Among all the uproar over Elon Musk and his Twitter debacle, the social media world is looking for a replacement. Users have been giving other sites a whirl, and that’s prompted Gunn to use the attention to his advantage. First, he debuted on Mastodon Social with a Lobo post, which dropped jaws across the DCU fandom. Then he added a picture of Mister Terrific to his old Twitter account. But it didn’t stop there.
A week after the Terrific tease, Gunn signed up for Hive Social, and his Kingdom Come background image has sent fans into a frenzy.
Originally published in 1996, Kingdom Come was published under DC’s imprint, Elseworlds. Heavy on biblical allusions, the story took place in a world where the original Justice League had retired. The younger generation of heroes, however, had adopted more violent means, blurring the line between good and evil. Then a new villain straight from the Bible, Magog, emerges, and the elderly superheroes were forced to return.
Waid did a superb job on the plot for the four-issue limited series, but Ross’ stellar artwork on both the covers and the interior panels is what truly made Kingdom Come a classic. Simply with a picture added to social media, Gunn has reignited interest in the series. As we wait to see what his first moves atop DC Studios will be, let’s check on the fair market values for these keys issues.
KINGDOM COME #1
This will be the first issue to feel the heat from Gunn’s latest tease. Of course, Kingdom Come #1 was given a boost years ago when Brandon Routh debuted his KC Superman look for the Arrowverse’s Infinite Crisis crossover event. However, having it on a bigger stage will amplify those sales figures. The other boon to owning this one is from a purely collecting standpoint—the exquisite cover art. Each issue was beautifully done by the master himself, but that first issue is such an eye-catcher that you can’t leave it out of your sets. Frankly, the Spectre has never looked better.
As far as fair market values, the sales prices have been all over the place as of late. In July and August, the graded 9.8 had sold for $200+ in two sales. Then the price tag slipped to just $58 in September before surging to $179 on November 22.
KINGDOM COME #2
Ross brought out his A-game for this cover, bringing the Justice League to life in breathtaking fashion. It made this image of a Golden Age JLA one of the team’s more iconic moments. Then came Black Adam, and it gave Kingdom Come #2 a sales boost thanks to the first appearances of two characters straight from the movie: Cyclone and Atom Smasher.
After selling for a high of $209 last year, the 9.8 has peaked at $175 so far in 2022. The last time one traded hands online, it brought $125 in October.
JAMES GUNN’S WILL BE DONE
There’s no telling what Gunn and his DC Studios co-chair, Peter Safran, have in store for the DCU. They’re reportedly finalizing a 10-year plan to weave together the upcoming slate of films and streaming series. Of course, those haven’t been revealed, either. Cross your fingers that Kingdom Come is on the list.
