7 Things To Expect From DC’s Rebirth Year 2

In May 2016, DC Comics launched its Rebirth - a new comic book era that's reshaped the DC Universe. Kicked off by Geoff Johns in DC Universe - Rebirth #1, the initiative has redefined pretty much every comic across the range. It's been a tremendous success so far, too, as comic book sales have skyrocketed to a level not seen in 20 years, and DC's market share has increased dramatically. In creative terms, individual books have been stronger than ever. Even when creative teams have stayed the same, the quality of the books has drastically improved. But here's the catch; Rebirth isn't an event, it's an era. As far back as that first issue, DC planted seeds that are still yet to grow. That means, even as we look forward to the next year in comics, there are still clues that are yet to be explored and questions and hints that give us a sense of what's to come. On that note, join us as we take a look at 7 things that we can expect from the future of DC's Rebirth! 1) Watchmen First teased in Justice League #50, DC Universe - Rebirth #1 shocked fans when it revealed that the villains of the era are actually the stars of Alan Moore's Watchmen! To understand the significance of this reveal, you have to understand the impact Watchmen had on DC Comics. Though it's never before been part of the established continuity, the comic's success led DC to gradually realign their universe around some of the darker principles fans loved in Watchmen. A classic example is that DC's heroes began to follow the pattern of Doctor Manhattan, becoming 'gods among men' who were distances from the world they strove to protect. The New 52 even saw Superman essentially rebooted, with the Lois Lane relationship dropped; instead, Superman and Wonder Woman became an item. Rebirth should be seen as a reaction against this. According to DC Universe - Rebirth #1, something has stolen ten years of time from the DC Universe; in doing so, these dangerous forces stole the love, the joy, the hope, the relationships, and the general pervading sense of optimism. Rebirth is all about bringing that back. And, fittingly, the characters of Watchmen are the ones who were responsible for it all - just as Watchmen inspired the cultural shift in comics! Since launching Rebirth back in May, Geoff Johns has gone on to head up DC Film; but looking forward to the new year, he revealed that he's soon to return to comics. He also hinted that he'll be revisiting that Watchmen theme... https://twitter.com/geoffjohns/status/815450084024328192 2) The Button Spinning out of the Watchmen theme, DC Universe - Rebirth #1 planted an intriguing plot - Batman discovered a mysterious, blood-stained button in the wall of the Batcave. Fans will surely know that the button is the trademark of the Watchmen character known as the Comedian, so it's clear it'll be one of the major clues for DC's superheroes. We also recently learned that, later this year, the world's greatest detectives - Batman and the Flash - will unite to unravel the button's mysteries. In a crossover that bears the rather uninspiring (but on-the-nose) title of "The Button," the duo will find themselves matching wits against an unexpected third party. Running through issues #21 and #22 of Batman and The Flash, "The Button" is sure to set the foundations for Rebirth Year 2 and as such, will be a crossover that you can't afford to miss! 3) The Ongoing Mystery Of Superman DC's New 52 initiative had introduced us to a new version of the Man of Steel, a younger, less seasoned hero. Shockingly, the build-up to Rebirth saw DC choose to kill this version of Superman off, replacing him with the time-displaced pre-New-52 version. It was a stroke of genius, because this twist has reintroduced the marriage to Lois Lane and given us a tremendous new hero in their son, the new Superboy. But, with hints that the New 52 timeline wasn't a reboot after all but had actually been manipulated by the characters of Watchmen, who was the New 52 Superman? There are definitely some tantalizing clues out there; back in his run on Superman, Geoff Johns seeded a character called Mr. Oz who claimed to have taught Superman about responsibility. It's pretty clear to fans that this is actually Ozymandias, one of the Watchmen. Meanwhile, the New 52 Superman's death transferred some of his powers to two innocent bystanders - the New 52 Lois Lane and Lana Lang! In a shocking twist, Superwoman #1 proved that this was unstable by literally killing the New 52 Lois Lane, but Lana is still the star of the Superwoman title. This is one of the abiding mysteries of Rebirth and it needs to be explored in a lot more depth. Hopefully we'll start getting some answers soon! 4) Superboy And Robin Speaking of Superboy, Rebirth has seen a strong focus on young Jonathan Kent. Peter J. Tomasi and Richard Gleason have been working together on the popular Superman book, and it's had a large family focus, culminating in an arc called "In The Name Of The Father." This teamed up Jonathan Kent's Superboy with Damian Wayne's Robin, and built up a great friendship between the two characters - albeit one characterized by spats and arguments. All that's leading to a new book, Super Sons, which will star this dynamic duo and explore the legacies of Batman and Superman. In part, a focus on these two characters is DC's answer to Marvel's successful 'Legacy Heroes'; over the past seven years, Marvel's seen real success in shifting the focus on to the next generation, with popular heroes like Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales's Ultimate Spider-Man and Riri Williams's new Ironheart. DC has to be hoping that Superboy and Robin will capture fans' hearts in just the same kind of way. I'm not actually expecting Super Sons to be critical to the overarching story of Rebirth, but without a doubt this is a book to watch. It's a direct challenge to Marvel's decades-long dominance, a sign of DC's growing confidence, and a hint of a new direction that will - if successful - continue well beyond the Rebirth era. 5) More Legacy Heroes Super Sons isn't the only response DC is making to Marvel's 'Legacy Heroes.' Spinning out of the current Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, the upcoming Justice League of America series is one of the most hotly-anticipated books of 2017. With a very unusual team consisting of Batman, Lobo, Black Canary, the Ray, the Atom, Vixen and Killer Frost, and written by the talented Steve Orlando, it promises to change nature of the DC universe. Both Justice League of America - The Atom - Rebirth #1 and Justice League of America - Vixen - Rebirth #1 have set up a distinct 'Legacy Hero' vibe. The books have even added the diversity element to the book; the new Atom is a Chinese student of Ray Palmer's, while Vixen is an African celebrity who longs to use her money to do good. This isn't the only book to have a distinct 'Legacy Hero' vibe, though. Take the phenomenal Green Lanterns, written by none other than Sam Humphries. It stars Jessica Cruz and and Simon Baz, the latest ring-bearers, who've stepped up to become members of the Justice League. 6) Tim Drake's Death One of the strongest Rebirth issues so far, Detective Comics #940, shook Batman's world. Tim Drake, the superhero Red Robin, was put in an impossible position; military drones were swarming across Gotham and he was the only one who could stop them from targeting innocent people. In a heart-wrenching moment of true heroism, he did this by reprogramming them to identify him as their main target. This led to the death of a Robin, and the Batman books have since been focused on exploring the emotional impact this has had on the Caped Crusader and his friends. But of course, these are comics, and Detective Comics #940 didn't waste any time pretending that Red Robin's death was for real. Instead, we learned that he'd been mysteriously spirited away by the enigmatic Mr. Oz. It seems that Tim Drake was restoring emotional connections that the villains of Rebirth didn't want to be there. Tantalizingly, it's been teased that Red Robin is one of three characters who are imprisoned by Mr. Oz. So, who are the others? We still don't know, but sooner or later the world will learn that Red Robin is still alive and the impact on the Batman books will be immense. 7) The Legion Of Super Heroes DC Universe - Rebirth #1 dropped a hint that the Legion of Super Heroes would be a part of the era; we saw a glimpse of a mysterious girl with a Legion flight-ring, who'd come to our time looking for Superman. As Batman #9 revealed, this girl - who seems to be Saturn Girl - has wound up in Arkham Asylum. The plot's been a slow-burner, running in the background of the Rebirth era. Until, that is, the current Justice League vs. Suicide Squad miniseries. This revealed that the Emerald Empress, a classic Legion villain, has traveled to the present day in pursuit of Saturn Girl. In #4, the Emerald Empress wound up going head-to-head with the Green Lanterns, and it didn't go well for her; she wound up fleeing, declaring that she had to find Saturn Girl. Superman described her as a problem for another day, and DC dropped in a note to tell us that would happen soon, in the pages of Supergirl. The Emerald Empress's appearance told fans that the Legion arc is about to come to a head. What this will mean for the Legion is anyone's guess, but it's sure to include a new Legion of Super Heroes series! These are just some of the thrills we can expect from the second year of DC's Rebirth. The first 12 months have been an incredible success - but it's only the setup for what's to come. From Justice League of America to Legion of Super Heroes, we can surely expect 2017 to be filled with even more eye-catching thrills and superhero hijinks!