GRANT versus CLAY
Book Two: Strange Adventures
Chapter Five: Fun City (DC)
Where: DC: The New Frontier #2 When: April 2004
Why: Darwyn Cooke How: Darwyn Cooke

The Story so far...
It's a hot night in the desert, sports fans, as we bring you the title bout of the century live from Las Vegas! The champ faces an up and coming fighter with a natural ability that may not have been seen since Grant himself rose through the ranks to become champion!

Some critics claim Ted Grant is getting too old for the ring. At thirty-eight years of age, Grant stands twelve years the senior of the challenging Clay, but nobody can ever count out the fighting spirit of this man they call Wildcat.
This scrapper has survived against overwhelming odds, seemingly sharing the mythic nine lives of his feral counterparts!

Nobody can question the skills of this young challenger, but Wildcat Grant is known for drawing upon an almost superhuman reserve of strength, composed of little more than human grit and determination. Be he the underdog, or the Wildcat, one thing's for sure, it's going to be a great show as the champ defends his title in what seems like a meeting of the old and new guards in boxing!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Wildcat 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Wildcat 2 (Average)
Speed: Wildcat 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Wildcat 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Wildcat 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Wildcat 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Wildcat 1 (None)


- Though not specifically super powered, Ted Grant has risen through the ranks to become one of the most respected senior members of the Justice Society of America. As Wildcat, Grant for a time possessed a mystic nine lives which kept him in fighting condition and prevented the aging process, while also protecting him from several fatal accidents. Such accidents included the apparent final life, where he was killed by Jay Garrick in order to free him of mystic influence.

A former World Heavyweight boxing champion; Grant holds his own with his fellow superheroes by a combination of Olympian-grade speed, agility, fitness, and endurance. Though versed in boxing, Grant's legendary fighting skills are so broadly respected to have been sought out by a variety of students, including; Batman, Black Canary, Catwoman and Starman.

- Clay appears as an unnamed and relatively non-descript fighter in the pages of Darwyn Cooke's, DC: The New Frontier. Though fairly evasive, it's by no stretch of the imagination that the character represents 1960's up-and-comer, Cassius Clay, soon to be better known to the world as Muhammad Ali.

The character appears as a large, slick moving young fighter designed to be an obstacle to Ted Grant's crown as Heavyweight Champion. As such, he is shown to be a highly competent and powerful fighter, despite being set up for the fall.
This early glimpse at Ali likely lines up with Cooke's taste for factual period nostalgia throughout the series, casting allusions to the boxing great, without resulting in likeness legalities.

The Math: Wildcat Ranking: Draw (NR)

What Went Down...
The story takes an abrupt turn from action in Gotham [Men are from Mars!], to steer to a marquee boxing showdown in Las Vegas! Amidst the cheering crowd are wealthy socialites; Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen; accompanied by their glamorous dates, Dinah Drake and Selina Kyle.

Joining the fight in the seventh round; the champ is already feeling the pressure from his younger challenger. Grant suffers a knock-out blow which reaches the count of eight, before he's saved by the bell of the round's end.

Clay's blow sufficiently rocks Wildcat into next week, forcing his ringteam to bring out the smelling salts and a stern talking to. Grant's team manages to bring him out of his dreamstate daze, but things still look grim for the defending champion. Recognising his predicament, Grant sees about summoning a strength unique to a man who stands valiantly besides gods; shoulders above even the elite fighters of the mortal realm. For the next round he is the Wildcat.

To the shock of commentator and spectator alike; Grant launches himself into the eighth round with the gusto of a madman. Technique goes out the window as the Wildcat unleashes himself on an unsuspecting youngster, throwing punches with wanton regard for his own future in the match. This is do or die!

"Plan B" comes at Clay with all it stands for. All the heroic deeds, all the triumphs over adversity, and all the near-death experiences that have coloured Wildcat's career not only as a boxer, but as a member of the JSA as well.

Wildcat winds up and throws a devestating right! The challenger goes down!
Camera bulbs flash throughout the arena, capturing the moment of Wildcat Grant's victory over upstart challenger, Clay! The crowd goes wild for the aging defender, who is content to be their champion one last time.

The Hammer...
It's without hesitation that I boldly give to you, your winner by way of knock-out, Wildcat!

Sadly things on the Infintie Wars haven't been running as smoothly as they usually do, which means if you've been jonesing for more of our usual style of commentary and battle blogging, you've been starving. Fortunately for you, there are people who know exactly what you're going through, and by way of the cosmic meme, you can head over to the thoroughly suitable, Friday Night Fights: Knock-out Edition!

Even without the Infinite Wars representing, Bahlactus serves up a cosmic dose of flapjacks and fisticuffs combed from the entire blogosphere, which should more than make up for our slack!

I'd love to tell you delays have been rampant because I've been attending functions like movie premieres, but alas, it's nothing that glamorous.
Then again, that doesn't mean we can't talk about movie premieres, and it's a good thing too! The hotly anticipated DTV animated feature, inspired by this very Darwyn Cooke story, was released on DVD on the 26th!

Justice League: New Frontier has been in the works for quite some time, and as is typically the case, the fanboys were positively frothing at the mouth for a chance to see one of their favourite stories come to life. I don't know why I'm using such distancing terms here, because as jaded as I can sometimes be, I too am silly for the prospect of an animated New Frontier!

Emphasis should be placed on the new title. The inevitability of directorial decisions and editing means this mammoth graphic series is condensed down with the user-friendly conceit to guard the representating of the Justice League characters featured throughout the series. Given some of our other recent discussions [A League of their Own, An Apelaxian a Day...] this shift isn't at all inappropriate for our own ends, but may leave some of the niche audience attracted to the original minutia of New Frontier a little cold. Not that it isn't a little understandable, and maybe even expected.

The DVD boasts what I always look for in a purchase, and that's not just extras, but extras that really invest in the source material. I was recently bitterly disappointed by the purchase of Resident Evil: Extinction, among other things, for it's lack of extras connecting the film franchise to it's lengthy history in the video games. This is far from the case for New Frontier, boasting a range of documentaries (and cartoon episodes) relating to the history of the Justice League, and the production involved in taking the comic to the cartoon. Being quite a bit behind on purchases like these, I'll be keen to see if, amidst the Justice League history talk, there's any mention of the origin we've been discussing in the already mentioned Secret Origins features.

Talking about New Frontier again services a lot of things.
As always, our vague attempts to reflect the zeitgeist of the moment remains driven by all mediums, not the least of which is a New Frontier comic book special shipping this week, but also the film. Also contributing to this entry is another opportunity to rectify our mishandling, or lack of representation, of a good many DC heroes who deserve a ranking in the Infinite Wars!

Wildcat's a great character!
He isn't a [god damn] Batman, but those comparisons are obvious not just because of the dark, eared cowl, but the fact that he joins the elite few heroes without powers who can mix it up with the best of them. Wildcat's power, for lack of a better term, is that he's a great fighter, and in incredible condition.

In that respect the character, along with this story, really speaks to some of my favourite stories in comics starring The Phantom, another golden age character without powers. Actually, as I love to discuss with American fans, the Phantom predates a good many costumed heroes, despite being something of the forgotten son in the United States.

Nostalgia in comics is pretty rampant these days, and the Golden Age really manages to maintain a chic cool in the fanboy community. There's a status that goes along with having a perspective and knowledge of these classic stories and characters, I think that really goes to the heart of what makes comics great.
We've talked recently a bit about intimidation and fallacys in new reader culture [An Apelaxian a Day...], but I think that constant contingent of Golden Age characters, as much as they can be erroneously off-putting to some, really drive home the strength of comics as a beautifully perpetual medium.

Darwyn Cooke and his work, not just on New Frontier, but on many other instantly recognisable short stories and brief features, continues to push that point. His penchant for a bygone era of heroes is embodied not only in the overt visuals of his cartoon-influenced style, but even in the undertones of his themes and story telling techniques. Cooke really marries the ideals of classic comics, animation, and contemporary comics in a way that is undoubtedly worthy of the critical acclaim his work has begun to garner.

I'm pressed for time and in desperate need of a good sleep, so I can't really get into the kind of depthy conversation I might like to, but if you're one of the many diving into the DC Universe through New Frontier, drop a comment!
This story has really managed to have an effect, rightly or wrongly, on readers of all walks in comics, including the uninitiated. I would agree that it's a fantastic entry point for examining the origins of characters like Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and even the holy Trinity; Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.

I'd love to hear how you feel about the story, in comic or film format, and if you have that vantage point, even how you feel about the deviations from one to the other. I think, as is typical of these animated features, you can see a lot of chef's keen to steer the broth, and there are going to be disappointments that you see in just about any corporately driven adaptation. I don't doubt New Frontier will be fantastic, but at the same time, nobody should feel guilty for noting these differences, or sharing them. So come one, come all!

Before I go, I will note, I've already spotted a few hiccups in the translation that I'm disappointed by. Batman's absolved of his role in triggering John Jones' pyrophobia during the Cult fight scene, likewise, Batman's ambush of the Martian Manhunter in his apartment puts the characters on more level footing. MM loses some of his trademark naivite, I think, while Batman's ambushing menace is also lost to the mutual exchange, fading to a now silly and unnecessary reaction from a disturbed Martian Manhunter.

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 7

As you might have gathered from the THREE seperate reviews focusing on this issue, it's easily my favourite. As fantastic as it is though, this is but a tiny focus on a much, much, much larger story. In fact, the New Frontier universe has become part of the DC Multiverse, which means we might even be able to hold out hope for even more specials revisiting the series! If you like what you've seen and what to dive in to the original, there are now several ways you can do it, all provided below! By using Amazon links for your purchases you help sponsor future features on the Infinite Wars, so if you're thinking about it, go for it!

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Men are from Mars!
MARTIAN MANHUNTER versus KIDNAPPERS
Martian Manhunter (DC)
Where: Secret Origins #35 When: Holiday 1988
Why: Mark Verheiden How: Ken Steacy

Quick Fix...
"Make no mistake -- It took a seventy-thousand dollar sliver of meteor to stop the one in Metropolis. With you, all I need is a penny for a book of matches."

When it comes to the Martian Manhunter, sometimes it can be very difficult to nail down exactly what it is that makes him one of the most intriguing characters in the DC stable.
In so many ways this character resembles the far more iconic stranger from space, Superman, and yet, far beneath the multi-media powerhouse of the Man of Steel lies an obscure but dedicated fanbase to a character often described as the soul of the Justice League. It's fitting then, whilst discussing one of the varying origins of that team [Secret Origins #32], that we turn our ponderous eye to two of the Martian Manhunter's retroactively defining moments.

When it comes to the definitive Martian Manhunter story the modern era provides a retro example. Many a fanboy will inevitably turn to Darwyn Cooke's, DC: The New Frontier, from which the opening quote is taken. This powerhouse story has earned critical acclaim for it's depiction of some of DC's major Silver Age icons, like; Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, and of course, J'onn J'onnz.

There is, however, a little known gem in the DC catalogue that could almost lead to speculation of influence on Cooke's handling of the character.
Sharing both theme and three-panel presentation in common; each story distills the character to his earliest struggles as Det. John Jones, who secretly strives to identify and co-exist with humans after his abrupt transmission to Earth.

Typical of Secret Origins stories immediate to post-Crisis editorializing; a thread pertaining to the contemporary era provides the basis for connecting a newly confirmed backstory. In the case of "Martian Manhunter", the returning memories of an aged and tired police officer reveal to him his forgotten past with John Jones; the disguised martian whose secret and backstory was revealed to him telepathically one fateful night, during the pursuit of kidnappers.

Vital to this story is it's graphic design.
Like Cooke; artist Ken Steacy channels the retro energy and bold lines of the nineteen fifties, suitable for the era in which Martian Manhunter is derived.
In the interest of servicing this entry, my selection of panel scans are not only under represented by the quality of my scanner, but also by their selection.

At conclusion, if this review can do nothing else, it will be to compell every Martian Manhunter fan to seize any [legal] opportunity they have to come into possession of this story. Having rattled around in my brain for twenty years, in reflecting, I not only see how much I value this short as a piece of my youth, but also as an unconscious influence on my work on The Kirby Martin Inquest.

While a feature of "KMI" has been a sliding and multi-layered narrative; this tale takes my own experimentation with narration in a more specific and extensive direction, exclusively telling the tale through captions, and no dialogue.
In an interesting way, this manages to make the tale all the more vivid, capturing the mystique and abrasive loft of John Jones' stone-jawed demeanor, while also delivering a heart warming, silent reunion between old friends. No doubt Steacy's design plays a major part in appropriately communicating the script, which Ken himself may have contributed to.

This version of the origin locates the bewildered Martian Manhunter, (and the scientist who brought him to Earth, Dr. Erdel), in Denver, Colorado. Personally I prefer to think of MM in terms of his identity as a citizen of Gotham, which actually compliments this story quite well, despite the details.
As discussed previously [Solo #1, JLA #118], I tend to think Gotham colours it's inhabitants with the musty grey of it's decay and corruption, making for an appropriate contribution to what I think of as a well written Martian Manhunter. Bringing it full circle, that description of Gotham's inhabitants maybe even comes a little from this story I hold so dear.

Visually Steacy's colours typify Gotham with it's muted browns, greys and complimentary blacks, but as the fantasy of the metamorphosis of John Jones works it's way into the action, so too does the colour change. Reds pop and purples permeate as the green of the Martian explodes from within the blue of his trademark cape. It's a subtle, but powerful tool for differentiating between the nature of the sci-fi superhero and detective worlds.

Hot on the trail of the kidnappers who have taken the town Mayor's daughter hostage; the Martian Manhunter comes face to face with his weakness: fire!
Suddenly this bulletproof dynamo withers like a plant without water, suffering under the heat that emenates from the kidnappers' makeshift hideout in an abandoned, but fully functional, steel foundry.

Having staggered back to Police HQ, J'onn is discovered by the unnamed officer whose tale this is to tell. With a telepathic download of information, the cop returns to the foundry where he attempts to tackle the kidnappers alone. He manages to powerdown the equipment just as he's shot by the crooks.

It looks like certain doom for our hero, but with the machines shut down, a green guardian angel is able to unleash a vengeful tide of violence on these men who would endanger a small child. The Manhunter bursts through a solid brick wall, easily repelling speeding bullets as they collide with his martian muscle.

Though angered, fury fails to impair the Manhunter's stern sense of justice.
The gunmen suffer the bone rattling locamotion of being thrown against a wall at car crash speeds, but J'onn J'onnz has no intention of killing them. Particularly not when a frightened child and a wounded friend require aid. Both are returned to safety, but for the officer, commendations are his consolation, as the event is stripped from his memory by the secretive martian.

I think it's interesting to think of Martian Manhunter as the 'soul' of the Justice League, because it's here, in the realm of far more human tales, that I think the character truly shines. As favourably as the lighthearted trappings of Giffen and DeMatteis' Justice League International are regarded; I can't help but look to a story like this, with the pulp trappings of an alien detective as the definitive instance of the Martian Manhunter character.

Recent attempts to revamp the character appear lacklustre and contradictory to everything I would like to see. In Batman and the Outsiders, MM is shunted out of the book amidst creative turmoil, the canonical explanation being attributed to moral differences between MM and Batman - something I like to interpret as highly unlikely, with the two characters sharing a strong, unspoken bond conspired by their Gotham design - something ties them together on common ground other Leaguers could never fully appreciate.

More specifically, I find myself entirely frustrated by the further demystification of the Martian Manhunter mini-series which indulges in efforts to waterdown the notion of J'onn J'onnz as the last survivor a dead race. This is something I loathe of the Superman franchise, but find inexcusable for a far less popular brand.
Additionally, I find something untrue about the Manhunter's sudden burst of overt martian pride, and his shift to the cone-head said to be his natural form.

Ultimately I think it's his status as a self-imposed outsider, and the duality of his identity as someone no longer martian, but not quite human, that makes the character so compelling. The juxtaposition of Martian Manhunter against his superhuman equivalents is very interesting, but it's his interactions with humanity and psychological motivations and metaphors that make him one of the most intriguing aliens in the DC Universe. Every time I try to think of a way to describe J'onn J'onnz personality, I find only contradictions, and as such, should maybe leave you to draw your own conclusions.

I want to say he's innocent, yet slightly corrupted; violent, yet utterly passive.
I want to say he's a loner, yet values friendship. Is sad and stoic, yet joyous and friendly. I suppose for someone who can become anyone, maybe it's valid that he's all these things. Or maybe, to be even more accurate, these varying states of persona and emotion are indicative of one single transformation: the shift of J'onn J'onnz, Manhunter from Mars, to J'onn J'onnz - champion of Earth.

The Fight: 3.5 The Story: 7
Winner: Martian Manhunter

"Martian Manhunter" is collected in the long out-of-print 1990 "Secret Origins", which also happens to include Secret Origins #32, which contains the Justice League origin we're currently following, as well as other origins classics like the Denny O'Neil story which provided inspiration for Batman Begins, "The Man Who Falls". Otherwise, I don't know how you'll track this classic tale, but it's well worth it!

---

BATMAN/MARTIAN MANHUNTER versus
THE HILL STREET CULT
Book Two: Strange Adventures
Chapter Four: Gods and Monsters (DC)
Where: DC: The New Frontier #2 When: April 2004 Why: Darwyn Cooke How: Darwyn Cooke

Quick Fix...
Now, back to that little matter of the match sticks and meteor... I have to admit, it probably seems a little odd to lead with that kind of quote, before talking about Martian Manhunter in terms of a close relationship with Batman.

The two characters, who debuted 198 issues and 16 years apart, began their print-lives in the pages of Detective Comics, and have since gone on to be regularly associated in various incarnations of DC's compilation franchise, the Justice League.

Darwyn Cooke brings to the two characters together in the series that focuses on the transition from the Golden Age of the thirties and forties, into the Silver Age of the subsequent generation(s). As such, events transpire in those given decades, and allow characters to be repositioned in familiar classic settings, with the benefit of contemporary characterization.

Even though DC: The New Frontier has since been incorporated into DC's model for the new multi-verse [aka; the mega-verse] as designate Earth-21; I actually like to think of the interactions between the Bat and Martian in this, and the following issue, as reasonably plausible for their earliest encounter.

In thinking about the now abandoned Earth-38 posts; which were built on the premise of an alternate DC Earth where real-world chronology more specifically influences the emergence of characters in the canon; I grew to really appreciate Batman as one of the earliest proponents of the "super human" movement, and also as one of the most paranoid.

To contradict myself, I think that paranoia and distance should be inherent to Batman, but at the same time, have different meanings in different situations.
For Batman and Martian Manhunter, it seems perfectly reasonable to me that Bruce Wayne would approach this powerful, alien clandestine influence in his city with concern and suspicion, but ultimately be quite capable of coming to turn that blind hatred to a stern friendship as he becomes better informed.

That said; we've seen, somewhat ironically, what kind of lengths Batman could potentially go to in the pages of Marvel's, Civil War.
Tony Stark's decision has a very different face on it, but ultimately boils down to a similar means-to-an-end similar to Batman's actions surrounding Project OMAC and the Brother Eye satellite, and various other stories that have specifically seen Batman as, for lack of a better term, an obsessively organized anarchist.

I think it's very interesting to transplant Batman's relationship with the other heroes at it's most strained, and reimagine that in a world where he's already monitoring goings-on as these alien powers emerge in a time of post-war suspicion and paranoia. To reiterate, however, it's also just as interesting to see how the lifestyle of Gotham and the common ground of two isolated men can bridge that divide, which I think we see in New Frontier.

The characters meet, as you might expect, on the job.
J'onn, as Det. John Jones, accompanies his partner, Slam Bradley, on a call to, as it would happen, the kidnapping of a wealthy financier's small child.
Unlike the previous entry in this quick fix, J'onn finds himself working with far less willing colleagues, sickened by the depth of corruption within the Gotham Police Department. Slam makes a note that the exceptionally corny comic-book-speaking Jones is probably one of the few straight cops on the beat, except for maybe "that new guy, Gordon."

While his fellow officers may be of no help to the child's life, luck would have it that there is another secret force for good, operating in much the same clandestine fashion as the shadey Martian. When he and Slam storm the Hill Street Catholic Church, they find a one man army battling an army of gaudy robed cult members. Against dozens of them, the Batman holds his own!

Slam jumps into the fray, throwing fist and lead with wanton regard.
There's a kid's life on the line, and just as he's about to start formulating an exit plan with his partner, it dawns on him. John Jones - super-dick - is already on the stage and stealthily making his way toward the centerpiece of the dramatic plot.

Then, something unexpected happens.
The Batman's skirmish knocks a candle holder, and suddenly the drapes are aflame and all the slick runs off John Jones. He becomes a mess. Unable to move -- gripped by fear and confusion -- all while his partner is trying to yell sense as he tears himself away from the masses of robed hoods, desperate to save the kid who's in danger of being sacrificed by some crazy goon with a moustache.

Slam's words fall on deaf ears as J'onn J'onnz is paralzyed by the first signs of weakness during his time hidden amongst the frail humans. Ultimately, it is one of their own that does what he cannot. Like some kind of devil, the Batman slinks across the stage and yanks the cult leader into the shadow of his cape, where only the screams of terror can be heard to eminante from the looming figure.

The Batman does his best to console the child, with whom he might even feel a kindred spirit, but the nightmarish image that sends the cultists fleeing into the night, bares a similar effect on the innocent child already frightened so.

Slam does what any macho male does for a man he admires: he makes an excuse, pretending not to have seen John Jones in his uncharacteristic moment of weakness. Batman, on the other hand, is much less altruistic, silently deducing the secrets of the Martian Manhunter, filed away for future reference. You already know how that pans out, when he brings a medallion to the book-wielding Martian and forces a joint secret-investigation.

I'm running very late, on very little sleep, so I might not have had opportunity to express everything I would've liked to, but at the very least, I hope this can be an interesting future reference point for would-be Martian Manhunter fans.
By interesting coincidence, Kalinara started thinking a bit about JJ only a couple of days after us, putting out a call for strong stories. When it comes to recommendations, I suppose these two issues are what best represent my vision of the character, but there's a whole range of other styles and appearances to be found out there.

What are some of your Martian Manhunter experiences?
I know you readers are out there, and you don't need to be registered to comment, so share your thoughts! I'm sure some of you must be fans of JLI, or how about Sandman? Maybe even the solo work of John Ostrander? Let us know!

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 7
Winner: Batman & Slam Bradley
(w/ Martian Manhunter)

Chances are by now you don't need to be told how fantastic The New Frontier has managed to be! For those of you eagerly anticipating the DTV animated movie release, released soon, you might like to consider owning the original full-length story for yourself! Amazon not only provides both the paperback and Absolute editions, but helps sponsor your favourite secret earth every time you use the provided links to purchase. So do so, and help keep us in business!

FLASH versus CAPTAIN COLD
Book Two: Strange Adventures (DC comics)
Where: DC: The New Frontier #2 When: April 2004
Why: Darwyn Cooke How: Darwyn Cooke

The story so far...
America is changing as the decades bleed from the forties, to the fifties, to the sixties and the emergence of world influences. Men of power are changing in both the White House, and the ranks of the superhero community.

The old guard are forced to come to terms with the new breed of heroes emerging, and the strange new events and threats that accompany them. Among the new blood, Martian Manhunter, the Flash and Green Lantern, all bringing with them vibrance and youth to a jaded post-war tier.

As alien presences begin to press greater influence on this world, the heroes and their villains take shape, and are inevitably drawn to one and other in the common goal of justice. This is not the story of an end to the old ways, but rather to the hope of a new frontier.

Previous Form:
Flash (#82): Aided DKR Batman in the defeat of Superman.
Captain Cold: Making his first appearance.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Flash 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Flash 5 (Professor)
Speed: Flash 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Flash 6 (Generator)
Agility: Flash 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Captain Cold 4 (Arsenal)


Y'know, the Flash was one of the many characters I regarded as close favourites, and as much as I loved his colourful villains, even as a child there was something that stuck with me: None of them are really in his league...

Okay, obviously that's only marginally true, because they do engage him regularly, and have even out lasted this particular Flash [Barry Allen] to menace his successor, Wally West.
But I don't really feel I need to elaborate. I think most of you, familiar with the nature of this section, already know what I'm getting at.

Guys who mess with the weather, guys with concealed joy buzzers, guys who spin really fast... Look, I live in Australia, and even I laugh at the notion of a boomerang wielding ginger in a silly coat, and I actually know how deadly the damned things are!

The problem with all of these guys is that they're going up against a chap who can dress you up in a customized three-piece suit before you can even blink, just to pull your pants down infront of everybody! He's the fastest man alive!

Our tape ranks the Flash, particularly police scientist, Barry Allen, at a healthy Meta rating. Even so, this doesn't really acknowledge the fact that, like a low rating Hulk, the Flash is a fairly one-note character. Granted, his note is very potent and versatile with the right imagination, but is still essentially defined by moving fast.

You'll get discrepencies in the canon, but a guy who moves fast (without the magic of a speed force plot device) can be undone by something as simple as a rope tied across a highway, which is probably where we arrive for Captain Cold.

A guy who burgled an Eskimo and whipped himself up a soft-serve gun isn't the most intimidating guy to walk down the street, but against a man who depends on movement, he suddenly makes a lot of sense. As a specialist villain, Captain Cold attacks the Flash at his strength, using his cyclon powered freeze guns to literally stop the Flash in his tracks.

There are a lot of ways for the Flash to get around that kind of power, and at the end of the day I'm not going to try to form an argument for a one-on-one victory for Cold. Suffice to say, his position as a senior member of the Rogues is often the key to his victory, if not more contrived applications of strategy.

I like Captain Cold. He's a fun and interesting villain.
Leonard Snart is probably as sympathetic as your Mr. Freeze's of the world, but there's a special charm about his character and brazen attitude to some of the deeds he and his company perpetrate.

The Math: The Flash (Meta Class)
The Pick: The Flash (He runs fast!)

What went down...
Iris Allen, reporter for a swanky magazine, is on location in Las Veges for the big title fight between Wildcat and Clay to do a piece on fashion when, during a phone call to her husband Barry, things turn sour!

An explosion sends the lounge singer on stage sprawling, and from deep within the icey smoke steps an individual even colder: Captain Cold!
Spying the young lady on the telephone, Cold fires a blast that freezes the phone right out of her hand, but not before she can tell her husband the identity of her attacker. A man all too familiar to Barry Allen aka The Flash!

Moving at fantastic speeds, the weird red garbed Flash blurs his way across the nation in the direction of Las Vegas! As quick as his name implies, the Flash arrives at the club, catching a speedy hug from his favourite gal, before making a line for the man with the frigid disposition.

In the time it takes for Cold to shout "stop", the Flash is on him, pulling his punch at the last second, just to hear what the villain has to say for himself.

Having anticipated the potential interference of the scarlet speedster, Captain Cold reveals a contingency plot. Planted throughout the city are six tiny cryogenic explosives, each set to detonate thirty seconds from Cold's escape, or instantly should the Flash strike him. With his exit covered, the Flash has no choice but to abandon justice to ensure the safety of the public.

A waiting chopper descends through the open roof of the club, arriving to collect Captain Cold and his ill gotten gains, as a unique collection of personalities watches on from a private box. "I wish my buddy Jay was here. He sure would've loved to have seen this," remarks the champ, Ted "Wildcat" Grant.

The Flash streaks a red and gold blur all across the glitzy neon lit city, but is only able to turn up five of the alleged six bombs. After checking three times over it dawns on the Flash that the sixth was a final stalling tactic, to keep him busy while Cold made his getaway.

With the bombs tied to a balloon, the Flash powers his way up through a hotel, launching himself at high speed to collide perfectly with the open cockpit of the escaping helicopter. He yanks Cold into a carefully calculated descent toward a decorative fountain, rather than the pavement below.

Landing with a splash, Cold has a meltdown over the Flash's continued interference in his schemes, even miles away from Central City.

Things go from bad to worse for Captain Cold, as his ice gun begins to malfunction thanks to a little super speedy tampering at the hands of the Flash! Waist deep in water, Captain Cold is left by the hero to be detained poetically in bondage of his own design, the ice of the fountain freezing into an impressive sculpture as his gun explodes.

Then, high above the club, Cold's cryogenic bombs detonate, showering the Las Vegas desert with snow. Vibrating out of the visual frequency, Barry Allen takes in the rare sight with the rest of the crowd.

The hammer...
Your winner, and raining speedster, The Flash!

Okay, yes. I realise that doesn't make any sense, but I really wanted to have some kind of witty pun, and that was the best I could come up with at such short notice. I'll be sure to come with something prepared next time, ya lousy critical mooks!

So, if you stay abrest of comics hooplah you'll be well familiar with Darwyn Cooke's masterpiece, DC: The New Frontier. Few can debate the sheer grandeur of this comic, that was widely acclaimed by industry and fan alike as one of the best mini-series to be released in the last decade.

Not too long after the release of the book, DC/Warner announced a series of direct-to-video animated projects, including adaptations of well known comic series, including The New Frontier. Flash forward to now [see what I did there?] and you can soak in the exciting news and previews coming our way, with the official release date, Spring 2008!

The New Frontier really is the kind of comic any DC superhero fan needs to read. While it embodies much of what uninformed fans regard as DC's faults, it seems to be a book that has managed to transcend even the most irrational of barriers to be one of the most important superhero works ever.

New Frontier owes much of it's success to a sincere and indulgent take on the characters, that pays worthy homage to the days of old, but does so with a modern sensibility that takes full advantage of the development of comic book story telling techniques, and streamlines it all into an exciting, vignette styled sequential read.

The characters all benefit from fifty years of hindsight, strong in characterization, and instantly recognisable to most modern readers, despite the nostalgia slant. Batman appears; paranoid and solitary in a fashion more familiar to the last twenty years of the character. Likewise, Wonder Woman is far from a timid bondage queen, more akin to today's Wonder Woman, strong and certain in her actions -- a true warrior princess, ready to strike with uncompromising justice!

Many regard it for it's spine as a strong Hal Jordan story, but while you wouldn't know it from this site, but I'm a big Martian Manhunter fan. I think his portions of the story, particularly his interactions as a Gotham City detective, are the most pleasure I took from it. In a lot of ways it harkens back to one of my favourite stories from a 1988 issue of Secret Origins, that retells a similar period in Martian Manhunter's life through a very stylized style that echoes the three panel format here, and the type written monologue.

All in all New Frontier is a great read, that goes to lengths to remind us in a time of numerical restarts and character revamps, that the classics don't tarnish. As much as we all desire change, no one can rightly say that a Batman or a Superman is just a cape. These characters, human or otherwise, are legends!

I'm looking forward a great deal to the animated feature, and if you weren't aware or interested previously, hopefully this little entry has provided a teaser to whet your apetite. I think it's going to be a blast, with an interesting cast of voice talent, including Neil Patrick Harris as Barry Allen/The Flash.

I can't say I've ever thought of The Flash as sounding that shade of young, but I don't doubt the competence of Harris' acting ability, and this is a younger period for the Flash. Ugh, I could start ranting and raving about "my" Flash and all the different Flashes, and that would be very topical given recent events with Bart Allen, but I think I'll leave that for another day.

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 7
[The greatest triumph in straight superhero storytelling of the last decade. A must-read for anyone comfortable with the genre. Technicolour, character and action like you won't find it anywhere else. Brilliant!]