Review: ‘Infinite Frontier’ #1 Sets Up A Promising Summer Blockbuster Across The Multiverse

After a great deal of universal upheaval in the DCU, we’ve hardly had the time to catch our collective breath before the next crisis to threaten the multiverse comes along. Infinite Frontier #0 set the scene, and now we get the first issue of a six-issue series set to explore the new DCU from Joshua Williamson, Xermanico, and Fajardo Jr.

Aiming to explore the new status quo Williamson is an excellent choice. Anyone who read his run on The Flash already knows he’s an expert at handling such multi-dimensional storytelling. Barry Allen is the quintessential DC character intrinsically linked to time travel, parallel world jumping and DC crises. Lest we forget, he was the first Silver Age hero to first travel to the Golden Age Earth-2 and a huge part of the first DC Comics’ world breaking event series Crisis on Infinite Earths. It’s practically his USP. 

But, as with any first issue, there’s the central set-up to establish as well as the introduction of the main players. From an opening scene of Thomas “Batman” Wayne crash-landing on President Superman’s Earth-23 – intentionally evoking the minimalist origin of All-Star Superman #1 – to the triumphant return of the much maligned Justice League Incarnate, and the return of Roy Harper and a quite a few additional cast members too, Williamson is certainly aiming to offer up a large scale saga over the coming months. All of which teases a grandiose narrative to be played out on various backdrops and across multiple universes. Just what you’d expect from a DC Comics spectacular. A pattern Marvel seem to be copying more and more these days too. All this and a murder mystery too. And that’s just the first issue.

As well as the mysterious return of Thomas Wayne/Batman, we also get to drop in on Alan Scott and his son, Todd Rice/Obsidian, as well as Mister Bones on a recruitment drive in Paris. The latter two characters linked to the original Infinity Inc. pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths. Giving you some idea of the research Williamson has undertaken for this series. It’s a series aiming to explore the new DCU, a new status quo that seems can pick from the rich DC Comics history of living memory.

Xermanico artwork has certainly developed in clasp and bounds since I last caught it illustrating Green Lantern Black Stars and reminds me of the kind of artwork favoured by Tom King; Mitch Gerads meets Clay Mann. It’s a very mature style for a funny book, and works very well on this title, giving it a grittiness that isn’t the normal style adopted for these kind of event series. Well, all except Heroes in Crisis. But we won’t mention that one. After all, most of that series misdemeanours have been down away with in the last great big DCU shake-up.

A promising first issue that sets a good number of plates spinning without feeling cramped and crowded. And out now from DC Comics.