I recently got the two TPBs of DC comics' "The New Frontier". I had seen the movie, which is great, and recently watched it again while listening to the commentary (I rarely do that, since it's usually distracting or not very good). the books are excellent. well written and drawn, with most everything in the "right" order of how things would have gone had the DCU decided to progress in "real" time.
Darwyn Cooke made use of much history from the DCU, including the blacklisting of the JSA by the "commie hunters" and their subsequent disbanding. though how did Jay Garrick get to be known as the original Flash? I loved all the little touches he included and tied together, much the same way Alan Moore has done with other characters in the past. and that's a high compliment as anyone who knows me will realize.
my main gripe with most comics these days is that- aside from them having to be "realistic" and "dark and gritty" the characters never really do mature or age. thus the writers and artists have to use the same plots over and over again.
anyway, the one thing that didn't quite gel with me, in the book or the movie, was the villain, The Centre. it's so just there. the movie helped out making more of a menace, but it seemed almost beside the point. I know they had to get all the heroes together and it works, but it doesn't seem to be exactly what was needed.
the rest is gold though!
2 comments:
the characters never really do mature or age. thus the writers and artists have to use the same plots over and over again.
This is the history of comics, though. And as much as I love my superhero comics, I think there's only so much you do with the genre before you break it. Fact is, I think it largely *is* broken, but nobody cares so much what I think. :)
My fanboy sense wished the movie had worked in a reference somewhere like the comic to indicate Hourman wasn't really dead. I like Hourman.
"New Frontier" is one of those intriguing oddball things that shouldn't have worked or even gotten published, but it did. Definitely an interesting work.
I agree with it being broken.
and really, would a 90 minute running time have been such a bad thing? when I listened to the commentary they kept saying how much they had to leave out. why not expand the time and put some of that in? weak.
I hope they let Rex out after the whole Centre thing was done!
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