Review: DC: The New Frontier

     DC: The New Frontier was a six-issue mini-series written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke. The series was published by DC Comics in 2004. The New Frontier takes place in an alternate timeline from 1945, 1948 and from 1952 to 1960. It involves characters from DC’s Golden Age like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman meeting characters from DC’s Silver Age like The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. The New Frontier captures what a strange time the 1950s and early 1960s were. It was a time of optimism and seemingly endless economic prosperity. This optimism manifested itself in the Space Race, where Americans realized that the sky was no longer the limit. However, this era was plagued by racism, communist paranoia, and the fear of nuclear war. All of these real historical issues are told through the lens of DC’s heroes.

     What I love about The New Frontier is how it was paced. It’s written like Pulp Fiction (1994), where the characters have their own separate stories that eventually converge little by little throughout the series. I also like that The New Frontier stays true to both real life and comics history. For instance, shortly after World War II ended politicians, the media, and psychologists began a witch hunt against superhero comics because they believed they turned children into delinquents. In The New Frontier, this is presented as the U.S. Government outlawing superheroes which forces the Justice Society of America into retirement, causes Superman and Wonder Woman to become government puppets that take part in covert missions against communists throughout the world, and vigilantes like Batman are forced to operate outside the law. The Red Scare that gripped America in the early 1950s is shown in The New Frontier as another reason why superheroes were outlawed because Vice President Richard Nixon believed them to be communists. Events like The Korean War, Sputnik, and the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union are also shown as the key driving point of the plot as traumatized Korean War vet Hal Jordan is picked to be a pilot on a mission to Mars. Racism and the Civil Rights Movement also play a big role in The New Frontier as a mysterious vigilante named John Henry launches attacks on the Ku Klux Klan.

      Another thing I liked about The New Frontier is that The Silver Age heroes are introduced in the same year that they debuted in the real life comic books. For instance, The Flash is first shown debuting in The New Frontier in 1956. The Flash in the comic books debuted the same year which many fans and historians consider the beginning of the Silver Age of Comic Books. This all culminates with President John F. Kennedy’s optimistic ‘New Frontier’ speech. Given what happens to President Kennedy in 1963 this moment in the comic is also very poignant as his assassination, the Vietnam War, and the turbulence of the 1960s and 70s shattered America’s sense of optimism. However, Darwyn Cooke shows that maybe one day this optimism can be renewed. The New Frontier acts as a great piece of historical fiction as well as a great comic book. If you’re a history nut like me that’s just an added bonus.

     Darwyn Cooke’s art is a sight to behold. It’s a mix of Jack Kirby and the cartoons from the DC Animated Universe of the 1990s and early 2000s. His artwork makes me feel nostalgic for an era in comic books that I never experienced firsthand. His artwork is utterly timeless and captures the feeling of what it was like during this time period. No movie or TV show I’ve seen gives me a sense of what it was like to be alive during the 1950s like Cooke’s lovely artwork does.

      Cooke’s writing is absolutely phenomenal. The fact DC Comics decided to bring Hal Jordan back from the dead in the mainstream continuity of the comics can be attributed to Cooke. Cooke made Hal Jordan cool again and reintroduced him to a new generation of fans who welcomed the character’s return in Green Lantern: Rebirth. Cooke’s dialogue is minimal at certain times but combined with his artwork is incredibly powerful. The New Frontier is not only a great piece of historical fiction and sci-fi but it also a fantastic piece of drama.

      Darwyn Cooke died from an aggressive form of cancer in 2016 at the age of fifty-three. The fact he never was able to share is wisdom with the next generation of comic creators was a huge blow to the medium. However, Cooke left us with his magnum opus, DC: The New Frontier which is the greatest comic book of the past twenty-years. Every comic book fan needs to read this classic series because it captures the optimism that superheroes are supposed to represent to the world.

Overall Rating: *****

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