Superman and Wonder Woman are working for the government, assisting with secret missions in Indochina but disagreeing on the best methods to use. He misses the adrenaline and moral clarity of wartime, even if it led him to make a decision he’ll always regret. He’s trying to stick by his ideals during tough times: first, the Korean War, and then while the government is demanding vigilante registration (an oxymoronic concept).
Cooke loves his heroes and his history, but he also acknowledges that post-War America had its flaws, including racism and forced conformity, not to mention the Cold War with its looming fear of nuclear warfare.Ī new world demands a new group of heroes, and Cooke’s vision starts with Hal Jordan, fighter pilot, danger junkie, and future Green Lantern.
New Frontier looks back at the stories of Cooke’s childhood (and the childhood of so many other readers), placing them in the cultural context of the era in which they were published. The dot-pattern overlays that color them in evoke the printing methods of a previous era, contributing to the sense of nostalgia. If you look closely at the back of the box, you’ll even notice a sense of whimsy, as Billy Batson is perched on a flying carpet eating a bowl of ice cream. The slipcase gives an introduction to the material, with heroes from the obvious (Superman, Flash) to the obscure (the Challengers of the Unknown, Capt. (There are two trade paperback collections for that.) This is a book for poring over, with it well-supported on a desk or table so you don’t hurt yourself. The Absolute Edition shows off the art even better with its oversized pages and upscale slipcased presentation. Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier is a lusciously illustrated paean to the Silver Age of American superheroes.
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