Review: "Green Lanterns: Rebirth" #1

Sadly, Green Lanterns: Rebirth doesn't do particularly much to keep its readers invested, even though protagonists Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are wonderfully complex characters, whose back stories are signified by loss and perseverance in the face of public and private adversity. 

Writers Johns and Humphries, however, don't explore this intriguing potential enough here, but focus half the comic on their uninspired banter and quarrels, before Hal Jordan makes them team up to defend earth. Think of him as some sort of cosmic Edward James Olmos in a buddy cop comic story that you shouldn't already give up on now, but that needs to figure out what it really wants to be and where its strengths ultimately lie.

5/10

First Impressions of the "DC Universe Rebirth"

If there's one thing you'd have to give the "DC Universe Rebirth" credit for, it would certainly be its relentless pursuit of something grand. Writer Geoff Johns is aiming high and he knows it, but he's also aware that there's something at stake here, with much more to lose for him and DC Comics than to win. A successful rebirth event might result in a creatively compelling future for a lot of DC's trademark series. If it goes wrong, though, it might take a long time for DC to recover from it.

However, after reading the first chapter, focusing on the Wally West incarnation of The Flash and his struggle to escape the Speed Force, it all looks very promising. Probably its greatest achievement is that "Rebirth" makes complex and complicated matters look easy. If you don't know know what "Flashpoint" is or what happened during "The New 52" era, it all doesn't really matter. Johns impressively manages to pack a lot of coherently presented information in these first few pages. New readers will instantly feel familiarized with something bigger, while seasoned readers might be happy about the little update.

Sure, there is a sense of self-importance that permeates the story, Batman pales beside the strong writing Wally receives, and Gary Frank's and Ethan van Sciver's polished art plays it too safe at times, but all in all this is a more than satisfying first part of DC's ambitious rebirth event.