Journey back to a time of empires. A history destroyed, misinterpreted, rewritten then lost. A people worshiped, admired, envied then feared .O Kingdom Come is a fascinating glimpse into the events that led to the fall of the Nubian Empire. Nubia. This once proud kingdom traces back thousands of years, before the rise of the pyramids and the reign of pharaohs. Today, little is remembered of their proud history or their eventual downfall. O Kingdom Come reaches deep into Nubian history, from their mysterious reign over the Original Kingdoms to the Great Empire’s ruin. It is a tale rich with pageantry and splendor and one prompting us to look deeper within and attempt to answer those universal existential questions of who are we and who are our gods.
O Kingdom Come joins the campaign to bring African history/mythology to a wider, global audience through the ninth art and it has done quite well. ‘O Kingdom Come‘ is a dark and gritty tale narrating the struggle for control of the Nile by various empires. It is historical fantasy.
A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
The story grabs your attention from the very first page, setting the stage for an epic battle, then intricately weaves its way back to events that actually led to that moment- touching personal experiences along the way. The script is decently worded in prose fashion, giving the reader a unique sense of the old and the classic, syncing perfectly with the story’s ancient African setting with proverbs and wit.
In this first volume, we are introduced to the graphic novel’s principal characters and are given a sneak peek into their back stories for better understanding. The story cuts quickly from one scene to the other yet slowly building up to the main plot or theme. We are briefly introduced to the various cultures and religions of this unique place that straddles both history and fantasy. We begin to see an old, mystical world emerge from the pages and perhaps worry that the author would not have enough time to bring his world to life while gifting us impactful splash pages and deep quotes along the way. Because it holds promise- almost Tolkien-esque. What is equally amenable is that the causes of conflict are not simplified into good and evil, black and white, but left as empathetic shades of grey somewhat justifying the belligerence between warring parties. This allows the reader freedom to pitch tent on either side or stay judgement till the tale further unfolds with each volume. Yes, this is only the beginning.
Graphically, the art style adopted in O Kingdom Come settles down comfortably into the mythical setting. It has just enough sense of realism to be credible while its many lines, hatches and strokes provide the needed expressionism and surrealistic approach. The pages of the novel are dark all through (perhaps a little too dark in the beginning?) to set the grim, sombre tone of the story for readers. It makes no apologies for it- reminiscent of a Frank Miller graphic novel or movie- and strings you along till you are accustomed to the dark. The lettering here is also well-designed and appropriate for each panel sequence.
As this graphic novel ends, it leaves you feeling rather familiar with the characters and a pressing need to find out what happens to them. Very soon.
D. Ajayi
D. Ajayi is a father, computer engineer and storyteller. Born in Miami and growing up in Lagos, Nigeria before returning back to Florida for his degree. His upbringing has given him a unique perspective on how different cultures influence individual perceptions of events and he likes to explore this phenomenon in his writing. His latest project O Kingdom Come is a monumental literary work that has garnered the interest of historian Runoko Rashidi, and African Global act Alex Boye. The book was a critical success being short listed for CBR’s top indie book of the year. Also winning A Glyphy award for best art. It has been covered by the BBC, CBR, Comicsbeat, Eurweb and Africa.con