Justice League: The New Frontier Commemorative Edition – Blu-ray Review

We were thrilled to get a copy of the recent re-release of the animated film Justice League: The New Frontier. The Commemorative Edition came in a gorgeous steelbook (see pictures below) and added a new featurette, “Retro Action Cool: The Story of Darwyn Cooke”, which we were eager to see.

(The studio, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, provided me with a free review copy of this Blu-ray edition. My opinions below are mine, obviously.)

That remembrance featurette consists of Mark Chiarello, Dan DiDio, Mike Carlin, Jim Lee, and Cooke’s friend Michael Stradford remembering standout aspects of his work. It runs a little over 20 minutes and involves discussion of his focus and determination to portray his vision; his path from superhero optimism to hard-bitten crime fiction; and why people call his style “retro” or “noir”, all accompanied by images of Cooke’s amazing art. Don’t be misled by the title; this piece is about his creativity and history of work, with little to no information about his life or passing. It’s amazing to realize, though, that New Frontier was his second comic (after Batman: Ego). If you’re a fan (and if you’ve read his work, how can you not be?), you should see this.

The rest of the content is carried over from the earlier release, as previously listed. It’s a lovely chance to rewatch this thought-provoking animated adaptation.