Set after the events of Dark Knights: Death Metal, writer Joshua Williamson and artist Xermanico's Infinite Frontier #1 explores the Multiverse's changes to the lives and histories of the DC Universe. For the last several years the DCU has been embroiled in Multiverse crises, reboots, rebirths, and doomsdays, with its histories written and rewritten. Beloved characters were missing or changed. Infinite Frontier #1 is a celebration of the elements DCU has been missing but makes it so unique: Its larger-than-life concepts and the deep history and legacy of its characters. In short, Infinite Frontier #1 brings a sense of fun and wonder back to DC.
After the heroes saved the Multiverse from Perpetua, all of reality was made whole again. The previous damage from various crises was undone. In Infinite Frontier #1, heroes and villains thought to be gone have returned. A ragtag group of the planet's greatest minds has come together to monitor threats to reality, while Barry Allen joins a team of heroes from across the Multiverse to help map the new and changing "Omniverse." However, with the secret of the Multiverse now public knowledge, the world sits on the precipice of chaos.
Infinite Frontier swings big, introducing a sprawling cast and setting a host of plots in motion. But it does not dwell on any one thread for too long, which keeps the narrative exciting. Unlike more recent Multiverse stories, Williamson eschews any heavy metatextual commentary on the state of DC Comics as a publisher. Instead, he focuses on the effects these events have had on DC's characters. In doing so, it foregrounds legacy characters in big sci-fi concepts. Williamson's script centers on the wonder of exploration and discovery -- the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, continues his journey as an out gay man, the world at large discovers the Multiverse and Barry Allen explores the mysteries of reality itself.
The issue opens with a mash-up of two of the most iconic images in DC history, the rocket hurtling from an exploding planet and the iconography of Batman himself. In this scenario, though, the Batman is Thomas Wayne from Flashpoint, abandoned in a spaceship and rocketed to a strange Earth. This mysterious event is likely connected to the police force at the end of the issue chasing after a revived Roy Harper who they accuse of being an aberration. Through all of these small pieces of setup, Williamson invites readers to engage with the questions and roll with what they might not know as they climb aboard for a wacky ride.
Xermanico's art is an excellent balance to Williamson's wide-eyed storytelling. He balances the iconography of the classic characters with a modern, highly rendered realism. He presents DC's more bizarre characters like Captain Carrot and Mr. Bones as a wonderfully incongruous mixture of serious and strange that encapsulates the heart of superhero comics. The bright colors of Romulo Fajardo Jr. give the story a joyful tone. The only overt darkness shown is in scenes on Planet Omega, at the end, which makes those moments even more ominous and chilling in context. Xermanico's layouts balance quieter conversational scenes and in big explosive moments, his panels break out of the grid as if the action cannot be held back.
Xermanico makes literal Williamson's celebration of DC history in a brief moment where Flash seemingly relives his past histories, with the linework and colors channeling past eras. This is a book that relies on the history of the DCU, not just for nostalgia, but to emphasize what has made it an endless source for stories that spark readers' imagination. By focusing on lesser-known heroes and cult favorites, Williamson gives readers a glimpse at the greater world beyond the DC Extended Universe's movies and screen adaptations.
Infinite Frontier #1 celebrates the expansive DC Multiverse, offering a fresh and exciting look into new mysteries that have yet to unfold now that reality is "fixed" again.
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