DC: The New Frontier

Darwyn Cooke's celebrated six-issue DC series, The New Frontier (2004), reimagines the dawn of the Silver Age with a retro-noir sensibility. Set in the 1950s and 1960s, it follows a generation of heroes—from the Golden Age's fading stars to emerging icons like the Martian Manhunter—as they navigate Cold War paranoia and the birth of a new heroic era. Cooke, who wrote and painted every page, crafted a singular, visually stunning homage to the period's idealism and anxiety. Its tightly focused, self-contained story remains a touchstone for its heartfelt, humanistic take on DC's legacy.