By: Darwyn Cooke Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 208 Publication Date: December 01, 2004 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: December 01, 2004 Studio: DC Comics
Product Description: DC: THE NEW FRONTIER takes readers on an epic journey from the end of the Golden Age to the genesis of a bold new era for the super-hero in the late 1950s! World War II is over. The Cold War has begun. And the Age of the Super-Hero is in decline. But where are the heroes of tomorrow? THE NEW FRONTIER recounts the dawning of the DC Universe's Silver Age from the perspective of those brave individuals who made it happen. Encounter "keepers of the flame" including Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, who survived the anti-hero sentiment of the Cold War, as well as eager newcomers like test pilot Hal Jordan and scientist Barry Allen, poised to become the next generation of crime-fighters.
A New Introduction to the Ensemble ^ I knew basically the Justice League when I started this book. I felt a little left out during some parts, but the introductions were good enough for me. I understand how big of an effect this book could have if you are completely familiar with the characters. Just so you know the main character of both volumes is definately the Green Lantern. It is a very well thought out series, with everyone playing a part, but the primary spotlight is on Hal Jordan. I am mostly a Batman and Flash fan so their appearances were short lived.
I managed to fall in love with John Jonezz while reading this book. I had no previous knowledge on the character, and I felt like Darwyn gave me a great origin. Wizard called this the top graphic novel of all time, and I can see why. The New Frontier allows superheroes to exist and be legitimate by anyones standards. They take place in the real world throughout the series and I think of it as the Watchmen of the JLA, but without the tragically broken down heroes.
I wouldn't call this my favorite graphic novel, but Wizard is on to something. It is a profound piece of graphic novel literature, no doubt.
Rare Revisionist History Gem ^ I am a long time comics fan and creator, VERY disatisfied with about 85% of the current comic product done by mainstream comic companies. "Revised" origin tales updated to be more modern or hip always leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. Darwyn Cook's work here is happily a VERY rare exception. Keeping in the time period this "revised" history not only makes perfect sense, but it brings forward a modernism tone while keeping very true to the original work(s), To top it all off Cook's wonderful design style keeps this work rooted in its time frame with almost every panel being a sheer joy to behold. I resisted buying this work until I watched the animated cartoon, then reading these volumes, with its more complete story than the cartoon was a sheer joy. I cannot recommend this book and its second volume enough! The Hardback may be a bit pricey, but this tightwad of a comic book guy is also considering buying that book as well just to have the entire story in one volume. GREAT STUFF!! My only regret is that there isn't a volume three and more.
DC New Frontiers #1 ^ Disappointing. I like Darwyn Cooke and have several things by him. The artwork is nice. So-so story. Too much space wasted on the war with the dinos. Too little space spent on gold and silver age period of DC history. Disagreed with the direction. Not recommended.
DC's classic heroes presented in a fresh way ^ I recently enjoyed the "Justice League: The New Frontier" direct-to-DVD movie and decided to finally check out its literary inspiration, the "DC: The New Frontier" comic book mini-series. This volume collects the first three issues of that series.
Like the animated film, I found this initial volume to be gripping and involving, and generally a lot of fun. As I said about the film, it was very interesting to see DC's bright and optimistic heroes, presented here in a bright and optimistic 1950's setting, eventually have to confront the dark underbelly of that supposedly positive, "can do" America: an underbelly made up of racism, McCarthyism, shady politics, dubious foreign policy, and other national ailments. Also interesting is that some of the heroes themselves are part of the problem.
Quibbles about the series so far? Well, while the DVD film could have benefitted from a little MORE running time, the mini-series in a small way has the opposite problem. That is, it does, well... go on a bit. This isn't a fatal flaw; this first volume never sinks to the level of "boring", not even close. It's just that, for the story being told, these initial chapters could have been a little tighter. And speaking of chapters, I also present my usual complaint about DC graphic novel compilations: reading these things, one never knows where each original issue ends and the next one starts. This volume presents the first three issues of the original "DC: The New Frontier" comic book series, and it would have been nice to read one full issue in the volume over the course of three nights. But I pretty much had to guess where the actual original issue breaks were, and just stop about a third of the way into the book the first night, two thirds of the way in on the second night, etc. But, yes, this is just another quibble.
In the end, I'll definitely pick up the concluding volume of "DC: The New Frontier". So far, it's an interesting experiment that mostly succeeds, and I'm sure the closing chapters will be even more compelling. Make no mistake, despite my observation that the story could have been a little tighter, I did like seeing several characters and plotlines that, due to time constraints, didn't make the cut in the animated adaptation.
I'm certainly glad the animated adaptation got me to finally pick up the original comic book series.
Excellent Book ^ An excellent book. Fom the time I ordered it to the time I received it was just a few days.
The book was in excellent condition and I highly recommend it.
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