In 1996, DC Comics published Kingdom Come, a dark, Elseworlds future four-issue miniseries by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. It became an influential, instant classic. And now it’s also a documentary, The Legend of Kingdom Come, which just hit Kickstarter.
Directed by Remsy Atassi and produced by Sal Abbinanti, Ross’s art dealer, the documentary includes Ross and Waid, as well as Todd McFarlane, Paul Dini, Julie Benson, and Shawna Benson as they discuss the development and impact of the comic book series.
“I met Sal and Alex about eight years ago, and working with Alex, I quickly realized his unique style and crossover potential,” Atassi told Comic Book Club over email. “Kingdom Come stands alongside graphic novels like Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. Though it’s a household name for comic fans, I wanted to bring it to a wider audience.”
To find out more about the documentary, including what to expect from the now-live Kickstarter, read on.
Comic Book Club: What was the initial impetus for this documentary? Why Kingdom Come? Why now?
Sal Abbinanti: It was a dream of mine to put together a narrative documentary about this story for quite some time. I was in on the ground floor to see the creation of a legend first hand and felt that there is a tremendous story here behind the story.
We’ve been working on the documentary for about 4 years, we lost a few years due to Covid and are now thrilled to be close to sharing it with people everywhere.
Remsy Atassi: I met Sal and Alex about eight years ago, and working with Alex, I quickly realized his unique style and crossover potential. “Kingdom Come” stands alongside graphic novels like Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. Though it’s a household name for comic fans, I wanted to bring it to a wider audience.
Getting Alex Ross and Mark Waid on board seems like a must-have… Were they immediate yes? Or was there some convincing involved? And what was the plan if they had said no?
Sal: Alex and Mark were tremendously cooperative and helpful from the start. It goes without saying we could have not even attempted creating the documentary without them. If they had said no? I really think it would not have been possible.
Remsy: While Alex initially resisted a documentary about him, he was excited to focus on telling the story behind “Kingdom Come,” which was a very personal project to him. Once Alex was on board we asked Mark and he graciously agreed to help in any way he could. If they said no I think we might have had to find another story!
Similarly, in terms of fleshing out the content of the doc, how did you choose your other subjects?
Sal: Remsy and I felt that a back story was important due to the fact that the comic business in the ’90s was a crazy and really unique time. It all pulls together in the end.
Remsy: We wanted to cover the era of “Kingdom Come” and the history of comics, so we included creators from that time, like Paul Dini, Amanda Conner, Brian Pulido, and Todd McFarlane. We also featured historians and people directly involved with the book’s creation, like models and friends who posed for Alex’s heroes. Alex pointed us in the right direction, and Sal is an old school comics guy so he’s got the legends on speed dial.
The book has been out there for a while, in multiple editions… Given so much about it, what can you bring that’s new and fresh to the table?
Sal: The back story, the models, the creation of the script, the art and the variety of incredibly talented people and personalities made the backstory something comic fans have never seen or heard. They are not going to be disappointed.
Remsy: We’ve added animated and fully voiced scenes, and we scanned over 1,000 images to develop them. That includes Alex’s sketches, thumbnails, and designs – some from when he was just a kid. Using image enhancement and visual effects, we created a 3D, immersive style that brings Alex’s process to life which I think the fans will really appreciate.
Is there anything about the book that surprised you during the process of delving into it? Or the history around it?
Sal: How hard everyone worked and the love felt for this book. “Kingdom Come” is one of the greatest graphic novels in the history of comics.
Remsy: Delving into Superman’s history was fascinating. Seeing how Alex drew from so many depictions and history to create his own iconic interpretation of the character in “Kingdom Come” – it really made me see these characters in a new way. Also, I was struck by the passion of fans and creators who’ve dedicated their lives to comics. This really is a group of people like no other.
You’re bringing the project to Kickstarter… What can folks expect from that?
Sal: We’re excited to bring this project to fans of comics, film and art. There is a lot of tremendous content, back story and unseen clips, along with product related to “Kingdom Come”, we have tremendous perks for supporters. Crowdfunding is about going direct to the consumer and they expect a lot in return and rightly so. Order fulfillment is key.
Remsy: Kickstarter allows us to connect directly with fans and offer them the exclusive rewards they’ll love. We want to make them a part of the filmmaking process. It’s a way to engage the people who are most excited about the documentary, and tailor our content and offerings specifically for them.
Is there a release plan after that? Are you gonna slip a DVD under James Gunn’s office door? Or is it too early to talk about that?
Sal: It’s a bit early right now as we’re laser focused on our Kickstarter campaign and knocking it out of the park. James Gunn is always welcome!
Remsy: We’re committed to getting this film to fans! Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see where it goes, but we’re open to all possibilities.
The Legend of Kingdom Come is now live on Kickstarter.