DC Universe Rebirth #1; Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jiminez. Cover by Gary Frank. Published by DC Comics. Cover Price: $2.99. On Sale. May 25, 2016.
This review hopes to remain spoiler-free.
‘DC Universe Rebirth #1’ had a lot of work to do in order to win me over. DC Comics has reset its universe what feels like a hundred times and it hasn’t felt more fractured than during this New 52 era.
Written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jiminez, DC is putting their house back in order once again with “Rebirth.” It’s easy to be cynical with these events. We’ve had a number of “Crisis” events, “Zero Hours,” “Zero Years,” “Flashpoints,” “Paradoxes,” and everything in between. They can be exhausting, but they make sense. When you have so many years and different eras it’s natural to want to make them coherent in some way.
This time, Geoff Johns tackles the task in a way that hearkens back to the old but works so well for a modern audience. Take the structure of The Killing Joke or The Watchmen and blend it into what makes DC’s big remaking events great and that’s what you’re going to get with “Rebirth #1.” It’s deftly put together and deftly written. It works on a meta level that I wouldn’t have expected in what I assumed to be a very straightforward comic. Johns is able to bring into focus the things that DC has been missing across many of their comics and reassures us that we’ll be getting more of it in the future.
The book itself is told from the perspective of Wally West in his guise as Kid Flash, a character who had been left behind in the last universe shattering event. But why? That’s what he’s trying to discover. But it’s wrapped in the elegance of structure that you’d expect from an Alan Moore comic. In fact, this is the most Alan Moore I think we’ve ever seen Johns, and it suits him because he’s able to temper the dread with a hope that is perfect for the adventures of costumed superheroes. And since Alan Moore himself was so cynical, matching the way he wrote stories with a touch of optimism feels so fresh and mind-bending, especially when you hit that final page.
It pays respect to some of the best moments in DC’s past, like “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and “The Flashpoint Paradox,” without making you feel bogged down by them. A complaint I hear a lot about comics, in general, is that there is so much history that bogs down casual readers, but “Rebirth” manages to make the entire story feel self-contained and comprehensible. This could be your first DC Comic and it would make enough sense and drive enough mystery that you’d be hooked. I don’t know about those last few pages, though… That might be interesting in the way you’d normally tease a villain, but it might require a bit more prior investment in the larger DC catalog.
There were moments that brought me to tears, though. There’s an incredibly heroic speech a third of the way through the book that had me wiping my eyes. It was the perfect bit of character building and attention to detail that evoked all of the right emotions to me. Johns nailed the moment and, from that moment forward, had me no matter what.
I also got emotional about the fact that many of the older, straight white characters in the DCU are stepping aside for a more diverse crowd. It’s happening organically, though, in a way that I don’t think could possibly anger the more easily upsettable in fandom. It’s a welcome change, though. We need more women and POCs as heroes and “Rebirth” promises them in spades alongside many of our old favorites.
This is going to be a book people are going to talk about for a long time, not just because of the ramifications it’s going to have for the DC Universe going forward, but because it’s a well-told story that elicits a despair, hope, tears, and a final gasp, in that order. It’s a roller-coaster. Don’t let anyone spoil it for you. Pick it up at your local comic book shop and ask people if they’ve read it before you talk to them about it.
Yes, the ending might be divisive with some fans, but it worked perfectly for me. It might be the highest and best use of this particular property since the original.
For my money, this comic is a must read. Get it immediately and let the conversation about the future of the bright, new DC Universe begin.