Kingdom Come

In the 21st century, the Metropolis that once hailed Superman as its guardian has fallen into decay. The old superheroes--Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and others of their generation--have given way to a horde of self-appointed metahumans with a wide variety of deadly powers and, for the most part, the ethics of gangbusters. Now an elderly minister, Norman McCay, who narrates the novel, embarks on a quest to bring help to a Kansas destroyed by an inhuman power, while Batman plays a deadly game with Lex Luthor for control of Billy Batson--the original but now amnesiac Captain Marvel. The novel is an expansion of a highly successful graphic series in DC's innovative Elseworlds universe, but it can be enjoyed without reference to the original. It can't be enjoyed, however, without the kind of suspension of disbelief that only fans of the DC universe are likely to muster. Even so, these and other readers will find the novel full of vivid characterizations of their favorite superbeings, gripping action scenes and notions of pure whimsy such as Planet Krypton theme restaurants. Maggin, a principal writer of Superman comics for many years, provides a model of how to turn comic books into fiction. Four-color and b&w illustrations by Alex Ross. Simultaneous Time Warner audio. (Mar.)