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. You’ll also notice that each comic will get a rating that falls on Graphic Policy’s typical ten point scale, which is there to help you pick between issues if you only want to check out one or two.

Not every comic is covered week to week, and that’s because I  sometimes forget to read them  (although that doesn’t happen often), or I really can’t bring myself to pic up the issue. 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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Aquaman #29 Atlantis has been sealed off from the outside world and Arthur, no longer king, has become a vigilante protecting those he can from the corrupt regime. This comic is borderline Friendly, but the series remains among the best in DC’s current publication run. 8.25/10

Batman #33 Bruce Wayne proposed to Selina Kyle, who accepted, after a long story about how he’s not as noble as people think because he almost killed the Riddler after Riddler engineered a gang war to make Joker laugh (indeed it was only the intercession of the Joker that stopped Batman’s attempted murder of the Riddler). Now… Batman’s in a desert to start a new arc, and while the comic is Friendly enough, it feels like a bit of a mixed bag that trend toward the positive. I’m curious to see where the story ends up, but if I never read the next issue I wouldn’t be upset. 6.75/10

Batwoman #8 Under the mercy of Scarecrow, Batwoman has been captured and subjected to his fear gas while searching for her father Jacob Kane and his army of Batman inspired soldiers, the Colony. The issue is weird, but as much of that is from the gas you’ll find this comic relatively Friendly. 7/10

Green Arrow #33 I love this series. Oliver Queen was framed for murder by the villainous Ninth Circle so Green Arrow traveled the country fighting them on earth and in space with a plethora of guest stars. But Oliver Queen wasn’t meant leave Star City while he was on bail… the first part of a new arc, the Friendly comic is well worth reading. 8/10

Green Lanterns #33 Part one of a new arc that sees the two Lanterns of Space Sector 2814 move away from Earth and into the stars to save a planet is a Friendly place to dive in. 7/10

Justice League #31 The kids of the League have come back in time to kill the Justice League to stop them from doing something that’ll destroy the future. And future Aquaman has also come back in time for some reason wearing future Cyborg’s body as armour. I have no idea what the hell is going on in the Unfriendly mess. 5.5/10

Nightwing #31 Nightwing is working with Blockbuster (kinda) to clean up Bludhaven, and an old nemesis (from twenty issues ago) has reared his head. Sadly I don’t remember last issue, but this was Friendly enough for new readers regardless. 7/10

Super Sons #9 The sons fight a planet. It’s kinda Friendly and quite awesome. 7.75/10

Superman #33 It was foretold that the now heroic Lex Luthor would eventually return to his villainous ways and become worse than Darkseid as ruler of Apokolips, and so a pair of bounty hunters from the future tried to kill him. Superman, somewhat obviously, helped stop them. But none of that is really relevant right now in this Friendly issue. 7/10