Justice League: The New Frontier Special

I am working on that Lucky Star review. I've just been very busy lately and the show isn't as fresh in my mind as it was when I started writing, so it's gonna be a mite tough for me to finish it.

Anyway.

DC and Darwyn Cooke put out a one-shot special anthology comic to tie into the Justice League: The New Frontier animated movie, and I just finished reading it. I was a huge fan of the original graphic novel, so this comic was a real treat. A quick run-down for those who are interested:

The comic opens with one page of Rip "Time Master" Hunter basically telling us not to worry what Earth the story takes place on and just sit back and enjoy the story. Fair enough.

The first story, illustrated by Cooke himself, tells a "secret chapter" from the original New Frontier graphic novel in which President Eisenhower enlists Superman to arrest Batman in the early '50s and the fight that ensues between them. While both played significant roles in the comic, they were never really in the spotlight, and this story gives them just that. Definitely the highlight of the issue.

The second story isn't drawn by Cooke, but the penciler does such a convincing job emulating his style that you couldn't tell. Set after the novel's end, Robin the Boy Wonder and Kid Flash team up to take down a gang of hot-rod hoodlums and stop a terrorist plot. Nothing special, and the '50s-era slang is laid on a bit thick, but still fun.

The third story, illustrated by J. Bone in a very cartoonish style, is a humorous short that sees Wonder Woman taking on the gender barrier with Black Canary reluctantly tagging along. Diana is portrayed as an overbearing radical feminist, almost a caricature of herself. Still, the last panel had me laughing out loud.

Finally, the last few pages of the issue are given over to concept sketches and storyboards from the movie, with commentary by Cooke. Pretty interesting if you're into the process of animation and whatnot but it doesn't really add anything.

If you're really into New Frontier and looking for a brief diversion, it's totally worth a buy.