Infinite Frontier #0: Welcome to the Present

Remember the whole idea behind 5G (5th Generation) and how all the younger heroes were going to ascend to take the roles of their mentors? It sounded quite interesting but then, with Dan DiDio leaving DC, it seemed like the project was scrapped. The five one-shots got reformatted and shoehorned into two over-sized books. That seemed pretty much like the end of 5G. Now here comes Infinite Frontier and that notion of a changing of the guard rooted in the legacy and history of these great characters does not feel so far off. If there is a major recurring thread throughout this issue, it is that the DC universe is teeming with younger heroes ready to step into/back into the spotlight.

Nearly every story in this book was incredibly well executed by the entirity of their teams. Each had artwork that worked well for their characters and writing that pushed said characters forward in a progressive and interesting manner barring one: the Stargirl story from Geoff Johns and Dexter Soy. Soy was excellent given the content of the story but despite also leaning into the notion of legacy the rest of the volume were dancing with by giving a bit of recap to the Pat/Courtney relationship, this story did nothing to push the character forward and instead felt like a commercial for season 2 of Stargirl, coming soon to The CW. It felt like an intruder at the party, and one can’t help but wonder if the current allegations of unprofessionalism and perhaps even racism brought against Johns and his time in the WB side of the house prompted an internal push to include a story that felt out of step in this volume.

The obvious standout in this volume (to me at least) was the Alan Scott story from James Tynion IV and Stephen Byrne. A touching and beautiful tale that not only brings Jade and Obsidian back into the fold but sees Alan revealing himself to have spent his life as a closeted gay man. In the New 52 era, on Earth 2, Alan Scott had been an out gay man which caused uproar in some and elated joy in others and this reveal will likely do the same. Good for DC and this creative team for continuing to push boundaries in the realm of representation. I hope to see lots more of it in the future.

There are so many other pivotal moments and reveals brought by nearly every story in this volume. For the first time in my lifetime, Wally is handed the mantle of Flash without it being prompted by tragedy. I think that moment, excellently delivered by Williamson, is somewhat emblematic of this entire new direction at DC. So often, to replace a hero they have to get old, die, or worse. These mantles are rarely simply given in order to afford the older hero a new opportunity. Not a retirement, per se, but a new adventure and bold new direction in some cases. Seeing that here, in multiple cases, lends greatly to create a sense of buy-in for the reader that DC says “infinite possibilities,” they truly mean it.