DC Rebirth Roundup: Jan 10th’s Comics
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.
Apologies for the brevity this week; I’ve been feeling less than stellar this week and put off reading these comics to beyond the last minute.
Action Comics #995. Superman traveled backward in time to witness the destruction of Krypton, but screwed up the timeline and Krypton didn’t blow up. So time traveler Booster Gold went to stop him, and now they’re trying to escape. Or, rather, they did escape, but not alone… this Friendlyish comic can be read without much of a recap. But.. it isn’t great. 6/10
Detective Comics #972 Batman has been rehabilitating Clayface, quite successuflly, but the Victim Syndicate just drove Clayface back to his villainous ways via pain and the removal of his inhibitor bracelet (that kept him human, and somehow by being human in appearance he was less like a monster). Chaotic, Friendly, and not that bad. 6.75/10
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #36 The Guardians have been kidnapped by the Controllers, who are using the Guardian’s life forces to create new Controllers (the two races share the same origin point). Hal Jordan, Kyle Raynor, Guy Gardner and Jon Stewart have mounted a four man rescue mission. The conclusion is pretty Friendly for all. 7.2/10
New Super-Man #19 A day in the life of Laney Lan. It’s Friendly, but not worth 
reading. 5/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 Bizarro is no longer as thick as a plank, thanks to a little case of death and rebirth, and is creating incredibly tech for the outlaws in their war on crime in Gotham City. The issue is Friendly enough – and I say that as somebody who didn’t read the last issue (or forgot he did). 7/10
Suicide Squad #33 The first part of a new arc. which is typically the best place to jump on board with any series, and this is no exception. Prevous events are utterly irrelevant to this comic, making this nice and Friendly. 6.5/10
Superwoman #18 It’s the final issue. So…. not the best place to jump in.
Wonder Woman #38 Another series that sees the first part of a new story kicking off, which means that, once again, this is a Friendly comic. And enjoyable to boot. 7/10
Titans #19 The Titans saved the world, but it almost went wrong. This issue starts dealing with the fallout, and it is Friendly. 7/10
That’s a wrap for this week folks. I’ll see you next time!
need is sprinkled throughout the comic – often being used as a plot device. Without a recap, this is still a Friendly issue, and Aquaman remains one of DC’s top comics. 8.75/10
and then he got four more after the four of the first Lanterns were killed by Volthoom, whom he’s currently trying to stop from destroying another planet in his desire to get home. There’s a glaring plot hole in this issue, but it’s other wise kinda Friendly. 6.5/10
can make you. The comic’s pretty good though. 7/10
Action Comics #987 Look here’s the deal: this issue reveals the identity of someone who has been pulling strings and plotting machinations in the DC Universe ever since Rebirth began. So there’s a chance that, if you just picked this issue up and it’s your first one in the series, not only will you not really know quite what is going on in the wider DCU, but you won’t care. If that’s the case, while this is slightly Friendly the impact of the big reveal will be lost on you. 6/10
Justice League Of America #14 Half of the JLA have followed the distress signal of Ray Palmer, the original Atom, into the microverse (the plane of existence that exists beyond the microscopic level), and they’ve found that there’s a reality ending threat occurring down there. Meanwhile the other half of the team are investigating the origins of the threat from the last arc, a being that can take control/influence you through your dreams, called The Might Beyond The Mirror. The issue is pretty Fiendly, especially with another quick in character recap from Ryan Choi – the new Atom. 7/10
process of attacking the JLA. The chaotic conclusion to Kill Your Darlings is here, and it’s pretty damn enjoyable – and Friendly to boot. 8/10
Batman #30 Another interlude issue in the War Of Jokes And Riddles arc that has been pitting Joker against the Riddler. Last issue had Bruce Wayne hosting the two at a dinner party to ostensibly try and make them see sense in some way, but the twist ending is that he was deciding which side Batman would join. With the first interlude we were treated to a phenomenal character study for Kite Man, so I went in expecting two things; that this would be a great read and a Friendly comic. I was not disappointed. This is utterly phenomenal. 9/10
pretty Friendly. What won’t make sense to you? Ollie Queen has been framed for murder, but he’s skipped town. Black Canary and Red Arrow are trying to find the woman Ollie was accused of killing who may or may not have been kidnapped by human traffickers. Basically that’ll be all you need to enjoy this wonderfully illustrated issue. 8.5/10
All-Star Batman #13 In a look at Alfred’s past, we see Batman face off against the man that Alfred was training to become. This is a really interesting story, and while I won’t be able to give you all the details in this blurb, you should know that the comic is worth reading. Bordering on Unfriendly, this is another win from Scott Snyder. 7.25/10