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 issues of that week’s new Rebirth and Hanna-Barbera comics, as well as sharing our favorite moments. 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!

 

 

Action Comics #960

By Dan Jurgens, Tyler Kirkham and Ulises Arreola

The mysterious, hooded figure watches on as Wonder Woman saves Clark Kent just before being crushed at the hands of Doomsday.  Superman and Wonder Woman then take up the battle against the gray behemoth.  Still watching the fight on the news, Jon gives out a triumphant yell, seeing his dad in action.  Hearing the cheers with his super-sensitive hearing all the way from the battleground, Doomsday turns his attention from the fight and heads in Jon’s direction.  Sensing something isn’t right, Lois leads Jon out of the house, into the family truck and as far away as possible.  Superman and Wonder Woman race to intercept them, but just as they arrive, so too does Doomsday—delivering one heck of a haymaker to Wonder Woman.     

Unforgettable Moment:  Wonder Woman throwing Doomsday through a bus to save Superman shows just how strong she really is!


Detective Comics #937

By James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandex and Brad Anderson

With Batman captured and Colonel Jacob Kane, Kate Kane’s father, revealed to be the mastermind behind the Colony, the team has found themselves in the middle of a fight none of them had ever anticipated. While mounting his escape effort, Batman comes face to face with Colonel Kane himself, who explains the Colony’s purpose and origins. Kane believes that while Bruce’s mission as the Batman in Gotham is a noble one, his field of vision has always been too narrow. Bruce’s hand-trained army of crime fighters would have far more practical applications on a global scale, which is exactly what Kane has been working to do. These soldiers have been working internationally to brutally and often fatally dismantle threats as they arise. But these missions abroad may be nothing compared to the threat that Gotham faces on the horizon: The League of Shadows—an organization thought to just be a myth created by Ra’s Al-Ghul’s League of Assassins—is not only real according to Kane, but already plotting within the city. There’s a war coming, and the Colony is prepared to fight the battles even Batman couldn’t see coming. It’s time for Kate and the team to pick a side. Here’s hoping it’s the right one.

Unforgettable Moment: Longtime DETECTIVE COMICS and ROBIN readers will recognize the name Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong. As a former enemy of Tim Drake, Armstrong operated under the codename the General for some time before becoming the second person to step into the role of Anarky. Batman is able to dispense of this new incarnation of Ulysses pretty quickly, but it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of him.


The Flash #3

By Joshua Williamson, Carmine Di Giandomenico and Ivan Plascencia

The average speed of Central City has increased exponentially after the last Speed Force storm, and suddenly Barry Allen is up to his eyeballs in new speedsters, all of whom need help and training to master their new powers. What’s more, Barry can also feel the heavy usage of the Speed Force beginning to tax his own speed. It’s a definite concern, considering neither he nor his newly appointed crime fighting partner August Heart have any real idea when the terrorist organization the Black Hole is going to trigger the next Speed Force storm, or what they can do to stop it. Meanwhile, S.T.A.R Labs has opened a brand new speedster training facility populated and staffed by the city’s new super fast citizens. While Barry and S.T.A.R Labs Speed Force Testing director Dr. Dhawan attempt to help people who have been affected by the storm, August patrols the city on the lookout for newly empowered criminals. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have to look too far. A costumed criminal attacks the temporary speedster lock up of Iron Heights, leaving nearly everyone dead and August gravely wounded. He’s faster than anything August has ever seen, and he calls himself Godspeed.

Unforgettable Moment: Barry shares some veteran speedster wisdom with one of the victims of the newest storm—a young girl whose panic attacks won’t allow her to slow down.  Barry shares a grounding technique he developed for himself to calm the girl down—an emotional answer to a scientific problem. The Fastest Man Alive is just full of surprises.


Wonder Woman #2

By Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

The events leading up to Steve’s arrival on Themyscira are recounted by contrasting his life with Diana’s before they even met.  As a dreamer, Diana believes that her calling is beyond Themyscira and its droll Amazon history lessons.  One day, while exploring the countryside, she is bitten by a snake and undergoes a long healing process where she learns to appreciate her heritage.  For Steve, things move quickly as he balances military and civilian life.  Flying out on a mission, his plane crash-lands on Themyscira—killing his best friend.  As the sole survivor of the crash, Diana and the Amazons come to his aid. 

Unforgettable Moment: Prior to the mission, Steve looks on in deep thought.  At the same time, far away in Themyscira, Diana is also lost in thought.  Even though the two have not met yet, you get the feeling they’re meant for one another and that maybe their meeting wasn’t coincidence, but perhaps fate.   


New Super-Man #1

By Gene Luen Yang, Victor Bogdanovic, Richard Friend and HI-FI

Kenan Kong is a bully.  He regularly picks on Lixin—the chubby boy whose family owns the airline that Kenan’s mother was flying when her plane crashed.  Nevertheless, Kenan gets a surprising fifteen minutes of fame when he’s caught on tape saving Lixin from the super-villain Blue Condor.  Reporter Laney Lan enthusiastically sets up an interview with Kenan to talk to him and his father—who refuses to participate.  Later, while a somber Kenan is visiting his mother’s grave, he is approached by Dr. Omen of the Ministry of Self-Reliance, who makes him an usual offer—to transform him into a super-powered being similar to America’s Superman.  Kenan agrees, but just as he is testing out his new abilities, the lab is raided by China’s Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman.   

Unforgettable Moment:  Oh, come on! Seeing the Chinese versions of Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman is too cool!


Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth #1

By Scott Lobdell, Dexter Soy and Veronica Gandini

 Jason Todd reflects on his past chance encounter with Batman that set him on the path to becoming Robin, as well as his untimely death at the hands of the Joker and rebirth via a Lazarus Pit.  Now operating as the Red Hood, Jason crashes a speech given by the mayor of Gotham. Batman intervenes and the two square off, but Jason gets a rare leg-up on Batman and shoots the mayor point-blank before escaping to a bar inhabited by Gotham’s criminals—all of whom are singing his praises.  One even tries to recruit him to work for the Black Mask.  Back at Jason’s hideout, Batman approaches him, where it’s revealed that the gun he used on the mayor was actually an injection of an antidote to cure a techno-organic virus in his system.  Jason explains to Batman that their methods may be different, but Red Hood’s overly-aggressive techniques allow him to infiltrate and go places in the criminal underworld that Batman can’t.  Batman agrees to let him continue his operation as long as he stays within sensible boundaries.     

Unforgettable Moment:  Jason placing the old picture of him and Batman on a shelf in his hideout is heartwarming—especially because Batman is actually smiling in it. 


Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1

By Robert Venditti, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona and Tomeu Morey

Hal Jordan rounds up a group of intergalactic smugglers to question them on the whereabouts of the Green Lantern Corps.  Back on Warworld, the feeble Sinestro channels Parallax into his Power Ring—completely revitalizing him and helping him rally the Sinestro Corps to spread across the galaxy and rule the cosmos through intimidation and fear.  As Hal fights off some Yellow Lanterns, a blinding green explosion is seen in a remote part of the galaxy.  Emerging from the emerald burst is no less than the remaining team Green Lanterns. 

Unforgettable Moment:  Look, we love the good guys, but even so, seeing Sinestro harness the power of Parallax was just too awesome. 


Earth 2: Society #14

By Dan Abnett, Federico Dallochio, Angel Hernandez and David Calderon of Ikari Studio

The Wonders argue with Fury as they try to convince her to use the Pandora Casket to restore this new Earth to the one they lost.  At the same time the Ultrahumanite’s child soldiers, the “Humanites,” launch their surprise attack and start neutralizing the Wonders one-by-one.  As they make their way through the tower, Firepattern comes across Batman—who is wounded from the Humanites’ initial attack.  Just as the two are about to clash, Firepattern recognizes Batman as his father.

Unforgettable Moment:  The look on Batman’s face when he realizes Firepattern is his son, John.      


The Flinstones #1

By Mark Russell, Steve Pugh and Chris Chuckry

Fred Flintstone is a conflicted man. A veteran of the Paleolithic Wars and struggling in a dead end job with a knucklehead boss named Mr. Slate, he begrudgingly takes the company’s three new Neanderthal employees out for a night on the town.  The following night, Fred and his starving artist wife, Wilma, go to Mr. Slates house for a party to celebrate Fred’s Employee of the Month honors.  While there, one of the Neanderthal employees dies while attempting to kill a Woolly Mammoth to feed the party guests—at the behest of Mr. Slate.  But the Neanderthal didn’t die…he was merely frozen in time and is now on display at a present day Museum of Natural History!

Unforgettable Moment: The book is filled with all kinds of fun “Flintstoneisms” like using rams as jackhammers to break rock and a seashell “shell phone.”

 

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!