DC: The New Frontier Vol. 1

DC: The New Frontier

by Darwyn Cooke

Acclaimed writer/artist Darwyn Cooke (CATWOMAN: SELINA'S BIG SCORE) turns his attention to the dawn of the Silver Age in DC: THE NEW FRONTIER — which takes readers on a journey from the end of the Golden Age to the genesis of a bold new heroic era in the late 1950s! Volume One collects DC: THE NEW FRONTIER #1-3 plus the three extra pages originally seen only in Wizard Magazine!World War II is over. The Cold War has begun. The Age of the Superhero is in decline. But where are the heroes of tomorrow? THE NEW FRONTIER recounts the dawning of the DCU'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 crimefighters.Cooke, a master storyteller, writes and illustrates this landmark tale, a must-have for fans of the DCU and all lovers of powerful tales of heroism!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2004

About the author

Darwyn Cooke was an Eisner Award winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier and Will Eisner's The Spirit.

In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years.

In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad placed by animator Bruce Timm.

He went on to work as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and in 1999 he animated the main title design for Batman Beyond. He then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.

DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became Batman: Ego, a graphic novel published in 2000.

The critical success of that project led to Cooke taking on more freelance work, such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web for Marvel Comics and Just Imagine... Stan Lee for DC.

In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with a 4 issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759-762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman).

The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until issue #4. In 2002 he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.

Cooke's next project was the ambitious DC: The New Frontier (2004), a six issue miniseries which sought to tell an epic storyline bridging the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the US Space Program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in "The New Frontier" in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. In 2005, Cooke won an Eisner Award for "Best Limited Series", and a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on the series.

Most recently, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, June, 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."

In July 2005, it was announced that in 2006 Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb would produce a Batman/Spirit crossover, to be followed shortly afterwards by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. Batman/The Spirit was ultimately published in November 2006, followed in December by the first issue of Cooke's The Spirit. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on "Batman/The Spirit", and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on "The Spirit".

In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC com

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars



So I read this again a few days ago, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to lower my original (5 star) rating from 4 years ago.
I still really love the art and the concept, but...
This story is actually kind of long-winded and slightly boring.
There's waaaay too much text, and not nearly enough action, in my opinion.
Most of the characters are ones that I've never heard of before, and the fact that they've faded from memory?
Well, that in itself says something.
Martian Manhunter and Flash were (to me) the most interesting stories, even though Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Hal Jordan (not yet a Green Lantern) all have a part in this, as well.
John Henry, The Losers, Suicide Squad, and the Challengers of the Unknown (I think that's their name) have intersecting plotlines in this volume, but since I wasn't familiar with any of them I can't say I was very invested in what happened.
And again, part of the problem was that this was sort of preachy and meandering.
There were several cameo appearances by other DC characters, but they weren't in costume, so if you're not looking for them you might miss out.

I did enjoy the re-read, but not as much as I thought I would.
So.
Here's hoping I like the next volume a bit better.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darwyn Cooke imagines the DC heroes back in the Silver Age, the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the first of two volumes called DC: New Frontier. Cooke works in real life events into the superhero story such as the Korean war, Eisenhower, fears over the bomb and McCarthyism. And while the book generally works quite well on the whole, it feels like a lot of heroes are underused - maybe that's the intention - and as a result the book becomes less interesting as it goes on.

The characters who get the most focus are the old Suicide Squad (not the New 52 idiots currently cast in that awful title), a group of tough soldiers sent on suicide missions. The book opens strangely with some soldiers shipwrecked upon an island that contains dinosaurs, kind of like DC's version of the Savage Land, as they struggle to survive. It's never clear what the dinosaurs have to do with the rest of the book but it's still a great opening sequence that's exciting, fun and pretty darn tense too.

Other, more familiar characters appear - Bruce Wayne shows up at some fancy dinners playing the part of louche millionaire while his alter-ego Batman investigates a series of cult murders with John Jones, a human detective who is really the alien J'onn J'onzz the Martian Manhunter (one of MM's powers is shape-shifting). It's delightful seeing J'onn become John as he learns by watching pulpy crime serials on TV how to act human but comes off as a cheesy fictional character.

Batman meanwhile is in the early days of his career and people aren't sure what to make of him - is he a criminal or a hero? But he does terrify people, unfortunately both criminals and the public, making kids cry after he saves them! We're also introduced to a young and idealistic Hal Jordan whose plane gets shot down in Korea and has to survive with a handgun, all the time with an eye towards space. Wonder Woman and Superman are both tools of the government, used to help the US in their international wars. And that's basically the whole gang.

All of which is great - the setting, the way Cooke writes and draws the characters, it's all done really, really well and I was loving the heck out of it. But the final third of the book underlines something I hadn't noticed (or cared about) before - the book has no plot. Things just happen because that's the era. The space race is on, various wars in the East are going on, the 50s are turning to the 60s and a new, youthful president is on his way into the Oval Office... throw in a few superheroes reacting to those events and that's fine. But by the end, I was scratching my head wondering what exactly the book was driving at. Is it really just a book that's all about the conceit rather than the story? It seems like it, though I have Volume 2 and haven't read it yet, maybe it'll explain more in that?

And while it's great seeing the superheroes in this context, they're really underused. Batman and Martian Manhunter are in maybe 10 pages tops. Same for Wonder Woman and even less for Superman. More time is devoted to guys out of costume and connected to the military in some way, and if I can't name them it's because they just weren't memorable enough. That and the way Cooke draws the men out of costume makes them all look the same. I'm not sure why Cooke chose this route but I'm not convinced the gamble worked. In the end, the lack of story, the exclusion of interesting, colourful characters in favour of blander characters, made New Frontier a bit of a bust.

Putting aside the same-y character designs, I love everything about Cooke's art. It's clean, it's crisp, it's wonderfully expressive, and Dave Stewart's colours really bring the pages to life. I like that Cooke chose to present the story in four wide panels per page, giving the story a cinematic quality and showing a lot of detail in the background besides the focus on the characters. It showcases Cooke's clearly extensive research as well as draws the reader more closely into this era.

New Frontier Volume 1 starts well but the lack of direction and final third of the book - which seems to be nothing but lengthy exposition - makes me wary to call it a masterpiece though I'll read the second book and see where it goes. Cooke would go on to write more successful books set in this time with his adaptations of Richard Stark's Parker books, and New Frontier is certainly no failure, but it's also not that great.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I came into this from the wrong perspective. I'm not exactly well versed in DC's Silver Age work, and I imagine that those who do will find the nostalgia that much more interesting. Really, I just showed up for the art. That's one place where I was far from disappointed. I love the style, like Paul Dini and Bruce Timm working from Silver Age character designs. It works, and Cooke is really good at doing action scenes. That said, the out-of-costume characters tend to blend together. In many superhero comics, this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but there's a lot of costume-free scenes.

I'm a little frustrated with how the story is going right now. Actually, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I've heard that it comes together, that after reading the second volume it will all pull together beautifully. But right now, it looks a lot more like a bunch of random stories thrown together. And I'm not entirely convinced by some aspects of the story. How does Hal Jordan refusing to use his machine guns in a dogfight actually work? We're told that he's still a great fighter pilot, but since he gets shot down in the only firefight we see him get into... Well, it isn't exactly convincing.

But hey, it looks really, really good. And things did seem to be picking up a little bit at the end. Who knows, maybe the second volume will knock it out of the park.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story.

It tells the tale of the end of golden age of DC and how the SIlver age starts and yeah it was a long read and almost took me a couple of hours to go through it, it tells how JSA retired and the position of the trinity and how the silver age heroes came and I love how we follow Hal and him meeting Carol and well going on a mission by the end that will make him meet his fate and the focus on Martian Manhunter and his encounter with Bruce and their mission to take care of some threat and also other heroes.

Its an interesting and long read and I kinda enjoyed the stuff with the Losers led by Cloud and that story was great and monumental and then seeing the political and social tensions in this book around 50s and 60s and the advent of Silver age, it was awesome. I love the art of Cooke and he imagines these heroes as legends and like gets their characterization really well and then the meeting of heroes like Bruce and Ollie and what not and the stuff with Steel was weird and interesting. It gets boring in the middle but by the end does come together for a nice read for sure.

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

HISTORY IS MY FAVORITE SUBJECT! A new vision on classic characters!

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful. Darwyn Cooke is amazing. Set in the heyday of the Silver Age, Cooke begins a story that is at once nostalgically heroic and reminiscent of a simpler time, and profoundly complex, dealing with political and sociological issues ignored by writers of the period. In this story is the seed of the idea that would become Marvel's Civil War, and it's done much, much better than Millar could ever have hoped for.

New Frontier is a story of origins and of transition. The JSA is on the way out and in their place, the rise of the ordinary mortal. With new confidence in themselves after ridding the world of fascist tyranny, Americans begin to take back control of their lives and in the fashion typical of the McCarthy era, hunt down and force from work the masked vigilantes they had relied so heavily upon in the past. Amid the creation of nuclear and space technology old heroes question their purpose and new ones come of age and in the background, a planet-wide menace that will redefine the role of superheroes in the world.

After just finishing Johns's New Krypton, New Frontier reads like a classical work of art. Cooke's prose is crisp, unpretentious and unaffected and his artwork manages to capture the subtleties of feeling and complexity of emotions in really poignant scenes as well known heroes adjust to mankind's change for the worse around mid-century. How would Superman react to the war in Vietnam? Would his patriotism require him to support the war? What would his role be? How would Batman react to government pressure to organize and license vigilantism in America?

What separates good comic writing from poor comic writing isn't the scale of the epic, it's the seriousness of the philosophical questions posed and the depth of emotional turmoil and discovery that's drawn out. Good comic writing brings thought-provoking questions that we as ordinary people don't have to think about, but are forced to confront as we identify with and desire to be like our heroes. I'm not saying that New Frontier is incredibly profound in the same way a book like Secret Identity is or Superman for all Seasons, but it definitely has a depth that's lacking in so many continuity, soap-opera stories that plague the comic world today in its over-abundance of titles and stupid obsession with one-upmanship. New Frontier is a blast from the past and a reminder of why we first fell in love with comics. The best thing I can say to sum up how it makes you feel is to make a comparison. Have you ever gone back and watched a movie or tv show that you thought was the absolute greatest thing ever when you were a kid only to find it cheesy and sorely disappointing? That the memory of it and how it made you feel was far better than the quality of it? We all have. New Frontier is going back to that old movie that you loved so much as a kid and finding that it really was and still is the greatest thing ever. It feels like confirmation of the values, the past, the memories and the dreams you hold dear.

Highly recommend!

[Donovan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just have to admit I don't like Darwyn Cooke.

This begins with what appears to me a pointless introductory story, rambling into lovingly imperialistic historical revisionism where America's superheroes win WWII and then Korea, then conquer nostalgia back at home.

This story doesn't feel like it's saying anything new. From the get go there are rather obvious Watchmen themes of historical revisionism and anti-heroes, McCarthyism, patriotism and metafiction. But the characters, the iconic super heroes like The Trinity, seem only skin deep and some are downright unlikable. The dialog is just bad sometimes, full of abrupt and unnatural pauses.

I'm also not a huge fan of the artwork. It's okay sometimes, highly stylized, but it can get chunky and panels have rough transitions. I also think his characters are nearly identical, like you can swap any male or female from one scene to the next and you can't even tell.

Cooke clearly worked hard on this, and I respect that he wrote and illustrated by himself, but it just didn't work for me.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard comic book to like. For me mostly because it tries to read like Alan Moore's watchmen, even the formats almost similar: WW2 and the fall from grace of superheroes and masked vigilante. The first chapter for me was the crowning moment, that was novel. And I loved the artwork and the Losers. After that it was hard to get really involved. Not because the book was particularly bad, the voice was actually nice, it's everything else that didn't do it for me. For someone to really enjoy this they shouldn't have read Watchmen before.

[Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The New Frontier works as an odd piece of historical fiction, re-telling the origins of all the Silver Age superheroes of the early 60's, from the Justice League to B-listers like Jack Kirby's Challengers Of The Unknown, and stringing them together in a very unique story, as if those heroes actually came to prominence in real life during that time.

This volume, I'm assuming, is sort of building up to the events of the second half, because not a whole lot actually happens. We see Superman and Wonder Woman keeping the peace in French Indo-China, Batman ruling over Gotham City's underworld, and Hal Jordan as a bright, young, and fearless fighter pilot, haunted by an encounter he had behind enemy lines in the aftermath of the Korean War. Darwyn seems to be an expert both on Silver Age comics and the subculture of the 50's/60's themselves, because he writes the era perfectly. His dialogue in particular is spot on, lots of "Sufferin' Suzie!"s and "Blast it!"s. I think the word "Darling" is said in character conversation about 500 times, but I love it. Darwyn paints a beautifully nostalgic portrait of that turbulent and unique era of American history, my favorite part in particular being an early encounter with Flash and his nemesis Captain Cold, in a glitzy Las Vegas restaurant, with Frank Sinatra singing 'Fly Me To The Moon' in the background.

Which brings me to his artwork. Darwyn Cooke is, hands down, my favorite comic book artist of all time. His beautiful use of lines and bright colors, atmospheric backgrounds and shading, and simplistic rendering of human faces had me in awe of every single page. He just makes it look so easy. I particularly loved his versions of Flash, Batman, and Wonder Woman, who has that classic pin-up girl look.

If you're like me, and love both dark & complicated graphic novels, as well as the overly simplistic & childish comic books of yesteryear, you'll fall in love with this story. I'm excited to pick up volume two and see where it all leads.

4/5

[Anna Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get the cultural significance of the story, especially in relation to the effect McCarthy-ism had on the comics industry. I also liked how unique the art style was compared to a lot of what you see nowadays. That said, I found it kinda boring and I was unfamiliar with most of the characters that weren't obvious (i.e. Wonder Woman, Batman, etc). I am gonna read the second one to see how it ends though.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit Darwyn could draw. That man was a genius.

[JB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dc: The New Frontier. A retelling of the transition of Dc's Golden Age into it's Silver Age. It chronicles events in WWII, the war in Korea, the Cold War, the Space Race and of course you have Dc's most famous heroes in the middle of it all.

In Volume 1 you're introduced to Hal Jordan before he becomes a Green Lantern and you get to see how the Martian Manhunter J'onn J'onzz arrives on Earth and how he studies mankind and tries to become one of us.

Superman and Wonder Woman are used by the US government in problem areas around the world. We meet the Flash, Batman is his usual great self (especially in a scène where he threatens J'onn). There are a lot of great scenes in this book: Wonder Woman and Superman getting into a heated discussion, J'onn learning how to behave human by watching television, J'onn walking into a human sacrifice being stopped by Batman, Wildcat in a Heavyweight Champion of the World fight, the Flash rescuing his girlfriend by running from Central City to Vegas.

But my favorite scène features Hal Jordan in Korea, the war is over, but not everyone knows it yet. Hal gets shot down and lands in an enemy trench, where he has to fight with a Korean soldier. Hal tries to find the words in Korean to explain the war is over. But he fails to and he is forced to kill, something he has deliberately avoided his entire tour in Korea. And then comes the great part, he gets rescued by a US chopper with Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane on board. When Lois asks (for her readers) how Hal feels cheating certain death. Hal begins to speak Korean, the chopper's pilot translates: "It's over, it's over, make no war no more". It really felt like a scène out of a great war movie. It really grabbed me.

I'm now going to start reading Volume 2.
I recommend Volume 1 to Dc fans who are into reading a story about their favorite heroes in another timesetting.

It's a good story and in my opinion worth a read.

(I have the animated movie and reading this makes me want to watch it again.)

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good: Darwyn Cooke does some really great stuff here with traditional DC characters, and the story builds to an unusual and genuinely thrilling climax. And Cooke’s Kirby-esque art style is, overall, just danged cool and a great match for the Silver Age storyline.

The bad: Cooke’s storytelling, especially early on, is a bit choppy and fragmented. Combine this with the fact that his moonfaced characters often look alike, and things can get confusing. (Really, it can be as difficult to tell his “plain clothes” characters apart as it is with John Byrne’s characters.) But there’s something much more seriously disappointing here. Throughout the arts (yes, even the pop arts) in recent years, partisan political sentiment has been creeping into places where it shouldn’t be--where it does not lead to an adequate treatment of the issues raised, where it is mainly grandstanding (whether for jingoistic or anti-jingoistic purposes), and where, frankly, it’s just not wanted. And here Cooke is pushing a Silver Age revision with obvious political bias. Sure, in the end, he reaches a “let’s all come and work together, putting aside the superficial differences” moment, but this is built on a scenario created by “right-wing hysteria” and a red scare that has extended to the Earth’s superhero population. Please. How insulting to your readers, and how irresponsible a reading of history. Ironically, Cooke spends much of his time painting the Korean War and Eisenhower in a bad light, but he ends, on his “unification” note, quoting extensively from a speech by Kennedy. That’s right, Kennedy--the man who pulled some of the biggest Cold War boners, not the least of which was getting us mired in Vietnam.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sooooo glad I chanced upon The New Frontier on the graphic novel shelf at a neighboring town's library. The 50's-inspired cover art - with our heroes grinning ear to ear . . . except for Batman, of course - immediately got my attention, as well as the title being a veiled reference to JFK's time in office. It felt like instant nostalgia, and I wasn't even alive at the time.

It's like a love letter to superhero fans from sixty years ago with the design and art style, but the substance has a more modern sensibility. Or, conversely, it seems designed to appeal to fans of both comic books and American history. (We do exist!)

And then there's all the little touches - John Jones (police detective alter ego of Martian Manhunter) rides shotgun with a narrating P.I. who resembles Robert Mitchum; boxer Ted "Wildcat" Grant fights an opponent only identified as 'Clay' for the heavyweight championship; Wonder Woman gets bum-rushed from the White House stage by VP Nixon when she begins to voice concerns about U.S. involvement in Vietnam. That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

While there may not be an overload of superhero action - there is a lot of dialogue, and a large cast of characters - I'm very curious to see what happens in Vol. 2.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars
Individual issues rated below -

DC: The New Frontier #1: 3/5
DC: The New Frontier #2: 4/5
DC: The New Frontier #3: 3.5/5
DC: The New Frontier #4: 4/5
DC: The New Frontier #5: 1/5 (One star for R-slur.)
DC: The New Frontier #6: 4/5

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look back at the JSA and what happened to them in the Silver Age. Gorgeous art and an intriguing premise, mixing fiction with real life. Look forward to Part 2.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one seriously gorgeous comic. The visuals are astounding, and evoke a nostalgic sense of the '50s even though the story itself doesn't view the past with rose-coloured glasses - from a Superman and Wonder Woman fighting each other over the conflict of Korea, to Wonder Woman being dismissed due to sexism and her unpopular (to the Americans) views on Vietnam. This is a reinterpretation of the founding of the Justice League, coming out of the repressive McCarthy era where superheroes are seen just as suspiciously as Communists. It can be likened to Watchmen, but with a more optimistic bent.

The only problem is that some of the male heroes are a bit 'samey' - with similar square jaws and box haircuts that makes them hard to distinguish (especially those who play a smaller role in the storyline). It is the only fault I can find with the truly exquisite art.

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of this. It feels very ‘watchman-esque’ with the way the world is structured. I like the time period used in this and how the world works and the heroes interact with each other.
I’m just not sure if I love what’s happening in the story so far. I like how Hal and J’onn are the two main characters though it seems to be headed somewhere interesting it just hasn’t quite made it yet.

That’s not to say that the set up and the world building wasn’t interesting, it’s just not much narrative wise has happened yet.

[Des Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally getting around to this, wonderful cartooning. I know it's usually collected in one volume now, but I guess I have an older publication. This half is a little dry, without a clear nod to exactly where the plot is headed, but it's full of great character moments which define the Silver Age interpretations of out favorite DC heroes. I'm reading the second volume right away, but this was pretty great. Lot's of powerful situations, it's an excellent period piece.

[Szava · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good.
changes between chapters are very abrupt. the multiple plot lines are disjointed.

i spent the entire time reading trying to decide if the writer was just doing a bad homage to Watchmen with some references to some very old DC comic issues or if there was some originality to the story.
It's the first.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not really a historical person, so I wasn't that interested in seeing the familiar faces (many of them pre-superhero) just living their lives. I really wish this had focused in on one character, rather than spreading the plot too thing among a bunch.

[Bryen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't care for this at all and never really got a sense of the plot. It seriously took me forever to just finish it.

[Writer's Relief · Rating 5 out of 5]

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER is a critically acclaimed graphic novel by writer-artist Darwyn Cooke. In this story, Cooke doesn’t just focus on recognizable superheroes like Superman; he also introduces readers to lesser-known heroes. Hal Jordan is a hotshot pilot who becomes a reluctant superhero struggling to harness his powers. J’onn Jonnz, is an alien stranded on Earth and fighting to understand what it means to be a hero. We’re also introduced to characters without super powers like John Henry, who fights back heroically against the racism rampant in Amerca during the 1950s. And Cooke’s dazzling artwork hits all the right notes, whether he’s depicting a character in a quiet, personal moment or Wonder Woman battling dinosaurs.

The story is set in the DC Comics Universe as Cold War paranoia rages and the American people’s trust in superheroes has diminished. The Justice League, comprised of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and other superheroes, has split up due to friction with the US government. On top of all that, a dangerous alien threat looms.

THE NEW FRONTIER follows each superhero’s struggles during this turbulent time. Superman and Wonder Woman still serve the US government, and both heroes struggle with that arrangement. Batman, meanwhile, embraces his vigilante status to uncover the scope of the upcoming alien threat.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER delivers a larger-than-life superhero story that first and foremost invests readers in the characters. If you’re looking for something different, this graphic novel delivers a hopeful superhero story that is unlike any other.

[Winser Espinal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solo para Los mayores fans de DC

Es un libro denso que inicia con historias aparentemente desconectados pero que poco a poco intentan formar una historia coherente. Se supone que este libro re-imagina la historia de los años 50-60 a través de los ojos de personajes iconicos de DC, pero si buscas un buen balance entre acción y dialogos, este libro es casi 95% dialogos, a veces interesantes, otras veces pura exposición que pudo aprovechar mejor las técnicas de arte secuencial que le da este medio.

Si eres fan hasta la muerte de DC Cómics, te encontrarás con muchos detalles super interesantes, en caso contrario, te recomendamos mejor leer otra cosa, no es necesariamente un mal libro y el arte es bastante carismática, pero simplemente no se siente que aprovecha al 100% el medio en que se encuentra.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't get the low ratings on this. I read those reviews and I see certain key words that make me understand those reviews though. I also see the years they were written and what was going on in those years and I understand a little more.

Such a great story. Also a sad story, because so much of it is relevant today. The John Henry story? It wasn't as relevant on publication as it was in 2020 and that's not a good thing. But the hope in the book? That's also part of 2020. The back half for sure but it's there.

If you only read Volume 1 - which a lot of the reviews here seem to have done, considering their general tone of "the story went nowhere" - then you should definitely keep in mind there's a reason it's called Volume 1 and not "the complete story". Keep going and read Volume 2.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

What left a bad impression on me is how abruptly this volume ends. Granted I have Volume 2, which I haven't started yet at this point. I'm disappointed on how this volume leaves things without a conclusion - even a temporary one. What I enjoyed most about this volume are the 'new' characters (I'll assume they are new because I don't know a lot about comic books during this time), the alien who decides he wants to be a police detective and a fighter pilot during the Korean War. What runs through this for me is the paranoia of Earth people who realize they cannot control the superhero power of...well their superheroes. There's a sad disillusionment in all of this - it may be intended. I'll read the next volume to see if this tale is redeemed. On its own, this volume is 2 star for me.

[Paweł · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeżeli wcześniej tego nie napisałem przy okazji Catwoman, to muszę przyznać teraz, że uwielbiam rysunki Cooke'a. Jego starszkolna kreska jet pełna wyrazu i szczegółów. Postacie okazują emocje bogatą mimiką twarzy, przez co wydają się bardzo realni pomimo kreskówkowego stylu. To właśnie wokół ich uczuć kręci się cały komiks - wszystko co skłania ich do walki ze złem, co sprawia im ból, co pcha ich dalej wobec przeciwnościom maluje się na ich twarzach pomimo masek. Każdy ma unikatowe zdolności, wyjątkowy charakter i swoje przemyślenia.
Część pierwsza zajmuje się przedstawieniem świata i skomplikowanych relacji wielu bohaterów, przez co może sprawiać wrażenie chaotycznej, skacząc w czasie i przestrzeni.

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

El dibujo es una pasada; la manera en que Cooke representa los superhéroes de la edad de plata de la casa mientras aparecen de la nada e interactúan con un mundo dominado por las secuelas de la segunda guerra mundial, la guerra fría, la ciencia ficción de los 50 (¡monstruos! ¡¡alienígenas!!), los tres grandes iconos de DC... El guión queda, sin embargo, un poco por detrás. Me gusta cómo Cooke plantea la historia a base de pequeñas unidades de acción centradas en uno o varios personajes, pero la estructura de tres viñetas horizontales por página creo que condiciona los textos; muchas veces subrayan demasiado algo ya visto o que se podría haber contado visualmente con otra composición. Y mira que Cooke es buen narrador, pero en ocasiones se atasca por esos bocadillos kilométricos.

[João Batista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roteiro com a cara dos EUA... De início, parece mais uma homenagem às Forças Armadas deles. Uma referência à Força-tarefa X, ou Esquadrão Suicida; logo depois um garoto Hal surge dizendo que tem o sonho de ser piloto; temos também uma matéria completa de Iris West; a srta. Lane cobrindo a Guerra da Coreia; Mulher-Maravilha levando o jeito americano à Indochina; o ser John Jones em sua primeira aparição, mas em Gotham (?!). O Capítulo Cinco traz uma cena memorável... Vejamos a continuação.
Queria não precisar falar deles... mas erros de português são praxe para essa tal EaglemossBr: "...chegou a hora *dos* americanos assumirem...", "...apesar *do* relâmpago ter...".

[Al Capwned · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darwyn Cooke rarely fails especially when it comes to doing something a bit different. I have to admit that the story was getting less interesting as it was moving forward, though, so I wonder what the second volume holds.