10 Reasons Why 'The New Frontier' Will Always Be DC's Greatest Graphic Novel

5. It Effortlessly Depicts The Zeitgeist Of The '50s & '60s

DC The New Frontier Martian Manhunter
DC Comics

Now I may not know the level of research that was put into the creation of The New Frontier, but judging from the historical accuracy alone I'm more than willing to bet that many days and many hours were spent just to make it feel as authentic as possible.

The book simply oozes history at every level, and Cooke's immense understanding of the period shined throughout: whether that be through minute details showcasing era-appropriate fashion, technology and pop-culture, or through his impassioned engagement with historic concepts, ranging from matters of social justice and governmental policy to American notions of Manifest Destiny and everything else in between. Cooke's confidence when approaching these themes, as well as tackling the period as a whole, is vindicated by the overall quality and rigour of the text's metaphors, allegories, and constant social-commentary. When you're reading The New Frontier, it manages to transport you back in time, and it does all of this without even bordering on the nostalgic (though a clear love for DC's oldest stories emanates throughout), painting a picture that is as relevant today as it was back then.

This one's really for all you history lovers out there, so if your passion for comic books is only surpassed by an adoration for all things historical, your pop-culture tastes will be well and truly catered for in this intersecting tale of capes and conspiracies.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.