The second film in the DCU Animated Universe, Justice League: The New Frontier is nearly a decade old and gets its own Commemorative Edition on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Following the plot of Darwyn Cooke’s critically-acclaimed graphic novel, the story tells how the Justice League came together during the Cold War.
Some famous names make the voices of these characters even cooler: Jeremy Sisto (Batman), Lucy Lawless (Wonder Woman), David Boreanaz (Green Lantern), Miguel Ferrer (Martian Manhunter), Neil Patrick Harris (Flash), Kyle McLachlan (Superman), and Kyra Sedgwick (Lois Lane). Individually, each of the heroes is up against something that they haven’t experienced before, but when they come together, they’re able to defeat everything that stands in their way.
Ultimately, the lesson here is that the heroes need each other even when they have all of the super powers in the world. It’s a reminder to the rest of us that no matter what divides us as humans, there are things we must face together that are much more important.
Special features boast a wide selection to delight the comic fan:
“Super Heroes United! The Complete Justice League History” shows off the way that the league has come together over its time in comics to the way that it looks now as an animated story (pre-live-action later this year). Mark Waid has always been my favorite, especially his “Tower of Babel” look.
“The Legion of Doom: The Pathology of the DC Super Villain” delivers a ten-minute exploration of the archetypes of nemesis that Justice League heroes battle.
“Retro Action Cool: The Story of Darwyn Cooke” looks at how Cooke impacted the world of comics.
“Comic Book Commentary: Homage to the New Frontier” shows the extended view of the New Frontier universe, with commentary from Cooke.
Sneak Peek: “Gotham by Gaslight” looks at the next animated film, delivered from the pages of Mike Mignola and Brian Augustyn’s 1989 graphic novel that takes Batman into an Elseworlds story (alternative universe for noobs!)
And finally, it provides audio commentary from Bruce Timm and a host of others involved in making the film, as well as Darwyn Cooke himself.
Leave a Reply