With all the hub-bub over controversies like Captain America being revealed to be Hydra, DC’s newest relaunch has been overshadowed. Which is a shame, because whereas stuff like Hydra-Cap was put into place specifically to evoke an angry reaction in fans, DC’s Rebirth is in many way an attempt to please long-time fans and create a brighter universe. (It’s true in many ways it’s an overly-complicated mess as well, but there’s a lot of bright spots). Yet Marvel is winning in the publicity department with their strategy of riling their readers- so let’s try to offset that a little and shed some light on the positive things the DC Rebirth relaunch is giving us. This includes a lot of new characters, the return of some beloved old characters and some interesting team ups to boot. What are your favorite changes? Are there any changes you like that didn’t make the list? Talk about it in the comments!
The Return of Superman Classic
From Action Comics
The New-52 Superman was met with a very mixed reaction from new fans, especially after he was outed to the world and lost his powers. Many fans complained about the increased cynicism in how the character was handled, the dissolution of his relationship with Lois Lane and so on. It looks like DC aims to address fan complaints by returning Superman Classic to DC’s world- it turns out her was here all along. Our classic Superman is still married to Lois and even has a super-son, Jonathan and he’s sort of been in hiding. The new Action Comics will focus on Superman juggling his superhero responsibilities with being a father.
Meanwhile, New-52 Superman is apparently dying- and it’s up to New 52 Lois Lane to take up his mantle and she does in her Superwoman book. Jonathan Kent will also be teaming up with Batman’s troublesome tyke, Damian Wayne, is in a series called Super Sons- that has a potential to be a very fun dynamic.
While it’s all pretty confusing, there’s at least a lot more happening with Superman than there has been for a long time- and as someone who deeply missed Superman Classic, I’m glad to see him return.
The Return of Blue Beetle
Jaime Reyes and Ted Kord
The Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle comic was one of the freshest, funniest DC books when it first launched, but in the New 52, the teen hero was mishandled and underwritten and quickly fell to the wayside. His title is going to return with Rebirth and this time he’ll be under the mentorship of the previous Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Both characters are a lot of fun when written well, so let’s hope DC gets it right this time.
The return of Ryan Choi
From The All-New Atom
Ryan Choi was the successor to the previous Atom, Ray Palmer, in Gail Simone’s lovely, lighthearted comic The All-New Atom. He was a likeable character who gained a cult following and his book was critically acclaimed- however, he was casually and brutally killed off and never heard from again. Rebirth will finally be bringing him back. He’s show in Rebirth as being enlisted to hunt down his lost mentor, Ray.
The New Supergirl Title
Supergirl: Rebirth Character Art
Supergirl is another character who was all over-the-place in the New 52. Her title got canceled pretty early on. But her new title seems to aiming to correct that in a new title that seems to pattern itself more after Supergirl’s new TV show. This is a good move on both a creative and marketing front. The Supergirl show is a fun and positive tale the comics could stand to take more cues from.
The New Detective Comics
From Detective Comics
As a longtime fan of the more overlooked characters of the Batfamily, I’m super pumped for the new line-up for Detective Comics. It features Batwoman, Tim Drake in a much less horrible Robin costume than before, Stephanie Brown as the Spoiler and Cassandra Cain as the hero “Orphan”…and surprisingly, the formerly villainous Clayface.
Cassandra Cain is a great character who’s been mistreated for a long time, so I’m very excited by the possibility she’ll finally get some love and attention in a team title. I’m also a big fan of Stephanie Brown and hope to see her become friends with Cass the way she was in previous continuities. Batwoman getting more spotlight is always great too. This team features a lot of underutilized characters who could have a great dynamic, so I’ve got high hopes.
Wonder Woman: Rebirth
From Wonder Woman
Greg Rucka is one of my favorite Wonder Woman writers, responsible for great stories like The Hiketeiaand Eye of the Gorgon, so I couldn’t be more pleased to see him back on Wonder Woman again. Nicola Scott, who draws an absolutely gorgeous Wonder Woman, will be on art duties as well.
The best part is that Ruka seems to be on the path to revealing that the whole backstory with Wonder Woman being the “god of war” and daughter of Zeus was a lie all along. The comic makes it clear Wonder Woman is going to move away from being an avatar of violence and get back to her roots as a champion of truth and compassion.
This likely means the whole disastrous story that painted the Amazons as murderers and rapists will be undone too. As a huge Wonder Woman fan, I was incredibly devastated with the changed origin- Wonder Woman getting her powers from a man and her all-women society being reduced to violent stereotypes missed the point of the character- so I’m very happy about that being thrown out.
The New Super-Man
From New Super-Man
One of the more interesting titles coming from DC Rebirth is New Super-Man, which deals with a young Chinese man named Kenan Kong gaining Superman’s powers. The book is written by Gene Luen Yang who has turned in solid work in the past and is clearly putting a lot of thought into the project.
Kenan is apparently a bit of a bully before he gets his powers, so it will be interesting to see how he develops as a character. What’s more, so many superhero comics are set in America, so it’s cool to see one set somewhere else.
The Return of the Legion of Superheroes
From The Legion of Superheroes
Though there hasn’t been an official relaunch yet, Geoff Johns has said the The Legion of Superheroes is set to return. A Legion flight ring can be seen in Rebirth #1. This is good news for Legion fans!
The New Teen Titans
From Titans
The Teen Titans in the New 52 were, frankly, a mess and the continuity of the team alone was hard to keep straight. The New 52 threw out the Titans legacy by erasing the “classic” Titans team (Robin, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Speedy and Lilith) from history- but they’re going to return in Rebirth's Titans. Donna Troy (formerly Wonder Girl), Nightwing (formerly Robin), Arsenal (formely Speedy), Tempest (formerly Aqualad) and Lilith will discover that their memory of their time as Teen Titans was erased and so the classic team will be reestablished. It’s especially good to see Donna Troy return, as she’s been absent from comics for quite a while.
The Teen Titans title, meanwhile, will feature Damian Wayne as Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven and the new Kid Flash. Damian’s famously volatile personality promises to upset the Titans and create an interesting dynamic.
The Return of the JSA
From DC: Rebirth
It’s not just the Legion of Superheroes. The return of the classic Justice Society of America is also promised. The wraparound cover to DC: Rebirth #1 even shows them.
The New Green Lanterns
From Green Lanterns
The Green Lantern universe has long been focused on Hal Jordan, but a new Green Lanterns title promise to finally put some more focus on some fresh blood. The Green Lanterns title will focus on new Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, recently introduced characters who haven’t gotten much attention until now. Writer Sam Humphries promises an intense book, referring to Simon and Jessica’s dynamic as “Lethal Weapon with Alien Technology”.
The Return of Batman Beyond
From Batman Beyond
Terry McGinnis was previously killed off in the New 52 version of Batman Beyond, much to the consternation of his fans. However, the new Batman Beyond title promises to bring the futuristic Batman back. Hopefully they’ll do right by him this time.
The Return of Aqualad
From DC: Rebirth
Despite having a counterpart in the Young Justice cartoon who was well-loved by fans, the Jackson Hyde/Kaldur’ahm Aqualad has been AWOL in the New 52 for a while. Rebirth brings him back, and his re-introduction also has him come out as gay. Hopefully we’ll see Aqualad around the DCU more this time.
The New Cyborg Title
From Cyborg
In anticipation for his upcoming movie, Cyborg is getting a new solo-title. This hero has been both a Teen Titan and Justice League member, so there’s a lot of draw on. Cyborg will be moving to Detroit and the series will reportedly focus on exploring technology a lot.
The Return of Nightwing
From Nightwing
Dick Grayson was unmasked and made into a secret agent in the New 52, but now he’ll be returning to his heroic identity as Nightwing. And fortunately for those who missed the blue costume with the finger stripes, he’ll be returning to his old outfit too! (I was definitely one of those who missed the finger stripes).