New Frontier DVD… Giveaway?
February 22nd, 2008 by david brothers | Tags: DC comics, new frontierYeah, that’s right. I’ve got a free DVD to give away and a contest to get it done. It’s quick and easy, I swear.
1) What’s your favorite scene in the New Frontier comic? Why?
or
2) Who is your favorite DC Comics character? Why?
or
3) Who is the most underrated DC Comics character? Why?
Bam.
Post comments below. Best answer gets a copy of the DVD.
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3) Amanda Waller baby. This is why she’s hot.
Damn. I meant to post this link. http://www.funnybookbabylon.com/2008/02/14/black-history-month-the-wall/
My favorite part in The New Frontier is the section that starts with a newspaper photo of Wonder Woman with a little Vietnamese girl on her shoulders waving an American flag with the caption “WONDER WOMAN: Winning the hearts and minds of the disenfranchised.” And the very next panel is Superman flying down into the jungle, commenting on the gruesome scene he comes upon as he looks for Wonder Woman because she’s totally vanished and hasn’t reported in for weeks.
He follows the sound of laughter to find Diana and a group of armed Vietnamese women drinking and celebrating their victory. Wonder Woman had freed them from their sexual slavery, given them weapons, and watched as they killed the men who had captured them and then decided that she was going to stay and train them so they would be able to survive the war.
There’s a little echo of the Comedian talking to Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen in the speech Diana gives to Superman about how the war is crazy and brutal and basically how fucked up having Superheroes fighting the war is.
Golden Age Wonder Woman is kind of a weird entity. She was conceptualized as a weird fetish doll that would get tied up and have thinly disguised lesbian sex with her amazon sisters, but Darwyn Cooke captures perfectly what I like to imagine Wonder Woman would actually be like. She’s a strong feminist and also a warrior. She’s smart and beautiful, but she’s not afraid to kill or be killed. She’s willing to stand up for the rights of the oppressed, even if that means teaching them to kill.
But the best part of the whole scene is the very end is when she stands up to Superman and she’s taller than he is. She gets right up in his face and shows him the door.
1) The slow walk in book six. Why? Because its awesome !
2) Batman! Why? It’s Batman do I really need to expand on this?
3) The Riddler?! Why? He’s not given enough credit or booktime.
1) Actually, I couldn’t stand the series at all. Beautifually drawn, horribly written. Whatta TWIST!
2)Amanda Waller, because she was/is the lead character that surprised me the most. Hero, villain, often somewhere in between.
3)Shayera Thal Hawkwoman. There’s a reason JLU went with her instead of that wet washcloth known as Geoff’s Dream Girl, Kendra Saunders.
1) John Henry Irons speech
2) Batman. Everyone else pretends to be a superhero, he pretends to be a person.
3) Green Lantern. Where’s the fucking movie?
1) The Flash’s mad rush to reach his wife’s side. Specifically, “I grab some sugar,” and, “Make it fast.”
2) Ted Kord, because he never wanted to be a superhero, but still went at it with the same gusto as Superman or Batman when he needed to. He was always there for his friends, and always willing to throw down with supervillains far outside his weight class if it meant saving lives; Doomsday, Eclipso, Amazo, and Imperiex all killed greater heroes than him, but he always managed to crawl away in one piece, just to do it again.
3) Aquaman. He’s the classic hero king. Loyal to his people, but always yearning for another adventure, challenge, or conquest. Unlike other heroes he has the weight of not just a city on his shoulders, but an entire world. Much like where other heroes get to stand unencumbered by empty air, he’s crushed beneath the weight of an entire ocean. My ideal Aquaman book would be one part Ex Machina, one part Conan the barbarian, and one part Superman.
Resurrection Man. It doesn’t matter what you do, there’s no getting around the fact that his power is damn creepy. So you embrace it. Love it. Live it. No amount of spandex super-suit wearing will make him a normal superhero, and he doesn’t even care to try it. He’s a myth that floats along America’s highways. An undying urban legend. A true mystery man.
That or Forerunner.
1. Favorite Scene in New Frontier
My favorite scene from New Frontier is— I agree with D St. above— the slow walk aboard the carrier in #6. The first time I read it, it just had this particular awe about it. It just conveyed “Damn, something’s about to go down.” It wasn’t just that, either. I got a feeling of nostalgia I’d never had, with the campy adventure and colorful characters of the Golden Age, who made the foundation for comics to come, mixing with the promise of the brand-new Silver Age that we got to see dawning right in front of us. You had the original version of Ollie right up there with Hal, and four Blackhawks standing right behind the Flash and next to Ray Palmer. That particular mix made something powerful in that spread, and it’s what I think of whenever I think of New Frontier.
2. Favorite DCU Character
I think I’d have to say The Spectre. No, it’s not the fact that he’s virtually omnipotent. It’s the fact that he’s so much different from absolutely everything else in the DCU. The Spectre is the vengeful right hand of God. Not a god. THE God.
When speaking of the Spectre, though, one must speak of both of his parts. One is the repentant fallen angel Raguel, sentenced to house the Lord’s wrath and transformed into a vampiric-looking skull-face humanoid thing with a green cape, all while having any trace of his former self wiped from his memory. The other is whoever his human host— the one thing keeping him grounded and preventing him (it?) from running amok— happens to be. Back when it was a Hindu, the Spectre had six arms and a weapon in each. When it was a Viking, his green cape was a bear skin. The Spectre isn’t just controlled by his host, he’s shaped and defined by the soul he’s bonded to. Hal Jordan managed to even bend the Spectre’s mission from vengeance to redemption.
For those who think the Spectre is just a holdover from horror comics, now used as a plot device, check out John Ostrander’s run on the title (volume 3). It’s the volume at the end of which Jim Corrigan, the Spectre’s “original” host (as far as our experience with him goes) finally manages to give up his anger and move on to his reward. The journey Corrigan goes through during that run really shows off Ostrander’s theological roots and actually serves as true literature, illustrating the journey a man’s soul can go through during his life— or, in Corrigan’s case, his afterlife, and the betterment he can find if only he looks. The last page of the final issue almost brought a tear to my eye. The Spectre is a great example of a character who a good writer can do something with, even if it seems like you can’t do anything with the character because of its very nature. And yes, I do apologize for the novella, but dammit, I like the giant white-and-green ghost.
3. Most underrated DCU Character
I’m honestly not sure if I can really count them given their current run, but I’d have to give this one to the Metal Men, who are really one character with several faces. Before their current limited series, I’d never read a Metal Men comic before, at least not one about the Metal Men. This series has shown me that these characters can be absolutely charming if only given the chance and a good writer, and I can see why so many people were waiting for them to be made into HeroClix figures— they love these guys and now I do too. Yes, Mercury’s catch phrase gets a bit annoying after a bit, but it eventually comes around to lovable. Are they A-list in terms of power? Oh, definitely not. However, in terms of being able to connect with the readers, they definitely make the grade on that front, and I hope DC does more with them after this series is over.
1. J’Onn adapting to Earth culture via television. It ended up getting swiped in last year’s season finale of The Batman. I got this sketch from Darwyn Cooke at the National last year.
2. All time, I have to say Kyle Rayner. DC had a point about how Hal Jordan wasn’t that unique with 3,599 others with the same power. Kyle was a great intro guy for folks getting into comics like myself. His ring had better rules (no weakness to yellow, finite charge), and his job (freelance artist) was more identifiable than, say, a test pilot. Ron Marz did good with him, and when he slowly burned out and moved to Florida and Crossgen, Judd Winick kept things up with Kyle’s version of “Emerald Twilght” with the Ion arc. And while Oa’s resurrection was handled in a Hal-themed hardcover, Kyle decided to use his excess Ion power to bring back the Guardians, albeit as cute blue kids. And yes, I’m still bitter that Hal Jordan had to come back, leading Kyle to bounce between stories and books.
3. Shining Knight, version 1.0. In my mind, he should be among the five most famous heroes within the DC Universe. He got lost in time twice, he rolled with three legendary forces of good (Round Table, All-Star Squadron, Seven Soldiers of Victory). I’m thinking there would be movies and documentaries based on his life. And while he’s not a force of nature, Justin wouldn’t be the Shining Knight if Merlin didn’t see a hero in him. Look at how he stood up to General Elling in “Patriot Act” in Justice League Unlimited; all the other Leaguers are out, the General’s still on a rampaging, and a half-broken Justin is still coming at him.
1.) The scene with Martian Manhunter watching TV and then turning into various characters – particuarly Bugs Bunny. It’s a funny scene and an excellent way to introduce J’onzz to our world, and us to his shapeshifting abilities. It was good enough a scene they even used it the Manhunter guest star appeaence in The Batman cartoon.
2.) Brainiac 5. No matter what Legion of Super-Heroes Coninuity – Brainiac is always the geek favorite. From his egotistical nature to his contempt for less-than than 12th Level Intelligence, he always comes off as the off-putting but lovable genius. He works great in the team structure so nessissary to the Legion and is always the stand out of the team.
3. Sister Superior – or perhaps more commonly known as “the sister of Manchester Black”. She was the leader of the Justice League Elite – and her character was such a complex and damaged person, that you couldn’t help but like her. She took that damaged part of herself and used it to her advantage — she was tough enough to run a down and dirty black ops JLA, and had the inane notion that she could keep them honest.
The reason I list her as under rated is becuase she hasn’t been seen since Justice League Elite ended. Wether it’s becuase she was from a less than successful JLA spin-off, or she just requires too much explaination of her character, she simply has not been used, and definately should be.
I always like the idea that she’s still behind the scenes of the DCU. It’s a character like that, that you keep thinking about even though they haven’t shown up in awhile – that’s a good character.
[…] quick reminder: You can still enter the contest to win a free copy of New Frontier! Go post on that thread to get it done and I’ll pick the winner Sunday […]
1) I reread the New Frontiers comic just for this question. The first thing that popped to my head was the scene where the girl pointed out John Henry to the Klan and the announcer’s speech afterwards. The other thing I remember was Wonder Woman celebrating with the Vietnamese women. But after rereading, I’ll have to say that the best scene for me was Superman rallying the people together and launching an initial attack on the Center. It was a great scene that played up the hope aspect and the despair of seeing Superman lose. I thought it was a great cliffhanger moment for issue #5 and showed that despite losing the best among them, the heroes still rallied to fight back.
2) Kyle Rayner, bar none. I got back into comic book collecting because of Kyle Rayner. Yes, he may be a character brought up on the Peter Parker model of tragedy, but during the hundred or so issues of his run on Green Lantern and the various appearances in JLA and other comics, we watched Kyle grow as a hero and as a man. He’s the everyman model that we can relate to and that’s why he’s my favorite.
3) I’d have to say the new Blue Beetle. Jaime Reyes is probably the best thing to come out of Infinite Crisis. He is a fun superhero, a superhero with a family, friends, and a good code of honor. The fact that his book isn’t a top-seller is a wonder, but I hope it picks up.
2, since I’ve unfortunately not read NF yet: Green Lantern, because the ring is about imagination and willpower, and the Corps. is about space and police work. I first got to know Kyle, but the reasons for liking him as an everyman have been given.
1) I haven’t read New Frontier past #1. I just didn’t have the money to keep buying a $6/7 dollar book, and the TPBs always floated under my radar until the DVD was announced, at which point I decided “I’ll pick up the movie, then the TPBs the following month.” So, picking only from the first issue, I’d have to go with the extended death of the Losers. I barely knew the characters, but was more or less aware of them and their history. It was just an excellently-paced, depressing scene, and the end (“Johnny Cloud was a loser.”) got me.
2) Wally West. He took over as the Flash when I was nine, and pretty much grew up with me (even though I didn’t start reading DC books til I was in high school and early college). He’s gone from being a low-powered total jerkwad to one of the most powerful and experienced members of the community while becoming more, not less, of a man. He’s not always the smartest guy in the room; if he was, he’d probably have solved all the world’s problems by now. But he’s been a hero since he was…what, eight? and even when he was in his greedy manwhore phase, he instinctively wanted to do the right thing, because it’s in his blood.
3) I’m tempted to say Aztek, but I’m not sure how much of that was because Uno was a good character and how much was the interaction of character and setting. Regardless, if it had gone on it could’ve been one of those great five-year stories, maybe a step below Priest’s Black Panther and Ennis’s Hitman. As far as currently active, I’d say Ryan Choi (Atom IV). He takes the “biggest fan becomes a successor” archetype of Wally West in a completely different direction. He’s a genius scientist without being a stick-in-the-mud, constantly in awe of everything that comics fans (and even much of the DCU’s populace) take for granted. And he doesn’t know why he’s a chick magnet. The fact that basically NOBODY reads the Atom is a huge shame, but nothing new–didn’t all of Ray’s series get canceled quickly too?
2. I’d have to say my favorite character has always been the Green Lantern. The thing is, it’s not a particular Lantern, since all of them are different. This includes such gems in the Corp as a Squirrel, a flying crystal, and I think there was even a freaking paramecium or some stupid crap. How can someone like a character with that kind of potential? Simple, it was because the Guardians chose who they felt was right for the job. At least save for Kyle, who was in the right alley at the right time. Their power didn’t depend on great athleticism or super human ability. It was their willpower, their strength of spirit, and their imagination. For the chunky kid with asthma who wasn’t able to play sports like his friends, he could still dream of being one of the elite. Although I never got visited by little blue bald men, I did eventually overcome the physical limitations and have a good run in football and wrestling. Despite that, I still am that kid that was forced to sit on the sidelines, dreaming about flying around with an emerald glow, saving the world.
1. The epilogue cutting JFK’s New Frontier speech with various bits of the DCU. It’s just amazing how Cooke put the two together and they made perfect sense. It also wraps up the book perfectly, telling the reader what’s to come for the Silver Age.
2. Captain Marvel. Here’s a guy as powerful as Superman, with the alter-ego of a child, best intentions possible, and he was sued after outselling DC’s Boy Blue. Then DC brought him back, but couldn’t legally use his name, and stuck him on an alternate earth. Then they insist of making him weaker than Kal as often as they can, forget about him Post-Crisis, bring him back, cancel him, give him some guest-appearances, and then kill his mentor, change his appearance and bench him, make his sister evil, promote Junior to Captain, and all the while promoting Captain Marvel’s nemesis Black Adam as a hero. Bastards. Billy was so screwed.
3. Captain Marvel. For reasons explained above. He should be number 4 after the Trinity. He’s from the Golden Age, like them, and his orignal character was so good it’s changed remarkably little. He’s always been a pure, selfless kid who cna turn into Cap and help people.