Exploring the Justice League: The New Frontier DVD
by Brian Tallerico

The New Frontier, the first PG-13 DVD adventure for the Justice League of America is not only the best DVD of the year to date but one of the best superhero movies of the last few years. All of you who laid down your hard-earned cash for the Fantastic Four movies, Ghost Rider, and Daredevil and felt burned, there's still hope for your favorite genre. Based on a landmark graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke, The New Frontier is about that all-important time in the world's history when we, as a people, grappled with nuclear power, the space race, and the growing sensation that there were no more real heroes. A truly collaborative work that features some of the best voice talent in the history of animated superhero movies (including David Boreanaz, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jeremy Sisto), The New Frontier is a must-have for comic book fans of any age. It's a nearly flawless adventure featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, The Green Lantern, and many more.

Recapping the story of The New Frontier is almost impossible because it juggles so many characters and ideas in just under 80 minutes. The biggest problem with Frontier is that it sometimes feels rushed and could have breathed easier with an extra ten or fifteen minutes. The New Frontier is a story that would have cost $200 million in live-action with its numerous characters and the many action arenas within. The A-plot revolves around a growing menace called The Centre, an undefined evil that threatens to take over everything good in the world. Set just after the Korean War and as the space race was heating up, The New Frontier is one of the most socially conscious superhero movies of the last few years, echoing the theory that you shouldn't look outside for heroes but instead look within yourself. But it's also not afraid to be thematic more than literal. There are moments that are reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which boldly go beyond the simple cut and dry. New Frontier is the trippiest superhero movie in years.

On another level, New Frontier kicks ass as an action movie. If for no other reason, fans should see The New Frontier for the space mission gone horribly awry and the gigantic final sequence, which includes, among many other awesome sights, Batman flying a fighter plane as he's being attacked by giant pterodactyls (we warned you it was trippy). Want a few more reasons? How about one of the best animated video transfers ever? The colors are so sharp and lively that New Frontier is effective merely as a stunning visual experience. But that's not all.

Disc One:

Super Heroes Unite: The History of the Justice League (41 minutes)

The best special feature on both discs is a fantastic documentary that explores the history and importance of not just the characters in Justice League but the influence of comics over the last seven decades as a whole. What started as the Justice Society of America became one of the most important titles in the history of the medium. "Super Heroes Unite" is an expertly produced documentary that could have easily been fleshed out into a feature-length film and been almost as good as the movie. It's a must-have for anyone who used to save their allowance for the adventures of men in panel tights. It will remind you why.

Sneak Peek: Batman: Gotham Knight (10 minutes)

Wow, does this look good. I've always been a big Batman fan and the latest straight-to-DVD DC adventure to follow Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier will be Batman: Gotham Knight. Like the first two, it looks like Gotham Knight will be PG-13 and more in-the-tone of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies than the previous incarnations. But the creators know that they need to explore something new. Batman: Gotham Knight will be a combination of six stories from six different directors to try and do something experimental. Yes, that means Batman in anime style. It looks kind of like "The AniBatman" (like The Animatrix DVD). The dark edges of Batman are a perfect fit for anime and this honestly looks like it could be one of the coolest DVD releases of the year. We can't wait.

Audio Commentary I Featuring The Filmmakers

The director, executive producer, writer, voice director, DC Comics rep, and supervising producer all pop up for a highly informative and geek-friendly track. If you've never heard Bruce Timm (executive producer) talk super heroes, he's one of the most entertaining experts in his field. Some of the track is a bit dry, but the variety of voices and their clear knowledge of the challenges of the project make it consistently worth your time.

Audio Commentary II Featuring Darwyn Cooke

The author of the original graphic novel gets a track to discuss the adaptation of his own incredible story. Cooke knows this story front to back and everywhere in between. He's a great speaker who fully defines many of the themes he played with in his landmark book. Cooke is obviously very happy with the final product and it's rare to hear the author of such great source material speak so openly about what happened to his work.

Trailers

Previews included are Superman: Doomsday, August Rush, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and Torchwood.

Disc Two:

The Legion of Doom: Pathology of the Super Villain (34 minutes)

Malcolm McDowell narrates a brilliant documentary that offers the flip side to the disc one "Super Heroes Unite" feature and makes the two-disc edition a must-buy over the single-disc version. They include many of the same interview subjects and examine the history of the JLA through the eyes of the villains the Justice League thwarted each month. With such great trivia (The first villain for JLA? Starro, a gigantic killer starfish.), you're not a real JLA or super hero fan if you're even considering the single disc edition.

Comic Book Commentary: Homage to The New Frontier (10 minutes)

Darwyn Cooke compares the book, including panels from the original, with the final film. It should have been longer and explored the entire graphic novel piece by piece, but there's a lot of repetition from the first disc's audio track. It's cool to see the panels from the source material next to what was done in the film and hear about what was lost from page to screen. Cooke even expresses disappointment with a few cut subplots - Ted Grant and The Suicide Squad. New Frontier experts and all of you new fans who are curious about how the book is different will love the mini-feature.

Justice League: Bonus Episodes

Three entire episodes of the Justice League cartoon selected by Bruce Timm himself are included - "Dark Heart," "To Another Shore," and "Task Force X." It's all a new and much greater frontier to explore on DVD.