just a quick shoutout to the awesomeness that is Justice League: The New Frontier masterminded by Darwyn Cooke and Stan Berkowitz (JL/Batman Beyond writer), of which the prequel comic was featured here.
bringing a new take to the formation of the Justice League in a '50s setting, Cooke hits all the right notes, defies expectations, and pulls a lot of surprises even for a jaded joe like me. this is the adaptation from Cooke's Eisner/Harvey Award-winning series back in 2003-04.
and its not your typical G.I.Joe/Cobra cartoon either. TNF doesn't skimp on the violence (witness Hal Jordan shooting a North Korean soldier in the head) or the reality (did you not think the Yankee flag-waving Superman would clash with feminist hardliner Diana?). of course, during this period of McCarthyism, outsiders like Batman and J'onn J'onzz will need to operate on the fringes, and even an idealist like The Flash can get disillusioned by government paranoia.
i like the way the film reintroduces forgotten characters like King Faraday and Ace Morgan (Challengers of the Unknown). Cooke also seems to have a bias for Jordan, as he gets a majority of screen time, tying into nearly every major plot point and provides the day-saving feat sans Superman.
if i have to nitpick - i'd have some issues with Kyle McLachlan voicing Superman, and Superman actually taken out of the fight, and having the rest of group defeat their nemesis. Aquaman actually only appears in the end (because he returns a convalescing Superman back to the surface world). much of the details of the original comic series have been lost to editing but hey, thats the way the world works.
this will stand with the great DC stories of all time, alongside Kingdom Come and JLA: Year One.
i only watched this on my iPhone. should i buy the Blu-Ray? hmmmmm .... awesomeness!
bringing a new take to the formation of the Justice League in a '50s setting, Cooke hits all the right notes, defies expectations, and pulls a lot of surprises even for a jaded joe like me. this is the adaptation from Cooke's Eisner/Harvey Award-winning series back in 2003-04.
and its not your typical G.I.Joe/Cobra cartoon either. TNF doesn't skimp on the violence (witness Hal Jordan shooting a North Korean soldier in the head) or the reality (did you not think the Yankee flag-waving Superman would clash with feminist hardliner Diana?). of course, during this period of McCarthyism, outsiders like Batman and J'onn J'onzz will need to operate on the fringes, and even an idealist like The Flash can get disillusioned by government paranoia.
i like the way the film reintroduces forgotten characters like King Faraday and Ace Morgan (Challengers of the Unknown). Cooke also seems to have a bias for Jordan, as he gets a majority of screen time, tying into nearly every major plot point and provides the day-saving feat sans Superman.
if i have to nitpick - i'd have some issues with Kyle McLachlan voicing Superman, and Superman actually taken out of the fight, and having the rest of group defeat their nemesis. Aquaman actually only appears in the end (because he returns a convalescing Superman back to the surface world). much of the details of the original comic series have been lost to editing but hey, thats the way the world works.
this will stand with the great DC stories of all time, alongside Kingdom Come and JLA: Year One.
i only watched this on my iPhone. should i buy the Blu-Ray? hmmmmm .... awesomeness!
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