Welcome to Graphic Policy’s Rebirth 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.

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, with more consideration given for the specific issue being read when it comes to the final rating than the series overall. You may notice that not every comic is covered week to week, and that’s because I have a memory like a sieve and sometimes forget to pick them up. If I have missed an issue, typically I won’t go looking for back issues to to catch up on events – this feature is all about accessibility for new readers, after all.

This week saw a lot of good comics that may not be as accessible as other issues in their respective series, but that’s often par for the course, eh?

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Action Comics #968 Aside from having a couple elements from previous issues being referred to here, this is actually a really good place to hop into one of DC’s better series. Is this an ideal starting point? Not really, but then unless you want EVERYTHING that’s happened before spelled out for you, this is as good a place to start as any because the comic more on the action, and isn’t bogged down by excessive plot details (there’s enough one line explanations in dialogue and narration to give you the gist of things). Friendly, and very much worth reading.

Batgirl #5 There’s a line in this comic that perfectly sums up the comic; “and I’m still not sure what happened…” Maybe the next issue will be a little more accessible. Unfriendly.

Batman Beyond #2 If you want to get into this series, and didn’t pick up the first issue, you’re better off starting there. The second issue does a lot more for the plot when read after the first (hey look, the sky’s blue!), but is a little too Unfriendly a place to start reading. If you’re not curious about the series itself, then I don’t suppose you’ll be interested in the story within a story of Batman’s last encounter with the Joker, eh?

Blue Beetle #3 This starts out confusing as hell, but I think that’s the point of the comic. After a few pages you’ll start to feel much more familiar with the characters (especially Jaime’s reluctance to wear the scarab), and aside from a few mentions of characters and event not present, or explained, in this issue, I’d say this is actually a pretty Friendly issue.

Deathstroke #7  As has been the case with almost every issue in this series aside from the first, this is an Unfriendly comic. That being said, I would highly recommend that if you’re curious about the character or the series that you wait for the trade – I have a feeling the story being told here will excel in collected format.

Detective Comics #945 This is another comic that has a little bit of expositionary dialogue at the very beginning of the comic that will probably feel a little forced in the inevitable trade, but works in the single issue format to turn the comic into a Friendly one, despite this being the third chapter of the story.

The Flash #11 may not be the best place to hop into the series, but this should be Friendly enough should you choose to do so here.

Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #9 While it isn’t explained why the Green Lantern Corps are working with a squad of Yellow Lanterns, nor why Hal is where he is, this is actually more than Friendly enough for you to dive in and start reading the series.

Harley Quinn #8 To be completely and utterly honest, I am far from a fan of this series – but I do understand why others like it, it’s just not my cup of tea. That being said, however, as an almost standalone story this is going to be Friendly for those who are interested in the character; and it’s a story I actually enjoyed.

The Hellblazer #4 is one of those comics that I quite enjoyed, but had very little idea what was going on. The small bit of insight I did have was from reading the first issue (and maybe the second), so unless you’ve also done that you’ll likely find this to be an Unfriendly comic.

Teen Titans #2 Not only is this a Friendly comic, but it’s also fantastically entertaining. The story centers on Robin and his parental legacies as a device to pull the team back together after the “death” of Tim Drake, and much to my delight it’s working wonderfully.

Titans #5 For a comic that takes place in less than seven seconds, there’s a lot of story thrown at you, but it never feels overwhelming. Wally West’s narration recaps enough of what’s previously happened that you don’t feel too out of the loop – the speed of the story juxtaposed with the narration lends the story a brilliantly Friendly feel.

Sixpack & Dogwelder #4 This is far from being an accessible comic. Easily the most Unfriendly comic this week.

Wonder Woman #11 isn’t the best place to start reading the series, and yes it is Unfriendly, but it’s also going to really shine when a person has read the story in collected form, or regularly. Just don’t start here if you want to get the most from the story.