Batman: Rebirth (2016) #1

DC Universe: Rebirth

by Tom King (Writer), Scott Snyder (Writer), Mikel Janín (Illustrator)

Longtime Batman and Eisner Award-winning writer Scott Snyder co-writes with rising-star writer Tom King!

EVIL 365: Gotham City faces the threat of the Calendar Man!

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: Hardly chaotic, Batman's robotic, the mood's all cold/unfeeling, dicey scenes feel too routine (flat/apathetic dealings).

*Progress update

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what's happening in this one. In fact, the only thing I'm sure of at this point, is that these one-shot Rebirth issues are waaaaay overpriced.
Still.
If all these are supposed to be are sneak peeks at stuff that is kinda sorta happening to these characters?
Yeah. Then Batman: Rebirth does a decent job telling a story. Again, I'm not sure what this story is supposed to be...but it's a fair to middling story.



Something, something, Calendar Man!


Something, something, a new non-Robin sidekick?



Something, something, shirtless workout montage...


Something, something, Alfred picks an avocado.



I can't believe I'm saying this, but the problem may not be with the comic. It may be that I just (gasp!) don't really care one way or another about Batman anymore. That's sort of a hard pill for me to swallow, so I'm going to continue with this title to see if I can shake the cobwebs off of my feeling.
Maybe we should go to counseling, Bruce?

[Tawfek · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 Read: This was included in the last Batman volume and even though it was the full issue they said it's only a preview for some reason.
Anyway, batman fights the calendar man who seems to have found a way to accelerate the seasons with a big ass machine, so batman goes and destroy it being underwater for a full 6 minutes.
I wonder what will Duke be called with that hideous yellow costume.

2025 Reread: This is why reviews are important if you ever decide to reread.
I forgot the kid's name was Duke.
It seems he lost his parents after the last crime Joker did.
It also seems that Batman himself either lost his memory or was believed dead after his last run in with Joker in Scott Snyder's legendary new 52 Batman run.
Only good things will happen from here on out. All my friends rate Tom King's run very high and write positive reviews about the run.
It's finally time for me to join them.

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have high hopes for this one, but after reading it, Batman Rebirth was just okay. It was well paced, neither too wordy and convoluted nor drowned in action. It is a proper and safe introduction to a new Batman series.

Batman Rebirth has some new and interesting stuff in its sleeve but to be quite frank, I really didn't care about them in the end.

It is way too early to judge if Batman Rebirtg is actually good or not. But for now, I will just leave in in the mediocrity limbo.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars.

I found this really entertaining and interesting! I was a little confused at first, but I usually am when I read comics, so I've learned this is probably just a me thing. It kept me engaged the whole time. And, yes, comics are incredibly short, but sometimes I'm bored throughout reading it and then just when I get invested, it ends. But, not this one! The color scheme was also really nice to look at! Overall, I had a great time reading this. :)

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So obviously it's hard to form an opinion on how good Tom King's new Batman run is based solely on this first short issue, but what I read I really liked. I think it has potential to be good. It all depends on the direction King plans to take his characters on but so far I'm optimistic!

Also, the art gained tons of points with me. Just look how hot Bruce is (hehehe):



(I see what you did there)

[Rebekah Weatherspoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Can’t stand Bruce’s hair.

[Ryan Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like Duke states in the issue, "I'm listening..."

It's good enough to pique my interest, but I'm also not sure there was much of a point outside of the Calendar Man symbolism for DC as a company with its most recent reboot (or maybe I'm reading too much into it?). Always changing, always evolving, but with the memories and experiences of the past. What's the solution? To come back better. I, for one, hope Tom King returns next issue a bit better. Snyder's shoes are going to be hard to fill but I have faith in King.

[Aaron McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was kind of hoping for more, was a quick read. I am keen to see where duke is heading in his superhero life. Some people may not know where duke comes from (you need to check out 'we are Robin') but I think he will add a great element to the batman world, a new type of robin type hero sounds cool ... And his suit is yellow. I don't know how this will mix with the announced "Gotham" and "Gotham girl" if you don't know these characters they are people with superhero powers inspired by batman, but that's all we know for now. I guess we will find out in a few weeks.

[Akylina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually adore watercolour art but this one didn't impress me as much. The story was interesting but it still was merely an introduction, so I'll wait until more of the plot is revealed in the forthcoming issues to form a more solid opinion. I do feel, though, that I have missed some part of the plot..

[Sud666 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why this got such high ratings. Maybe the story did not resonate with me. If this is the rebirth I'm going to wait awhile too see if this is worth it. The artwork is good. The villain? The Calendar Man? I don't know about that one. The story just seemed underwhelming. I think I'll wait till a collected volume is out.

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The DC Universe Rebirth is a "2016 relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the DC Universe to a form much like that prior to the 'Flashpoint' storyline while still incorporating numerous elements of The New 52, including its continuity." Many of these titles now have a twice-monthly release schedule and cost about $ 2.99.

And yes, I straight-up copied that from Wikipedia, sue me. I have been out of touch from my comics for months now because of other preoccupations. I would do my research better next time, which I did too, particularly about new Bat-writer Tom King himself. The man's a multi-tasker since he's currently writing for DC, Marvel and Vertigo. Before doing Batman, he's written for Grayson and outside of his comics career, he joined the CIA counterterrorism unit after 9-11. So that makes him a badass by default. He had an original superhero graphic novel afterwards, and I suppose that explains why he would be a perfect fit to write Dick Grayson becoming an undercover spy in the aforementioned series, and why he's writing for the flagship Batman title now. King's credentials are pretty damn impressive, so I'm definitely intrigued now to see what he can offer content-wise for his run for Batman. The man interned for Chris Claremont as an assistant writer for X-Men too! Just WOW.

This Rebirth issue is a prologue of some sorts, although most readers might mistake that with the relaunch, issues stamped with Rebirth on different titles meant that there's a continuity here that goes back to the official major story of DC Rebirth. It's not the case, though. Batman: Rebirth is a standalone story much like the others which I think should be the case so that readers who only prefer to read Batsy's adventures and follow them religiously can just focus their energies on this title and other Bat-related titles as oppose to purchasing other titles with Rebirth stamped on it that had nothing to do with the Dark Knight. But I digress.

Interestingly enough, this was a collaborative work by Snyder and King. I suppose one can take it as the predecessor passing the torch to the successor symbolically here by writing a collaboration, and in some ways I think it works well. Overall, Rebirth wasn't exactly a stellar standalone. The small moments of dialogue and callbacks to classic roots are what made this issue great, but as a sum of all its other parts, Rebirth just didn't hold that much weight as a standalone. I liked it for those small moments, though. Such as the dialogue exchange between Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox because it was funny (thanks to Fox's dry sense of humor and easy comebacks) as well as enlightening (how Fox managed to get Wayne Enterprises back from government control) if not entirely meta (how comics would usually have their billionaire heroes claim back their empires without that much difficulty).

Mike Janin's illustrations were invigorating to look at in spite of the darker color palette that made most of its panels muddy and not as polished as one might expect. We don't get to see Batman get into thrilling fight sequences here and instead he faced a singular foe in Calendar Man...who apparently has supernatural powers now? I don't have a problem that his characterization has changed because I believe it at least made him formidable enough, and the concept of him aging as seasons turn (and that means he dies by winter and gets reborn again in spring) was for me brilliant, but I sure hope we get an actual explanation about the sudden shift of his representation in canon. Speaking of characters, we're getting Duke Thomas as the new addition for this series. He's not entirely new, though, so to speak. He first appeared back in Zero Year when the Riddler shut off the power in Gotham City and challenged the citizens to 'get smart or die by natural selection' because as the Riddler, he gets to be an asshole.

Zero Year is hands-down my most favorite story arc from Snyder's run, but even I have to research who Duke Thomas is again because I've forgotten all about him for a moment. What we all need to remember foremost is that Duke Thomas has the worst luck. After that debacle during Zero Year, he had also suffered during Endgame during Joker's crazed seige in Gotham. His parents were subjected to the mind-controlling gas. In the meantime, Bruce just offered Duke a place to stay in the mansion while they try to figure out how to reverse the effects of the gas. He also offered him a place by his side as Batman while he fights crime. Duke said he has no interest in becoming the next Robin and even quipped that 'Robin doesn't need a Batman' which is just rude. But Bruce countered that he wasn't offering to train Duke as Robin at all, so way to go on being presumptuous. I for one would like the last Robin to be Damian Wayne, so this is good news. And then Batman showed him a yellow outfit that Duke apparently has to wear now. I'm not sure how to feel about Duke for the time being. I wasn't happy about his snarky comment but I'll give him a pass.

The issue ends with Calendar Man being reborn once spring rolled around. So I guess we'll be seeing more of him and hopefully we finally get a reason why he has powers now all of a sudden. Bruce and Duke are training together by kicking trees which I believe is an improvement on subtlety for Bruce who was doing pull-ups on a skyscraper next to the helicopter pad during the first few pages of the issue. I mean, look...I'm a woman who digs Bruce/Batman very much so that piece of fanservice tickled my ovaries, don't get me wrong, but other than that why would Bruce Wayne even do something so exhibitionist which might only call to attention that he is Batman?

My best guess is that it was done for the ladies because ladies read Batman comics too, and we totally would appreciate some shirtless superhero acrobatics thrown our way every now and then as we flip the pages.

Now was there sarcasm laced within that appreciative statement of my gratitude on behalf of all women for Snyder and King (and Mike Janin most of all) who drew Bruce Wayne in tight black shorts as he hangs suspended on the skyscraper, all sexy perspiration and rippled muscles glistening under the golden sun? You will probably never know, nerds.

[CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE]


It just wouldn't be summer without a sexy Brucey hanging suspended thirty stories high of a skyscraper


RECOMMENDED: 7/10

DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:

[Elena Coorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sin duda un buen inicio de este reseteo, quizá me esperaba una trama algo más atractiva pero para ser el número uno, no está mal. A ver qué tal continua la sarie.
Nos cuentan la historia de Batman contra el hombre estaciones, aunque para mi, lo mejor es la figura del "Señor Thomas", no estoy muy puesta en el tema, pero me encantaría que tuviera el papel de nuevo Robien.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is tree abuse in this comic.

And everyone working for Batman deserves a raise. A big one. Huge.

[Batastrophe]

That was...okay. Batman Rebirth #1 is a relatively slow and calm issue, which I'll admit can be really nice sometimes. I'll also admit that I ended up liking the premise more than I initially thought I would--I mean, Calendar Man? Who would've thought he'd actually be interesting? Not me, until I finished this issue five minutes ago.

Part of the problem is probably because I gave up on N52 Batman a while ago (the only titles I really followed to the present were Batman & Robin and then Robin: Son of Batman.) I peripherally know who Duke is, but not really. But I can't really blame the issue for something that's entirely my fault, so I won't hold that against it. Duke seems like he could be interesting, but I don't get much from him here yet. I guess I'll have to wait and see. I will say I'm very pleased that Duke's getting his own role instead of being another of approximately 14746 Robins. I also really enjoyed how Bruce is written, especially how he changes between when he's wearing the cowl and out of it, even when with people who know he's Batman, like Duke and Alfred. The art is also very nice and clear.

In the end, my only criticism is that I'm not quite sure what the point was here. It doesn't really seem to be setting much up other than Duke's new role. But it's the beginning of a new run, so I'm very willing to see where it goes.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a one-shot story to introduce the Batman part of the whole Rebirth DC is doing. This was disappointing in so many ways. I'll agree that the artwork was perfect and had no flaws whatsoever. But man... it failed in every other department.. The issue even had a gazillion ads that just literally pull you out of the action and kill any momentum to the story. The story itself was fairly basic, it had some interesting things put on hold and probably will be explored with more depths when the series begins. The villain of the issue was interesting, but man, this was too short to make it any way effective..

P.S. A full review to come.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay but I did not come in with a lot of knowledge of the Batman stories that came before. I was under the impression that this would be a jumping on point, which isn't so. There's also a lot of advertisements, pages and pages, in these Rebirth one-shots. And they are situated in the middle of scenes. As my co-worker coined it first: "way to take me out of the action, DC." I've always been a Batman fan. I hope there's more redeeming qualities with the upcoming series.

[asmaa☁️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm impressed and really happy with the artwork and panel layouts (like, nobody does panel layouts like DC <3 but this is pretty impressive). I'm a little bit confused with the story tho. We'll see where this goes.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit slow, but again the rebirth one shots are suppose to just be a hint of what's to come! Overall I thought this was good!

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

was enjoying the issue until that deux ex machina at the very end. not sure how I feel about the new Gotham and Gotham Girl, they're very 'meh' to me.

[Mohamed Shoaib · Rating 4 out of 5]

سلسلة باتمان الجديدة المكتوبة على يد توم كينج رائعة .. ربما انا معجب بها لانها بدايتي في عالم الكتب المصورة و لكني معجب بها بشكل عام

[محمد خالد شريف · Rating 3 out of 5]

لا بأس بها كبداية لعالم باتمان من جديد، أعجبتني شخصية "كالندرمان" وأظن من التقديم لها أنها سيكون لها دور كبير، وذلك الشاب الأسمر الذي لم يُذكر اسمه.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally... a Rebirth that was actually a good comic!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty clearly a set up issue as not much happens outside of some training montages and a loose story about Batman foiling the Calendar Man's plans by being all superhuman. There's a new sidekick, but he's not another Robin so I'm intrigued by that but we have no idea who he is, other than he likes to kick trees with Batman. Plus there are gratuitous sexy shots of Batman; I think DC took a page out of Captain America's Helicopter Biceps and I guess I ain't complaining. Some interesting ideas, but unless substance happens quickly then I won't continue. As an aside, this issue has a bunch of ads in it which really break up the story. I hope ads are placed in the front or back from now on :/



I mean, who doesn't do pull-ups off helicopter landing pads 80 stories off the ground in 137* weather?

[Siona Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read this as a physical single issue, but I'm not able to find that edition on GR, so I'm just going to use this one).

Wow, I hate to say it, but this was my least favorite of this week's releases. I don't know why, but it felt like I took 5 minutes to read this issue (they don't take very long for me mind you, since I can finish a trade in about 30 minutes, but this one seemed to go by super quick compared to the other 3).

Anyways, this wasn't bad, but it wasn't very... interesting, honestly. I hope that the actual title is better than this, because I have read the basic New 52 Batman title, so maybe I just need to a) finish it (damn you trades for taking so long to come out!) and b) realize that this is a different writer.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not great. Mostly a "catch you up, what to expect," type of issue introducing the new King run. I'm hoping the actual issue #1 of the new Batman will be better. The art isn't really my thing and that has me worried. The story has a possibility but hoping that it gets more in-depth with the new run. You can probably skip this one and go straight to the Batman(2016) #1. Doesn't cover any of the reveal/story from DC Universe Rebirth.

[Arturo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is Duke from We are Robin??
Idk.
The issue starts with a fight with Calendar Man which was for some reason awesome. Iv been following Calendar Man's news reports at the end of most New52 back issues, so it's nice seeing him again, lol.
After that, the issue is mostly introductory for the coming Bat titles. I liked the ending with what Alfred does, it's kinda... artistic? I mean It's stupid, but still artistic.

[Bambi Hyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. I feel like it was really short and kinda started in the middle. I'm curious to see where it's going and I do like it so far. It's like a sample of what's to come so I suggest going into with that mindset.

[Angélica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what I was expecting, actually, but it was interesting.

[Eugene Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

*mild-spoiler(?)* When Batman hangs off from a helipad's railing at the top of Wayne Enterprises to do pull-ups, you know crazy things are gonna happen in later issues. I'm pumped!