Issue #10: My Pull List for the Week of 3/5/08 - The New Frontier

This week is between paychecks, so I will have to wait until next week to pick up my comics for this week and write about on this blog.

My Pull List for the Week of 3/5/08:

JLA New Frontier Special (DC)

Atom Eve #2 (of 2) (Image)

Powers #28 (Icon)

Even before I saw that the New Frontier Special would be published this week I had decided to review the recently released DVD of the Warner Premier animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier. * * * * *
This is the second Warner Premier DVD I have purchased. The first was Superman: Doomsday. While it lacked the depth of the Doomsday story in the original comic book story, taking it for what it is, and not comparing it to the story in Superman comics, I would give it * * * 1/2. The story is greatly streamlined from the comic book story, and some elements have been changed entirely. We do discover a little bit about what Doomsday was and where he (it?) came from, and Luthor plays a more central role in the movie than he did in the comic book story.
The New Frontier is an animated movie adaption of the Darwyn Cooke trade paperback, which came out in two volumes in 2004 and 2005. Sadly, I have to admit that I did not pick up the books when they were originally published, although I liked Darwyn Cooke's art style from the first moment I saw it. The trade paperbacks and the DVD tell the story of DC super heroes in the 1950's, when the silver age began with the revival and revisions of the Flash and Green Lantern. The characters are put in the historical context of that decade, from the situation in Indochina (now Vietnam) to the Red Scare and McCarthyism. The origins of Green Lanter and Martian Manhunter are also explored. We see a threat to the world that requires the combined efforts of the DC heroes, and are introduced to some now minor characters from DC history, like the Challengers of the Unknown. Some characters are introduced before they don their super hero identity, like Ray Palmer (The Atom).
I made sure to purchase the two-disc edition, which I always look out for when I want to buy a DVD. The extra features are as interesting as the movie itself. I don't know if I am the only one who is like this, but when I watch a DVD, I always watch the extra features before I watch the movie. This DVD includes two separate commentaries, one by Darwyn Cooke himself and the other by the animation producers, haeded by Bruce Timm. Cooke discusses some of the problems of adapting his mini-series to a movie, both in the commentary itself and in a disc 2 feature about the original comic book. While he enjoys the adaption overall, Cooke politely voices his opinion when he sees something that he wished the animators had handled a few minor points differently. The 2-disc version also has a feature of the history of the Justice League comic book, and another feature on the Legion of Doom with interviews with various comic book creators.
I look forward to reading The New Frontier Special and Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier trade paperbacks, in two volumes. Of the two DVD's I would have to say New Frontier is better than Superman: Doomsday. It has a more complex story and I like the animation better. The animators did a fantastic job adapting Cooke's artistic style to the screen. It almost looks like the characters are taken straight from the page to the screen.
Be sure to pick up your copy of Justice League: the New Frontier DVD.

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Send e-mail about my pull list to: mypulllist@gmail.com, and I look forward to reading about your pull list.