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23rd out of 150 books
—
172 voters
Absolute DC: The New Frontier (DC: The New Frontier Absolute)
by
Darwyn Cooke
The latest Absolute Collection is the Eisner Award-winning DC: THE NEW FRONTIER, written & illustrated by Darwyn Cooke where the dawning of the Silver Age DC Universe is told from the perspective of those who survived the anti-hero sentiment of the Cold War, including Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, as well as eager newcomers like Green Lantern and The Flash, poised...more
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published
October 4th 2006
by DC Comics
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$75, and worth every penny. That’s my short review of Absolute DC: The New Frontier, the oversized, hardcover collection of Darwyn Cooke’s superhero magnum opus set in the DC Universe as the ’50s give way to the ’60s and the human adventurers give way to the Silver Age superheroes. Cooke, an animator by trade, made a quiet impression on the comics fans with Batman: Ego, and a slightly bigger one when he joined Ed Brubaker to relaunch and redefine Catwoman. The New Frontier was by far his biggest...more
I have been reading comics for as long as I can remember, and this is by far my favorite graphic novel of all time. Darwyn Cooke excels at art as well as writing - I didn't read the series as it came out for some reason that I can't recall now, and the Absolute Edition was my first introduction to it. My general love for DC and the Justice League in particular, as well as the fantastic art, were enough to lure me into spending $75 dollars on the fancy edition of it, and I have never spent money...more
My recent read of Darwyn Cooke’s The Hunter left me wanting more — a lot more — so I skipped over to Amazon and scrolled through his back catalog with DC Comics. Cooke is apparently one of the visionaries who has shaped the animated Batman series, as well as other DC franchises that have crossed over to television, including The Justice League of America. The JLA has never appealed to me — “action team” comics strike me as being especially superficial, in a medium that’s had trouble plumbing emo...more
The beauty of the story lies in its skillful tackling of a topic that has been brought up many times before: in the film "The Incredibles", in "The Watchmen" and "Kingdom Come", and more recently in Marvel's "Civil War" event, that being whether vigilantism is commendable or deplorable. Unlike the latter three cases, this take is as a little less apocalyptic and more historical. In "New Frontier", the old school Golden Age heroes of the DC panoply are struck down by the awesome and terrible forc...more
Cooke is one of my favorite comic book artists; he's got a gorgeous retro style that perfectly captures the time period depicted in this book--the 1940s & 1950s. The story covers the "changing of the guard" as heroes of the JSA made way for those of the JLA. In this sweeping adventure, however, we see them all pull together to stop a force that threatens to destroy the world (well, what else would they join forces for?). Cooke's writing is every bit as sharp as his line.
I am so sick of reading the origins of all of these DC characters over and over again and yet I LOVE this retelling of the origin of the Justice League! This is pure comic brilliance. Every character is handled perfectly and the epicness of the forming of the Justice League has never been so strong! The artwork by Darwyn Cook is perfect. In fact there are no flaws here.
This is also much better than the animated adaptation. Read this instead of watching the movie!
This is also much better than the animated adaptation. Read this instead of watching the movie!
One of the best graphic novels to come along in years. This book takes DC's heroes back to their 50's and 60's roots in style! Costumed vigilantes are outlawed by HUAC except for two, Superman and Wonderwoman ansd few others, who are given licenses so long as they do what their govenment masters tell them. New Frontier tells the story of the heroes' struggle to contribute in a society unsure how to deal with those with abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Many story lines weave to a fantast...more
I read the first paperback and have seen the movie but for some reason I never finished the end of it.
Then I picked up the Absolute. My god this was amazing. I think it didn't connect to me the first time cause of my limited understand of the DC Mythos. But now I know who most of the characters are. This is the optimistic beginning side of the coin to the depressing end of a era that is Kingdom Come.
Highly recommended.
Then I picked up the Absolute. My god this was amazing. I think it didn't connect to me the first time cause of my limited understand of the DC Mythos. But now I know who most of the characters are. This is the optimistic beginning side of the coin to the depressing end of a era that is Kingdom Come.
Highly recommended.
Forget that Ryan Reynolds nonsense, this is Hal Jordan! Writer/artist Darwyn Cooke has made an epic retro tale that consists of many classic DC comics characters (Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman) as well as some great lesser-knowns, putting Jordan right at the heart! Well-paced and beautifully rendered, this Absolute edition is THE only way to experience this story.
Watched the movie animation first, now read the book. Should have read it first I think, now the book is not as enjoyable as the movie. There's not much difference like the whole story and the illustration except for minor details. The 'Centre' is the only flaw in the movie and in the book, there's not much threat to it. But we got to give it to the book for inspiring the movie with it's great story, so I'm giving this three stars.
I loved this book - classic silver-age super-hero stylings with a modern twist, all held together with Darwyn Cooke's art which looks fantastic in the larger size.
The ONLY thing I would change would be to do a new printing with the stories from the one-shot done a few years later. Still, it's a great book well worth the extra cost of the larger edition.
The ONLY thing I would change would be to do a new printing with the stories from the one-shot done a few years later. Still, it's a great book well worth the extra cost of the larger edition.
In many ways comparable to those superhero retellings illustrated by Alex Ross. This is so much more fun though, thanks to the gorgeous retro art. The story is enjoyable enough, with quite some historic details folded in. My main gripe would be the overly large cast of characters. They get introduced at such a pace that its hard to keep track of them all, particularly if you're not incredibly well versed in the DC universe, like myself.
Aug 11, 2011
Ketan Shah
added it
A stunning piece of work.Darywn Cooke's art evokes golden age images without slavishly copying them. He manages to weave a story that integrates many more obscure DC characters into a complex tapestry without it seeming forced.Worth reading and rereading.
A beautiful, enlarged edition of the combined issues of the miniseries that chronicles iconic DC heroes from late in WW II through the McCarthy era to just before the dawn of the 60's. I really enjoyed the essays and sketches that accompany the story.
Dec 18, 2007
John Wiswell
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Comics fans, history readers, art history readers
Embracing the lore of comics to tell a nostalgic story on par with Kingdom Come and Marvels. The art is very simple and blocky, all in tribute to the style of the pioneering superhero comics artists, but with several genius allusions to American art that art history fans are sure to recognize and appreciate. Darwyn Cooke weaves the origins of superheroes through real world history, weaving Wonder Woman and Richard Nixon, Muhammad Ali and Wildcat, Green Lantern and the Korean War, Martian Manhunt...more
This was a beautiful series written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke. It links that strange limbo time in DC Comic from post-war (when spandex heroes were losing popularity and "real" people were comics stars) to the dawning of the Silver Age (the last page is a clear homage to the first mission of the Justice League of America). Cooke manages to link together characters and events that in the 50's would never have been NEAR each other (case in point - Hal Jordan, pre-Green Lantern, working with The Ch...more
There are endless reboots of the DC universe, but surely this is one of the most charming. A grand new "how it all began" epic, with some of the best art in the world. Cooke's cartoony style is just perfect for this story.
It took me a little bit to get into this book. It's definitely a slow burn. Once you get past the halfway point, it flies! The end of this book is amazing. I absolutely loved it.
Slow in pace but the payoff is absolutely worth it.
Slow in pace but the payoff is absolutely worth it.
This is probably my favorite comic as of right now. This was a four part prestige comic that I did not pick up until it was in trade which I then bought the Absolute Edition for all of the added material.
This is set in the bronze age of comics with the beginnings of the flash, green lantern and others. The art is in the cartoon style that some saturday morning shows mimic, but is done in a very clean and detailed way.
If you can get this, I would say try to get the Absolute edition as it is in...more
This is set in the bronze age of comics with the beginnings of the flash, green lantern and others. The art is in the cartoon style that some saturday morning shows mimic, but is done in a very clean and detailed way.
If you can get this, I would say try to get the Absolute edition as it is in...more
Aug 10, 2007
Jason
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people with room on their bookshelf
Shelves:
favorites,
graphic-novels
The story is just fine. Darwyn Cooke's artwork is as fantastic as it's always been and the story, although clunky in some places, is filled with enough action, adventure, romance, and laughs to fill you with that Golden Age Awe. The content is good for four stars.
But this book gets five stars because of the packaging. The Absolute format was MADE for this book. Several times I've found myself taking this book off the shelf and just lazily flipping through it, finding inspiration in the gorgeous...more
But this book gets five stars because of the packaging. The Absolute format was MADE for this book. Several times I've found myself taking this book off the shelf and just lazily flipping through it, finding inspiration in the gorgeous...more
DC created the Absolute line, slipcased, oversized hardback editions chock full of extras for their more recent "classics". Of the comics published over the last couple of years, perhaps no work is more worthy of this treatment than Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier. Not only does the collection reprint the entire fabulous mini-series in full color, it includes annotations from the author, original designs, storyboards, and much more. DC originally collected the series in two separate trade pa...more
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An absolutely stellar tale of the formation of the justice league.
Very different but well thought out. Awesome!
It doesn't get any better than this.
I have a great love for Darwyn Cooke's storytelling of the Silver Age. The art and writing are on point!!! This story takes place shortly after the Korean War. One of the best things about this story is that the main focus is not on Superman or Batman, but rather Green Lantern(Hal Jordan) and the Flash(Barry Allen). One of my favorite aspects is the story of Steel, a black super-hero in the south.
I had hesitated to pick this up as, at first, I found the artwork over-simplistic.
BOY WAS I WRONG!
The artwork is fantastic! I may not have understood all the inside references, but the story was a good read.
oh, and if you've only seen the animated adaptation of this, do yourself an imense favor and read this book, you won't regret it.
BOY WAS I WRONG!
The artwork is fantastic! I may not have understood all the inside references, but the story was a good read.
oh, and if you've only seen the animated adaptation of this, do yourself an imense favor and read this book, you won't regret it.
The Silver Age of comic books had style and energy that infused old characters with new life. NF captures that energy and bursts through any preconceived notion of being just a comic book. It;s got an art style that makes each page alive. The story is balls out action with some little chances to catch your breath....and that's a great thing.
I'd recommend this to anyone who has even a passing interest in comic art, it deftly weaves the mythology of the DC universe with the tumultuous history of the 1960's, producing the best comic since Watchmen.
Thought I'd lighten this up on the old reading list with this one and found it pretty darn entertaining. I especially enjoyed its Right Stuff inspired take on the Green Lantern's origin.
Great take on reinventing the coming together in the age of heroes. Thoroughly enjoyable illustrations to accompany a very solid story. The animated movie does not disappoint either.
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Darwyn Cooke (b. 1962, Toronto, Canada) is an Eisner Award winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier and Will Eisner's The Spirit.
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he wo...more
More about Darwyn Cooke...
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he wo...more
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