DC Universe: Rebirth (part two) - An ode to the old world. A symphony for the new · 6:40am Jul 2nd, 2016
Hello everyone Wave here and we still have half a book to review. since in the previous review we already had an intro, let's get a quick re-cap now.
- Wally West is lost in a Speed Force like place, apart from existence and is trying to get out. He's from the pre-Flashpoint universe. For some reason, he's wearing his Kid Flash costume instead of The Flash one.
- Wally managed to get himself known to Bruce Wayne, who can't remember him. However, Batman is now on the case.
- The New 52's Prime Earth did have a Justice Society. Johnny Thunder had something to do with their disappearance but is powerless to bring them back.
- In fact, Prime Earth is actually New Earth, the pre-Flashpoint one. It wasn't erased, but instead it got ten years of its history erased. Someone made this happen.
- A girl from the Legion of Super-Heroes is hanging around in the present. Ryan Choi is on a mission to save his professor, Ray Palmer. The technology millionaire, Ted Kord, is mentoring the Latin American teenage, Jaime Reyes, into becoming the hero, Blue Beetle. Doctor Fate and Aqualad are back too. All of them were previously retgone.
- Pandora knew who was behind it all and even why. She says it's because he's unable to understand good that the nDCU became so dark, but she also claims that the heroes' goodness will undo it. The man behind the darkness kills her. The Spirit of The New 52 is now dead.
With that out of the way, let's now dig into Chapters 3 and 4 of DC Universe: Rebirth #1 and find out just what the heck is going on here.
So, we start the third chapter with Wally still jumping from place to place, engulfed in lightning. This time, he appears on an island in the middle of another lightning storm (it must be that time of the year in the DCU when storms hit everywhere). There is Grail, Darkseid's daughter with an amazon, who's taking care of Darkseid itself reincarnated in the baby of Super Woman and Lex Luthor from Earth-3. Comics are confusing. Anyways, Grail tells Darkseid of Diana/Wonder Woman's secret twin brother, Jason, and how great powers he has. And that one is left hanging as we cut.
The next scene is surprisingly under daylight and that's all the light if the scene. Wally sees the super-hero community reunited on the site where The New 52 version of Superman just died (The Final Days of Superman saga). He notices how Green Arrow and Black Canary seem lost. Apparently, seeing each other triggered the memory of the relationship they had in past versions. From there we go to the pre-Flashpoint Superman, who also managed to get into the nDCU with his wife, Lois, and their son, Jonathan. A shadowy figure called Mister Oz tells Supes that nothing around is what he believed it to be, including the recently fallen Superman.
Both Wally and the reader are left without any answers as the next panel cuts into the ocean. So, here's another mystery around, as apparently this Mister Oz knows what's going on. Also, the character already appeared before in the Superman tittles, by the time of DCYou, and he's probably been around from the beginning, like Pandora.
Back into the ocean, we see Aquaman taking Mera to an island. In the beach, he points out that it's the place were they met. Mera is astonished at first, pointing out that at the time, she was actively trying to kill Arthur. Seeing the lovely couple remembering old, "innocent" times, makes Wally think that the universe didn't just lost ten years, but they also lost love (aww). But there's a hope, as we see Arthur on his knee, proposing to Mera. My heart is melting... Oh no, my heart is melting! Aaahh!
The heartwarming moment also makes Wally realize about something. He search for it and somehow manages to find her through their connection. If a close friend like Bruce couldn't' remember him, maybe someone else can. Like Linda Park, Wally's wife in the previous universe and mother of his twins.He appears in front of her, just like with Bruce, but now he's way calmer. Wally tells Linda that he's back and that she takes his hand. But it's just a hope spot because Linda can't remember him either. Wally is heartbroken as the lightnings pull him back to non-existence. Ivan Reis' talent for expressions and dynamic scenes gets a full show-off scene on this one. A very clean job to conclude this Chapter 3: Love (I would have called it 'Gutpuncher')
Wally starts to jump again, but this time more violently. Instead of scenes, we only get two single panels. First a shadowy pair looking at the Bat-Signal and saying that soon it will be their turn to answer it. Constantine discussing with Swamp Thing about saving Abby Arcane (who is an avatar of death) in exchange for help against something called "The Capes". So, these look more like tie-ins for the upcoming series and don't seem to have relationship with Rebirth, so moving on. Wally becomes despaired and starts searching for anyone who may recognize him. Captain Boomerang (for some reason), Cyborg and Dick Grayson (who was about to get back at the Nightwing costume).
Finally, Wally finds the other Wally West. The younger and hipper (and blacker) Wallace West, who debuted two years ago in The Flash and became The New 52's version of Kid Flash (don't ask about Bart Allen, retgone worse). Wally watches over Wallace as he's still discovering his powers. As he goes, he also saves a girl's life. After seeing this, Wally decides that his place as Kid Flash is in good hands and, without Linda remembering him, there's no reason for him to stay anymore.
Wally gives in and lets the lightning take him, but then he remembers Barry Allen, his uncle and the hero that gave him hope the first time. Wally goes to him, not to ask for help anymore, but to say goodbye. Also, he tells Barry to help Bruce with the investigation so they can rvert the damage done to the universe. Finally, when he's about to disappear, Wally thanks Barry for the great life he had thanks to him.
Barry is on the verge of despair as he sees the young man disappearing and not being able to help him, or even tell what's going. Finally, Wally calms Barry saying he's not going in anguish, knowing he had so much and tells Barry to have a good life and to remember how important is to live in the moment. He says the words "every second is a gift" and those words finally trigger something in Barry's mind.
Wally?
Out of reflex, Barry takes Wally's arm and pulls him back to reality. As he does so, all the memories flood back. Barry realizes that it was his fault for provoking the Flashpoint that Wally lost it all. Wally consoles him as he also remembers having a different life, starting to get integrated back in the universe. Barry keeps apologizing to Wally, but he tells him it wasn't all his fault. That it was something else what caused all of this to happen. Someone else.
In the Bat-Cave, something encrusted in the wall near to where Wally appeared catches Batman's eye. He gets closer to it and retrieves a shinny object that got encrusted in the wall where a lightning bolt hit it. A small 'smiley' pin with a drop of blood over it. Ends Chapter 4: Life and everyone reading this is allowed to flip out.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Quod Maledictus Batman!
We finally end the book with en epilogue in mars, where the watch from Wally's father is being repaired while floating. But the handles go in reverse, from midnight to a quarter before. And in case it was too subtle, the captions recreate the "nothing really ends, ever" dialogue from the ending of Watchmen. And in case THAT was still to subtle, this is the last page:
Yep, that just happened.
Critique:
So, that was it. Watchmen isn't just canon to the DCU, but now it's about to directly clash with it. I get the metaphor of Watchmen kickstarting the Iron Age/Dark Age of Comics. In a similar way, The New 52 were some kind of renaissance of the Dark Age, with sales gimmicks, darker and edgier stories and no regard whatsoever for tradition. So it makes sense that the influence of Watchmen gets reflected in story. There's also sense in Doctor Manhattan being the one behind it all. He's not only emotionless, but also unable of feeling empathy. He represents all the people directing the DCU but don't care for what's going on inside the stories beyond numbers; sales.
So, the fight for the DC Universe began. But it's not the destruction of countless worlds or a mad god trying to turn the world into a hell made from his image. This time it's a fight for the soul. The very spirit and essence of DC Comics as a whole is now a rope between cynicism and idealism-- a rope over an abyss.
But there's something else going on in this comic. It's saying that legendary comics like Watchmen, even if good, shouldn't be idealized. The imitation of a work, without taking in consideration its spirit is just pointless. Wally represents how a story's essence can be lost and forgotten if the writer, represented by Manhattan, doesn't really care about the story itself and just want to have it for himself.
It's a very interesting postulation on creativity, kinda similar to Morrison's one in Seven Soldiers of Victory, but this one keeps its own tone. I really liked the pacing and the final promise that, this time, the creatives behind DC are going to be careful about what they're going to do.
In regards to the art, it's just spectacular. The different artists involved are in top form. Gary Frank is expressive, Ethan van Sciver is impacting, Ivan Reis is dynamic and Phil Jimenez is thorough. All of them are recognizable on sight, no need to check the names. These are very talented and dedicated artists who gave it all on this one. There's also a sense of EPIC! with Phil Jimenez, who also did the art for Infinite Crisis, which was indeed a previous attempt to bring DC back to form.
So, we have a promise in our hands. Their promise us to actually care for the stories they're going to tell from now on, but without denying the past. I believe hat's what DC should be about; legacy. Tell new stories, but acknowledge the previous ones. Never forget the past, but keep on looking at the future. so sign me in, I'm pumped and ready to see where is this one going.
I don't know you, guys, but I am filled with determination here.
Ooh, I spy a Harley Quinn in the background of the cover, She looks like she's going to be dumbed down again, though good news, she's wearing more clothes, that are less slutty too huzza!
So, all is going... all-right in the DC comic universe atm yes?
4064899
I wouldn't dare to say that everything is going to be alright now, but at least there's a change going on and this time it's more creative driven rather than sales.
4064946
That's a very good question. On one hand, it's implied this takes place after Watchmen, so Rorschach is no more. But then again, Manhattan has all but directly appeared, so at leas he's already present. There's also the mysterious Mister Oz, who some fans theorize is a displaced Ozymandias. If that's the case, then is not that much of a stretch that the others are around.
On the other hand, who is probably around back is The Question, who is basically sane!Rorschach and the original inspiration of the character:
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