Jessie Robertson reviews DC Universe: Rebirth #1…
It all begins here. Do not skip to the last page. Do not let a friend or message board ruin this comic for you. The future (and past) of the DC Universe starts here. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
THEY SAID IT: “Rebirth is about focusing in on the core of the character and their respective universe,” says writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. “It brings back what has been lost: the legacy of the characters, the love and the hope of the DCU!”
First off ; SPOILERS (of course-is there anything more fun to talk about?)
Second off; this is not a reboot, it’s a rebirth. It’s tricky though.
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of DC Universe: Rebirth #1
Background: Back in 2011, a huge DC Comics event called Flashpoint happened when Barry Allen (The Flash) decided to go back in time and save his mother from being killed by Eobard Thawne, and what transpired wasn’t just a change in the timeline, it was a Flashpoint event, something that threw off the entirety of time itself (not unlike what just transpired in the season 2 Flash finale). This event threw Barry Allen into a far different world, one where Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s father, became The Bat-Man after watching his son be shot, Wonder Woman and Aquaman became tyrannical warlords hellbent on destroying each other and conquering the world after an illicit affair and one where Superman has never seen the sunlight; he’s been kept locked in a government bunker. Long story short, Barry defeated Zoom and put the timelines back, or so he thought.
Born from that was the New 52, to some, a bright new beginning, to others, a dirty word they’d rather not have on the tip of their tongue. It was the combination of all branches of DC, their main universe, Wildstorm, Vertigo and any outliers; that literally was a reset, de-aging all heroes and re-branding them with new beginnings (except of course, for Batman, mostly). I think at this point, while there were some triumphs, most people shun the New 52 and the way it changed the old DC Universe that they loved. Well, Rebirth definitely says “We’re sorry.”
The story is told from the perspective of an unknown narrator, until he’s shown; It’s Wally West, but from the original DC Comics continuity; in the New 52, this version of Wally never appeared; instead his cousin, Wallace West sort of took his place. So, Wally is floating through the Speed Force, lost and without a tether to tie him back into the real world; so he is blown like a leaf in all sort of different directions, to people that could specifically help pull him back into existence; he finds Batman meditating in the Batcave, struggling with this new information he found out from being a God of Knowledge (see Ricky’s Justice League #50 review) that there in actuality three Jokers; he finds Johnny Thunder, original member of the JSA, now an old man in a retirement home and more. As Wally is moved through the Speed Force, we see a recurring theme of things trying to be set back right from the New 52; characters that never appeared are now returning: for one, the Justice Society and the Legion of Super-Heroes, which were completely absent are both hinted at, Ted Kord, the original Blue Beetle, Jackson Hyde, the new Aqualad, and Ryan Choi, the latest Atom, all benched during the New 52.
Another huge sign that the New 52 is being put to pasture; Pandora, the woman who opened the box that essentially helped create this universe is seen running into an alley, only to explode. If that’s not a statement, I don’t know what is. Green Arrow and Black Canary; one of the most famous DC couples of all time; never once interacted in the New 52; now, they feel something missing from their lives; something that is drawing them to each other. Everything course-corrected.
But, back to Wally; he reminds us of his journey into becoming the Flash, finding the love of his life, Linda Park, and how she keep him grounded, safe and always pulled him out of whatever terrible situation he found himself in; as he’s struggling to keep himself whole, he sees her and goes to her; but in a deeply sad moment, she doesn’t know him. He makes one last stop; to see his mentor, his hero, the Flash, Barry Allen. Wally tells him how he feels, how the Flash inspired him, as he’s drifting away, dissipating like ashes from a fire, and fully at peace with how it all turned out….When Barry remembers! And they hug like long lost brothers. It’s a hell of an emotional moment.
This isn’t a reboot, but it sort of is. I like issues like this; it’s a setting of a table for a brand new start (or return, however you view it) to the DC universe as it will become. The New 52 is essentially dead; we have the original heroes that most people grew up reading about since the 50’s and earlier. The one snafu I found though is the very thing that makes this particular comic book a jaw dropper; apparently, Wally saw a lot in the Speed Force; he felt things; he knows that there was another force at work during all of this. So, sort of retconning Flashpoint and Trinity of Sin to not have been the reason the New 52 universe started; but I’m alright with that. Another entity, a very powerful one, had been toying with life, humanity, universes; Wally knows some force, perhaps stronger than anything they’ve ever known, was behind this change. If you look at Justice League #50, we see Owlman, who took Metron’s chair from Batman, confront this power, but it’s unseen. Let’s say it didn’t go well for him. The only other clue we get comes from the Batcave, as Bruce is looking back at the letter his father wrote for him from the Flashpoint universe, and a glint in the cave catches his eye. He digs it out and finds:
DC Comics just officially dropped a huge-ass microphone.
Rating: 9.5/10
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Originally published May 26, 2016. Updated November 10, 2019.
