REBIRTH

It’s been nearly a year since “DC Universe: Rebirth” #1 stunned fans with its shocking reveal on the final page, establishing an unexpected connection between the DC Universe and “Watchmen,” the acclaimed 1986 comic series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The lynchpin for that connection is the now-iconic, blood-stained smiley face button worn by The Comedian and found by Rorschach on the street after his murder, now again found by Batman inside his very own Batcave. Long assumed to be two separate, unrelated continuities, the discovery of the button upends that assumption and has instigated countless discussions on how “Watchmen” could possibly impact the DCU. That possibility begins to be explored by Tom King and Jason Fabok in “Batman” #21, the first of the four-part arc appropriately titled “The Button” that crosses over with upcoming issues of “The Flash.” Watchmen’s Comedian Button Is Crucial for [SPOILER]’s Return In Batman The storyline’s first chapter doesn’t provide much in

Every holiday season brings its share of holiday specials from the major comics publishers, but with DC Comics well into its successful “Rebirth” initiative, the publisher delivers a festively compiled volume that’s special indeed with the massive 96-page “DC Rebirth Holiday Special” #1. With no less than ten holiday-themed stories wrapped inside a Harley Quinn framing sequence written by her creator Paul Dini, a wide array of writers and artists contribute towards this collection of tales that range from decent to downright wonderful. This highly enjoyable and eclectic compilation has something for most everyone, regardless of who their favorite characters are, or which holidays they observe. RELATED: The One Bat-Family Member No One Expected To See Again Is Back The time of year when good cheer fills the air is about the only time that one could accept the notion of Harley throwing a Christmas party where Superman ends up playing carols on piano while The Flash and his rogues gal

Though Giuseppe Camuncoli’s standard-edition cover puts Bizarro and Artemis dead in Red Hood’s sights, two of these so-called Outlaws don’t appear in Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy’s “Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth” #1. Instead, Lobdell provides a fun and accessible refresher on Jason Todd’s present as well as his pre-Red Hood days, spanning from his very first meeting with Batman to his current relationship with his former mentor. This “Rebirth” issue is a wise and welcome prelude to the upcoming series and establishes the reasons behind Jason’s present actions, even as it recounts his origin, death and rebirth. Existing fans know that Jason’s resurrection is rooted in a far-reaching and cosmically convoluted key moment from a couple of continuities ago. Lobdell is smart enough to recognize that newer readers don’t need to know anything about Superboy-Prime’s reality-bending super-punch, which originally played a part in Jason’s rebirth. That might not even be the case any longer i

When DC Comics moved its characters from the Vertigo mature readers imprint into the DC Universe right before the New 52 reboot, one of the big questions was how characters like John Constantine, Swamp Thing and Shade the Changing Man would fit into a world with slightly stricter audience standards. We’ve had two series starring John Constantine since then (“Constantine” and “Constantine: The Hellblazer”), with varied amounts of success. But with Simon Oliver and Moritat‘s new “The Hellblazer: Rebirth” #1, it feels like DC has made its most deliberate attempt yet to evoke the spirit of the original “Hellblazer” series. RELATED: “Hellblazer” Rebirth Series Sees Oliver, Moritat Bring John Constantine Home The most obvious element in that regard is the title’s return to London. After having John Constantine in America for the previous two series, having him back in his old stomping grounds feels like a bit of a relief. It means that his best friend, the long-suffering Chas, is once more

If there’s one DC Comics hero that’s best known for his association with the term “rebirth,” it’s Hal Jordan. After all, the character has been removed from the role of Green Lantern more than once, but he always returns; in fact, this isn’t even his first comic to feature that word in the title. Like 2005’s “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” Ethan Van Sciver pencils Hal’s return to his most famous role, as recent “Green Lantern” scribe Robert Venditti puts Hal back in costume. “Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps: Rebirth” #1 is a space-faring delight that spans the scope of the current mythos, while putting things back the way many Green Lantern fans felt they always belonged. Venditti’s story genuinely feels epic, despite the fact he has only twenty pages to work with. The issue spans through the franchise’s roster and across the galaxy, touching on the stories of the far-reaching cast as well as the way they’ve been impacted by Hal’s actions. There’s almost a Stan Lee/Jack Kirby sense

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for “Nightwing: Rebirth” #1, on sale now. It’s easy to throw out the baby with the bathwater, but one of the more recent revamps of the DC Universe — the “Grayson” series by Tim Seeley, Tom King and Mikel Janin — was a huge critical success. It will certainly be a relief for fans of that series to discover that Seeley and Yanick Paquette build on past glories in “Nightwing: Rebirth” #1, reintroducing familiar concepts and faces to old and new readers alike. RELATED: Dick Grayson’s Back in “Nightwing: Rebirth” #1 Preview “Nightwing: Rebirth” #1 shows its stripes right at the beginning, recounting the fact that Nightwing took his code name from one of the legendary heroes of Krypton. And if you find yourself thinking that this means that the friendship between Dick Grayson and Superman that existed pre-Crisis is back in continuity, you’re right. It no doubt takes a different form, as seen in “Justice League” #51 where Dick

Even under the best circumstances, team books are difficult to write. Considering that half of “Justice League: Rebirth’s” cast also have their own “Rebirth” specials, there’s a lot of baggage to address here — but that’s why writer/artist Bryan Hitch and inkers Daniel Henriques and Scott Hanna’s stab at DC’s premier team is such a relief, as they find the perfect balance between reflecting those other titles while still telling their own story, which can be enjoyed in its own right. “Justice League: Rebirth” #1 opens with a reduced League lineup: Aquaman, Batman, Cyborg, Flash and Wonder Woman. Hitch then eases us into the changes by introducing the title’s three newest members: Superman and Earth’s current pair of Green Lanterns, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. Hitch carefully shows us their status quos — Superman being from another universe while this world’s Superman is now dead, Jessica and Simon having been assigned to the Justice League by Hal Jordan — without dropping an overwhel

In “Titans: Rebirth” #1, Dan Abnett, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund take the Titans back to one of their oldest and most meaningful themes: friendship. This issue is a classic cape comic, with detailed, house-style art, contrived fights between allies, on-the-nose dialogue and just a little deus ex machine to save the day. The most important ingredient, though, is heart; all the formulaic elements wouldn’t work without it, and Abnett’s script has warmth and feeling in spades. Admittedly, the lighter plot and frequent flashbacks may not win over new readers, but — all told — “Titans: Rebirth” #1 is a satisfying reunion for these characters. As a prologue to the upcoming series, “Titans: Rebirth” #1 does an excellent job setting up the themes and goals of a team book. Wally West has come back to restore his friends’ memories, but this seemingly central problem is solved pretty easily. Indeed, the solution is so out-of-the-blue that it’s clear it’s subsidiary to the real focus of the sto

“Aquaman: Rebirth” #1 is a solid primer on Aquaman’s new status quo. Writer Dan Abnett and artists Scot Eaton and Oscar Jimenez capture the King of Atlantis’ political dilemmas as he tries to reconcile the surface and the sea, but — while it’s an easy and able read and I enjoyed the more classic look of Aquaman’s world — it doesn’t offer many new ideas or fresh portrayals. Now, I can get behind a classic approach if it’s executed well enough to carry the less inventive ideas, but a wordy script, inconsistent artwork and an exposition-heavy plot weigh down the more fascinating and fun parts of the story, leaving it a fine, rather than fantastic issue. Abnett does mix it up a bit in his approach to this issue. Events are heavily narrated by a third party, whose identity is only revealed in the final pages. This narrator’s explanations of Arthur’s character and current state overlay all the pages in the issue. I quite appreciated the conceit of describing Arthur in the voice of his en

Last week’s “Rebirth” titles more or less fell into one of two categories: a reminder of the characters’ origins or a setup for a new relationship between two characters (and, sometimes, both). Greg Rucka, Matthew Clark, Liam Sharp, Sean Parsons, Jeremy Colwell and Laura Martin go one step further in “Wonder Woman: Rebirth” #1, which starts to tear down the origin of its title character and isolates her on a voyage of self-discovery. It would be simple for Rucka to simply and quickly proclaim “Everything you know is wrong!” and charge forward with his new “Wonder Woman” storyline. It’s much to his credit that “Wonder Woman: Rebirth” #1 isn’t so simple. Instead, Rucka quietly dissects what it means to be Wonder Woman, with everything from her conflicting origins to the very meaning of her name and how it changes as the public’s perception of her shifts. It’s as much etymological as it is societal, but it never comes across as a lecture. Instead, what we see here is a person who’s quie