The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel will encounter their Kingdom Come counterparts this October in a new story arc by Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora.
Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20 marks the start of the five-issue Heir to the Kingdom, that will see DC's biggest heroes encounter their rather more grizzled and world-weary selves when they cross over into another dimension.
The alternative Earth-22 Batman and Superman are not the only heroes returning. DC also promises appearances from that acclaimed series' war-hungry Wonder Woman, and the return of Superman's protégé, Boy Thunder - more on him in a moment.
"It's been exciting to revisit the world of Kingdom Come with this prequel," said Waid. "Dan, Tamra, Steve and I have the chance to show how some of its characters originally evolved and to account for some that were missing from the original series. Even if you think you know the ending, there are massive surprises in store!"
Kingdom Come was a classic four-issue Elseworlds miniseries by Waid and artist Alex Ross, published back in 1996. In it, Superman retires following the death of Lois Lane and the murder of the Joker by up-and-coming new hero, Magog. This leads to the rise of a new generation of more brutal heroes, lead by the acquitted Magog, who kill freely and show little care for the collateral damage they are inflicting on the planet.
The book was daring, epic in scale and - naturally - looked stunning thanks to Ross's astonishing photorealistic visuals. It's had a huge and lasting influence on superhero comics in the decades since its original publication.
Boy Thunder, meanwhile, is David Sikela. Like Kal-El, he is an alien refugee on Earth. Superman has taken him under his wing as a sidekick, but in recent issues of World's Finest, it was revealed that Sikela will one day grow up to be Magog. A shocking reveal, and one that suggests that this crossover has been in Waid's imagination for quite some time...
Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20 is published by DC Comics on October 17.
Kingdom Come was part of a crazy 1996 for DC and Marvel, the reverberations of which are still being felt today. Check out our look back at the entire year.
