Welcome to Graphic Policy’s DC Rebirth: Recap And Review where we take a look at the comics released under DC‘s Rebirth banner and try to work out just how accessible they are for new readers – we’ll also be providing  recap of sorts for the relevant story beats up until the issue in question in order to help you figure out if the series is something you’re interested in.

Each comic will receive a rating of Friendly or Unfriendly based on how easy it was for
new readers to pick them up; the ratings are based solely on the issues released in the post-Rebirth ongoing series. More consideration regarding the comic’s accessibility will be given for the specific issue being read rather than the series overall, but if reading a back issue will help, then that will be mentioned. Generally, the quality of an issue won’t be discussed unless it directly impacts a new reader’s enjoyment of the series.

You may notice that not every comic is covered week to week, and that’s because I  sometimes forget to read them  (although that doesn’t happen often). If I have missed an issue, typically I won’t go looking for back issues to catch up on events – this feature is all about accessibility for new readers, after all.

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Action Comics #972  Superman and his wife Lois and their son Jon are from the Pre-New 52 universe. In the post Rebirth world, Lois and  Jon meet an alternate (powerless) version of Clark Kent who was never Superman, and who thinks that Lois is that world’s Lois (who my or may not be dead).Strangely, that’s a lot Friendlier than you’d think. Meanwhile, Superman is defending SuperLex  from two aliens who want him killed for a crime he might commit in the future. Sound familiar?

Batgirl #7 In order to find this Friendly, all you need to do is read it. The previous six issues play almost no part in this issue as far as I can tell.

Batman Beyond #4 Terry McGinnis went undercover in the Jokerz, a group of utterly sane people who worship the Joker, to rescue a childhood friend. It… didn’t go so well. Now his little brother is trying to get a Batsuit to him before things get worse. Friendly, and fun.

Detective Comics #949 So… this issue is the conclusion of the three part Batwoman Begins, and yet it also seems to signify a book end to the first volume of the post-Rebirth comics. It’s not a bad comic, but there’s too many nuances from the lat six or so months to try and recap here. Wait to pick up Batwoman Rebirth #1 and/or Detective Comics #950 if you want a fix of either of  the two heroes in this book. They’ll probably be a better place to start than this Unfriendly issue.

Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #13 This Friendly issue is basically a recap of the last 12 issues in the series wrapped up in a standalone story set sixty years from now.

Justice League Vs Suicide Squad #6 This final issue of the six issue miniseries. Honestly, if you’re curious, either read the trade or track down the floppies. Starting here will give you an idea of what’s to come in the DCU, but not what happened in this story. For that reason, I’m not going to stay on the fence with this and not mark it as either Friendly or Unfriendly.

Justice League Of America: Killer Frost Rebirth #1 Best read after the JLvSS mini series, this Friendy comic is a nice insight into the title character.

Odyssey Of The Amazons #1  The first issue of a six part mini that takes place long before Wonder Woman should be Friendly, right? To nobody’s surprise, it is.

The Hellblazer #6 I missed a couple of this series somehow, so I really have no idea what exactly is going on, but I was still able to enjoy the comic. I guess that makes it Friendly, eh?

Six Pack And Dog Welder: Hard-Travellin’ Heroz #6 I’m not going to try and recap this, because it wouldn’t make any sense if I did. Just know that while this single issue is Unfriendly the trade that will inevitably collect the mini should still be on your bookshelf.

Suicide Squad #10 Serves as an epilogue to the JLvSS mini series, so for that reason I’m calling this Unfriendly.

Teen Titans #4 Oh how I love this series. Damian tried to put together the Teen Titans again (they didn’t like him very much) to combat a group of League of Assassins trainees called the Demon’s Fist – a group that Damian used to lead. In order to save the Titans after they barely survived, Damian turned himself into Ra’s Al Ghul…

Wonder Woman #15 Although there are some utterly fantastic layouts in this comic, the story itself wasn’t as easy to follow. To get you caught up, essentially all you need to know is that Wonder Woman had some kind of mental snap and isn’t sure who she is right now. Meanwhile Steve Trevor is on the run from some people. The comic is kinda friendly, but toward  the end of it I was feeling  less and less sure of what was happening.