The mostly friendly competition between DC Comics and Marvel Comics has yielded some great characters and books over the decades, and it’s now bringing us some fantastic animated movies. Marvel made a splash with Ultimate Avengers, the first in a series of PG-13 rated, direct-to-video features that has included Ultimate Avengers 2, The Invincible Iron Man and Doctor Strange. DC countered by launching DC Universe, its own line of DVD flicks for more mature audiences, with the successful Superman Doomsday. Now the company has raised the bar with Justice League: The New Frontier, a thoroughly entertaining movie making its way to retail on Feb. 26.
Based on the graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke, Justice League: The New Frontier tells the epic tale of the founding of the Justice League. DC legends Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and The Flash band together to form the legendary team of costumed crusaders and combat a primordial monster that threatens to wipe humanity from the face of the Earth.
The movie is produced by Michael Goguen and Warner Bros. Animation legend Bruce Timm, the man behind Superman: Doomsday and such beloved superhero shows as Justice League and Batman: The Animated Series. Working form a screenplay by Stan Berkowitz, Warner animation vet David Bullock directed the film, which boasts a voice cast featuring David Boreanaz, Brooke Shields, Lucy Lawless, Neil Patrick Harris, Miguel Ferrer, Kyra Sedgwick, Jeremy Sisto and Kyle MacLachlan.
With that many talented people involved, it’s hard to go wrong, especially when you have such iconic figures to work with. But New Frontier isn’t just about Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. In fact, the big three step aside to let the second string enjoy the spotlight. We see the origins of Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter, while The Flash gets a chance to do more than chase after jewel thieves. One scene involving the speed demon and a helicopter is particularly cool. Other DC denizens such as Green Arrow, The Atom and Aquaman also make appearances with the promise of bigger roles in subsequent installments.
The animation looks great and Berkowitz’s script cleverly weaves these various characters and their stories together without getting bogged down in exposition. A lot of good material is lost in condensing Cooke’s graphic novel to 75 minutes, but that can’t be helped. The pic is set in the 1950s and straddles the periods known as the Golden Age and the Silver Age of DC Comics. The story periodically draws on various social issues that plagued the period, issues we’re still dealing with half a century later. The words of John F. Kennedy and references to the civil rights movement and the bomb texture the tale, while violent action, sly humor and dinosaur attacks keep the proceedings moving at a brisk pace.
New Frontier is not a Saturday-morning cartoon. It’s as if Super Friends has grown up with those of us who watched these heroes battle the forces of evil as kids. These characters are more than lantern-jawed, one-dimensional do-gooders who swoop down to save the day with a wink and a smile. They’re complex individuals with powers tempered by insecurities. It’s also awesome to see Batman breaking bones in a cartoon.
Speaking of Batman kicking ass, the DVD features a sneak peek at the upcoming DC Universe release Batman: Gotham Knight, which just may turn out to be the coolest Batman movie ever made. Timm and his Warner Bros./DC collaborators teamed with revered Japanese anime directors to tell six interlocking stories with different art styles and interpretations of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego. Warner Bros. took a similar approach with The Animatrix, a DVD feature that expanded on ideas from the Matrix trilogy. Judging by the footage shown in the preview, it will be a shame not to see Gotham Knight on the big screen.
Other bonus features on the two-disc special edition include some great documentaries. Super Heroes United!: The Complete Justice League History chronicles the 47 year history of the Justice League from its inception in the comics to its various animated renditions. The story is told with a myriad of interviews with DC Comics president Paul Levitz, Justice League Unlimited writer Mike Friedrich, DC Comics scribe Denny O’Neil, Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee, famed comics writer Marv Wolfman, historians Michael Uslan and Mark Waid, among others. There’s also a featurette on the pathology of the super villain, feature commentary and three bonus episodes from the Justice League teleision series selected by Timm. The standard DVD edition will carry a suggested retail price of $19.98, and the two-disc special edition will list for $24.98. All bonus content will also be available on the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc versions.
