In this penultimate issue, some of the subplots are shunted to the side in favor of the larger, cataclysmic plot. The looming danger is finally revealed, and Cooke does an excellent job of conveying the apocalyptic nature of the development. More grounded aspects of the series seem to be forgotten, though. There's a terrific sense of wonder to the story, though; this remains a wonderful tribute to the storytelling of yesteryear. Furthermore, the greatest strength of the book, not surprisingly, is the richness of the art. There's a simpler tone that's nostalgic, but there's an inventive quality at play as well.
The strange dinosaur-like creatures that have been turning up mysterious around the globe serve only as harbingers of something far more fearsome and powerful. A reptilian behemoth makes its way across the world, devastating everything in its path... including a certain utopian island, home to a race of women warriors. As the bizarre and dark creature makes its way to the shores of the United States, its heroes gather, unsure of what to do next. Meanwhile, alone, in the desert, Hal Jordan tries to come to terms with the incredible power that's been bestowed upon him.
Cooke does a great job of bringing this larger-than-life story to... well, life. He conveys the immensity of Green Lantern's power, and the mountainous, Kirby-esque pod of writhing alien life strikes one as a gigantic blight on nature. One of my favorite visuals, though, combines Cooke's traditional leanings and the more mature tone he brings to the genre. The unusual vision of blood in an invisible conveyance was inventive and demonstrates just how powerful the threat is.
The one artistic aspect of the book that didn't quite work for me was the cover. I respect that Cooke was being inventive, playing around with a puzzle motif to show how all of the pieces of the greater plotline converged here, but the end result just wasn't attractive to the eye.
Some of the aspects of this series that I enjoyed in previous issues are lost here. I loved the notion of the heroes investigating a looming threat, but the investigations prove somewhat fruitless, as the heroes are nevertheless taken off-guard by the monstrous menace. The ideological conflict between Superman and Wonder Woman goes unaddressed, and the entire John Henry subplot seems not to have had a great effect on the main plotline. I also found Aquaman's sudden integration into Cooke's re-imagining of the Silver Age came from out of nowhere.
Cooke opts for a little bit of misdirection in the latter part of this issue. So many other DC Universe Elseworlds tales that have come before always seem to end up revolving around Superman, and that appears to be the case in the climactic, inspirational scene in this issue. But this issue also emphasizes the fact that from the beginning, DC: The New Frontier has been Hal Jordan's story above all others. It's a nice change of pace.
