Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few months, you can’t have missed DC‘s line-wide relaunch-of-sorts Rebirth. Last week we took a look at whether the comics released on 7/27 had been new reader friendly, and proceeded to give each a simple rating based on how easy it was for new readers to pick them up. All comics will have a Friendly/Unfriendly rating based solely on the issues released in the newly ongoing series, with more consideration given for the specific issue being read when it comes to the final rating. The comics won’t receive an overall grade out of ten, although some of them may be covered in our weekly Mini Reviews feature (no promises). That said, the quality may be commented on if it directly hampers the ease with which new readers can dive into the story.

So shall we get to this week’s Rebirth comics?

Action Comics #961
Funnily enough, despite being five chapters in, this is still a very Friendly comic for brand new readers. There are very brief snippets of recap dialogue in the beginning that’ll catch new readers up in a very organic way, so you can then just focus on enjoying the ride.

All-Star Batman
Okay, if you tell me you don’t know who Batman is at this point, then you’re probably either lying to me, or you’re lying to yourself. I’m not saying that everybody on the  planet knows who he is, but I am saying everybody reading this has at least a basic idea of who the dark knight is. Needless to say, this is a very Friendly comic,because it’s the first issue of a Batman story.  The most unfriendly thing about this comic is the price tag ($4.99).

Deathstroke Rebirth #1
Pulling no punches in it’s introduction to Deathstroke, this comic makes no effort to hide the fact that Slade Wilson isn’t exactly a nice man. Make no mistake, Deathstroke Rebirth is a comic about a villain, but it’s a very Friendly one nonetheless.

Detective Comics #938
For new readers, starting with this issue isn’t a good idea, but if youve read one or two previous issues, then you’ll find this Friendly. It’s also a very good issue, with a villain that’s very sympathetic.

New Super-Man #2
A hugely entertaining series, this is also very Friendly, provided you have an idea of who Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman are before going into the comic.

Red Hood And The Outlaws #1
Following on nicely from the Rebirth special, you quickly learn what Red Hood’s game plan is – the first issue is a great introduction to Jason Todd, reminding readers that he’s not the boy scout of a Robin that Tim or Dick turned out to be. Red Hood And The Outlaws #1 does focus much more on Red Hood  than the outlaws, but the slow introduction to the other two characters on the front page will probably pay off in the long run, allowing this Friendly comic to build into a solid series.

Superwoman #1
I don’t recall seeing a Rebirth special featuring Superwoman, but I didn’t need one. At this point, if you’ve ready any comic featuring Superman, you’ll know that a Superman died, ad there’s a new (old?) one running around. This comic is much more explicit in ensuring you’re aware of that than others, and is probably the most Friendly comic in the Superman line of comics yet. Plus, it’s fantastic.

The Flash #4
Despite being somewhat underwhelming, the comic itself is Friendly enough, I suppose. The writing is such that you can effectively catch up on the past three issues relatively easily within the opening handful of pages, whether you’ve read the previous issues or not; honestly, this issue was actually more accessible than the last, if I remember correctly, which just goes to show that you should never be afraid to hop into a series that’s already underway.

Wonder Woman #4
After four issues, I can see how the two concurrent stories running may eventually tie together – but I admit that I may be reading between the lines too much, and likening the twin stories to what Valiant have been doing with Ninjak. That being said, as a new Wonder Woman reader and a comic fan that wasn’t overly familiar with her origin I’m really enjoying how Friendly this series is to new readers; this issue could easily serve as a person’s first issue – for the origin story at the very least.