Justice League: The New Frontier Special # 1

DC Comics
Justice League: The New Frontier Special # 1
By Koppy McFad
March 11, 2008 - 04:15

DC Comics
Writer(s): Darwyn Cooke
Penciller(s): Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone, David Bullock
Cover Artist(s): Darwyn Cooke

Tales of Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and a few other heroes, intended as companion stories to both the NEW FRONTIER miniseries and the DVD version of the "New Frontier" movie.

The main story has Superman trying to bring in Batman at the command of the government-- an event that was merely referred to in one panel in the pages of the original miniseries. It is a decent story with Cooke's trademark distinctive art style that combines Silver-Age clarity with a modern mood. The second story has Robin teaming up with Kid Flash to save a certain US president. There is also a comedy tale of Wonder Woman and Black Canary taking on Hugh Hefner and at the end, there is a bonus feature of the art design that went into the NEW FRONTIER movie.

The lead story is a bit of a disappointment. Once again, we have another Superman-vs-Batman fight, right out of "Dark Knight Returns." It is sad to see someone as talented as Cooke basically following in Frank Miller's footsteps. The Robin-Kid Flash tale is amusing but also looks like something we have seen before. Didn't the Titans rescue JFK just a few months ago? The highlight of this issue is the Wonder Woman story which is played strictly for laughs, even if it makes most of the characters look rather silly.

Probably the best part of the issue is the first-page intro with Rip Hunter addressing the reader and telling him to stop worrying about continuity and just enjoy the story. There is also a haunting "fake" ad that suggests that DC could have come out with a comic book starring a black protagonist in the Silver Age.

This is an entertaining book but unless you are an avid fan of the original mini-series and/or the DVD, it may seem trivial. This gets only three stars out of five.