Comic Review - Kingdom: Alpha and Omega by Dan Abnett.

Here we are, the final for now, the Kingdom collection. Released three years ago, and this seems to be it for now. I haven’t seen or heard of any more. I assumed more is coming, but when? Who knows. Let's enter the comic book Four in the Kingdom Series with a heavy heart.

Title: Kingdom - Alpha and Omega

Author: Dan Abnett

Artist: Richard Elson

Commercial Fluff: The latest collection of 2000 AD’s latest breakout success from the mind of NYP bestselling SF and Warhammer author Dan Abnett!

After dragging Gene to their faltering cryogenic space station and abandoning his pack to the swarming insect “Them”, the masters are holding Gene in idyllic V.R. suspension. Rescued before execution by an old friend and joined by a terrorist working to undermine the master’s grip on the world below, Gene forms a tenuous alliance. The three must collaborate to infiltrate the master’s security systems and steal the codes to their massively destructive arsenal.

But Gene might not be prepared for what else he finds…

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Stories include:

As It Is In Heaven

Alpha and Omega

Review

As we can see, Alpha and Omega contain two further adventures of Gene the Hackman. The Earth is still overrun by giant insects/aliens, and humans are on the brink of extinction. This tale follows Aux Drift and sees Gene on a space station orbiting Earth.

Now, like many 2000 AD tales, the characters age as much as we do as we read them. So when we see Lee Sowers, she has aged around ten years; roughly the same time has passed between her last seeing Gene and us reading that adventure. We start the story with a Gene living on a farm in the outback with his mate and younglings; we have a content Gene, which is nice to see. Unfortunately, this is a Kingdom tale, so it can't last.

We soon discover it is all a lie. The masters have played a long game, and the Aux on Earth were not a part of the outcome. Soon, Gene is fighting for his survival and for those on Earth while dealing with the moral concerns of loyalty to the masters and the meaning of just being fodder. Ultimately, Gene fights his way off the station with the help of Sowers and a new character called "Paws" or "Pause" by Gene (This character is similar to the Aux, but rather than dog DNA, they used Panther! This created traits the master did not like, and he was also meant to be destroyed). Gene learns some meaty spoilers during this action-packed sequence that I can't share. But it was a creepy twist, and this story arc finishes with the trio burning to Earth in a shuttle.

The second tale of the book is the title story. We have, for want of a better term, landed on Earth. In Gene's hand is the power to make one of the three warring factions the winner, but whoever wins the Aux will die. This leaves Gene powerless and weighed heavily by his decision-making. But Earth has changed. The aliens have evolved quicker than first expected; they have learnt and adapted, and there seems to be a dangerous fourth faction. The “Them” have created their version of the Aux, which seems deadly! But here ends the tale: when will we get book five?

I don't know about this book. Dan Abnett has positively moved the story along, leaving us all unsure of how Gene's story will end, but at the same time, I worry it is being dragged out too much now. I don't see an ending in sight. The door has been opened to keep the series going until we get bored, and this is something I don't want to see.

Book five must be soon, and the answers to my concerns will be given.