“What happened to your code, Kal? What did you used to call it? Your Torah” – Elliot S. Maggin, Kingdom Come Novelization
There is nothing more interesting than the question of God and what’s truly out there. Mark Waid has done his fair share of questioning this in the publication of Kingdom Come, as the story famously follows a priest who has lost his faith. It’s no surprise that in order to return to this story in a new way, Waid would bring back those same questions under a new light with series artist Dan Mora.
Following the events of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #21, we’re greeted by the full scope of this return of Earth-33. Right off the bat, Mark Waid goes in on what we’ve been needing, which was a true dive into how this world affects our heroes and how the larger scope of Gog as a final antichrist to the DC universe truly touches on the original story as we begin seeing Gog’s hatred and vile beliefs infect David into becoming Magog. Waid’s ideologies here are as fascinating, as were his original ideological deep dives in the original story – we see Gog promising David great things as Magog in order to keep him as a pet to control.
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All of this is to play on the real life mythology of Gog and Magog as this fictionalized Gog plants the seeds of destruction. His ability to control these heroes, promise them true peace and prosperity, all while slowly sending them to their demise to go against the Primordial Earth and Apokalips leans into the idea of Gog and Magog’s attack on the saints and the city of Jerusalem. With all of this in mind, it becomes clear to see that Waid’s love for these two come with an intellectual eye, one that has benefited his writing on them for years.
“The ascension in his name for a battle in which there will be no survivors.”
Dan Mora’s art this issue is as beautiful as ever, but his ability to lean into Waid’s vision perfectly makes these two such a strong creative duo. Mora and series colorist Tamra Bonvillain leans into all of this by portraying Gog and Magog in a colorful and bright manner in contrast to many of the humans and victims of this universe being shown in a more muted tone. The three creators make sure you feel cold and a bit alone in this issue, and they nail that feeling. To Waid, Mora, and Bonvillain, the slow ascension of a god that doesn’t truly love you would feel like a thriller that borders on a horror flick. Gog is less of a traditional big bad and more of the kind of villain that would leave the strongest of superheroes in a cold sweat and so much of that is portrayed in mere subtext alone.
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David’s character is another aspect of this story that keeps evolving in a fascinating way due to his connection to Supergirl and Nightwing: Kara Zor-El and Dick Grayson are prodigal children to the World’s Finest and their subtle appearances throughout the arc thus far show present a striking glimpse into how these kids look to Bruce and Clark. Whether it’s Dick’s darker costume and more cold demeanor or Kara’s full allegiance to Gog, completely abandoning worship of Rao, these kids have grown up to be their worst nightmares. Their joint failure makes the descent of David more chilling to witness.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest: #22 is overall a welcome improvement over the last two issues. The scope of “Heir to the Kingdom” is a test to Waid’s mythological storytelling and how he wants to evolve Earth-0’s World’s Finest, whether it’s modeling David/Magog after Kara Zor-El and Dick Grayson or leaning into somewhat obscure religious mythology and ideology.
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