish,' that he went back to his quarters and wept," in something of the same way that Wyrmwood reacts here. p 9 McCay's statement, in panel 3, that "any instant now, there will be fatalities" seems somewhat curious to me, as in a fight of this sort, with unchecked superpowers, I'd think people would be killed from the very beginning. Panel 1: unknown (upper left), Buddha, Atlas, Hourman II (taking a right from Von Bach - thanks to Chris Rednour for i.d.ing him here), Starman VII, Golden Guardian, Von Bach, unknown (fighting with Starman VII), Bulletman/Bulletgirl (by Von Bach's left leg - credit to Andrew Farrell and Chris Rednour for identifying them), Sandman III (taking a left from Von Bach), Vigilante?, Super Beatle? (running at Vigilante - credit to Andrew Farrell for identifying it), "Martian Manhuntress." Panel 2: Powerman (getting shot by "Tank" - Powerman was last seen in issue 3, page 25, panel 5), "Tank," Ray, Dementor/Gorilla (figure seen stretching Plastic Man in issue 2, page 28, panel 4), Human Bomb (literally taking the gloves off), Wonder Woman, Black Mongul, Hourman II, Von Bach, Sandman III. Panel 3: Human Bomb, exploding Dementor/Gorilla, Robotman III, Tusk, Power Woman, Manotaur. Panel 4: Riff-Raff (getting punched by Flash - last seen in issue 3, page 6, panel 1 - credit to Andrew Farrell for identifying him), Aquaman II, 666, Donna Troy, unknown (woman in black with partially bare arms and white hair (partially obscured by the captions), Fudo/B'wana Beast (getting socked by Flash), unknown (jacket, bald head and pony-tail), Norman McCay, Cathedral, Red Robin, Joker's Daughter, Red Arrow, "Black Claw" (kneeling, above Red Robin). p 10 Enter the...cavalry? Phantom Lady II, Black Canary III, Nuculoid, Lightning, Fate, Batwoman and Ace the Bathound, Wildcat III, Steel, Menagerie, silhouetted figures within Fate's cloak, Dragon? (silhouetted - last seen in issue 3, page 38), Zatara II? (silhouetted), Samurai (silhouetted - last seen in issue 3, page 38), Condor, Batman, Bat-Knight, Tula, Obsidian?, Dinah Queen, Flash IV, Nightstar, Bat-Knight, Red Hood, Oliver Queen, Green Lantern/Jade, Blue Beetle, Creeper. Among the many lovely touches of this series is the heroes emerging from Fate's cloak here. This our first good look at the Blue Beetle in his battle armor. The Sketchboard card has this to say about him: "`I may have let Alex down on this guy. His version of the Blue Beetle was fabulously redesigned, but I barely used him in costume - oops! It's just that in the context of _Kingdom Come_, I had so much more fun playing with his nebbishy-scientist alter ego, Ted Kord. As Bruce Wayne's technological right hand, Ted was a hoot.' - Mark Waid" p 11 Panel 1: Midnight, Nightstar, "Stealth I," Green Lantern/Jade, Charaxes?, Blue Beetle, Red Tornado III, Batman, "Tank," Bat- Knight, Vigilante?, "Black Claw," Blue, Aquaman II, Golden Guardian, 666, unknown (silhouetted - Mysteryman?), Kabuki Kommando? (held by Atom-Smasher), Atom-Smasher, Buddha, unknown (tucked under Flash IV's left arm), Flash IV, Robotman III? (tucked under Flash IV's right arm). Panel 2: Bat-Knight, "Tank," Dragon (silhouetted), Dinah Queen, Oliver Queen, Samurai (silhouetted), unknown (to left of Red Hood), Red Hood, unknown (getting thwacked by Red Hood), Bat-Knight, Golden Guardian, Vigilante? (getting their heads clanged by the Bat-Knight - credit to Andrew Farrell for figuring this one out). Panel 3: Batman, Menagerie, Zatara II (catching a Super Beatle head with his midsection), Von Bach (below Zatara II, throwing the Super Beatle head at Zatara II - credit to Andrew Farrell and Chris Rednour for identifying him), "St. George's Dragon," Phoebus. Chris Rednour and Andrew Farrell (who seems to have good eyes for this sort of thing) note that Menagerie has turned into the Jabberwock, from Lewis Carroll's _Alice through the Looking Glass_. Given Ross' attention to detail, it would be no surprise if he took the original Tenniel illustration as his model. Michael Denton further points out that Menagerie's appearance here seems to *exactly* duplicate the version of the Jabberwock that appeared, once upon a time, on an episode of "The Muppet Show." Panel 4: Dragon, Batman, Phoebus. p 12 Panel 1: unknown (upper left), Powerman, Mysteryman, unknown, Super Monkee (fallen, above Zatara II - credit to Andrew Farrell for catching this), Zatara II, Super Beatle (broken and held aloft by Von Bach), Magog, Von Bach, Aquaman II, Donna Troy (being backhanded by Tula), Tula, Atom-Smasher, unknown (being slugged by Atom-Smasher), Super Monkee (prone), Swastika?. Von Bach: (in German) "You are now just like a squashed bug!" (or something to that effect). As Rick Hodges points out, that's quite a thing for Von Bach to say, given that he's using a Super Beatle to do the squashing. Dirk Bansch and Sebastian Weinberg correct Waid/Ross' German and note taht the correct sentence should be: "Du wirst wie ene Wanze zerquetscht werden!" Sad to see Tula laying in to her father like that; her card description - as a "seafaring malcontent" - may imply some sort of falling out between her and her father. Panel 3: Insect Queen? (last seen in issue 3, page 4), Batman, Nuculoid, Batwoman, Ace the Bathound (let's all just pause a moment to glory in the fact that Waid and Ross brought back Ace the Bathound, shall we? I mean, Ace the flippin' Bat hound?!?!), KC Hawk?. Panel 4: Zatara II, Bat-Knight, Von Bach, Wonder Woman, Batman. Panel 5: 666, Joker's Daughter, Atom-Smasher, Black Mongul, Fudo/B'wana Beast, "Black Claw," Red Tornado I (kicking butt and taking names - go Ma Hunkle!), Cathedral. Interestingly, judging from the reaction of 666, Joker's Daughter, and Fudo/B'wana Beast to Von Bach's death, Von Bach seems to have taken Magog's place (at least momentarily) as the symbolic leader of the bad new "heroes." And as Marilee and the Redheads pointed out, unlike many "bad guy" groups, there seems to be some genuine - if not affection, then certainly concern - for Von Bach on the part of 666 et al, and rage at Von Bach's death. This was one of many little scenes that show that this new generation is not entirely devoid of affection, even if it is only for themselves. p 13 Panel 1: Stealth II (being roped by Wonder Woman), Starman VII, unknown (winged, obscured by Wonder Woman's first word balloon), Black Canary III, Darkstar, unknown (wrestling with Creeper), Creeper, Magog, N-I-L-8 (silhouetted behind Magog - last seen in issue 1, page 40, panel 1), 666, Obsidian, Terry Laban (being swallowed by Obsidian), Wonder Woman, Batman, Shade? (at Batman's feet), Red Robin, Fudo/B'wana Beast, Vigilante?, Oliver Queen, Nuculoid (partially obscured by Batman's word balloons). Magog's shocked look - seemingly at the amount of violence - is a nice foreshadowing of his change at the end of the novel. Panel 2: Wonder Woman, Batman, Darkstar, Fudo/B'wana Beast, Red Robin. One wonders exactly -how- Batman heard about Wonder Woman's fall from grace with the Amazons. Must be those contacts he spoke of in issue 2. Panel 4: Fate, Catwoman II, Cossack (last seen on the cover of issue 2), Joker's Daughter (being swallowed by Fate), Wonder Woman, unknown (in silhouette, raising sword - Cathedral? Samurai?), unknown (getting kicked by Dragon), Dragon (in midair), Pinwheel, Phantom Lady II, "Shadow Lass." It's interesting that Wonder Woman - the product of a culture in which royalty is the dominant government - should choose "aristocratic" as an insult to lob at Batman. Granted, it fits him, but it is still somewhat jarring coming from her lips. p 14 Panel 1: Wonder Woman, Batman, Living Doll, Dragon. Panel 2: "Black Sun," unknown (Alloy?), unknown (with yellow, horned head, just above the head of "Stealth I"), Stars, Blue Beetle, "Stealth I," Stripes, Flash IV, Vigilante?, Brainiac's Daughter? Panel 3: unknown in flight, unknown in flight, Trix, Lady Marvel, King Marvel? (being shot in the face by Spy Smasher), Spy Smasher, Superman, Captain Marvel (using Steel as a weapon against Superman), Magog, Steel. Panel 4: Nightstar, Green Lantern, Nuculoid (taking a blast from GL's lantern), unknown (figure in red armor last seen in issue 2, page 31, panel 1), Green Lantern/Jade, Oliver Queen, Dinah Queen, N-I-L-8, Mr. Scarlet (with N-I-L-8 inside the Lantern's green net). It's quite fitting that Green Lantern/Jade and the Lantern, father and daughter, are fighting side by side; differences between them seem to have been erased in the heat of battle. Panel 5: Nightstar, Huntress III (credit to Andrew Farrell and Chris Rednour for identifying her), Bulletman, Red Hood, 666, Red Robin, Condor, Ray, Red Arrow, Phantom Lady II, Human Bomb, "Shadow Lass" (prone), Blue Beetle, "Stealth I," "Hu'" (in lower left - credit to Andrew Farrell for figuring out who that was). Coincidentally (or perhaps not), Ross has shown the Condor and the Ray battling here; both characters were created by the great Golden Age artist Lou Fine. And the original Phantom Lady and the Human Bomb were both Freedom Fighters members, like the Condor and the Ray. p 15 I suppose it would have been too much to hope for that Ross would have kept the original, charmingly-eccentric design of the Blackhawk fighter/bombers. Marilee Stephens usefully points out that the Batman and Wonder Woman - two of the grimmer characters in _Kingdom Come_ (Batman because he's Batman and Wonder Woman because that is the attitude she's developed) are fighting in the bright blue skies, while Captain Marvel and Superman, two of the figures most faithful to the heroic ideal, are slugging it out down in the blood and gore of the battle-field. p 16 Panel 2: Starman VII, Nuculoid, Captain Marvel, Superman, Tusk, Wildcat III, Blue Devil II, Golden Guardian?, Robotman III. Captain Marvel's use of the "Shazam!" lightning as an offensive weapon in this way is not new, exactly, but given Captain Marvel's usually genial nature, it is a rarely-seen move on Marvel's part. As Virgilio Velasco Jr. and Scott Casteel point out, Captain Marvel is using the speed of Mercury to move out of the way before the lightning can hit him, which would seem to be the way he was able to crack the gulag open at the end of issue 3 without turning into Billy Batson. Mike Sterling usefully notes that Captain Marvel came up with this tactic in the _Superman vs. Shazam_ treasury edition from 1978: "If I shout the magic word, then zoom away at super-speed, the magic bolt will strike Superman instead of me! And since Superman is vulnerable to magic..." p 17 Panel 2: Fate, Darkstar, Ray, Condor (c'mon now - there's just no way the Condor should be able to take the Ray), unknown (figure inside of Fate), Bat-Knight, Cathedral (getting thumped by the Bat-Knight), Magog, Nightstar, Red Robin. Nightstar's grief over her father's wounds is still another of the nice touches in this issue. Mark Bernstein notes that Nightstar's pose and facial expression seem to be taken directly from the famous photo of the weeping protester at the Kent State University killings. Panel 3: Lightning, Tornado, Aleea Strange (swallowed up by Tornado), Bat-Knight, unknown (far left, below Lightning - N- I-L-8?), unknown (seated, below Lightning), "Black Claw," Flash IV, Flash, Thunder (credit to Andrew Farrell for correcting my error here). Note Flash IV's concern for her fallen father. Panel 4: Super Monkee (in flight), unknown (fighting Trix - Hourman II?), Trix, unknown (on ground to the left of Oliver Queen - Tokyo Rose?), unknown (punching, in right of panel), unknown in silhouette, Dinah Queen, Red Hood, Oliver Queen, Red Arrow, Green Lantern/Jade, unknown (in the Lantern's green energy chains - Nuculoid?), Mr. Scarlet, Green Lantern. As the Redheads got but I somehow missed in my first few readings, Trix has just shot and killed Dinah Queen in this panel. This panel shows several conflicting loyalties at work: Oliver Queen shooting at Green Lantern and having shot him a couple of times already; Green Lantern/Jade (formerly with Batman's group) moving to protect her father against Oliver Queen; Red Arrow moving to stop Oliver Queen, his "father." (Virgilio Velasco Jr. points out that Roy Harper was Oliver Queen's legal ward, rather than his adoptive father, as I originally wrote). Scott Casteel points out that the Green Lantern is being hurt by the wooden arrows of Oliver Queen - more proof that the Lantern is Alan Scott (whose historical weakness was wood). Panel 5: Black Canary III, Shadow-Thief? (last seen in issue 2, page 26, panel 1), Nightstar, Red Robin, Trix's head (as Andrew Farrell and Dave Van Domelen pointed out, clearing up my confusion over what that thing was), Batwoman and Ace the Bathound (kudos to Jacquelyn Koh Lian Ngee for clearing this one up for me), Catwoman II, Red Arrow, Red Hood, Oliver Queen, Dinah Queen. Still another nice touch is Nightstar flying the hors-de- combat Red Robin out of harm's way, as is the reaction of the extended Queen clan to Dinah's death. Panel 6: As Marilee Stephens points out, the smile on Captain Marvel's face seems to say that he sees what's going on almost as a game. p 18 Batman draws an interesting distinction here. Waid/Ross are, in effect, saying that the Batman is on the side of war as it was before the American Civil War - fought by certain rules, with an overtly stated aim. Wonder Woman and the Amazons, in this scheme, are on the side of Total War. This is a new interpretation of the Amazons' philosophy. p 19 This is nit-picking, of course, but those fighter/bombers are probably going at a good clip - at least a couple of hundred miles an hour. All Wonder Woman and Batman should have been able to do is wave to them as they shot by. Yeechang Lee usefully points out the resemblance of the bombs to the post-Crisis rocket that brought the baby Kal-el to Earth. As Scott Casteel points out, there is symbolic irony at work here: "the object that brought the first superhuman to earth would be the last thing that removes (i.e. kills) every last superhuman on earth." p 20 As Scott Casteel points out, Superman uses his own speed to grab Captain Marvel and move him into the path of the lightning, to revert him back to Billy Batson. p 22 Panel 1: Blue Devil II, unknown (Red Tornado I?), unknown, 666, Nuculoid, unknown, Flash?, unknown, unknown, unknown (with alligator head - Herkimer/Sylvester, from issue 3?), unknown, Golden Guardian, unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown, "Stealth I," Aleea Strange, unknown, Super Beatle?, Zatara II, King Kull?, unknown, Fudo/B'wana Beast?, Insect Queen?, "Black Claw"?, Phoebus, Bat-Knight, Darkstar, unknown, unknown, unknown, Bat-Knight, Power Woman, N-I-L-8, unknown, unknown (Shade?), Catwoman II. Lower right: Midnight, unknown, unknown, Brainiac's Daughter, unknown, unknown. Upper right (behind panels 3 & 5): Avia?, Black Manta (silhouette), unknown, Bulletgirl?, Oliver Queen?, Dinah Queen?, Red Hood, unknown, Pinwheel, unknown, unknown, Hawkman p 23 Panel 3: Catwoman II, Menagerie, Golden Guardian?, Buddha, Superman, Billy Batson. As Chris Rednour points out, Menagerie here has turned into Tars Tarkas, the mighty four-armed green-skinned Martian warrior and friend to John Carter in Edgar Rice Burroughs' _John Carter_ series. p 24 Panel 1: Bulletman, "Black Sun," Alloy, unknown (above/to left of Steel), Steel, unknown (being tackled by Steel), Phantom Lady II (to left of Tornado), Tornado, unknown (being swallowed up by Tornado - Aleea Strange, from page 17, panel 3?), Black Manta? (in flight, exchanging fire with the Bat- Knight), unknown (above and to the left of KC Hawk?), Tula (to the right of Bulletman, smacking Stealth II), Stealth II, Bat- Knight, "Cape" (last seen on page 2, panel 1), Blue Beetle, Manotaur?, Atom-Smasher, Superman, unknown (silhouetted, running), Billy Batson, Obsidian, Green Lantern, Green Lantern/Jade, KC Hawk?, unknown (partially cut off by page edge, firing at Green Lantern/Jade), unknown (statue-like figure, last seen on page 2, or perhaps Fudo/B'wana Beast?). Panel 2: Green Lantern/Jade, Green Lantern, Obsidian (helping the Lantern), Flash, Trix, Magog (seeming to comfort the wounded Trix), Avia, Creeper, Obsidian, Cossack, unknown (getting cut by Cossack), Norman McCay, Von Bach, Sandman III, unknown (green legs), unknown (yellow, on all fours), "Copperhead?," Atom-Smasher, Bat-Knight, Flash IV, Billy Batson, Superman, Tula (thanks to Andrew Farrell for clearing up her identity here), Robotman III? (head only), Super Monkee (bottom right of panel). Panel 4: Norman McCay, unknown (winged), unknown (only legs are visible - Brainiac's Daughter? Power Woman?), Blue Devil II, Fate. p 25 Panel 4: Superman, Blue Devil II, Wildcat III, Magog, Tokyo Rose, Manotaur, Billy Batson, Norman McCay. I'm more and more coming to admire the way that Waid/Ross show Magog actually trying to help his fellow metahumans in this issue; it's understated, but (IMHO) very effective in showing Magog trying to change and grow. Jacquelyn Koh Lian Ngee sees Magog as stunned by the carnage surrounding him, and helping to save lives when he can, rather than throw himself into the free-for-all. Jack Grimes notes that Magog has given up his "golden calf idol" head gear at this point - more symbolism. p 26 Some have questioned how Captain Marvel could have caught up to Superman so quickly - but Cap has The Speed of Mercury at his disposal, after all. And, as S.L. Post points out, Superman's vulnerability to magic rendered him particularly vulnerable to Captain Marvel's lightning bolts, and where Superman may be faster than Cap normally, at this point in the story he's probably weaker, and slower, than Captain Marvel. p 27 Red Hood & Red Arrow; Flash IV; Blue Beetle & Black Racer (uh-oh); Avia, Scott Free, & Barda (opening a boom-tube to take Scott to safety); Dinah Queen, Oliver Queen, & Black Canary III; Stripes (thanks to Andrew Farrell for figuring out who that was), 666 & Creeper; Power Woman & Darkstar; Wildcat III?; Tula & Donna Troy; Hawkman; a very sober-looking Magog, pulling Tokyo Rose to safety, & Green Lantern/Jade; Zatara II; Captain Marvel. The weeping Oliver Queen embracing the sadly dead Dinah Lance, as their crying daughter looks on, is another very nice touch in this series full of wonderful artistic flourishes. Dave Van Domelen notes that Captain Marvel said "Shazam!" three times in the last panel, thereby insuring his own death. p 29 As Andrew Farrell noted (correcting my original impression), panel 5 would seem to be the source of Norman McCay's vision in issue 1, page 45, panel 2. p 30 Among the dead I can make out: Blue Beetle, Golden Guardian, Robotman III, Black Mongul (his sword is visible), Stealth II, Aleea Strange, "St. George's Dragon," Blue Devil II, "Black Sun," Catwoman II, Phoebus, Hourman, Alloy, Bulletman, two Bat-Knights, Wildcat III, 666, and the elongated skeleton of Nuculoid (Jonathan Woodward and Scott B. Casteel, among others, point out the tell-tale mace-hand). David Stepp guesses that the skeletons on the left hand side, just to the right of Robotman III, are the Canary/Arrow Family, who are in almost the same positions as they were when the bomb was dropped. Heath Rosenbaum and Scott B. Casteel noted Atom- Smasher (Aleea Strange is leaning against his skeleton). Scott B. Casteel also notes the Creeper's skeleton, still wrapped around 666's. p 31 Panel 2: Dr. Fate, Ray, Joker's Daughter, Magog, Green Lantern, Green Lantern/Jade, Trix, and the Flash would seem to have survived. Unfortunately, we can see the corpses of Hawkman and Vigilante? in the foreground. Jack Grimes points out that the Flash is probably looking for his daughter, Flash IV. p 32 Panel 3: Flash, Trix, Dr. Fate, Ray, Green Lantern, Green Lantern/Jade, Magog (helping Jade to her feet), Thunder. Note the entrance hole made by Superman in the UN's building in panel 5. p 33 Virgilio Velasco Jr. and Leo Castillo point out that the Filipino text is done in "rather poor grammar. Presumably, it should read `Nandito na ang sira ulo! Papatayin niya tayo!' In English, this means `The lunatic is already here! (or "Here comes the madman!") He's going to kill us!'" Steve Gustafson notes that the translated Greek is "My God! He's going to kill us all!" and the French is "Run! Run for your lives!" p 34 Scott B. Casteel points out that McCay reaches Superman's human side by calling him "Clark," the name that Superman had been ignoring (and denying) throughout the entire series. p 36 Two more nice artistic touches are Jade's power, in panel 2, seeming to staunch the neck wound of Swastika (thanks to Jonathan Woodward and Jack Grimes for correcting me here), and Joker's Daughter ducking under Fate's cloak as she emerges into the UN building. p 38 Yeechang Lee points out that the flag to the right of Marvel's cape is the state (country?) flag of Puerto Rico. p 39 Another page of very nice touches: Edward Nygma seeming to distract a child from his wounds by telling him a riddle; the exchanged glances of Selina and Bruce; the King gently helping a victim; Lord Naga pushing a mop (how the mighty have fallen, indeed), Ibn al-Xu'ffasch being affected at having a patient die in front of him, and Batman's comforting hand on his shoulder; Luthor emptying the bedpans (credit to Mark Coale and Mario Di Giacomo for catching this); and the laugh-out- loud moment of Bruce's gibe at Luthor. Albert Tsuei notes that Nygma and Selina seem to be feeding the child, rather than distracting it with a riddle. Yeechang Lee, among others, points out that al-Xu'ffasch is not wearing a prison collar, unlike the other MLF members, which might imply that he was working with his father all along. Kevin L. Gilbert points out that there seems to be some sort of hierarchy among the MLF members based on the severity of their past crimes; King, Selina and Nygma, who are basically just thieves, get relatively light duties, while Luthor and Naga - world-conquering types - get the more demeaning work. The symbolic change in the color of the Bat-Knights and Bruce's t-shirt is, of course, obvious, yet well-done nonetheless. As a few folks pointed out, Batman's new colors are the same shades used by the International Red Cross. Jose De Leon and Leo Castillo point out that there is a nice symbolism/irony in the ruins of Wayne Manor being rebuilt into a hospital, given that Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father) was a prominent physician. p 40 The reconciliations here are very nice and quite fitting. Rick Hodges and someone whose name I didn't get (sorry) point out that the Amazon wearing the black bathing suit in panel 3 is wearing the same outfit that Wonder Woman wore in the original contest to determine which Amazon would leave Paradise Island as Wonder Woman. p 41 Magog's chastising of Swastika is another nice touch. Ross has this to say about Magog on the card set: "We designed him to represent everything we dislike about modern anti-heroes - all those kill-first, talk-later types. But he wound up looking so cool and possessing such depth that we ended up liking him anyway." Which may explain why he gains a sort of redemption by the end of the series, rather than dying in the way that Von Bach does. Albert Tsuei notes that Ragnarok, in Norse mythology, was supposed to consume the old gods, leaving only a few survivors who would lead and beget the new generation of kinder and gentler gods, which seems to fit right in with the end of _Kingdom Come_. Steve Gustafson notes that "the dark-skinned figure on the far left of the....coronation scene is probably meant to be Philippus, the commander of the Amazon guard." Note that we finally get a name for the Lantern's "Emerald City" - New Oa - which, as Jack Grimes (among others) wonders, may be where the superbeings are now residing. Or perhaps, as a few others asked (sorry, I missed your names), superbeings are now on Paradise Island. One wonders what the Amazons have to say to Manotaur's appearance; such a blatantly mythological beast, and one with unpleasant cultural/symbolic connotations for the Amazons, would no doubt cause quite a stir. p 42 Again, more parallels between Magog and Superman; Superman is, in essence, trying to "fix" Kansas by himself, just as Magog was in issue 2. In this case, though, Superman is doing it right. As Sam Lysinger points out, Superman is back where he started - on a farm setting, with Krypto, working alone, with Wonder Woman visiting him. However, unlike before, Superman - now Clark - has reconnected with humanity, (and his Kansas roots, as Mark Bernstein notes), and is on a real farm, rather than in his Fortress of Solitude. Mark Bernstein also points out that the image of the plow seems to be a reference to the Biblical "beat your swords into plowshares." Perhaps the plow is made out of the the remnants of the Gulag? Good to see Krypto again, too. p 45 As with Superman and Wonder Woman, we end where we began - with Norman McCay preaching (in this case, as Dave Van Domelen notes, from a version of Revelations 22:21). But now his faith is renewed and his congregation (which seems to include Jim Corrigan) made whole and given hope, just as the new generation of metahumans now has leadership and a reason to have faith. A very nice job, Misters Waid and Ross. Thanks for the ride. Thanks for various notes, corrections, contributions, and good thoughts to: Dirk Bansch, Sam Bell, Mark Bernstein, Christopher Bird, Jason Borelli, Jim Caldwell, Scott B. Casteel, Mark Coale, Jon Crowhurst, Michael Denton, Mario DiGiacomo, Eric Dittman, Andrew Farrell, Kevin L. Gilbert, Jack Grimes, Chris Gumprich, Steve Gustafson, Mike Hazlett, Jim Heath, "Henway the Barbarian," Rick Hodges, Paul.Kaczmarek, William S. Kartalopoulos, David Knott, "Krypto," Yeechang Lee, Tim Lehnerer, Sam Lysinger, Sean MacDonald, Tracy Mallon, Edward Mathews, Gabriel A. Neeb, Jacquelyn Koh Lian Ngee, S. L. Post, Christoper J. Rednour, Heath Rosenbaum, David J. Snyder, Marilee Stephens and the Redheads, David W. Stepp, Alex Tam, David Telesca, Martha Thomases, Albert Tsuei, Dave Van Domelen, Virgilio 'Dean' B. Velasco Jr., Elayne Wechsler- Chaput, and Sebastian Weinberg. jess This file created by Jess Nevins, jjnevins@ix.netcom.com.