Wow

Today ended up being another run to the art supply store on Queen Street West (where we saw the fringes of the fire) and while in that part of town, I decided it was time to indulge in more comic book-ery. I’d heard many, many, MANY good things about The New Frontier and had passed it quite a few times in book stores in Singapore. I didn’t pick it up at the time because they were only available in hard cover, but seeing those price-tags in the Silver Snail comic store, equivalent to their American prices, and in two easy trade paperbacks, it was time to take the plunge.

My God am I glad I ever did.

It was an exciting experience reading this story. My brain was roughly divided into two halves, the “adult” that marveled at the writing, the characterization and social observations of the tale, and the kid inside that was screaming, “HAL JORDAN IS THE GREATEST GREEN LANTERN OF ALL! NO ARGUMENTS!”

The story is another one of those alternate-history tales that places the DC superheroes within the actual historical context of the late 50′s/early 60′s. The Korean conflict is winding down, Kennedy has yet to take office, and Sputnik has just shot into orbit. It is the dawn of the silver age of DC superheroes and local boy (yes, he’s from Toronto) Darwyn Cooke takes that turbulent setting and asks a–in retrospect no-brainer question–”But how would that period have REALLY affected the DC superheroes?”

This story answers that question to remarkable effect. The communist witch hunts, racism in the American deep south, and the questions of obeying your government versus doing the right thing are all touched upon in the story, and it is both uplifting and provocative to see how the iconic heroes handles these situations. It also helps that I’ve always REALLY liked Green Lantern and to see his origin story handled with so much more depth and characterization just had me grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Hal Jordan will always be Green Lantern to me, and to see it happening for the first time in a new light like this was fun in the extreme.

I loved this story. It brought out the best of modern comic narrative while at the same time somehow maintaining that sense of wonder comics usually only inspire in children yet to be jaded by the realities of life.

Also, the Blu-Ray direct to video animated version of this story goes on sale tomorrow.

I may have to pick that one up reeeeeeal soon.