10 Great Comics You Didn't Understand The First Time

Widely regarded as one of the best "Elseworlds" stories tangential to the DC comics cannon, Kingdom Come proposes a potential future of the Prime Earth continuity where the trinity and Justice League have all gone into states of semi-retirement, opening the doors for a new generation of heroes and villains to ravage the planet with reckless, violent clashes that have destroyed the public's faith in superhumans.

As Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman attempt to rebuild the world in their own way, their actions are observed by the Spectre and a humble priest who provide exposition and a framing device for what devolves into an all out superhuman civil war.

Even on the first read through, readers can sense the heavy emotion and thematic importance that the story carries, helped in no small part by the iconic work of legendary comic artist and writer Alex Ross.

But what first-time readers often miss is that the underlying theme always revolves back to religion. DC's roster of heroes have often been characterized as a pantheon of gods, but the Spectre, the priest, and even the title are meant to enforce the idea that the story not built around the relationships between gods, but the fragile bond that mankind has with the almighty.

Ultimately, the story resolves that though wounded, humanity has not lost its connection to God, as demonstrated when the human priest is able to calm an enraged Superman at the story's end.