Absolute DC: The New Frontier
By Darwyn Cooke
DC COMICS
Darwyn Cooke, an animator on the classic cartoon “Batman:
The Animated Series,” manages to bring back that sort of
nostalgia ““ finely aged and tuned to perfection ““ that
superhero comics today seem to be missing.
Whereas Marvel is currently trying its hardest to paint every
bright spot in its universe as dark as possible in the name of
realism, and DC is finding that killing off beloved characters
brings in more money than celebrating them, Cooke’s
“New Frontier” manages to not only be optimistic and
hopeful, but unavoidably mature.
Rather than forcing comics to “grow up” by piling on
relentless violence and sex, Cooke applies mature and complicated
themes to previously two-dimensional characters: Superman and
Wonder Woman confront questions of morality and feminism in the
middle of the Vietnam War, Green Lantern deals with the horrors of
a war mentality at the end of the Korean War, and the Flash
struggles with doing the right thing in the face of an increasingly
restrictive and paranoid government.
All of this manages to occur without losing that primary-color
tinted hope that draws people to superhero comics in the first
place.
The story, while complicated and subtle, works perfectly within
its frame, and doesn’t sacrifice the very core of the genre
in the name of being “mature.”
Luckily, Cooke’s art perfectly complements his writing.
Still bearing the marks of his tenure on “Batman: The
Animated Series,” Cooke’s forms are incredibly fluid,
looking like stills from a 1940s ad copy-inspired animated film
The colors by Cameron Stewart infuse Cooke’s pencils with
an almost acid-trip dynamism, filling the panels with lush covers
and the fight scenes with psychedelic explosions.
The latest edition, “Absolute DC: The New Frontier,”
showcases this incredible story in the pristine
“Absolute” format, providing annotations, sketches and
new story pages that expand the story organically without feeling
needlessly tacked on. At $70, this edition may be only for true
comic and Cooke fans, but for those interested in seeing superhero
comics done right, it’s an investment well worth making.