Absolute DC: The New Frontier 15th Anniversary Edition
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- Create Date：2021-06-25 09:56:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Darwyn Cooke
- ISBN：1779501390
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Summary
Writer/illustrator Darwyn Cooke's critically acclaimed masterpiece
DC: The New Frontier
is celebrated in this oversized Absolute edition featuring new story pages， detailed annotations， alternate sequences and an extensive gallery of sketches， pinups， action figure art and much more！
In the 1950s， Cold War paranoia outlawed the Mystery Men of the Golden Age。 Stalwarts such as Batman， Superman and Wonder Woman continued to fight for truth and justice， but as the world hurtled toward an uncertain future， it would take a new breed of hero to define the American Way。 DC: The New Frontier takes readers on an epic journey from the end of the Golden Age of heroes to the beginnings of the legendary Justice League of America。 Darwyn Cooke's most ambitious project yet features the stunning color art of Dave Stewart， an introduction by DC's President and Publisher Paul Levitz， and an afterword by Cooke。
In the 1950s， Cold War paranoia outlawed the Mystery Men of the Golden Age。 Stalwarts such as Batman， Superman and Wonder Woman continued to fight for truth and justice， but as the world hurtled toward an uncertain future， it would take a new breed of hero to define the American Way。 DC: The New Frontier takes readers on an epic journey from the end of the Golden Age of heroes to the beginnings of the legendary Justice League of America。 Darwyn Cooke's most ambitious project yet features the stunning color art of Dave Stewart， an introduction by DC's President and Publisher Paul Levitz， and an afterword by Cooke。
Reviews
Cory
，
I feel like I'm giving a lot of fives lately， but boy do I really know how to pick them here the past little while！ I'd been looking forward to this one for a while。 The Absolute Edition of the late great Darwyn Cooke's 2004 masterpiece DC: The New Frontier has been out of print for a while and I could never really stomach the steep prices for it on the secondhand market。 However， DC published a reprint of it for the series' 15th anniversary and that is the copy I was able to procure （as the edi I feel like I'm giving a lot of fives lately， but boy do I really know how to pick them here the past little while！ I'd been looking forward to this one for a while。 The Absolute Edition of the late great Darwyn Cooke's 2004 masterpiece DC: The New Frontier has been out of print for a while and I could never really stomach the steep prices for it on the secondhand market。 However， DC published a reprint of it for the series' 15th anniversary and that is the copy I was able to procure （as the edition reviewed reflects）。I'll begin with a brief review of the series itself。 I'm a huge fan of the Silver Age of comics。 Stories from the Silver Age are by far my favorite to read （even if I read more modern stories lately）， and Cooke did a great job with this love letter to the Silver Age。 It's such a cool series as it touches on the transition from the heroes and characters of the Golden Age into the Silver Age， all set within the continuity of the timeline they debuted in real time。 It's such a cool concept that I'd love to see revisited to other contexts （I still wish Cooke had done a Golden Age New Frontier， but his untimely death and reluctance to revisit the imprint means that will never happen）。 The characters are beautifully written （my boy Hal is finally not a total douchebag again！！）， drawn （we just don't see pure double threats like Cooke anymore）， and colored throughout。 The conflict is interesting and unexpected， and the climax is exciting and the stake feel very high to keep the reader engaged。 One criticism I could see being levied on this series is that the story is slow to start with too much character development for pre-established characters， but I like the setup before we hit the rising action。 Cooke brings in a bunch of really deep cut characters and uses them so well。 This may be my favorite limited comic series I've read， at least one of them。The Absolute Edition also includes ~100 pages of bonus material。 My personal favorite is the series annotation where Cooke walks through the numerous easter eggs and references in the series chapter by chapter。 Also included are behind the scenes looks at the collaborative process of creating comics in the 21st century， the special one-shots to tie in with the Justice League: The New Frontier film， and concept art。 All of this is bound in one of the most beautiful set of covers I've seen。This is such a great package and I'm so glad to have it in my life。 This was my first Absolute Edition， but it definitely won't be my last。 I just hope the story in my next one will be just this good。 RIP Darwyn Cooke。 。。。more
Johan Haneveld
，
9- The minus I had to attach to the 9 here is simply because my knowledge of the DC Universe is not that comprehensive as that of their Marvel counterpart。 Stories of this type with the Marvel heroes do not contain many gaps that I can't fill with my own knowledge （or imagination） and thus the narrative will move more smoothly。 Here I experienced some hickups when characters were shown for one or two scenes， or events were alluded to， that did not even ring a bell。 But the DC Heroes lend themsel 9- The minus I had to attach to the 9 here is simply because my knowledge of the DC Universe is not that comprehensive as that of their Marvel counterpart。 Stories of this type with the Marvel heroes do not contain many gaps that I can't fill with my own knowledge （or imagination） and thus the narrative will move more smoothly。 Here I experienced some hickups when characters were shown for one or two scenes， or events were alluded to， that did not even ring a bell。 But the DC Heroes lend themselves more easily to an epic and mythical treatment as this （the Marvel heroes are more often underdogs and operating in the side lines）。 And many characters here are so obscure they will not be known to any but the most enthusiastic DC-aficionado， and mostly the allusions were done in a way that did not detract from the story， and even for someone with a mostly surface level knowledge of the DC Universe， this story turned out to be gripping and exciting， with loads of wonder， adventure， humanity and commentary on history。 And dinosaurs。 Lets not forget those！ How to explain this story？ It takes the history of the DC comics and changes the history of the comics in our world and the American political reality to the history of the heroes in that geopolitical landscape。 It takes place roughly between the second world war and the Kennedy presidency。 So it starts with war heroes from the war comics starting in the second world war。 And when in our reality The Flash or The Green Lantern were introduced in the comics， the characters appear in the story。 It's a great conceit。 And well researched too （I have the complete edition with extensive notes on all the details， which made me appreciate it more）。 The characters deal with real world issues like sexism， racism， nationalism en the McCarthy-witch hunt of the 50's。 At the same time there are dinosaurs 。。。 （as I said）。 Darwyn Cooke has a great visual style， harking back to the retro style DC animated series （like Batman the Animated Series - he worked on several of these series， as well）。 His illustrations are colorful， clear and tell the story efficiently， often in just three long panels on a page。 I found my eye moving smoothly on the page， which shows his proficiency at effective story telling。 And I enjoyed how he made all the narrative threads combine at the end， coupled with a great message， and leaves the reader with an optimistic view of the future。 For readers with any interest in DC Comics and the history of the comic book medium in general this is a great read and strongly recommended。 。。。more
Britton
，
It's been noted that it seems we can't escape the legacy of Alan Moore and his more cynical， deconstructive take on superheroes。 Either everyone's trying to replicate the success of Watchmen， or trying to move away from it to varying levels of success。Certainly， there have been attempts to invert Moore's approach too and some of them have proven to be interesting。 Grant Morrison's All Star Superman brings his signature wild imagination to the center， while also giving a heartfelt love letter to It's been noted that it seems we can't escape the legacy of Alan Moore and his more cynical， deconstructive take on superheroes。 Either everyone's trying to replicate the success of Watchmen， or trying to move away from it to varying levels of success。Certainly， there have been attempts to invert Moore's approach too and some of them have proven to be interesting。 Grant Morrison's All Star Superman brings his signature wild imagination to the center， while also giving a heartfelt love letter to The Man of Steel， Kurt Busiek's Marvels， as well as its spiritual successor Kingdom Come from Mark Waid， are nostalgic， yet mournful lamentations of a bygone era， or Robert Kirkman's Invincible， which is a much more snarky deconstruction of superhero tropes， yet with a loving， nostalgic lens to it。 We've even seen alternate superhero tales go their own path， without a big message to get across such as Lemire's excellent Black Hammer series， which takes a much more down to earth， emotional tone than some of the others that I mention。Yet I find that all of those stories are flawed in the same reason: that they never go far enough in their commentary and references。 Certainly while I liked what those guys did with their respective books， I couldn't see how their own insights and commentary could match up to Moore's Watchmen， and how could they？ Watchmen was revolutionary not just because it asked what superheroes would be like in the real world， but because it completely dismantled the myth around superheroes， and much of the last 30 years have been spent trying to come up with something that might dare rival Moore's magnum opus。。。and with DC: The New Frontier， we might have it。 Cooke makes his love for the Silver Age of American comics infectiously clear， yet he manages to distinguish himself from some of the other reconstructive superhero writers。 He is not as madcap as Morrison， nor as mournful as Busiek and Waid， or as snarky as Kirkman。 His writing is nostalgic and hopeful， but isn't overtly optimistic or naive。 Much of Cooke's hopeful outlook is demonstrated time and time again by the genuine attempts of heroism by the characters of the story， as well as humanity's capacity to come together in a crisis Much like Busiek， Cooke is self aware and ironic， yet he is never cynical in his approach。 He is not afraid to tackle issues such as Cold War paranoia， political grandstanding， xenophobia， and racist Jim Crow America that lurked in the underbelly of 1950's America， and Cooke never allows nostalgia to cloud his judgement。 Some of the book's most poignant moments includes the explorations of these topics， particularly with the character of John Henry。 Cooke's commentary is hard hitting， but also isn't entirely stooped in cynicism， but it shows that Darwyn's insight isn't clouded in nostalgia。 Yet Cooke doesn't just tribute Silver Age superhero comics， he also has nods to EC crime and war comics， weird science fiction comics as popularized by Jack Kirby， and even old gothic horror comics as done by EC （though without the violence）。 Much of the strongest aspects of New Frontier is its focus on lesser known DC characters like The Challengers of The Unknown， The Losers， and The Martian Manhunter。 I was particularly impressed with Manhunter's arc throughout this story and how he comes to accept Earth and the people who live in it， and how people eventually grow to accept him as well。 Cooke's art is also skilled， deceptively so。 Cooke's style might be cartoon like and bouncy， but it also retains a very grounded feel。 Then again， Cooke's style is very much informed by one of my favorite animators Bruce Timm， well known for creating some of the greatest cartoons that have ever involved DC characters such as Batman: The Animated Series， Justice League， and Justice League: Unlimited。 Timm's influence reigns strong throughout New Frontier， but Cooke also shows a practiced mastery of comic book art， creating dynamic imagery and using visual storytelling effectively throughout the story。 If Morrison has spent his entire career trying to be the anti-Alan Moore， then Cooke has already beaten him to the punch。 Yet much like All Star Superman or Kingdom Come， The New Frontier reminds me why I love the DC universe to begin with。 While it doesn't refute Moore's thesis， it offers the best counter balance to Moore's Watchmen that we're ever going to get。 It is optimistic， reconstructionist storytelling done to a T。 Many people consider The New Frontier to be Cooke's magnum opus， and I can't say that I disagree with them。 I'm only saddened that it took me this long to appreciate Cooke's talent and I'm even more saddened that he was taken from us so soon。 Then again， I suppose it's rather fitting。。。only the best are taken from us too soon。 。。。more
Nathan Hipple
，
It's hard for me to give this one anything less than 5 stars。 It's not perfect， but it resonates so strongly with me that I just don't care。 Darwyn Cooke remains one of my all time favorite artists and this book is a large reason why。 I first read it when I was getting into comics because it's just so unbelievably beautiful。 Rereading it now with a number of years of comics experience and lore under my belt is an even richer experience。 The way the book straddles the era between the end of the g It's hard for me to give this one anything less than 5 stars。 It's not perfect， but it resonates so strongly with me that I just don't care。 Darwyn Cooke remains one of my all time favorite artists and this book is a large reason why。 I first read it when I was getting into comics because it's just so unbelievably beautiful。 Rereading it now with a number of years of comics experience and lore under my belt is an even richer experience。 The way the book straddles the era between the end of the golden age and beginning of the silver is absolutely top notch。 Everything weaves together beautifully。 It's a special book for me with a lot of nostalgia tied to it， but I can't imagine anyone reading it all the way through and not closing it with a smile on their face after that ending。 。。。more
Przemysław Skoczyński
，
List miłosny？ Hołd？ Metafora？ Być może。 Darwyn Cooke nie ukrywa， że wychowywał się z tymi bohaterami i to po prostu część jego historii jako czytelnika i twórcy。 Ja jednak nie widzę tu nic więcej niż sprawnie poprowadzonej fabuły， którą początkowo otrzymujemy w dość fragmentarycznej formie i która z czasem układa się w spójną opowieść。 I tyle - ten komiks nie przewróci wam do góry nogami paradygmatu DC。 Właściwie bazuje na kanonicznych opowieściach， spina je i nadbudowuje kolejną。 Nie ma tu za b List miłosny？ Hołd？ Metafora？ Być może。 Darwyn Cooke nie ukrywa， że wychowywał się z tymi bohaterami i to po prostu część jego historii jako czytelnika i twórcy。 Ja jednak nie widzę tu nic więcej niż sprawnie poprowadzonej fabuły， którą początkowo otrzymujemy w dość fragmentarycznej formie i która z czasem układa się w spójną opowieść。 I tyle - ten komiks nie przewróci wam do góry nogami paradygmatu DC。 Właściwie bazuje na kanonicznych opowieściach， spina je i nadbudowuje kolejną。 Nie ma tu za bardzo gry konwencją i schematami， nie ma choćby najmniejszej próby nowego spojrzenia， są za to świetne rysunki i kolory。 Chyba wolę pamiętać Darwyna Coke'a jako autora "Parkera" 。。。more
Wouter Dhondt
，
Hard to rate this。 Story is good and the art is amazing。 But there is a huge amount of characters， lots of American slang and the story jumps around a lot。 Sometimes switching after only a single panel or a few times on one page。Still despite the number of characters each of them does get a lot of background and story。 And the finale is great。3。5 stars， going down to 3 cause I expected more。
Samuel Ridley
，
In my recent bid to read the highlights of DC， and get to know these characters as well as Marvel characters， I consulted various recommended reading lists， and this and Red Son were the only ones to feature in all lists。 That， added to the pseudo historical look into DC， and the broad range if characters， meant that I wanted to read it sooner rather than later。What a read it is too- if Watchmen and the 90s cartoons I grew up with had a child， it would look like this。 I was in awe of the art on In my recent bid to read the highlights of DC， and get to know these characters as well as Marvel characters， I consulted various recommended reading lists， and this and Red Son were the only ones to feature in all lists。 That， added to the pseudo historical look into DC， and the broad range if characters， meant that I wanted to read it sooner rather than later。What a read it is too- if Watchmen and the 90s cartoons I grew up with had a child， it would look like this。 I was in awe of the art on every panel of every page。 The characters were incredible too， and （unusually） for a team book， there wasn't a single character I wasn't invested in。 There wasn't a lot of Batman or Aquaman， which is fine because I have read more Batman than other characters （and I have my eye on Geoff Johns' Aquaman down the line）， but otherwise every character got a good look in。 The Hal Jordan and Martian Manhunter stories were my favourites， but also the very first chapter with the Losers was great and really drew me in。 I will definitely read this through again soon， but in short if you haven't read this already， definitely do so。 。。。more
Jefferson
，
A ideia e o conceito desse quadrinho é excelente mas。。。。 para quem gosta desse conceito！！！Esta revista tem uma pegada de quadrinhos dos anos 50， 60， etc。 Aquele tom mais inocente， mas no lugar de tratar de assuntos bobos e patetas como nas eras antigas dos quadrinhos， aqui trata de assuntos mais adultos， porém ao mesmo tempo com uma pegada mais jovem。De qualquer forma， mesmo com uma boa ideia e um bom conceito， esta revista tem uma abordagem mais antiga， e infelizmente isso fez com que não conse A ideia e o conceito desse quadrinho é excelente mas。。。。 para quem gosta desse conceito！！！Esta revista tem uma pegada de quadrinhos dos anos 50， 60， etc。 Aquele tom mais inocente， mas no lugar de tratar de assuntos bobos e patetas como nas eras antigas dos quadrinhos， aqui trata de assuntos mais adultos， porém ao mesmo tempo com uma pegada mais jovem。De qualquer forma， mesmo com uma boa ideia e um bom conceito， esta revista tem uma abordagem mais antiga， e infelizmente isso fez com que não conseguisse prender minha atenção na leitura。Quem deve gostar mais dessa revista？Principalmente quem for leitor mais antigo de quadrinhos。 Novos leitores também podem gostar， mas será uma minoria。 。。。more
Christian Fabian
，
Sin ser una de mis lecturas del año （difícil que llegue en algún futuro cercano a darle una relectura） debo admitir que cumple en demasia。 Para ser autor completo maneja increíblemente bien la información y la distribución de la misma。 Lejos de sobrecargar de texto las páginas， nos ofrece una historia fluida para la información que contiene; por no mencionar el tratamiento que dió a los personajes según el contexto en el que se encontraban。 Una historia coherente， sin aires de pretención， más qu Sin ser una de mis lecturas del año （difícil que llegue en algún futuro cercano a darle una relectura） debo admitir que cumple en demasia。 Para ser autor completo maneja increíblemente bien la información y la distribución de la misma。 Lejos de sobrecargar de texto las páginas， nos ofrece una historia fluida para la información que contiene; por no mencionar el tratamiento que dió a los personajes según el contexto en el que se encontraban。 Una historia coherente， sin aires de pretención， más que retomar el concepto del género y darnos una dirección a la cual apuntar en el mismo。 Una dirección muy olvidada ya y ta， ahí tenemos las actualidades en el género。 En fin， Darwyn Cooke sabía y entendía el género， tiene corazón y dió su propia interpretación como un apasionado de determinada época， que no a todos nos puede llegar de la misma manera， pero no por eso quiere decir que sea un trabajo a desmerecer， para nada， todo lo contrario。 Pocos son los autores que pueden ofrecer algo de tal nivel。 。。。more
Titus Bird
，
DC: The New Frontier covers a lot of the same ground as prior acclaimed superhero comics。 Like Marvels， it takes events from a convoluted comic book continuity and puts them into a coherent chronology， tied to the period in which the stories were originally published。 Like Watchmen， it considers how superheroes would relate to real-world social ills and historical events。 Also like Watchmen – as well as the likes of The Dark Knight Returns， Kingdom Come and Superman: Secret Identity – it explore DC: The New Frontier covers a lot of the same ground as prior acclaimed superhero comics。 Like Marvels， it takes events from a convoluted comic book continuity and puts them into a coherent chronology， tied to the period in which the stories were originally published。 Like Watchmen， it considers how superheroes would relate to real-world social ills and historical events。 Also like Watchmen – as well as the likes of The Dark Knight Returns， Kingdom Come and Superman: Secret Identity – it explores government attempts to co-opt， control， regulate or ban superhero activity。However， despite treading familiar territory， this comic feels surprisingly fresh。 It does a commendable job of combining unabashed love of superheroes （à la Marvels） with some frank deconstruction （à la Watchmen）。 The plot’s climax isn’t anything groundbreaking （superheroes join forces against an apocalyptic threat）， but the build-up is consistently engaging。 Impressively， this comic succeeds in getting me invested in a bunch of characters in whom I previously had zero interest – Martian Manhunter， Green Lantern， The Flash， and a host of military men I’d never heard of before。 I have little idea of what’s taken straight from DC canon， and what Darwyn Cooke invented himself， but he weaves all of the elements into a satisfyingly cohesive whole。 The story of Martian Manhunter – an alien stranded on earth， who applies his superhuman powers to detective work – is particularly compelling。 Perhaps the most interesting thing about the comic is the way it roots everything firmly in a historical context – 1950s USA – tackling racism and the Cold War in a way that never feels too on-the-nose。Politically speaking， I can’t say I’m completely on board with everything Cooke appears to be saying through this comic – particularly the way that he casts opposition to vigilantism as part of oppressive McCarthyism。 The tone is also a bit too patriotic and US-centred for my taste – there are a number of instances where characters talk about “America” and “Americans” where they could have said “the world” or “humans” – but maybe that’s a deliberate choice to accurately represent 1950s values and discourse。 In any case， I don’t generally read superhero comics for their ideological content， and there’s nothing too egregious – it pointedly doesn’t overindulge in nostalgia for the period。 My only real complaint of The New Frontier is the large number of characters， many of whom look very similar （chiselled white men）， which does make the story a little hard to follow at times。Overall， though， this is a fun， well written superhero comic: it condenses what the genre’s about into a streamlined， coherent work that I think is fairly accessible to people who aren’t fully invested in the world。 On top of that， it boasts lovely， clean， unashamedly cartoony art， somewhat reminiscent of the Saturday morning cartoons of my childhood。 I’m glad I read it！ 。。。more
Michael D’Annibale
，
What a great read。 I read this once before a couple years ago and didn’t like it at all。 But upon a watch of the animated movie， I decided to reread it and with the memory of the film， this was a much better reading experience。 I recommend doing what I did。 Because my main problem with the book was figuring out what the main story was。 But the film answered that perfectly。 And the film is not that good， so you’ll have this （a much better book） to come back to with a great intertwining of DC’s be What a great read。 I read this once before a couple years ago and didn’t like it at all。 But upon a watch of the animated movie， I decided to reread it and with the memory of the film， this was a much better reading experience。 I recommend doing what I did。 Because my main problem with the book was figuring out what the main story was。 But the film answered that perfectly。 And the film is not that good， so you’ll have this （a much better book） to come back to with a great intertwining of DC’s best characters with a grand narrative that flawlessly brings them all together。 The book spotlights The Flash， Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter but this is a DC universe story all in all and it is easily the best ever written 。。。more
RG
，
Really enjoyed this story。 The ending got a little meh but still enjoyed the different take
Duncan
，
What CAN I write about this wonderful story that hasn't already been written？ The clean simplicity，completeness， and clarity of the art？ The wonderful plotting of the story so as to include virtually EVERY action-and-superhero extant during the time period setting？ Nah。 It's a perfect reminder of what the United States of America was LIKE during that time - the good AND the bad。 Here are McCarthyism and racism in full swing， you can see the anti-Jewish and anti-fascist forces both in their fulln What CAN I write about this wonderful story that hasn't already been written？ The clean simplicity，completeness， and clarity of the art？ The wonderful plotting of the story so as to include virtually EVERY action-and-superhero extant during the time period setting？ Nah。 It's a perfect reminder of what the United States of America was LIKE during that time - the good AND the bad。 Here are McCarthyism and racism in full swing， you can see the anti-Jewish and anti-fascist forces both in their fullness， here is the fear and despondency that set in in the years leading up to my birth and right thereafter， the joy and ebullience that came in during the 1960s。 Dammit， JUST read the book。 Buy a copy - who cares if you make DC a little richer？ They deserve it， JUST FOR THIS STORY ALONE。 。。。more
Matthew
，
A comic book epic with a strong message of diversity and inclusion。 The DC universe is framed in a politically realistic way， very similar to Watchmen， but leans towards positivity rather than negativity。Great story。 Great art。 Very sad that Darwyn Cooke is no longer with us to make more great stuff like this。I am baffled at the marketing around this book， which angles it to be a passing of the torch story。 It is not。
Averyl Cobb
，
Notes on new frontier The Dinosaurs: FUN The art: amazing。 I LOVE 60s pop art and retro futurism so much！！ this scratches that itch big time The story: I love this else worlds utilization of the suicide squad， the various side characters and the red scare’s influence on heroes （because they wouldn’t exist in a vacuum） I like seeing heroes happy about their powers Green Lantern: loved， give me fighter pilot with baggage who gets to do cool shit any day。 He felt like the main character and I didn’ Notes on new frontier The Dinosaurs: FUN The art: amazing。 I LOVE 60s pop art and retro futurism so much！！ this scratches that itch big time The story: I love this else worlds utilization of the suicide squad， the various side characters and the red scare’s influence on heroes （because they wouldn’t exist in a vacuum） I like seeing heroes happy about their powers Green Lantern: loved， give me fighter pilot with baggage who gets to do cool shit any day。 He felt like the main character and I didn’t mind。 Martian Manhunter: really fun， he learns human things through tv which is an alien trope I’m fond of in all media Superman & Wonderwoman: they’re working together in this story and feel totally in character。 I also love when she flies with him as they chat🥰🥰🥰🥰。 They kissed which made my super wonder heart happy。。。 but uhhh still hurt。 I don’t dislike Superman and Lois but I’ve just never read a comic where they fall in love or do loving things。 The magic gang: meeting on the moon？？ Icon behavior The vignette at the end: chaotic trinity at their finest 。。。more
Dan Blackley
，
This is an interesting story on how the super heroes got their start。 It also is one of Darwyn Cooke's best work。 I miss his work。 Besides the supremely wonderful Parker series， Mr。 Cooke also did this origin story for DC。 It is good but I must say， I like his Parker series better。 I love the way he drew his characters so that was very fun to see the classic characters drawn with his unique style。 This is an interesting story on how the super heroes got their start。 It also is one of Darwyn Cooke's best work。 I miss his work。 Besides the supremely wonderful Parker series， Mr。 Cooke also did this origin story for DC。 It is good but I must say， I like his Parker series better。 I love the way he drew his characters so that was very fun to see the classic characters drawn with his unique style。 。。。more
Ron Bales
，
The book is cartoon based。 I didn't read it。 I suppose I can't return it for credit。 It isn't at all what I expected。 The book is cartoon based。 I didn't read it。 I suppose I can't return it for credit。 It isn't at all what I expected。 。。。more
Carlos Beltrán
，
Una muy buena historia alterna con un arte increíble。Mi único pero es que a veces confundía a los personajes porque todos los hombres se parecen mucho。
Anthony Caruso
，
Let me start out by saying that this Absolute edition of "DC: The New Frontier" is absolutely gorgeous。 Beautifully bound with vibrant， glossy pages， it's a collector's dream。 Now， it's time for a confession - despite being a lifelong， avid DC fan， I have never read this iconic story， but I can confidently say I am so happy my first time experiencing it is in this beautiful collected edition。Story wise， I can see why "New Frontier" is so iconic。 Despite being a period piece， the story is timeles Let me start out by saying that this Absolute edition of "DC: The New Frontier" is absolutely gorgeous。 Beautifully bound with vibrant， glossy pages， it's a collector's dream。 Now， it's time for a confession - despite being a lifelong， avid DC fan， I have never read this iconic story， but I can confidently say I am so happy my first time experiencing it is in this beautiful collected edition。Story wise， I can see why "New Frontier" is so iconic。 Despite being a period piece， the story is timeless and its themes are just as resonant in today's world， if not more so。 The drama flows naturally， while being true to the characters and the time periods - easily weaving this story with actual Historic Events， and - most importantly - despite there being drama and high stakes， the heroes remain optimistic; symbols of hope。 Even when the public and government turns on them， and even when their own faith gets shaky， their resolve to do Good and be Selfless is only strengthened at the end。 This is absolutely the best "Justice League" origin story that I've ever read。 This is what the first live-action "Justice League" movie should have been， updated to take place in the modern day （which could have happened without missing a beat given the fact that the issues plaguing our world are still very much the same as they were back then）。 Hopefully one day， we'll see this story - and these characters - done Justice on the big screen and become the iconic symbols of truth， justice， and the American way they were always meant to be。This is a solid 5 out of 5 stars。 If I could give it more， I absolutely would。 I'll be mulling over this thought provoking story， and revisiting it， many times in the years to come。 。。。more
MyKey Rusz
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Main storyline 5* and the bonus stories 3*。
Gustavobook _
，
Este cómic， tiene un gran mensaje para los tiempos que estamos viviendo。 Ya que es una crítica a la sociedad de los USA， donde nos habla sobre el racismo， la política de armas nucleares y el derecho de la mujer e inmigrantes。Sin duda alguna， esta historia nos deja una gran reflexión y enseñanza
James Lawner
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*3。5*I’ve been wanting to read this for so long， and I held off from reading single issues， and I made a good choice because this edition does have more stuff than the single issues would have （or maybe even the old trade collections）。As much as I appreciate what Darwyn Cooke did with this story， I did feel bored from reading it at times because the dialogue wasn’t always engaging to me， and there was so many characters to keep up with。 I didn’t even know some of the characters because Cooke use *3。5*I’ve been wanting to read this for so long， and I held off from reading single issues， and I made a good choice because this edition does have more stuff than the single issues would have （or maybe even the old trade collections）。As much as I appreciate what Darwyn Cooke did with this story， I did feel bored from reading it at times because the dialogue wasn’t always engaging to me， and there was so many characters to keep up with。 I didn’t even know some of the characters because Cooke used obscure characters from early DC Comics titles， and for me they weren’t very captivating （almost like the dialogue）。 The plot was interesting， but it takes awhile for it to get somewhere， and the third act is pretty much where everything came together， and was more readable for me。 What I really liked about this miniseries is how Cooke managed to take Golden Age/Silver Age characters and mix it with real-life American history and craft a story that’s so brave and so bold （heh）。 Early in the story， we learn how the JSA was forced to disband by the US Government， and that superheroes had to work with said Government， and that gave me strong Watchmen and Civil War vibes， and speaking of Watchmen， John Henry Irons in his little side-story dons a costume that is straight-up just like Hooded Justice’s！ （It seems very fitting that he would then write a Minutemen miniseries） The artwork is by far the best part of this whole miniseries， there a splash pages that are just absolutely gorgeous to look at， and the whole classic/old school vibe it gives off is one of the reasons why Darwyn Cooke is one of my favorite comic book artists of all time。Overall， it didn’t blow me away like I wanted it to， but it was still alright， and I appreciate the sentimentality of it all， and how Cooke managed to showcase superheroes in a far less dark-and-gritty atmosphere， and in a more hopeful and optimistic way that I feel isn’t represented enough nowadays。 The supplementary material in this was great， there’s a little extra comic inside that has 3 short stories and the first one feels like a better version of BvS！ The second story is a fun little Robin/Kid Flash team-up， but the last story is godawful garbage with dated feminism that presents Wonder Woman as a misandrist SWERF。 It’s the type of story that ComicBros think every female-lead story is like， and I’m surprised Cooke even wrote this。 There’s also some behind-the-scenes looks into the making of the animated film adaptation， Justice League: The New Frontier （a great movie， one that I need to rewatch soon， and one that I feel people barely talk about） 。。。more
Jake Van Hoorn
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Entertaining artwork but this story unfortunately treads many of the same topics Watchmen covered in a far superior manner。
Lisa Cole
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Fantastic origin story for the Justice League。 Great artwork as well。
Audrey Marquardt
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A sprawling epic that I think I would like more with a second read （to be done in the future）。 This edition contains annotations from Cooke， and for someone unfamiliar with the majority of his work， I found the additional context with respect to his thinking and style really helpful。I know the intention was to have a few seemingly-disparate stories come together， but I still felt it was a little shaggy until more than halfway through （perhaps because I found a lot of the square-jawed white milit A sprawling epic that I think I would like more with a second read （to be done in the future）。 This edition contains annotations from Cooke， and for someone unfamiliar with the majority of his work， I found the additional context with respect to his thinking and style really helpful。I know the intention was to have a few seemingly-disparate stories come together， but I still felt it was a little shaggy until more than halfway through （perhaps because I found a lot of the square-jawed white military/military-adjacent fellas indistinguishable from each other）。 With a richer DC background， it's likely keeping them apart would have been easier。Even still， I loved spending time with J'onn J'onzz， Wonder Woman， and in some small amount， Batman， and thought the art was fantastic。 A proper 3。5。 。。。more
Pablo
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Relectura。 Evidentemente un tebeo totalmente post-Watchmen y post-Kingdom Come， me fascina que Darwyn Cooke se proponga realmente recuperar el heroísmo sin perder el revisionismo melancólico y que por el camino， caracterice tan bien sus versiones， sutilmente pervertidas， de Hal Jordan， Barry Allen， J'on J'Onzz y difuminados， Superman， una exquisita Diana Prince y Bruce Wayne。 Relectura。 Evidentemente un tebeo totalmente post-Watchmen y post-Kingdom Come， me fascina que Darwyn Cooke se proponga realmente recuperar el heroísmo sin perder el revisionismo melancólico y que por el camino， caracterice tan bien sus versiones， sutilmente pervertidas， de Hal Jordan， Barry Allen， J'on J'Onzz y difuminados， Superman， una exquisita Diana Prince y Bruce Wayne。 。。。more
Daniele Purrone
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Possibly the greatest DC Universe story。
Josh Angel
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I’m surprised to find I did not enjoy this nearly as much as I was expecting to， considering how well respected this series is。 I suspect it’s because I’m not the target audience; I have no nostalgia for Silver Age comics。 THE GOODWorldbuilding: Where this series excels is worldbuilding。 The slow build up as we see the late 50's "Red Scare" era of politics and culture， and how superhero's fit into the equation。 The dialogue （often intentionally corny）， pacing， and tone of the series are great。Jo I’m surprised to find I did not enjoy this nearly as much as I was expecting to， considering how well respected this series is。 I suspect it’s because I’m not the target audience; I have no nostalgia for Silver Age comics。 THE GOODWorldbuilding: Where this series excels is worldbuilding。 The slow build up as we see the late 50's "Red Scare" era of politics and culture， and how superhero's fit into the equation。 The dialogue （often intentionally corny）， pacing， and tone of the series are great。Jon & Hal: the stories of Hal Jordan and J'onn J'onzz made the book for me， especially J'onn。 Art: The art is pitch perfect for the tone of the book。 However， I will utter this heretical truth as I see it: Darwin Cooke's art is just OK。 I can't see the style working well in anything other than "retro" themed stories。 But perhaps as I read more of his works my mind will change。THE NOT-SO-GOODThe story in the first 3/4's of the book is great， although it seems to wander here and there， as if the author doesn't really know where he's going with the story。 Unfortunately， where it's heading is a generic "all hand on deck to fight the bad guy" showdown。 After a great slow burn beginning， the ending was rushed and generic。THE BADThe "Big Bad" is kind of silly。 A flying island of dinosaur monsters。 I supposed it's "on-theme" for the 50's， as many kids loved their toy dinosaurs back then， but it just wasn't up to snuff for me。THE VERDICTThis is primarily a book for kids who grew up reading Silver Age comics and playing with their toy dinosaurs， which is not something I can relate to。 Unless you count my toy Dinobots， which I do not。 。。。more
Matthew J。
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I guess I'm in a pretty different place now than when I first read this。 I miss Darwyn Cooke。 He was a heck of a talent， gone too soon。 This is to the DC Universe sort of what "Marvels" is to the Marvel Universe， or "Half-Century War" is to Godzilla。 Breaking it all down into a kind of mono-myth， it tells the story of the mid-20th Century and the titanic forces that bring together the Justice League。 I think what Cooke does for the Justice League is kind of like what Morrison & Quitely did in "A I guess I'm in a pretty different place now than when I first read this。 I miss Darwyn Cooke。 He was a heck of a talent， gone too soon。 This is to the DC Universe sort of what "Marvels" is to the Marvel Universe， or "Half-Century War" is to Godzilla。 Breaking it all down into a kind of mono-myth， it tells the story of the mid-20th Century and the titanic forces that bring together the Justice League。 I think what Cooke does for the Justice League is kind of like what Morrison & Quitely did in "All-Star Superman。" He found the essential 'why' of it all。 Why the Justice League important？ Why them and not someone else？ Why are these costumed freaks "heroes？" There's a quite in the introduction to "All-Star Superman" that I think fits here。 “Gods achieve their power by encouraging us to believe in them。 Superman achieves his power by believing in us。” The Justice League achieve their power by believing in what we all could be。Anyway。 This book captures a certain magic， a certain something that I think a lot of comic book readers may feel without ever thinking about or being aware of。 Though it's chock full of references and shout-outs， the story itself cuts away all the minutia and exposes the heart of our modern day myths。 That's pretty cool。 I didn't really like it the first time I read it。 I still think the Justice League is dumb。 DC's characters， most of them anyway， don't belong in the same universe。 The great cloaked detective Batman shouldn't share a world with the precocious speedster The Flash。 Definitely not with aliens like Superman & The Martian Manhunter。 It's dumber than The X-Men existing in the same universe as all the other Marvel super heroes。 However， taken as its own thing， a contained story that delves into the concepts and essential roots of these characters， this is a good read。 I enjoyed it a lot more on second reading。I really miss Cooke。 。。。more
Finnegan Jarrell
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