DC: The New Frontier

(DC, 2004-2005)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

Here’s a sweeping “historical” graphic novel that depicts the end of the Golden Age and the rise of the Silver as seen through the eyes of the more human characters of the DC universe. The story is prestigious in every respect.

It’s simply, directly, and beautifully told with an economy of both words and pictures that’s incredibly effective. This installment has two major accomplishments. First, Cooke manages to get past the grade-school-cool appeal of “army men fighting dinosaurs” to create a hard-edged “man against environment” story. Second, he produces a Lois Lane who’s simultaneously seductively attractive and spectacularly self-involved—the “Rhymes with Witch” she’s supposed to be. (Siegel and Shuster put it in her job description.)

It may be too “inside” to gain much mainstream praise, though it certainly deserves it, but it sure made this fanboy geek; I can hardly wait until he gets to the part with The Challengers of the Unknown.

— S.A. Bennett

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