Comic Recap/Thoughts: DC Universe Rebirth #1

Welcome to DC Rebirth! 

Turns out I have to start with the single issue DC Universe: Rebirth #1.

This opening issue to Rebirth is a mega issue and covers a lot of ground pretty quickly. I will try not to dwell too long on any one thing. Also of note, there is an omnibus of all the Rebirth #1's for 21 different series. It was very confusing to me why there were so many double #1's but I now have it figured out. I have opted for reading the #1's as I begin each series as opposed to reading them all at the same time, via the omnibus. Maybe at some point I will go back and review that collection, but for now I am going to recap this monster of an issue. 

Chapter One: Lost: We start with an unknown narrator and some beautiful panels of a watch being opened. There is exposition about losing time and there is blood on the inner gears. Now we are in space, looking down at earth, each panel zooming into a city that is having a heck of a storm. Our narrator continues, talking about growing up with a deadbeat dad and no siblings. Until they meet their hero and found a purpose. The city turns out to be Gotham and we zoom in more until we land on Bruce Wayne's home, then the Batcave. Our narrator is looking for a woman, but can't find her. So they keep looking for someone to make contact with. We see Batman looking at several pictures of Superman on his Bat computer. 

Alfred is telling Batman that the Joker is in Civic City killing hostages in a candy store. The Joker was also caught outside of Baltimore three hours ago. Alfred asks if there are two jokers, but Batman says no...there are three. (I am happy to add that since I am starting this thing about 5 years after it launched, the Three Jokers Comic is out and I will be writing about it soon!) Our narrator is telling us facts about bats. They hope that they can make contact with Bruce. That the moment Darkseid was destroyed reality flickered, that they are back now and hope making contact does kill them. A flash of lightning strikes in the cave. Someone yells out to Bruce.

We see our narrator is Wally West, also known as The Flash or Kid Flash back in the day. (I was trying to build suspense by not telling you all who it was.) He manifests long enough to ask Bruce for help. Bruce thinks it is Barry. Wally tries to tell him who he is, but can't get it out before he is hit by lightning. He tries again, mentioning a letter the Bruce got from his father, telling him to ask Barry. The room kind of rips open and sucks Wally away. He thinks he is going to die. Bruce looks at the letter from his father deep in thought. We see Wally falling through what I can only assume is the speed force.

Wally's life flashes before his eyes. (I assume this is meant to help the reader get some history.) Wally meets Barry and The Flash. He then has the same accident The Flash had and becomes Kid Flash. He is part of the Teen Titans. The Sky turns red and Barry dies saving the Universe. (This is a reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths.) Wally becomes Flash in his universe, meets the love of his life, Linda Park. Barry comes back and his life was great. Then it wasn't. Barry traveled back in the past to try and save his mother. (Now we are talking about Flashpoint) All of reality changes. Dr. Thomas Wayne (Batman in flashpoint reality) and Barry stop Barry from changing the past. 

Someone outside of time was watching and when history was fixing, ten years were erased. So many things were changed and a darkness infested the world. Wally was yanked out of time or reality (Unclear). We end this chapter with Wally falling through the speed force, trying to figure out who he can reach out to, who will remember him.

Chapter Two: Legacy: We start at the Good Life Home for the Elderly. An old man is trying to make a break for it and is being chased by some orderlies. The old man is in trouble for trespassing and is not allowed to leave. Narrator Wally zeros in on the old man as he locks himself in the kitchen. Wally tells us the Man fought in WWII as part of a group of Mystery Men. Everyone thinks he is crazy. Wally knows that he isn't. Wally pops into the kitchen and tells the man that his friends were not lost, that he needs to find them. He needs to use the Genie to find The Justice Society. (I'll be honest, I have no idea what any of this is about.) The old man's name is Johnny. Wally gets pulled away again right as the orderlies bust in. As they drag him away he calls out to Thunderbolt. (I could do some digging but I figure I'll just let these be intros and look forward to the stories to come.)

Wally flies by a scene. Caption Maggie Sawyer is talking to a police office about a suspect. (I am happy she is still around and doing stuff! Go Maggie!) Seems the suspect was arrested for stealing a sandwich, but claims it is a misunderstand, because where she is from food is free. They can't place the accent and the woman wants to speak with Superman. They tell the woman Superman is missing, maybe dead. She says she will wait for his return. She is not concerned, she has seen the future. They think she is crazy, she doesn't have any weapons, just a ring. (The ring I do know, it is a Legion Ring from the 31st century) 

Wally continues his journey. Next we are in a classroom. The head of a University is yelling at a student named Choi. Seems Dr. Palmer keeps canceling his classes. She says some racist stuff and tells him to go find his boss. The poor kid runs off. He goes into Dr. Palmer's lab only to find it empty. A voice yells out his name, Ryan. Turns out it is a recording from The Atom (Dr. Ray Palmer in superhero form). He tells Ryan that he is in big trouble. He detected a temporal disruption and went to investigate. He shrunk so far that he found The Microverse. He asks Ryan to cancel all his classes and tell his ex the alimony check will be late and of course that he loves her. Atom proceeded to point out all of Ryan's shortcomings, but then adds he is the only one who can save him. Also that he left Ryan a size-changing belt and is about to tell him something else important right as the screen cuts out. Ryan eyes the belt and just says, "Uh-oh."

Wally pops over to another scene. Another young kid is talking to Mr. (Ted) Kord (Original Blue Beetle). This kid's name is Jamie (Reyes) and he has a scarab stuck on his back that he doesn't want there. We see a pretty awesome looking giant blue beetle vehicle that Kord calls BUG. Jamie is the new Blue Beetle, whether he likes it our not. Jamie turns into his full Blue Beetle outfit and flies off. As he does Doctor Fate shows up. Kord doesn't know who he is. Fate tells Kord that the Blue Beetle scarab is not what he thinks it is, that it is not tech, but magic. 

We see a bunch of flashes of new heroes or maybe just new versions of old heroes. Then we follow a woman running through an alley. She talks about Pandora and hope. She then....blows up. (I am excited for some of the new heroes that I haven't read much off. Jessica Cruz as Green Lantern is one I am really excited to read.)

Chapter 3: Love: Wally hears a scream and looks for the source. A woman is holding a baby Darkseid and talking about Wonder Woman. Turns out that Diana has a twin brother named Jason and he is out there somewhere and he has great power. (This is gonna get crazy!)

Wally knows that someone died...Superman, but it isn't right? We see an overview of many heroes mourning at the sight of Superman's death. Wally notices missing love - Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and Dinah Lance (Black Canary) barley know each other, but there is still hope of love? 

Then we cut to Lois and Clark in a hotel, watching the news of Superman's death. Clark thinks that he can bring him back. Just like when he died on his world. As soon as he steps out of the room he runs into a super mysterious guy who calls himself Mr. Oz. He says he is not sure if he is a friend or an enemy but he does know that this Clark and his family are not what they believe they are. 

Next comes Aquaman swimming with Mera. They come up to a deserted island where Aquaman has a fancy looking dinner set up. It is the first place they met. She jokes about trying to kill him. They lament about starting as enemies. The conversation ends with him proposing.

Wally finally finds his lost love. A reporter named Linda. She is also at the scene of Superman's death trying to get in closer. They won't let her in. She is upset and storms off just in time for it to start raining. Wally hopes she will be the one to bring him back. Lightning strikes and he manifests in front of her. Calling her name and saying he is back. He reaches out to her and explains that he loves her, but she has no idea who he is. He can't hold his form and is pulled back into the speed force. 

We see Wally falling through the speed force. There is a shot of two figures in Gotham, who are maybe part of the Bat family? More Wally falling. A shot of Constantine chatting with Swamp Thing. Poor Wally spiraling to people he knows, Captain Boomerang, Cyborg, Dick Grayson. He looks like he is being pulled apart. Then he sees the other Wally West. A cousin he never met who is also a speedster. He watches him save a girl. He knows the name Kid Flash is in good hands. 

Wally finds Barry Allen. He is saving people from a burning building. Doing all the things he does, all while smiling. He pulls himself together one more time so he can say goodbye to Barry. He tells him to ask Batman about the letter from his father. He is in pain and is being pulled apart. Barry asks who he is. Wally just thanks him for an amazing life. It is actually kind of a long speech and lots of feelings. Right as Wally is about to totally fade. Barry remembers who Wally is and grabs him, pulling him from the speed force. Wally is fully solid and is back! Both are crying as Barry says he is sorry. They hug and Barry asks how could he have forgotten Wally?

Barry recaps all the things he remembers about Wally. Him becoming a speedster, Kid Flash, and the Teen Titans. (It is very similar to the beginning flash back, but whatever I guess they really want us to know who Wally is.) Wally tells him that there is much more that he has forgotten and that he is not the only one. That Wally's life was different before Flashpoint. Now that he is back, he is having a hard time remembering. Wally tries to relay as much as he can about other forgotten people and changed relationships. Barry asks if it was his fault, but Wally doesn't think it is. As they discuss the who and the why, we see Batman walking through his cave, looking at the memorabilia, stopping to read the letter from his father. Wally thinks a war is coming. Batman sees a glint further down in the cave, he chips the outer layer only to find a button. The button is a smiley face with a small flash of blood. (Oh man! Watchmen stuff is happening!)

Epilogue: We see a shot of Earth and the Moon. Then Mars. There is a glint going threw space that lands on Mars. It is the watch from the beginning and we now see an inscription on the back that says, "Every second is a gift." The watch comes apart on its own and we see all bloody gears once again. The blood dissipates and the watch puts itself back together. Two people are talking off screen, wondering if they did the right thing, in the end. (I am going to assume the two talking are Adrian and Dr. Manhattan) We zoom in on the watch. But one says to the other, that nothing ever ends. 

The Clock is Ticking Across the DC Universe!

Wow! That is a heck of a start. I am not sure how to unpack all of it but I'll do what I can. I have read more than a couple reviews of the DC run of New 52 and it was very clear that people didn't love some of the changes that were made. I assume the goal of Rebirth is to undo all the things that people didn't like in New 52. While setting up new story lines, characters, and character arcs. I am pretty excited for the Watchmen storyline that is being suggested in this comic. Also curious what Wally is going to do moving forward, guessing he has a large role to play. I am also guessing they will have to do more to flesh out this replacement Superman. Appears Batman is in for some mysteries and so is Wonder Woman. 

I have two favorite lines for this Mega comic. First going to Jackson, aka, Aqualad. I know nothing about him at all, but he likes fish and a boy and I am here for it!

My other favorite line goes to the always eloquent Constantine. I feel like only he could get away with calling Swamp Thing a turnip.

Later this week: Mini Movie review for Venom: Let There be Carnage

Last Week's Comic Review: Superman: Lois and Clark

Next week: Titans Volume 1: The Return of Wally West

Note: All images belong to DC™