Mark Waid ( / w eɪ d / ; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles The Flash , Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright as well as his work on Captain America , Fantastic Four and Daredevil for Marvel . Other comics publishers he has done work for include Fantagraphics , Event , Top Cow , Dynamite , and Archie Comics .
108-536: From August 2007 to December 2010, Waid served as Editor-in-Chief and later Chief Creative Officer of Boom! Studios , where he also published his creator-owned series Irredeemable and Incorruptible . In October 2018, Waid joined Humanoids Publishing as Director of Creative Development before being promoted to Publisher in February 2020. Waid was born in Hueytown, Alabama . He has stated that his comics work
216-618: A Blood Bowl mini entitled Killer Contract . The last Boom!/Games Workshop comics series shipped in 2009. Boom! also publishes tie-ins with famous bands, adapting Rush 's Clockwork Angels to comics. Boom! publishes The Amory Wars comic books based on the Coheed and Cambria mythology. In July 2018, Boom! announced that they had acquired the comic book and graphic novel publishing license to Joss Whedon 's Firefly with plans to release new monthly comic book series, limited series, original graphic novels and more. In May 2020, Boom!
324-530: A Cyanide & Happiness collection, Punching Zoo . The publisher launched an imprint from 2010 to 2012 called Boom! Town focusing on "literary comics". The first release through the imprint was a set of Robert Crumb Trading Cards. The first book published via the imprint, Wheeler's I Thought You Would Be Funnier won the Eisner Award in 2011. Boom! acquired Archaia Entertainment in June 2013 and made
432-440: A GoFundMe campaign to raise money to fight the suit, and denied having anything to do with Antarctic Press' decision, a statement verified in deposition by the publisher of Antarctic Press. Waid's fellow comics creators Neil Gaiman , Kurt Busiek , Dan Slott and Yanick Paquette contributed to his campaign, while artist Ethan Van Sciver began a similar campaign for Meyer which quickly surpassed Waid's in funding. Waid filed for
540-1105: A series based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? retained all the original text to the novel and was nominated for a "Best New Series" 2010 Eisner Awards . A prequel series followed subtitled Dust to Dust . In 2011, Boom! launched Elric: The Balance Lost a new original series starring Michael Moorcock 's character Elric of Melniboné and guest-starring the Eternal Champions Corum and Dorian Hawkmoon . Boom! has licensed games as well. In 2006 they launched Games Workshop properties ultimately publishing 42 comic books collected into 9 graphic novels. 5 mini-series featured Warhammer 40,000 : Damnation Crusade (Black Templars), Blood and Thunder (Orks), Exterminatus (The Inquisitors), Fire and Honour (Imperial Guardsmen), and Defenders of Ultramar (Ultramarines). Warhammer Fantasy series included Forge of War (Empire vs. Chaos), Condemned by Fire (Witch Hunters), and Crown of Destruction by Kieron Gillen depicting The Empire fighting Skaven. Boom! also produced
648-631: A "giant" issue, a "special" issue, and a "Spectacular"), Betrayal on the Planet of the Apes (4 issues), Exile on Planet of the Apes (4 issues), and Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm (12 issues). Just before the release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes Boom! serialized a one-shot prelude to the movie online as a free webcomic. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2014, they published a one shot Dawn of
756-538: A 24-issue ongoing series. All of Boom!’s Farscape series were co-written by show creator Rockne S. O’Bannon and take place in official show continuity immediately after the Peacekeeper Wars . Boom! also published a tie-in to SyFy 's show Eureka and well as new stories featuring TV's The Avengers , also known as Steed and Mrs. Peel so as not to be confused with the Marvel Comics characters of
864-492: A 40-page handwritten outline of what would become Kingdom Come and pitched the idea to James Robinson as a project similar in scope to Watchmen (1986–1987) and Alan Moore 's infamous "lost work" Twilight of the Superheroes . Ultimately, Ross teamed with writer Mark Waid , who was recommended by DC editors due to his strong familiarity with the history of DC superheroes. In this Elseworlds story, Superman and
972-562: A branded app following Marvel 's April app launch. Kingdom Come (comics) Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book miniseries published in 1996 by DC Comics under their Elseworlds imprint. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross , who also developed the concept from an original idea. The story is set in an alternate future of the DC Universe . The new generation of heroes have lost their moral compass, becoming as reckless and violent as
1080-463: A child, but he deduces the news first. Diana asks Bruce to serve as godfather , surprising the World's Greatest Detective. Clark tells Bruce he will provide a balancing influence to the child, adding that in spite of their differences over the years, he has always trusted Batman. Bruce accepts, touched by his old friend's words. As they leave the restaurant, Bruce notices Norman and Jim Corrigan discussing
1188-424: A comic book series created and written by Keanu Reeves and Matt Kindt and drawn by Ron Garney . The comic follows an immortal warrior, known as Berzerker, as he fights his way through the ages. Boom!'s published many adaptations of popular films. Its Planet of the Apes series of comics is the longest-running adaptation of the series. Boom!'s series include: Planet of the Apes (16 issues plus an annual,
SECTION 10
#17327811273291296-544: A deal with Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis to publish their series Hero Squared , with the Hero Squared X-Tra Sized Special one-shot. They went on to found Boom! together in 2005. They had been helping to option comic book projects as producers, and working to develop them into films with the studios, but became increasingly frustrated with what they felt was the "tights and capes" focus of most mainstream comics companies. When Giffen
1404-605: A devastated Kansas (an homage to the Kingdom Come series) although Superman states the entire planet is in the same condition. With advice from this future Superman, Captain Atom returns to the present and uses a robot made by Toyman to destroy the giant meteorite of kryptonite, preventing this future from coming true. In a follow-up to this story, Captain Atom: Armageddon , the titular Captain Atom finds himself in
1512-588: A first-look deal with Netflix . In July 2024, it was reported that Penguin Random House had agreed to acquire Boom! Studios under its Random House division. The acquisition was completed on September 17, 2024. Boom! is composed of four main imprints: the core Boom! brand, the All-Ages focused KaBOOM! , Archaia , and Boom! Box. The Boom! Studios imprint publishes action-oriented fare which most appropriate for teens or older readers. Originals under
1620-615: A free digital comics website Thrillbent, launching the site with the title Insufferable . An essay posted on October 2, 2013, by Waid, titled "An Open Letter To Young Freelancers", generated attention within the comics industry with The Hollywood Reporter describing it as "an important commentary on business practices that are in a state of flux at publishers both large and small." In 2014, Waid launched new series for Daredevil and The Hulk with artists Chris Samnee and Mark Bagley respectively. In December 2014, Waid's S.H.I.E.L.D. title began and it introduced several characters from
1728-534: A line of comic books based on series and characters from Disney Afternoon television shows. The line ultimately grew to three series starring Disney Afternoon characters. Boom! began publishing comics based on the Darkwing Duck TV show. Eighteen issues were published before the series wrapped up in October 2011. A 4-part crossover story with Disney's DuckTales titled "Dangerous Currency" ran before
1836-509: A message of hope for humanity. Among the congregation is Jim Corrigan , the Spectre's human host. The first additional scene (four pages) takes place near the end of the second part of the series. Superman visits Orion on Apokolips , which has changed very little despite Darkseid no longer being in power. He asks Orion for his advice on what to do with the captive rogue metahumans. Orion, who has grown to resemble his father and has adopted
1944-465: A public relations campaign aimed at generating a discussion about how comic book publishing can become more inclusive and diverse. In June 2017, 20th Century Fox purchased a minority stake in Boom! Studios, valued at $ 10 million. The Walt Disney Company inherited Fox's stake in Boom! Studios after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox's assets on March 20, 2019. In April 2020, Boom! Studios established
2052-458: A rather jaded view on life, initially offers to accept Superman's charges as exiles to Apokolips. Superman rejects that solution, claiming he can learn nothing from Orion, and goes back to Earth with Big Barda and Scott Free. The second additional scene is an eight-page epilogue. Clark Kent and Diana Prince meet with Bruce Wayne at 'Planet Krypton', a superhero-themed restaurant owned by Michael Jon Carter . They plan to tell Bruce they are expecting
2160-458: A second volume ntitled Revelations ) to the text, containing further sketches and developmental artwork from Ross, showing the development of the character designs and the storyline. A 1998 special from Wizard magazine contains the original proposal for the series by Ross, providing notes on what was changed and why. Ross's comments on The Kingdom are also included. DC released an Absolute Kingdom Come hardcover edition in 2006. It collects
2268-566: A series of mini-series featuring different writers and artists creating public domain fairy tales with The Muppets including Robin Hood. In September 2009, Boom! Kids began publishing a line of comic books featuring the Disney "Standard Characters" such as Mickey Mouse , Donald Duck , Goofy , and Pluto , the earliest characters animated by Walt Disney Studios. The line ultimately grew to six ongoing series: In June 2010, Boom! Kids began publishing
SECTION 20
#17327811273292376-582: A similar suit and works at the Daily Planet, which was attacked, presumably by the Joker. His Earth was designated as Earth-96, a reference to the year the comic was released. Furthermore, Kevin Conroy portrayed a variation of Bruce Wayne from Earth-99 that also incorporated elements of the Kingdom Come version, such as the character wearing an exo-suit. Hachette Audio released an audio dramatization of
2484-499: A single 4-issue mini-series. Boom! published several series featuring The Muppets with two different editorial approaches: a main series Roger Langridge wrote and drew based on The Muppet Show that started with the 4-issue mini-series The Muppet Show Comic Book in March 2009 and was followed by the 4-issue mini-series The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson with an ongoing after which ran until October 2010. The second approach published
2592-509: A sister book Incorruptible . Former Managing Editor Matt Gagnon was promoted to Editor-in-Chief in July 2010. At the beginning of 2013, the company launched its #WeAreBoom! campaign, spotlighting a philosophy that Boom! isn't just composed of its writers, artists, and staff but also of the fans that read its comics and the retailers that sell them. In June 2013, Boom! acquired Archaia Studios Press , merging it into Boom! and retaining it as
2700-551: A sister series called Incorruptible which ran 30 issues. Mike Carey 's series Suicide Risk received nominations for "Best New Series" and "Best Single Issue or Story". In 2013, Boom! also teamed up with Say Anything singer Max Bemis to publish his first limited mini-series about a bipolar hero called Polarity . Fox optioned the right to create this story into a TV series. In 2014, they announced an ongoing series written by Bemis called Evil Empire , which ended after 12 issues. In October 2020, Boom! published BRZRKR ,
2808-435: A stand-alone imprint. In October 2013, Boom! signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox giving Fox the right of first refusal to develop any Boom! comic properties into a film or TV series, and Boom! would get first-dollar gross on any profits. As a publisher of creator-owned works, that share would be split between Boom! and the creator(s) of the adapted work. In January 2015, Boom! launched "Push Comics Forward",
2916-502: A swift cease-and-desist notice from DC, objecting that the volume "constitute[d] an unauthorized derivative work that infringe[d] upon [DC's] copyrights, violates [their] trademark rights, and misappropriates [their] good will". Lamken acquiesced to the recall, despite protesting that DC had prior knowledge of the project. It is likely that the similarities between the material contained in the Revelations volume (available only with
3024-743: Is a multi-genre action piece that goes from fantasy to western to science fiction. Pulp science fiction mini-series Six Gun Gorilla , written by Si Spurrier and drawn by Jeff Stokely , was nominated for multiple Harvey Awards including "Best Artist" and "Most Promising New Talent" and "Best New Series". Boom! also published an original series from Clive Barker entitled Next Testament . Boom! generally does not focus on superhero material but has published some titles, including Grace Randolph 's Supurbia. Two of its original series, Irredeemable and Suicide Risk , have gathered accolades. Mark Waid 's series Irredeemable ran for 37 issues, received several Harvey and Eisner award nominations, and spawned
3132-594: Is a spiritual successor to Birthright . The second is a six-issue miniseries entitled World's Finest: Teen Titans , illustrated by Emanuela Lupacchino. In February 2024, it was announced that Waid would be writing Absolute Power , a 4-issue event miniseries that would conclude the Dawn of DC publishing initiative and lead directly into the DC All-In initiative. The series reunites Waid with artist Dan Mora and follows Amanda Waller , having teamed up with Failsafe and
3240-599: Is based upon the desire to prevent the loss of life. Moved by Superman's sentiments, Batman tells him that Captain Marvel is under Luthor's control and is on the way to the Gulag. Superman races to the prison, but upon arrival is struck down by Captain Marvel. The Gulag is breached, freeing the population, and inciting war between them and the Justice League. Batman's army arrives on site as an intervening third party, but
3348-513: Is the designation of the Kingdom Come alternate universe. In Justice Society of America (vol. 3) , a new Starman appears wearing a costume identical to that of the Starman from the Kingdom Come series. It is soon revealed that this individual is indeed the Starman from Kingdom Come , and that he is also Thom Kallor , a native of the planet Xanthu and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in
Mark Waid - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-572: Is unable to stop Wonder Woman from killing the supervillain Von Bach, which increases the fury of the riot. As conditions worsen, United Nations Secretary General Wyrmwood authorizes the deployment of three tactical nuclear warheads, hardened against metahumans. In the middle of their fight, Batman and Wonder Woman see the incoming bombers piloted by the Blackhawk Squadron . They break off fighting and manage to stop two bombs, but miss
3564-528: The Smallville television series. Waid returned to writing Legion of Super-Heroes in December 2004, teaming again with Barry Kitson. He finished his run on the series with issue #30 (July 2007). In 2005, Waid signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. He co-wrote the 52 limited series with Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns , Greg Rucka , and Keith Giffen that lasted for one year and covered
3672-665: The Underworld Unleashed limited series, which served as the center of a company-wide crossover storyline. His first major project for Marvel Comics was as one of the writers of the " Age of Apocalypse " crossover. He later co-created the Onslaught character for the X-Men line. Marvel editors Ralph Macchio and Mark Gruenwald hired him as Gruenwald's successor as writer of Captain America , during which Waid
3780-841: The Brainiac Queen , as she seek to put an end to the metahuman population of the DC Universe, once and for all. In July 2024, it was announced Waid would be reuniting with Chris Samnee for Batman and Robin: Year One , a 12-issue series set to begin publication in October 2024. In September 2018 writer Richard Meyer, the creator of the YouTube channel Diversity & Comics, filed a civil lawsuit in Texas against Waid, claiming defamation and tortious interference on Waid's part. Meyer accused Waid of convincing Antarctic Press not to publish Meyer's graphic novel Jawbreakers . Waid launched
3888-487: The Invisible Woman , her first solo series since her debut in 1961. In December 2021, it was announced that Waid would be writing a new ongoing for DC entitled Batman/Superman: World's Finest , with Dan Mora serving as artist and beginning publication in March 2022. The events of World's Finest would later set up the events of Batman vs Robin and " Lazarus Planet ", also written by Waid. In April 2022, Waid
3996-637: The Justice League . He recruits new and old heroes. The most prominent exception is Batman , who resents Superman for leaving the world 10 years ago. Batman warns him that his idealist notions are outdated and his violent interference will only exacerbate the world's problems. In response to Superman's Justice League, Batman activates his own network of agents, the "Outsiders", made up largely of younger second and third-generation heroes. Trusted veterans, such as Green Arrow , Black Canary and Blue Beetle , are chosen as lieutenants. Lex Luthor organizes
4104-464: The WildStorm universe and in another homage to Kingdom Come , his appearance mysteriously changes to that of his Earth-22 counterpart. In the second arc of Batman/Superman: World's Finest , entitled "Strange Visitor" and written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Dan Mora, a young boy named David Sikela arrives on Earth-0, where he is found by Batman , Superman , and Robin . They quickly realized
4212-436: The "Mankind Liberation Front". The MLF is secretly a group of Golden Age villains and third-generation villains like Ra's al Ghul 's successor, Ibn al Xu'ffasch , who is Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul 's son. The MLF works to take control of the world from the heroes. Superman's Justice League gathers more captives than converts, and his prison (nicknamed "the Gulag") is quickly filled to capacity. Superman works to persuade
4320-537: The 30th and 31st centuries. Due to a time-travel error, Starman traveled to Earth-22 before arriving in 21st-century New Earth. The "Thy Kingdom Come" story arc of the Justice Society of America title features the involvement of Alex Ross, as well as the appearance of the Kingdom Come Superman. Seeing the connection between Gog of New Earth and Magog of Earth-22, Superman from Earth-22 and
4428-550: The Batcave with the intent to kill Clark Kent, because according to him, Clark is responsible for the destruction of the Earth. Kingdom Come Superman suddenly vanishes while being distracted by his past self calling him "Clark". It is eventually revealed that this Superman came from a future in which a kryptonite meteorite crashed to the Earth. Later, due to a burst of quantum energy, Captain Atom arrives in this future. He appears in
Mark Waid - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-614: The Boom! banner explore a wide variety of genres from YA science fiction, like in The Woods by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas, to horror/action like in the thriller Day Men , which racked up "Best Inker" and "Best Cover Artist" Harvey Awards nominations for series artist Brian Stelfreeze and sold to Universal Pictures as a movie. Crime noir period piece Hit garnered Harvey Awards nominations for "Best Continuing or Limited Series" and "Best Inker" for artist Vanesa R. Del Rey and George Pérez 's series for Boom!, Sirens ,
4644-482: The Gulag. Batman's forces ambush Luthor and his conspirators, but are unable to restrain Batson, who transforms into Marvel and flies off. While Wonder Woman leads the Justice League to the prison riot, Superman confronts Batman. Batman tries to justify inaction, saying the world would be better off if all the metahumans destroyed each other. However, Superman knows that Batman will act, because his entire crimefighting life
4752-549: The JSA seek to prevent New Earth from going the way of his own world by stopping Gog in his crusade to rid the world of false gods, and before he can choose a successor one day in Magog. The JSA is split in their opinions on Gog; some believe he is truly benevolent, while others are suspicious of his true intentions. To prove himself, Gog heals certain JSA members such as Starman, Doctor Mid-Nite , and Damage , and he resurrects Lance from
4860-621: The Justice League abandon their roles as superheroes after the rise and strong public support of a superhero named Magog , who has no qualms about killing—notably the Joker before his trial for the mass murder of the Daily Planet staff, including Lois Lane . In the ensuing years, a newer generation of superpowered metahumans arise. They engage in destructive battles with little distinction between "heroes" and "villains". The narrator , minister Norman McCay , receives apocalyptic visions of
4968-516: The Justice League. Luthor's plan is to exacerbate the conflict between the League and Gulag's inmates. Batman quickly discovers that an adult Billy Batson is under Luthor's control. Batson, as Captain Marvel, is the only metahuman capable of matching Superman's power. When the inmates riot and kill Captain Comet , Luthor unwittingly reveals to Batman he intends to use the brainwashed Batson to break open
5076-782: The Planet of the Apes: Contagion bridging Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes . They followed this with a six-issue limited series called Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , in the modern movie continuity. The original Planet of the Apes movie continuity crossed over with Star Trek: The Original Series in a co-publishing deal with IDW Publishing . Other film adaptations include an ongoing series based on Big Trouble In Little China written by Eric Powell and John Carpenter , an Escape from New York comic book, an ongoing series with Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure , an eight-issue series based on RoboCop and 28 Days Later , bridging
5184-826: The Purloined Fortress", an eight-page Superman story, was published in Action Comics #572 (Oct. 1985). In 1987, Waid was hired as an editor for DC Comics where he worked on such titles as Action Comics , Doom Patrol , Infinity, Inc. , Legion of Super-Heroes , Secret Origins , and Wonder Woman , as well as various one-shots including Batman: Gotham by Gaslight . With Gotham by Gaslight , and in tandem with writer Brian Augustyn , Waid co-created DC's Elseworlds imprint. In 1989 Waid left editorial work for freelance writing assignments. He worked for DC's short-lived Impact Comics line where he wrote The Comet and scripted dialogue for Legend of
5292-689: The Shield . In 1992 Waid began the assignment which would bring him to wider recognition in the comics industry, when he was hired to write The Flash by editor Brian Augustyn. Waid stayed on the title for an eight-year run. He wrote a Metamorpho limited series in 1993 and created the character known as Impulse in The Flash (vol. 2) #92 (July 1994). Impulse was launched into his own series in April 1995 by Waid and artist Humberto Ramos . In November of that same year, Waid and Howard Porter collaborated on
5400-504: The Snowman was launched in December 2014. Boom! published a number of Pixar series featuring nearly the entire catalogue of the company's characters: The Incredibles in a 4-issue mini-series and a 16-issue ongoing, Cars in two 4-issue mini-series and an 8-issue ongoing, Toy Story in two 4-issue mini-series and an 8-issue ongoing, Wall-E with 8 issues, Finding Nemo with two 4-issue mini-series, and Monsters, Inc. in
5508-568: The Titans and becomes Superman's sidekick, Boy Thunder. While things start out well, a team-up between the Joker and The Key results in David being tortured by the Joker, which heavily traumatized him. In a fit of rage, David attempts to kill the Joker. While he was unsuccessful, David vows that he will one day kill the Joker, as it is revealed he is a younger version of Magog from Kingdom Come . David's actions deeply concern Superman, Batman and
SECTION 50
#17327811273295616-484: The Titans, with Superman briefly considering siphoning off David's powers, but decided against it, believing that David deserved a chance to try to fix his own mistakes. The Key took this opportunity to attempt to use David's ship to unlock the secrets of the multiverse, triggering the ship's systems and causing it and David to be transported into an unknown world in the Multiverse, where he meets an alien being going by
5724-551: The anthology. In November 2022, it was announced that Waid and Mora would be working on a new ongoing Shazam! series, beginning publication in May 2023. Mora departed from interior work with issue 6, while Waid left writing duties with issue 9. In April 2023, it was announced that Waid would be writing two new projects for DC set to launch in July 2023. The first is a three-issue DC Black Label miniseries entitled Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor , illustrated by Bryan Hitch . It
5832-409: The audio version was composed by John Bauers. In January 1999, Harbor Press published the first (special) issue of their comics magazine Comicology . The 272-page Comicology: Kingdom Come Companion , edited by Brian Lamken, focuses heavily on Kingdom Come , featuring an A-Z of almost everything, with extensive illustrations by Ross and various other commentary on the miniseries. It was the subject of
5940-855: The case to be dismissed. In December 2020, Meyer voluntarily withdrew the lawsuit and reached a confidential agreement. As of 2019, Waid lives in California. Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (stylized as BOOM! Studios ), is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher . They are headquartered in Los Angeles , California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House since September 2024. Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Hollywood with Dave Elliott and Garry Leach in 2004 to revive 1980s comic book publishing house Atomeka Press . While working with Atomeka, Richie cut
6048-426: The classic crime-busting vigilantism of the past. In the epilogue, the heroes strive to become fully integrated members of the communities. Wonder Woman's exile from Paradise Island ends. She becomes an ambassador for super-humanity, taking the survivors of the Gulag to Paradise Island for rehabilitation. Batman abandons his crusade and becomes a healer, rebuilding his mansion as a hospital to care for those wounded by
6156-713: The company an imprint. All of Boom! Studios' single-issue comic books and graphic novels have been distributed to the Direct Market exclusively by Diamond Comics Distributors since 2018. Boom!'s graphic novels have been distributed to the book trade via Simon & Schuster in the United States since 2009, HarperCollins in Canada, Titan Books in the United Kingdom, and Diamond Book Distributors internationally. On January 3, 2008, Boom! became
6264-566: The concept of Hypertime to explain problems with continuity in the DC Universe, which was first introduced in The Kingdom . Waid collaborated with artists Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary on JLA and the JLA: Heaven's Ladder (Oct. 2000) one-shot. In 2000, Waid co-wrote a series named Empire with Barry Kitson , whose protagonist was a Doctor Doom -like supervillain named Golgoth who had defeated all superheroes and conquered
6372-609: The dead to make him his successor, Magog. Soon, the JSA learns that Gog is forming a parasitic relationship with the planet Earth. If he remains long enough, the planet will not be able to survive without him. The JSA remove Gog's head, and Superman and Starman take it to the Source Wall . Starman sends Superman back to Earth-22 in time to see the carnage caused by Captain Marvel detonating the bomb. The events of Kingdom Come continue from there and conclude in its entirety, with additional scenes depicting Superman's life and legacy for
6480-470: The destruction of the Gulag. He reconciles with both Dick Grayson and Ibn al Xu'ffasch. Superman begins the task of restoring the Midwestern farmlands devastated after Magog's attack. He comes to terms with his past as Clark Kent by accepting a pair of glasses from Wonder Woman, and shares a kiss with her before she returns to Paradise Island. Norman McCay resumes pastorship of his congregation, preaching
6588-421: The entire series in a significantly larger page format, along with interviews with Waid and Ross, character artwork, sketches, and a complete annotation for the series. It was released again in the second quarter of 2018. The novelization was written by Elliot S. Maggin . It was published by Warner Aspect as a hardback, and (in limited numbers) a slip-cased, signed edition. It fleshes out characters such as Magog,
SECTION 60
#17327811273296696-534: The events that take place during the year in the DC Universe following Infinite Crisis . Another project for DC was a new launch of The Brave and the Bold with artist George Pérez , and a brief return to The Flash . On July 27, 2007, at San Diego Comic-Con , Boom! Studios announced that Waid would join Boom! as Editor-in-Chief the following month. As his non-creator assignments at DC lapsed, he stated that all his future creator-owned work will be with Boom!. Waid
6804-415: The fate of Superman, Batman , Wonder Woman , and other heroes as the world around them changed. It was written in reaction to the "grim and gritty" comics of the 1980s and 1990s. DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz observed that "Waid's deep knowledge of the heroes' pasts served them well, and Ross' unique painted art style made a powerful statement about the reality of the world they built." Many of
6912-423: The first comic book company to offer a digital download of a comic book on the day and date of its release, partnering with MySpace Comic Books . One year later, on January 6, 2009, Boom! teamed with MySpace Comic Books again to offer a free digital day-and-date release for Hexed along with the "5 for 500" program, sending five copies at no cost to the top 500 retailers in the direct market. On March 23, 2011,
7020-441: The first time with the debut of Games Workshop series Warhammer 40,000 : Damnation Crusade , based on the popular miniatures game of the same name. In 2007, Boom! published Steven Grant 's crime/action comic 2 Guns which Cosby and Ritchie co-produced for Universal Studios in 2013. At the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con , Boom! announced plans to launch its first imprint, a new line of comics for children originally announced with
7128-602: The future from a dying Wesley Dodds . The Spectre appears to McCay and recruits him to help pass judgment on the approaching superhuman apocalypse. An attack on the Parasite , led by Magog, goes awry when Parasite tears open Captain Atom . As a result, much of the American Midwest is irradiated, killing millions and destroying a large portion of the United States's food production. Coaxed back into action by Wonder Woman , Superman returns to Metropolis and re-forms
7236-553: The grown son of Superman and Wonder Woman, who would be mentored by Gog. Waid and Ross disagreed on several concepts, and Ross decided to leave the project. Without Ross's involvement, Waid continued the story in the New Year's Evil: Gog one-shot. The Kingdom miniseries soon followed, featuring a two-part series and several one-shots focusing on specific characters. The series was used to present Grant Morrison 's Hypertime concept. The final issue of 52 reveals that Earth-22
7344-416: The ideas introduced in Kingdom Come were later integrated into the present-day DC Universe, and Waid himself wrote a follow-up to the series, The Kingdom . Waid and writer Grant Morrison collaborated on a number of projects that would successfully reestablish DC's Justice League to prominence. Waid's contributions included JLA: Year One , as well as work on the ongoing series. The two writers developed
7452-574: The imprint to be appealing to all ages rather than only children. Also, during the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con, Boom! announced the appointment of Mark Waid as Editor-in-Chief. This role would eventually grow to Chief Creative Officer in August 2010 before his eventual return to freelance work in December of that year. While in these leadership roles, Waid also created multiple successful titles, including Irredeemable in 2009, which became Boom!'s longest-running series at that time, lasting 37 issues, and
7560-532: The inmates that their methods are wrong-headed and dangerous, to no avail. With hostile heroes and villains locked up together, pressure builds. Meanwhile, Superman learns that Wonder Woman's ardent militant stance may be influenced by her recent exile from Paradise Island: in the eyes of the Amazons , her mission to bring peace to the outside world has failed, and she has thus been stripped of her royalty. Batman and his Outsiders seem to ally themselves with MLF against
7668-435: The major characters were also included. The trade was also printed as a hardback (without dustjacket) by Graphitti Designs. Alex Ross provided a new cover painting for a new trade paperback released in 2008 that features a deluxe foldout cover only on its first printing (subsequent printings will not include the foldout). A separate deluxe slipcased two-volume hardback edition, also copublished by DC and Graphitti Designs, added
7776-422: The name Zoom!, but when the imprint launched in 2009, the imprint debuted as Boom! Kids . Boom! also signed a deal with Pixar to produce comic books based on their properties and secured newsstand distribution. The first included The Muppet Show by Roger Langridge and The Incredibles: Family Matters by Mark Waid and artist Marcio Takara. In February 2011, Boom! re-branded Boom! Kids as KaBOOM! , re-focusing
7884-426: The name of Gog. A boxed-set of the four individual issues was packaged in a die-cut cardboard sleeve with a Skybox trading card, part of a short-lived experimental program to package comics for resale at Toys "R" Us and other mass-market retailers. The original trade paperback from 1997 collects the entire series along with twelve additional pages by Ross, including the epilogue. Promotional artwork and sketches of
7992-624: The next 1,000 years. Alex Ross states that this story is not intended as a sequel to Kingdom Come since that would negate the purpose of the original story. A major subplot of Judd Winick and Keith Giffen 's 2010 maxiseries, Justice League: Generation Lost concerns the events of Kingdom Come . The story sees Maxwell Lord being tasked by the Entity with killing Magog before he can inadvertently trigger an apocalyptic war between Earth's superhumans, which ultimately brings Magog and Lord into conflict with Justice League International . To drive
8100-477: The opening of " The Gauntlet " storyline in issue #612 (Jan. 2010). Waid wrote the Doctor Strange mini-series Strange , and several series for Boom! Studios, notably Irredeemable with artist Peter Krause and its spinoff Incorruptible . In July 2011 Marvel relaunched a monthly Daredevil series with Waid on writing duties. Waid and artist Paolo Rivera garnered positive reviews for their work on
8208-424: The opening of the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes , Boom! serialized a free digital comic story that served as a prelude to the film. On March 4, 2009, Boom! Studios announced Mark Sable's latest series Unthinkable . To promote the launch of the book, Boom! created an alternate reality game to be played during the time pre-orders were due. On June 15, 2010, Boom! was the second comic book company to launch
8316-608: The point home, the Entity shows Lord a series of visions taken directly from Kingdom Come , including Magog and the Justice Battalion attacking Parasite. Lord eventually succeeds in arranging Magog's demise, and his life is returned by the Entity. During the first arc of the Superman/Batman series written by Jeph Loeb , what appears to be the Kingdom Come Superman appears via a Boom Tube in
8424-517: The previously relaunched series had returned to its original numbering. In 2003 Waid wrote the origin of the "modern" Superman with Superman: Birthright , a twelve-part limited series which was meant to be the new official origin story of the Man of Steel. Birthright contained several characters and elements from the Silver and Modern Age Superman comic books and homages to Superman: The Movie and
8532-447: The process. Despite Marvel's sacrifice, most of the metahumans are obliterated in the explosion. Superman is unharmed, but does not realize that there are any other survivors. Enraged at the tremendous loss of life, he flies to the U.N. Building and threatens to kill the delegates as punishment for the massacre. The surviving metahumans arrive, but McCay is the one who talks him down, pointing out how his appearance and behavior are exactly
8640-472: The promotional price of 9 cents U.S. By June 2003, Marvel publisher Bill Jemas tried to convince Waid to abandon his "high-adventure" approach to the series, and making the book into, in Waid's words, "a wacky suburban dramedy where Reed's a nutty professor who creates amazing but impractical inventions, Sue's the office-temp breadwinner, the cranky neighbor is their new 'arch-enemy,' etc." Waid, who felt that this
8748-1146: The purchase of the considerably-more-expensive Graphitti/DC two-volume set) contributed to the recall of the Comicology volume. The recall made the Companion arguably the most difficult Kingdom Come item to find. In 1996, Fleer / Skybox released a set of trading cards based on Kingdom Come , entitled Kingdom Come eXtra . Alongside the 50 basic cards, featuring art by Ross and text by Waid, there are 15 "sketchboard" cards, three "Kingdom Classics" (featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in iconic poses), six "Alex Ross Original" cards, and some rarer autograph cards. DC Direct (the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics ) has produced three waves of action figures based on Kingdom Come ' s artwork. The first wave of figures included Superman , Wonder Woman , Green Lantern and Hawkman . The second wave included Batman , Red Robin , Captain Marvel and Kid Flash . The last wave included Magog , Flash , Armored Wonder Woman and Deadman . An exclusive figure of Red Arrow
8856-481: The restaurant's "Spectre Platter", with Corrigan showing irritation that this is how he is being remembered, and Norman assuring him that it is good to be remembered at all. Due to the popularity of the series, Mark Waid and Alex Ross began to plot a sequel/prequel titled The Kingdom . Alex Ross's original intent was for Gog to be an alien, twice the size of a human, from the planet Urgrund that split into two and created Apokolips and New Genesis and for Magog to be
8964-513: The same day as the publication of the first issue of the comic book series based on Hellraiser , Boom! released a free original Prelude to Hellraiser short story co-written by Clive Barker as a downloadable PDF to promote the release. To promote the release in July 2011 of the first issue of Elric: The Balance Lost , Boom! published the Elric Free Online Prelude featuring a free eight-page web comic. In anticipation of
9072-691: The same name. On January 28, 2012, Boom! released a reprint of the Steed and Mrs. Peel mini-series written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Ian Gibson and previously-published by Eclipse Comics . Boom! acquired the license for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in June 2015 and released a monthly comic starting in January 2016. Soon after its launch they announced a spinoff limited series, MMPR: Pink , which launched in June 2016. Boom! has adapted popular authors like Philip K. Dick , and Michael Moorcock :
9180-620: The same team behind Boom!'s Adventure Time comic. It followed this series up with Lumberjanes from ND Stevenson , Grace Ellis, editor Shannon Watters, and artist Gus Allen. Originally published as a mini-series, Lumberjanes was a big enough hit to become an ongoing, ultimately running for 75 issues and a one-shot finale, with spin-off comics consisting of 3 original graphic novels and 4 annual one-shot specials. Since issue 18, all Lumberjanes comic books are written by Watters and Kat Leyh. Other Boom! Box series include Teen Dog by Jake Lawrence, Giant Days by John Allison and Max Sarin, and
9288-886: The series ended, with parts 1 and 3 in DuckTales #5 and #6 and parts 2 and 4 running in Darkwing Duck #17 and #18. Launching in May 2011, KaBoom! published six issues based on the television show DuckTales . Notable video game designer Warren Spector wrote the series and the fifth and sixth issues featured a crossover with Darkwing Duck in the storyline "Dangerous Currency". Other licensed series Boom! publishes through KaBoom! include Charles Schulz 's Peanuts , Jim Davis ' Garfield , and Frederator series Bravest Warriors and Bee and Puppycat . Experimental and "gleeful" imprint that publishes content for kids and adults. Boom! Box launched with The Midas Flesh from Ryan North , Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb,
9396-426: The sort of reasons that normal humans fear the superpowered. Superman immediately ceases his rampage. He is handed Captain Marvel's cape, and tells the U.N. that he will use his wisdom to guide, rather than lead, humankind. Superman ties Captain Marvel's cape to a flagpole and raises it among the flags of the member nations of the U.N., suggesting that this role of guidance will be more political and global in nature than
9504-615: The story between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later , a 12 issue series based on Clive Barker 's Nightbreed , new Hellraiser comics, eight issues of Die Hard: Year One focusing on John McClane 's first year as a beat cop in New York City, and a film tie-in for Jennifer's Body . Boom! has published a number of series that are based on television shows like Sleepy Hollow and Sons of Anarchy and Jim Henson 's Fraggle Rock . New stories with Farscape began in 2009 and ran for 6 subsequent mini-series and
9612-511: The story, adapted from the novelization, featuring the voice talent of Mike Mearian, Don Peoples, Garet Scott, John Cunningham, Kent Broadhurst, Jeff David, Chuck Cooper, Harry Goz , Barbara Rosenblat, Craig Zakarian, Mike Arkin, Bob Lydiard, Peter Newman, Birgit Darby, Mark Finley, Igot Goldin, Macintyre Dixon, and Chloe Patellis, along with the guest voices of Dennis O'Neil, Mark Waid, Mike Carlin, Dan Raspler, Charles Kochman, Peter Tomasi, Greg Ross, Janet Harvey, Elisabeth Vincentelli. The music for
9720-566: The television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Marvel comics universe. He later wrote All-New, All-Different Avengers , Black Widow , and The Avengers . Waid and artist J. G. Jones produced Strange Fruit for Boom! Studios in July 2015. In 2016, Waid and artist Humberto Ramos co-created The Champions for Marvel. The following year, Waid returned to the Captain America series beginning with issue #695 working with artist Chris Samnee . A new Doctor Strange series
9828-410: The third. Captain Marvel uses his lightning bolt as a weapon against Superman, who manages to grab Marvel and allow the bolt to transform him into Billy. Holding Batson's mouth shut, Superman tells him he is going to stop the remaining bomb. Batson must make a choice: either stop Superman and allow the warhead to kill all the metahumans, or let Superman stop the bomb and allow the metahumans' war to engulf
9936-467: The title for another relaunched series, Captain America volume 3, issues #1–23. Waid also wrote the short-lived spin-off series Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty from 1998 to 1999, having written 10 of the 12 issues (skipping issues #7 and 10). In 1996, Waid and artist Alex Ross produced the graphic novel Kingdom Come . This story, set in the future of the DC Universe , depicted
10044-459: The title, and earned multiple 2012 Eisner Awards , including Best Continuing Series and Best Single Issue for issue #7. In addition, Waid won Best Writer for his work on Daredevil , as well as his work on Irredeemable , and Incorruptible . Waid received a "Best Writer" Harvey Award as well for his Daredevil work. In November 2012, Waid and artist Leinil Francis Yu launched The Indestructible Hulk series for Marvel. In 2011, Waid established
10152-627: The unique properties of David's biology give him powers upon exposure to the Earth's sun, and is brought to the Bottled City of Kandor to be examined by the Kandorian scientist Kim-Da. While there, Kim-Da fabricates David a costume inspired by Hel-Oz, an ancient Kryptonian hero. After a brief, but traumatic, excursion to Gotham, Robin takes David to the base of the Teen Titans , where he introduces David to his friends and partners. David joins
10260-1026: The very first Boom! comic book sold solely under the Boom! logo. shipping July 27, 2005. During this time in its history, Boom! focused on publishing an array of original series created by a slew of industry veterans: Giffen worked on Hero Squared , Planetary Brigade , 10 , Jeremiah Harm , and the Tales titles like Zombie Tales and Cthulhu Tales . DeMatteis collaborated with Giffen on Hero Squared and Planetary Brigade and brought his own series, The Stardust Kid , with Mike Ploog , over from Image Comics . Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey's Oni Press series Jenny Finn migrated to Boom! and finally completed its story. Eisner Award winner Dave Johnson created covers for Zombie Tales and Cthulhu Tales . Joe Casey created The Black Plague while Rafael Albuquerque 's first American work debuted in The Savage Brothers . In 2006, Boom! moved into licensing for
10368-458: The villains they fight. The previous regime of heroes—the Justice League —returns under dire circumstances, which sets up a battle of the old guard against these uncompromising protectors in a conflict that will define what heroism truly is and determine the future of the planet. When comic book artist Alex Ross was working on Marvels , published in 1994, he decided to create a similar "grand opus" about characters from DC Comics . Ross wrote
10476-473: The world leaders, and the Batman/Ib'n connection. The book contains four new color pages by Ross, as well as four black and white sketches of the major players. Brandon Routh reprised his role of Clark Kent / Superman from the 2006 film Superman Returns in the 2019–2020 Arrowverse crossover event " Crisis on Infinite Earths ". This version of Superman takes inspiration from Kingdom Come . He wears
10584-434: The world. Superman tells Batson he must be the one to decide, as he is the only one who lives in both worlds: a man (as Batson) and a god (as Marvel). Batson, his mind now clear of Luthor's influence, turns back into Captain Marvel. He flings Superman to the ground and flies after the missile. Marvel intercepts the missile and shouts "Shazam!" three times in rapid succession, detonating the bomb prematurely, and killing Batson in
10692-582: The world. The series was originally published by Gorilla Comics , a company formed by Waid, Kurt Busiek and several others, but the company folded after only two issues were published. Empire was completed under the DC Comics label in 2003 and 2004. Waid wrote the first year of Crossgen 's Ruse series. Waid began an acclaimed run as writer of Marvel's Fantastic Four in 2002 with his former Flash artist Mike Wieringo , with Marvel releasing their debut issue, Fantastic Four vol. 3 #60 (Oct. 2002) at
10800-494: Was announced to have acquired the comic book and graphic novel rights to the 1999 prequel novel Dune: House Atreides with plans to adapt it into a 12-issue adaptation written by the original authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson . KaBOOM! , initially launched as Boom! Kids , publishes series that are aimed at readers of all ages. Roger Langridge 's series Snarked! ran 12 issues (3 graphic novels) from 2011 to 2012 and won an Eisner Award . New series Abigail and
10908-585: Was featured as a guest at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention, he persuaded Richie to start his own outfit, Boom!. Boom!'s first publication was Zombie Tales #1, a horror zombie anthology, released under the Boom! and Atomeka Press logos on June 29, 2005. The first edition was published by Atomeka, but released after Richie had left the company to start Boom! Studios. Giffen and DeMatteis imported their Hero Squared series from Atomeka to Boom! and Hero Squared became
11016-503: Was heavily influenced by Adventure Comics #369–370 (1968), the two-part " Legion of Super-Heroes " story by Jim Shooter and Mort Weisinger that introduced the villain Mordru . Waid has stated that the story is "a blueprint for everything I write." Waid entered the comics field during the mid-1980s as an editor and writer on Fantagraphics Books ' comic book fan magazine, Amazing Heroes . Waid's first comic book story "The Puzzle of
11124-483: Was launched by Waid and Jesus Saiz in 2018. Waid also launched with artist Javier Garrón a Ant-Man and the Wasp miniseries to tie into the release of the 2019 film of the same name . At the 2018 New York Comic Con , Humanoids Publishing announced it was creating an imprint called H1 whose contributing creators included Waid. On April 9, 2019, Marvel announced that Waid would write a five-issue miniseries featuring
11232-437: Was paired with artist Ron Garney . Waid and Garney garnered critical praise for their run on the title, remaining on it until the title was relaunched with a different creative team as part of the 1996–1997 " Heroes Reborn " storyline. Rob Liefeld offered Waid the opportunity to script Captain America over plots and artwork by his studio, but Waid declined. That storyline ran a full year, after which Waid and Garney returned to
11340-590: Was promoted to Chief Creative Officer of BOOM! Studios in August 2010. That December, Waid announced he would be leaving that role, and return to freelance work, though he would continue writing for the publisher. In the late 2000s Waid worked on the Spider-Man creative team, writing several issues of The Amazing Spider-Man , including a meeting between Spider-Man and Stephen Colbert in The Amazing Spider-Man #573 (Dec. 2008). Waid scripted
11448-532: Was released through ToyFare magazine. DC Direct also released several other characters through their Elseworlds toylines. These figures included the Spectre , Norman McCay , Jade , Nightstar , Aquaman and Blue Beetle . An updated version of Kingdom Come Superman was released in JSA series2 , which was based on the covers that Alex Ross worked on. An action figure of Superman based on Kingdom Come 's artwork
11556-509: Was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to Operation USA 's benefit anthology book, Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds , a project spearheaded by IDW Publishing Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier , whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . Waid teamed up with artist Gabriel Rodriguez (artist) to produce an original story with new characters created specifically for
11664-466: Was too much of a departure from what he had been hired to write, initially declined. After some discussion with editor Tom Brevoort , Waid found a way to make the requested changes, but by then, the decision had been made to fire Waid and Wieringo from the series. The resulting fan backlash led to Waid and Wieringo's reinstatement on the title by that September. Waid and Wieringo completed their run on Fantastic Four with issue #524 (May 2005), by which time
#328671