From the New Frontier to Kingdom Come

Every superhero needs a definitive origin, it could be a high school nerd bitten by a radioactive spider or a child born on a dying world rocketed to a far off planet. No matter how it happens, for someone to be a true superhero they need an origin and have to overcome hardships. But how to you give an entire universe of heroes an origin that can simultaneously introduce new heroes and tell an epic tale of mistrust and fear of those who are different?

Darwyn Cooke may have just found the way for the Detective Comics Universe (DC Universe). In The New Frontier, published by DC Comics in six individual issues in 2004 and later recollected in two trade paperbacks in 2005-06 and in a deluxe absolute edition in 2007. The New Frontier is the tale of the passing of the torch from the old guard to the new, as well as the hardships that new ideas yield and the oppression of those who are different.

The introduction from the DC President & Publisher Paul Levitz says it best, “Heroes walked the earth then.” Heroes have always existed in the world, no matter the era, and as time moves on in the book we see the average everyday heroes evolve into the modern idea of a superhero. As the idea of a hero evolves we also learn lessons about acceptance of those who are different. Starting with The Losers, and those who served in World War two, then the solders of the Korean war, to The Suicide Squad and then those who fight against the unjust, such as “John Henry” and finally on the last page The Justice League of America. During the course of the book we learn that being a hero is outlawed by the government for fear of masked Communist infiltrators winning americans hearts. The idea of heroes being outlaws and fearing those that are “different” are a few other topics that are incorporated throughout the book. As new heroes emerge, be it a new hero all together, such as Batman, or a new take on a legacy, such as The Flash and Green Lantern, they are actually forbidden by the law to act as heroes. Represented in a form that mirrors segregation, heroes with “super” powers are hunted by the police and feared by government and untrusted by the general public. But everyday heroes, such as solders in Korea, test pilots, the military group The Suicide Squad and the naturally gifted Challengers of the Unknown are not only endorsed and loved by the public but also by the government.

Segregation and racism are also incorporated in others ways throughout the story. Though the this story covers many characters one in particular stands out, the tale of “John Henry”, an African American from the south who loses his family in a fire set by the KKK. The entire story of the character “John Henry” is set to the old song of the same name; every line of the song is represented in The New Frontier. As “John Henry” stands up for what he believes is right the KKK hunts him down and burn him alive. This event mirrors those of Jon Jonn’z , also known as the Martian Manhnter. As an alien from mars he is hunted down by the government for fear of an alien attack, the government gets so paranoid that they enact a space program that precedes NASA in hopes to make contact with mars and destroy them with weapons of both nuclear and biological nature, simply because they fear them because they are different.

For all the fear that we have of those who are different again we find that as time moves on we begin to accept and maybe even embrace those who are different. By the 1960s the government is working with the superheroes, repealing the laws banning heroism. During this same time in real America we see a similar movement happening, the civil right movement. New leaders are rising up to represent those who are oppressed, those who are arrested and hated for fighting against the wrong doings in the world, this is where Cooke really shows his writing ability. He manages to craft a great origin for the DC Universe as well as tell a tale that shows the oppression and fear that happened in America during the so-called “golden age”. The New Frontier really is a tale that should be read by all, even those who do not typically read comics; it is really about the end of one era and the beginning of a true golden age of understanding and acceptance.

If The New Frontier is the origin of the DC Universe and a tale of acceptance Kingdom Come is the last issue and a tale of fear and rejection. Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross Kingdom Come was released in 1996 as four oversized issues. Kingdom Come is an elseworlds tales, in elseworlds heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places-some that have existed or might have existed, and others that can not, could not or should not exist. Kingdom Come is an example of the latter, a world that should not exist. The story follows an elderly priest named Norman McCay as he is guided by the Spectre on a road of revelations leading to what we perceive as the apocalypse. Taking place a little more than 20 years into the future of the “modern” DCU Kingdom Come shows us a DC Universe that is drastically different than world of heroics and acceptance presented by The New Frontier.

Superman has isolated himself to his fortress of solitude, Batman has been broken and now uses Bat-Sentries to monitor the streets of Gotham and Wonder Woman is now occupied as the leader of her homeland. The holy trinity of the DCU have abandoned the newer generations of heroes, and without their guidance the new heroes are running wild, battles are involving civilians, causing death and destruction to all that surround them. Religion is an aspect of the story that really stands out. The title alone refers to judgment day, but religion also effects Norman McCay, a priest who sees visions of the end of times, or revelations. Again the trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are similar to the holy trinity, the resurrection is evident in Superman’s return, the idea that someone pure, in this case Captain Marvel, will be the one to save us from a life of woe. Not to mention the conception of a messiah that will preserve the future is evident in the conception of Superman and Wonder Woman’s child.

The Spectre is a living embodiment of Gods will and wrath; he is the one who deals with divine judgment, yet he needs the eyes of a mortal to see all the perspectives, McCay offers him a that perspective. Throughout the story we see McCay’s visions of the end of times, but they are red and cloudy, wavy and dark. Using Scott McClouds’ Understanding Comics we can imply that these images are a hint of what is to come in the story and that the use of colors and lines sets a tone of imposing dread. We can also assess how dark the story tone is by a simple cosmetic change that occurs to one character. Ross alters superman’s trademark symbol for this story. The classic red and yellow shield with a curvy S becomes red and black with a new, more liner S. This simple change alters what we have perceived as an icon for decades. He is no longer the Superman we know and respect; he is a new, darker man, perhaps for a darker era.

Maid Waid has crafted a tale that shows the how a decline in the responsibility of our youth and the abandonment of a strong role model can have a negative impact on the future. Alex Ross’ photorealistic style gives the story a sense of realism, and that is perhaps what helps this story stand out. If it were a simple 2-D series of images we could pass it off as a comic, but by adding a 3rd dimension it takes on a sense of realism. Realism is an important aspect of this book, we really get a sense of emotion from the characters and the world they inhabit as the story progresses. Perhaps the idea of a realistic looking future where the new generation runs wild combined with the lack of respect for the older characters is why Kingdom Come will remain a classic for a long time to come.