Rebirth Round-up: Week 2

Last week’s Rebirth releases from DC was a fairly mixed bag although opinion seemed to have varied over which titles were hits and which were misses……so we venture into week 2 with hope of more hits.

Wonder Woman:Rebirth #1

Written by Greg Rucka

Art by Matthew Clark (pencils), Liam Sharp & Sean Parsons (inks)

Colours by Jeremy Colwell & Laura Martin

Lettering by Jodi Wynne

A new start for DC’s leading lady bring us first to this Rebirth issue as it takes a trip through some of the most significant moments in the characters life & more recent events in Darkseid War & Super League story arcs.  Its a series of highs, lows & revelations for Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman but it ultimately shows how complex and interesting her past, present and hopefully future can be.  Rucka does a brilliant job of taking the character back to a raw and powerful state as she breathes in all that has confronted her and steps off into a new voyage of self discovery.  This takes her from the sanctity of her Justice League duties and back to a world of gods, deceit & mystery and it’s one of the Rebirth titles that oozes potential.  The art team flexes its muscle in bringing the real power of the character to life.

8/10

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Aquaman:Rebirth #1

Written by Dan Abnett

Art by Scot Eaton, Oscar Jimenez & Mark Morales

Colours by Gabe Eltaeb

Lettering by Pat Brosseau

Aquaman has always been an outsider to me but then the mocking he faces has always seemed excessive to me but I had hoped that Rebirth would see a new direction for Arthur Curry ass he straddles his life between sea & land.  Abnett does a solid job at getting things off to an energetic start with an internal revolt being tackled head-on by Aquaman as he keeps the surface world safe from the darker elements of the Atlantean race.  That being said the issue feels word heavy as lengthy narrative seems to derail any positive momentum that the story was able to build-up.  The narrative is not Arthur himself though and the reveal at the end brings with it a glimmer of what could be on the horizon for the sea-fairing superhero.  Some good & not so good elements across this one leaves it nestled as a middle of the road release but the creative team involved at least have a chance of kicking things off when the title gets into it’s stride.

6/10

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The Flash:Rebirth #1

Written by Joshua Williamson

Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico

Colours by Ivan Plascencia

Lettering by Steve Wands

It’s hard to pick out a character that seems to have had more influence in the DC Universe but Barry Allen as The Flash seems to have been pivotal in altering the landscape of the DCU with nearly every fleeting step.  Time travel and the ability to pass through the Multiverse leaves a hefty weight on the head of The Flash to deliver with the added challenge of trying to appeal and appease a far wider audience now than he maybe first enjoyed.  The creative team manage to juggle the themes that have gone before with ease with enough nods to the TV series and ties to the Multiverse-shaping stories that have gone before to make this something special.  This results in a story being brought to life that honours the past of the characters as well as give him a clear direction into a new world to explore that’s both fast, exciting and amazingly fresh.  Slick in it’s execution and glowing pages from the art team make this one of THE Rebirth titles to watch.

9/10

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Roll-on the next Rebirth One-shots!!!

G-Man