Welcome to Graphic Classics! This new regular series will focus on some of the key works of graphic literature that are available on the shelves at Queens Library.

Libraries have been buying classics in literature for generations, and that includes graphic novels.

These are not the flashy new titles. There will be nothing here that will look ahead to next season. Instead, we will focus on those books that made the form what it is. These are the books that are cited in geek culture; the classics that everyone should read, even if none of us can afford to own them all. Click "read more" for our first installment.

-- Christian Zabriskie

Kingdom Come (1996)

By Mark Waid and Alex Ross

This sublime look at a post-superhero world is the DC equivalent to Marvel's Civil War, which it predates and exceeds in quality.

The art is incredible. The panels are painted, not drawn, and Alex Ross has done amazing work here with a lush and vibrant color palette. Each image has a luminosity that jumps off the page.

The story is, ultimately, a consideration of humanity, its potential, and its limitations. The children and grandchildren of the early superheroes have now grown into their powers, and their meaningless conflicts disrupt and destroy the people they were meant to save. This is a must-read for DC fans and anyone interested in what it means to be a superhero.