Posted by Richard Pulfer on Apr 1st, 2008
I got “Justice League: The New Frontier” for my birthday, and upon watching it, have to admit it’s probably the closest thing you’ll ever see to an animated graphic novel in motion. Written by DC: The New Frontier creator Darywn Cooke (who also took over the daunting task of writing The Spirit post-Will Eisner) as well as DC Animated veteran Stan Berkowitz , the movie is an astounding re-telling of Cooke’s graphic novel of the same name.
The movie takes place in the 1950’s, when Cold War paranoia has forced many superheroes out of the picture, and when the Big Three (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) struggle to regain the trust of the public. The series focuses on the main Justice League staples we’ve come to expect - the aforementioned trio - along with Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter, but the series also includes just as many geeky cameos as Justice League Unlimited, including Dr. Magnus, Green Arrow, Ray Palmer, the Blackhawks and even a small one for the Justice Society.
The voice acting is really the best reason to buy this DVD. David Boreanaz is pitch-perfect for Hal Jordan, a fearless but traumatized fighter pilot. Miguel Ferrer brings a gravelly, hard-boiled sensibility to Martian Manhunter, while Neil Patrick Harris is also well-cast as the hyper-active Flash. Lucy Lawless is, of course, an ideal pick for Wonder Woman - but somewhat under-utilized in the actual role. Finally, you won’t find a better Golden Age Superman or Batman than Kyle McLachlan and Jeremy Sisto, respectively. Both pull out their roles with respect to the source material and without going over the top.
The only problem with the movie itself is, at 75 minutes, its far too short. Don’t get me wrong - it’s a perfect adaptation of the graphic novel, but with Cooke on board, couldn’t they have added some more dialogue? We barely get enough of Hal Jordan and hardly enough of anyone else - it just seems like the movie itself. could have done with at least twenty more minutes of character development. But this lack doesn’t make the ending - a survey of the Silver Age intercut with a speech from President Kennedy - any less powerful - or tear-jerking.
The DVD also includes a lot of documentaries to wet your comic geek appetite, as well as a few choice episodes of Justice League Unlimited. At twenty-five dollars, the two-disc package is well worth the price for any comic bookfanboy of any era.
In comic news, Bishop makes his far-too-hyped return in Cable #2. The rogue X-Men - who seeks to slay the child born in Messiah Complex to prevent his future from coming to pass - was thought dead (just like Professor X) after a well-placed shot from Cyclops, but of course, dead is an exaggeration (like a lot of things in Messiah Complex). While I like the idea of Cable and Bishop on opposing sides of this child’s destiny, I have to say Marvel dropped the ball in bringing Bishop back - we knew he was coming months ago.
The big news in Marvel this week - Secret Invasion #1. Who do you serve and whose a slimy green alien? Marvel - or rather Bendis - has done a good job in the lead-up to this major event, so I’m ready to give the series the benefit of the doubt, though I can’t help chuckling at the hype Marvel is giving the book - THE MARVEL UNIVERSE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. Again? Didn’t we just hear that with Civil War?
Sure to be overlooked, Young Avengers Presents #3 has Scarlet Witch’s kids -Â Wiccan and Speed - in the hot seat. The book has the two Young Avengers setting out to find the long-lost Scarlet Witch, and of course running into a long-lost enemy with a long-standing grudge against Wanda. Last issue paired Hulking with Captain Marvel, and the issue before that Patriot with (then) Bucky. Will this book actually go the distance and introduce Wiccan and Speed to their mysterious mother?
This week also sees the debut of Young X-Men, which finds several young mutants recruited by Cyclops to hunt down - and apparently kill - several members from the Brotherhood of Mutants. Written by current Spider-Man writer and Eli Stone co-creator Marc Guggenheim, this is one book I’ve been looking forward to since the end of Messiah Complex.
So its a killer week in Marvel . . . let’s see if DC can do the same.
The Great Disaster hits in Countdown to Final Crisis #4, as the aforementioned countdown ticks down to #1. All the storylines converge - hopefully eliminating one of the key weaknesses in 52 - but after months and months of tie-in’s after tie-in’s, can and will Final Crisis really be worth it?
Marv Wolfman’s DC Special: Raven #2 hits the stands, as the former Teen Titan struggles to fight not only her father Triton but also the emotion-controlling Medusa Mask which once belonged to Psycho Pirate. Written by the man who virtually made the Teen Titans in a major player in the DCU, this fringe book might be more valuable than it seems.
A supposedly deceased hero turns up to help Supergirl in #28. I’m not sure who it is, and of course, DC likes it that way, but it’s apparently a big deal in this Final Crisis-saturated atmosphere, so I’d pick it up just to see who’s supposedly come back from the grave.
So there you have it - some big stuff in DC and some really big stuff in Marvel - enough to fill your comic bags this week. See ya next week!
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Devin de Gruyl
April 1, 2008 at 6:09 pm
…Kyle McLachlan and Miguel Ferrer? I wonder how many old Twin Peaks fans are snerking at that particular casting coincidence.
And re: “The Marvel Universe Will Never Be the Same”… with but a single word swapped, where have we heard this exact tagline before, I wonder… hmm. ;^P
[Reply]
Richard
April 1, 2008 at 6:24 pm
You are absolutely right - I didn’t even notice that “particular casting coincidence.” I think the casting is done by Andrea Romano if I’m not mistaking - who also did the voice casting for all of DC’s animated ventures back through the Batman Animated Series in the 1990’s. I’ve noticed they do cast people from their favorite shows - a lot of people from Firefly showed up “coincidentally” in Justice League Unlimited as well.
Good point about the MU . . . it’s like “_____ will not the same again ever . . . until next month.”
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