I’ve asked our friend Derek to write a few words on this masterpiece, here’s what he has to say:

“The time in American culture of great discoveries and confident optimism that began in the late 1950s has been given many appropriate names when romanticized by popular culture: the Atomic Age, the Jet Age, the Space Age. In comics, it was the Silver Age, when a new generation of strange and exciting super-heroes were created, inspired by the exploits of the long-lost original super-heroes of the Golden Age of the 30s and 40s, and in turn inspiring generation after generation of creators to reshape them for the future. While genius creators such as Frank Miller and Alan Moore broke new ground by deconstructing the heroes of the Silver Age by exposing their dark consequence and dystopian future, with The New Frontier Darwyn Cooke (Parker: The Hunter, The Spirit, Selina’s Big Score, storyboards for Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond) casts aside grim and gritty for chrome and pretty, re-presenting the debut of the first DC heroes of the Silver Age with a dazzling period artistic style which fits perfectly with yesterday’s bright future. Cooke’s meticulous attention to historical detail and period culture grounds the larger-than life people and events in an authentic realism. This is mature, character-driven drama and adventure, satisfying to the eye and the mind. With an ensemble cast of the world’s greatest heroes, the story asks the best of characters from across DC’s line of books from that era as evidence is uncovered of a creeping alien invasion of America, reflecting Cold War paranoia of the time. Our heroes must face this threat even as they discover those powers and abilities, some of them alien themselves, that set them apart from their fellow Americans. These powers make them uniquely qualified to defend America, but only if they can be brave enough, bold enough to come together in the name of Justice. As a stand-alone story and a hearty read, DC: The New Frontier will be enjoyed by people who’ve never read super-hero books before just as well as those who grew up on them. Great for fans of The Incredibles.”

I’ve just read this myself and was blown away. Darwyn Cooke really comes into his own as a writer here. What a wonderful story. I love how he integrates real lesser-known DC properties like The Challengers Of The Unknown and The Suicide Squad, and, frankly, this book made me give a rat’s ass about Hal Jordan like no Blackest Night or whatever ever has. I also love the John Jones arc, not knowing a whole lot about the character in the first place. This is an excellent read, a really exemplary bit of comics storytelling. Highly recommended!