I knew, even before a page was published, that I would be buying a New Frontier hardcover or trade paperback because I'm a Darwyn Cooke fanatic, and the art alone was going to be worth the money. What I wasn't sure of was how well the book would go over with a more casual audience, and with issue two I start to worry a little that Cooke's sensibilities and ideas about these heroes may be a little specific, and not always in tune with the popular portrayals or even with the way I see the characters. Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of really cool moments in this issue, including a fantastic take on Martian Manhunter, a welcome appearance by Slam Bradley and a lot of fun with Flash and one of his classic foes. At the same time, however, there's a Wonder Woman and Superman characterization that I'm not crazy about, and for all the neat character moments and beautiful artwork, we're two issues in and there doesn't seem to be any kind of unifying plot elements yet.
The first issue of New Frontier was filled with plenty of "wow, cool" moments like the last "flight" of John Cloud or the first appearance of a young Hal Jordan, and the second issue doesn't disappoint in that regard either. The first shot of Martian Manhunter makes him look more alien, and more alone, than he has ever looked, and it's a great tribute to the sort of '50s monster movie ethos that gave rise to a superhero character who was a "Manhunter from Mars." Manhunter's adaptation to human society by means of television is also a blast, and his imitation of a cartoon legend was particularly fun. I also got a big kick out of boxer Wildcat having one of the last (and best) fights of his life against Cassius "Muhammad Ali" Clay.
I wasn't quite as thrilled with Cooke's take on Wonder Woman or Superman. The first time we see Wonder Woman, she's having something that borders on drunken revelry with a bunch of women who just massacred their jailors, and the first time we see Superman he's playing lapdog to the U.S. government. Just as I didn't like that portrayal of Superman from Frank Miller, I don't really enjoy it here, and the "ends justify the means" ethos of Wonder Woman feels wrong as well. Cooke is diverging from continuity quite a bit in this series anyway, so it's not a matter of consistency for me, but a matter of two of DC's icons being made unlikable and unheroic.
Fortunately, that kind of thing is in the minority, and it's contrasted with some really clever and quite heroic takes on other DC heroes. Martian Manhunter teaming up with Slam Bradley in his secret identity makes for a really good story, and the interaction they have with another DC icon flows naturally out of their case. Cooke has also chosen one of my favorite Flash villains to use in introducing the scarlet speedster, and he makes Flash cool with the use of smarts and speed. I loved the Flash figuring out the secret of the villain's diversionary plan, for example.
Then there's the artwork, which is, of course, gorgeous. Cooke has traditionally worked in something of a noir vein, with the heist movie feel of Selina's Big Score, the dark psychological tone of Batman: Ego or the pure noir feel of Catwoman, but New Frontier is his chance to open up a bit. He gives a real feel for '50s Vegas in the fight sequences, does a very believable Indochina, serves up rain-soaked streets and wild-eyed cultists in Gotham and handles pure Silver Age action fun in the Flash sequence. Not only is the art impressive, it's varied in scope and style, and pretty much worth the price of admission all by itself.
There's a lot going on in New Frontier, but so far there's not really a plot pulling it all together. The passing of the torch is certainly an important theme, but I look back at The Golden Age, a story which had some similarities to New Frontier in that it was the "last story" of some heroes and the beginning of a new age, and I remember that there was a conspiracy/villain element to it that brought the whole thing together. It's possible that Darwyn Cooke has something up his sleeves, maybe along the lines of the anti-superhero reactions that have been hinted at in both issues, but so far it looks largely like a collection of cool and fun moments. For me, that's enough, but I can see where for some, it might be a little disappointing, and I hope that a tighter story structure will show up as the series progresses.
