With Rebirth now in full swing and so many exciting new titles to try, we can’t blame anyone for needing a reminder of what happened in the last issue. Or maybe you’re looking to add a new book to your list and need to get caught up on earlier chapters? Either way, we’re here to help. Every Tuesday, we’ll be recapping the prior issue of that week’s new Rebirth and Hanna-Barbera comics, as well as sharing our favorite moment. It’s a quick, easy way to ensure you’re up to speed and ready for New Comic Day. We hope you find these recaps helpful, but be aware that they do contain some spoilers!

 

 

Justice League: Rebirth #1

By Bryan Hitch, Daniel Henriques, Scott Hanna and Alex Sinclair

When a flood of mind-controlling parasites attack the planet, the Justice League find themselves in need of a little more firepower than they have. The events of “The Final Days of Superman” have left them short one Kryptonian, but aware of another Earth’s Clark Kent living on their world. The League must weigh their options: trust this alternate Superman and ask him to pick up the mantle of their fallen friend, or struggle against an insurmountable cosmic threat without the help of the Man of Steel. In the end, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people trumps even the lingering paranoia of Batman, who decides he’d rather keep this new Superman close at hand rather than let him wander too far out of sight. Clark dons his cape and works side by side with the League to take down the alien parasites before they can cause any more damage. It’s a victorious moment that ought to be cause for celebration, cut short by Aquaman’s telepathic interception of a warning from the creatures: There is a judgment coming for Earth, and the things these parasites had planned would have been considered a mercy compared to whatever is coming next.

Unforgettable Moment: As Clark debates with Lois on whether or not to pick up the mantle on this world, she explains in no uncertain terms that the answer was clear from the start. This world’s Justice League is doing their best, but they’re not playing with a full team and it’s against Clark’s very nature to sit back and hope that things work out. He’s Superman, after all, and that means something. That makes a difference.


Batman #2

By Tom King, David Finch, Matt Banning, Danny Miki and Jordie Bellaire

The city descends further into chaos with the appearance of two new metahuman heroes calling themselves Gotham and Gotham Girl and an attack from a recently escaped Solomon Grundy. Batman supervises this new dynamic duo as they take down the undead madman, but pulls no punches in his assessment: Gotham and Gotham Girl might be superhuman, but they’re going to need to be more than that if they plan on protecting the city. Later, a stranger who casually admits to freeing Grundy visits Jim Gordon in his office at the GCPD. He explains that he didn’t have a choice – “the monster men are coming” – and kills himself as Gordon watches, helpless to stop him. Gordon summons Batman with Gotham and Gotham Girl in tow to brief them on the case, but none of the vigilantes are able to provide any immediate insights as to who or what the “monster men” could be. Meanwhile, Professor Hugo Strange conducts experiments while Amanda Waller looks on, pleased with his results. Apparently, Strange’s work and Waller’s efforts have just “saved Gotham.” But how, and to what end?

Unforgettable Moment: When Gotham and Gotham Girl introduce themselves to Gordon and proclaim that they’re here to save the city, he responds, “Well, thank the lord. Don’t know how we got along without you.” Apparently, all these years working both beside and behind the cowl as Batman have made him almost as hard to impress as Bruce himself.


Green Arrow #2

By Benjamin Percy and Otto Schmidt

Ollie Queen’s night is going from bad to worse. After being betrayed by his own half-sister, the master assassin Shado, he is drugged and dumped into the ocean as food for the sharks. Luckily, Emi appears to be having second thoughts about her change of heart and plants a tracker on Ollie’s body before tossing him into the water. This allows Ollie’s tech guru Henry to find him before he’s torn apart by predators. Henry and his grandmother spend two full weeks getting Ollie back on his feet, but by the time he regains consciousness, the world has become a very different place. Publicly, the name Oliver Queen has been disgraced with the authorities believing his disappearance to be part of a murder/suicide. The Machiavellian Cyrus Broderick now runs Queen Industries. All of Ollie’s earthly possessions and bank accounts have been destroyed or liquidated. Broke, alone, and betrayed by everyone close to him, Ollie must set forth on a mission to bring the organization responsible—a group called The Ninth Circle, operating out of a palatial floating base called The Inferno—to justice. Thankfully, he may not be as isolated as he believes himself to be. Within the city, Dinah Lance has caught on to the suspicious nature of Ollie’s vanishing act, and across the globe, bodyguard John Diggle has been tipped off to the existence of The Ninth Circle by a mysterious unnamed informant.

Unforgettable Moment: Not long ago, Dinah pointed out that all of Ollie’s relationships revolve around money and now he’s getting a crash course in what that actually means. Henry explains that, as much as he’d love to, he can’t help Ollie any more than he already has now that Ollie’s funds have dried up. He’s got bills to pay and the appeal of putting his life on the line has worn thin without the promise of a paycheck.


Superman #2

By Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray and John Kalisz

Superman takes his son Jon along to observe him rescue a submarine and its crew.  Just as he gets the sub free, a monster from the oceans depths (equipped with a strange crystal) attacks him.  Superman has Jon focus his heat vision on the crystal—eventually destroying it and freeing the creature of its control.  The two fly home, just as a strange orb surveys and scans blood in the snow left by Jon’s skinned knee during the monster fight.  Back at home; Jon gets knocked unconscious after falling out of the tree he was sitting in with Kathy.  Wondering how his son can get hurt like an average person, Superman races to the Fortress of Solitude to get answers.  But the same alien orb we saw earlier beats him there.  After scanning DNA data from the fortress, the orb transforms itself into its own version of Superman.

Unforgettable Moment:  Hands down, the splash page at the end showing Eradicator is THE unforgettable moment of the book.  It instantly brought us back to the 90’s…great memories!  


Aquaman #2

By Dan Abnett, Scott Eaton, Wayne Faucher and Gabe Eltaeb

So much misunderstanding. We’re reminded that the feud between Aquaman and Black Manta started when Manta killed Arthur’s dad and in response, Aquaman accidentally killed Manta’s father in a fit of revenge—believing him to be Manta himself.  As the two fight to a stalemate, the confrontation finally ends with Aquaman convincing Manta that neither man truly “wins” if one kills the other because it doesn’t fill the void left by the murder of their fathers. Meanwhile, Atlanteans and humans come together to save one another from the crumbling Spindrift Station.  As authorities are taking Manta away, the transport comes under attack and he is freed by a woman who proclaims they may have “mutual interests.”                

Unforgettable Moment: The way Aquaman removes the knife that Manta stabbed through his shoulder may be the manliest thing we’ve ever seen!    


Green Lanterns #2

By Sam Humphries, Robson Rocha, Jay Leisten and Blond

On the planet Ysmault, Atrocitus reveals the Red Dawn prophecy—explaining that once the monstrous Hell Tower burrows to the Earth’s core, the Hell Seed will be planted, thus turning Earth into the new home of the Red Lanterns.  Back on Earth, Simon saves Jessica from a crowd of people infected by rage—one of which is Jessica’s sister.  As she fights with Simon to convince him to let her go back and save her sister, he shows her that there is a much bigger issue…and it comes in the form of a huge glowing Red Lantern symbol on the Earth’s surface that can be seen from space.  

Unforgettable Moment:  There’s nothing cooler than seeing Atrocitus sitting on his throne in Ysmault, speaking of the Red Dawn prophecy in all his rage-fueled glory. Well, except maybe Dex-Starr, hissing alongside him.


Scooby Apocalypse #2

By Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Howard Porter and Hi-Fi

Uncertain of the extent and severity of the nanite outbreak, tensions rise as the gang tries to find their way out of the locked down Complex. Daphne does not trust Velma and believes she is hiding more information about the secret project than she leads on. Making matters worse is the fact that anyone who was not in the safe zone of the Complex has either been turned into a horrifying monster or killed by one—making the group’s escape even more treacherous. Just when it looks like they have found a way out, the doomed survivors realize that the bloodthirsty monsters have them surrounded and are closing in.

Unforgettable Moment: When the gang comes across dead scientist Krebs’ secret, high-powered van, codenamed “Mystery Machine.”


We'll be back in a week with another set of Reader Recaps. Also, don't miss our weekly new comic book unboxing every Tuesday on Periscope for an exclusive preview of the week's new comics!