Titans: Rebirth #1 Review

Our comic opens with a brief narration from Wally West, the only member of the original Teen Titans who remembers what life was like before the New 52. Wally’s absence from the New 52 Universe was explained in the initial issue of DC rebirth which continues to elude me, but from my understanding, Wally, formerly known as Kid Flash and later The Flash, has been trapped in the time stream for the past several years and emerged only recently to find that everything had changed and that his mentor, Barry Allen, was the only one who could remember him. At the moment, Wally is lamenting the fact that his former friends and allies from the Titans no longer know who he is.

Wally’s narration is interrupted when he is attacked by Nightwing. Naturally Dick doesn’t remember who Wally is, but as soon as he makes physical contact with Wally, he finds he knows who Wally is, but cannot explain how. However, Dick and Wally’s reunion is short-lived as the rest of the Titans, Donna Troy, Arsenal, Aqualad and Lilith, arrive and attack, thinking Wally has just taken down Nightwing. Once again, contact with Wally creates brief flashes of memories. With the entire team’s memory more-or-less restored, the Titans share a heart-warming embrace.

Wally explains to the team where he’s been all this time and says that someone has been meddling with time, attacking the world by altering its history. Wally’s not sure who’s behind it, but he vows that the Titans will uncover the mystery together before whoever it is tries this again.

What Works: It is wonderful to see Wally West again. Wally’s absence in my mind was one of the most disappointing aspects of the New 52 and was something that irritated me to no end. I rather like Wally’s new outfit as well. It’s sort of a halfway point between Kid-Flash and The Flash, which is fitting. This way, he differentiates himself from Barry, but no longer has carries the stigma of being a sidekick.

Also, it’s just nice to see the original Teen Titans back together. Frankly, the New 52 incarnation of the Titans was just awful in my humble opinion, and they never captured the sense of comradery that the old team was known for. What Doesn’t:

As you can likely surmise from the brevity of this article, this comic feels like a very quick read.

Overall: 3.5/5 A lite-on-the-action issue, but still an enjoyable one that promises more intrigue to come.