One of the best comics I’ve read is the “Kingdom Come” series by Alex Ross and Mark Waid. The writing and art are both beautiful. it posed some serious questions. What would the world be like if there were no crime, but the heroes and villains did nothing but fight each other still. The heroes and villains would begin to terrorize the people. In the story, it got to a point the humans had to accept the hard truth – the world did not need the superpowered beings anymore. Sometimes accepting the truth and moving forward in our lives can be very difficult.

Accept The Truth

“We do have to accept the TRUTH…But we DON’T have to give up.” - Nightstar*

In an alternate universe, all the young and old heroes will have nothing to do and no body to save. They start fighting each other and terrorizing the world with needless battles. New villains are created from the old. Dick Grayson, Nightwing, marries his Tamaranean sweetheart, Koriand’R, Starfire. The two lovers have a daughter, Mar’I Grayson. Mar’I takes after her father in skills and fighting but has her mother’s eyes, flight and energy projection. Mar’I takes the moniker “Nightstar”. She becomes the leader of her generation’s Titans, a group her father founded and mother joined. She loves Bruce Wayne’s and Talia Al Guhl’s son, Ibn Al Xu'ffasch. Mar’I’s father disapproves of this relationship. Eventually Mar’I believes the “truth” her adopted Grandfather Bruce Wayne, Batman, teaches. She joins Batman’s ranks and helps bring peace to the world.

Sometimes the “truth” is hard to hear. Sometimes it is not what we want to hear and we fight the truth. Fighting the truth is called denial. Eventually we will have to face the truth and step into reality. Think of the addicts and their difficulties. Family and loved ones often have interventions to help bring the addict out of denial and into the truth. Here is a difficult truth for the loved ones of addicts - they will not accept recovery unless they are ready. Here is a difficult truth for the addict – addiction will bring loss of health, love and sanity. For the addict that accepts the truth, don’t give up, find recovery and live a rich full life. For the loved ones of addicts don’t give up, do whatever must be done to help bring the addict to recovery; even if that means ending the relationship. Sometimes it is more difficult for the loved ones. Nightstar has the right idea, “We do have to accept the TRUTH…But we DON’T have to give up.”

Nightstar
First Appearance: Kingdom Come, #1 (May 1996), Elseworlds Comics, DC Comics

Creators: Mark Waid (writer) Alex Ross (art)

* “No So Gently”, Nightstar, #1, The Kingdom, February 1999, DC Comics