There are a lot of comics out there but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we take look at “Infinite Frontier,” the event book that is helping shape the future of the DC Universe.
Who’s This By?
“Infinite Frontier” is written by Joshua Williamson, and has seen the art duties shared by Xermanico, Paul Pelletier, Jesus Merino, and Tom Derenick. Covers for the issues have been provided by Mitch Gerads.
What’s This All About?
The DC Universe is a tapestry that has been under construction for 80 years now, and this book is doing the most weaving right now. Picking up threads from now just recent events like “Dark Nights: Death Metal,” but also from “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” “Blackest Night,” and “Flashpoint,” Williamson is using this book as the north star for DC’s next year or so, seeding ideas that others will be picking up, and some that he’s saving for the other chapters of this saga, the next of which starts this autumn with “Justice League Incarnate.”
So, Why Should I Read This?
While some may find it frustrating to read a book that is more about world building than a more traditional, ‘complete’ story in a miniseries, for fans of the meta-narrative of DC Comics, this is manna from Krypton. This story is re-establishing a number of classic DC characters who haven’t been around in a long time, including most of the cast from “Infinity Inc,” many of whom went on to be members of the Justice Society of America. Characters like Cameron Chase and President Superman, who have made small appearances here and there over the past ten years, are front and center here. And Roy Harper, one of the myriad characters killed unceremoniously in “Heroes in Crisis,” has been resurrected not just from the dead, but to a place of prominence.
But it’s not just a nostalgia trip or a course correction through retconning. Williamson is building towards a future for DC that seems a little less grimdark and shocking, but still has stakes. A lot of that is achieved through Xermanico’s artwork, in particular. Nothing against the other artists, all of whom I’d consider myself a fan of, but Xermanico has been a revelation over the last few years, and here, he continues to do his excellent work. There’s a fluidity to his work that allows the superheroic to look, well, impossible to believe. Imagine if you were buying a bagel and you saw the Flash speed by, in the real world. You wouldn’t believe your eyes, even though you know what you saw; that’s what Xermanico’s art does. It never takes for granted that you’re witnessing magic.
It’s a little odd to be talking about this book as if it is a solitary story, because it is so interlocked through all that DC is doing right now, and where it is going in the future. But that is precisely why it is being recommended today. One of the best parts of reading Big 2 comics is the overarching story, the meta-narrative, the continuity, however you want to say it. While it’s clear that, on the whole, creator owned books often have a greater level of care and quality put into them, there’s no substitute, at least to some of us, for that world that has been constructed and deconstructed dozens of times.
This book is a celebration of what Big 2 comics can, and should be. This is fun, a little goofy, ridiculous, inspiring, and pretty damn exciting to read. It reminds us of things we love, and gets us excited for new adventures. It looks great, there’s depth to the storytelling, and it scratches the itch for big, dumb, superhero comics.
How Can You Read It?
“Infinite Frontier” #5 came out today, and the series finale drops next week. It is available in print and digitally wherever you get comics.
