Originally published as an Elseworlds limited series (1996) Alex Ross is an artist that everyone, comic book fan or otherwise, should be familiar with. The attention to detail is simply amazing. Understandably, it takes him a long time to paint these works of art, and because of that he works primarily as a cover artist. But when he spends the time on an entire book, as he did with the 1996 Elseworlds miniseries "Kingdom Come", the result is a level of realism that few other comic books can achieve. The story is set ten years after the ostensible retirement of Superman, and since that time a new generation of superpowered heroes has come forward. These aren't your dad's comic book heroes - they're ruthless, violent and hungry for more power, and it soon becomes apparent that Superman needs to return. But he and the Justice League of old have aged, and restoring order to the world will not be a feat for the weak-willed. "Kingdom Come" is a fantastic book and, in this context, the most indicative of the fact that the ratings on this list aren't exactly ironclad. Anyway, the important thing is that you read it, if you haven't already. I have no qualms in reiterating that Alex Ross is a stunning artist (Comics Buyer's Guide actually retired their Favorite Painter award because Ross kept winning it every year), and on the whole "Kingdom Come" is a can't-miss achievement.
