New Frontier Special (2004)
Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier is a retelling of the beginnings of the DCU set during the Cold War 1950s. It's a great read, augmented by Cooke's beautiful art, but there isn't a great deal of focus on Superman or Batman in it. However, it does have one little gem: early on in the book, we find out that Superman tried to arrest Batman in the name of the government, but Batman defeated him in battle (a very public battle in the middle of Gotham) and escaped.
Later, however, there's a scene where Batman and Superman meet secretly, and it quickly becomes clear that the entire battle and defeat was staged and arranged between them. It's a wonderful little moment, although it's the only interaction between them in the series.
However, in 2004 Cooke released the New Frontier Special, which was a book of short stories set in the same universe. And one of them is a story that deals specifically with the beginnings of Superman and Batman's partnership. In some ways I love the story, for reasons that will be seen presently. In another way I dislike it, because part of the charm on New Frontier was that Clark and Bruce DIDN'T beat each other up, and the special reveals that they DID, it was just earlier, and more private, and a lot more vicious, before they came to terms.
However, the special has delicious identity porn and a magnificent Diana, so I forgive it. :)
The story opens on a yacht floating off the coast of Paradise Island, where the government has called Superman and Wonder Woman together to discuss how to bring down Batman. Superman has signed on, but Wonder Woman will have no part of it:
Diana kicks all kinds of righteous ass in New Frontier. And Kal is a bit of a tool, I'm afraid, if a well-meaning and thoughtful one.
Diana heads out and thanks the owner of the yacht:
Oh Bruce. Oh, Bruce. You crazy, devious man.
Meanwhile, Kal is having some second thoughts and requires a pep talk by the President.
Superman faces down Batman, and Batman pretty much totally schools him. Kal is over-confident, and Bruce has planned every single bit of his strategy in great detail. He's gotten his hands on a little bit of Kryptonite, and he shoots Kal with it and manages to drag him into the Batcave. I've left out a lot of the details, but Bruce really has a huge set of plans that he executes perfectly to disorient and weaken Superman.
Kal starts to realize he's possibly bitten off more than he can chew:
God, the art is so dynamic and beautiful in the fight scene, I enjoy it in the abstract while wincing for both Clark and Bruce.
FOLLOW YOUR HEART, KAL.
Diana's statement that she's helped to overcome conflict with love makes me beam, lol. As a matter of fact, I find it kind of difficult to credit that both Clark and Bruce would be willing to put aside their differences after that brutal a fight, but...I guess that's why they're superheroes and I'm not. Also, Wonder Woman as the embodiment of Truth can be very persuasive.
There's a brief flashback to the fake, public fight, and then Wonder Woman picks up the narrative once more:
I love that page so much. Not just Diana's assessment of Clark and Bruce's personalities, which is nice, but the amazing details of the second and third panel, showing Bruce and Clark in their civilian lives contemplating the news. They don't show who wrote the Planet article, but of course I'd like to think Clark had to do it.
Yeah, I've been pondering fic based on this issue for a while now. It'll probably be up in the next twenty-four hours or so. ^-^
Back to 2000-2010 summary
Later, however, there's a scene where Batman and Superman meet secretly, and it quickly becomes clear that the entire battle and defeat was staged and arranged between them. It's a wonderful little moment, although it's the only interaction between them in the series.
However, in 2004 Cooke released the New Frontier Special, which was a book of short stories set in the same universe. And one of them is a story that deals specifically with the beginnings of Superman and Batman's partnership. In some ways I love the story, for reasons that will be seen presently. In another way I dislike it, because part of the charm on New Frontier was that Clark and Bruce DIDN'T beat each other up, and the special reveals that they DID, it was just earlier, and more private, and a lot more vicious, before they came to terms.
However, the special has delicious identity porn and a magnificent Diana, so I forgive it. :)
The story opens on a yacht floating off the coast of Paradise Island, where the government has called Superman and Wonder Woman together to discuss how to bring down Batman. Superman has signed on, but Wonder Woman will have no part of it:
Diana kicks all kinds of righteous ass in New Frontier. And Kal is a bit of a tool, I'm afraid, if a well-meaning and thoughtful one.
Diana heads out and thanks the owner of the yacht:
Oh Bruce. Oh, Bruce. You crazy, devious man.
Meanwhile, Kal is having some second thoughts and requires a pep talk by the President.
Superman faces down Batman, and Batman pretty much totally schools him. Kal is over-confident, and Bruce has planned every single bit of his strategy in great detail. He's gotten his hands on a little bit of Kryptonite, and he shoots Kal with it and manages to drag him into the Batcave. I've left out a lot of the details, but Bruce really has a huge set of plans that he executes perfectly to disorient and weaken Superman.
Kal starts to realize he's possibly bitten off more than he can chew:
God, the art is so dynamic and beautiful in the fight scene, I enjoy it in the abstract while wincing for both Clark and Bruce.
FOLLOW YOUR HEART, KAL.
Diana's statement that she's helped to overcome conflict with love makes me beam, lol. As a matter of fact, I find it kind of difficult to credit that both Clark and Bruce would be willing to put aside their differences after that brutal a fight, but...I guess that's why they're superheroes and I'm not. Also, Wonder Woman as the embodiment of Truth can be very persuasive.
There's a brief flashback to the fake, public fight, and then Wonder Woman picks up the narrative once more:
I love that page so much. Not just Diana's assessment of Clark and Bruce's personalities, which is nice, but the amazing details of the second and third panel, showing Bruce and Clark in their civilian lives contemplating the news. They don't show who wrote the Planet article, but of course I'd like to think Clark had to do it.
Yeah, I've been pondering fic based on this issue for a while now. It'll probably be up in the next twenty-four hours or so. ^-^
Back to 2000-2010 summary