With Rebirth now in full swing and so many exciting new titles to try, we can’t blame anyone for needing a reminder of what happened in the last issue. Or maybe you’re looking to add a new book to your list and need to get caught up on earlier chapters? Either way, we’re here to help. Every week, we’ll be recapping the prior issues of that week’s new Rebirth and Hanna-Barbera comics, as well as sharing our favorite moments. It’s a quick, easy way to ensure you’re up to speed and ready for New Comic Day. Plus, as a bonus, we’ve included a few animated recaps, to give you just a little more detail.

We hope you find these recaps helpful, but be aware that they do contain some spoilers!

The Flash #10

By Josh Williamson, Felipe Watanabe, Oclair Albert and Chris Sotomayor

Wally may be working as Kid Flash “officially” now, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to take on the villains of Central City by himself...despite what he may think. Especially now that there is a considerable power vacuum in the underworld since the Rogues hit the road after the Speed Force storms began happening. It’s not exactly an ideal situation for an overconfident young speedster; something that Wally is quickly learning about first hand. He attempts to stop a new gimmicky villain calling himself “Papercut” in the park, but needs to be bailed out by Barry before the fight is over. The brush with disaster lands him grounded by Iris and even more frustrated at Flash’s cageyness about his own secret identity. Luckily for Wally, he’s presented with a chance to prove his skill to Flash—and the rest of the city—once and for all. There are rumors of a “living shadow” stalking the streets, some sort of super villain meets boogeyman, and he might give Wally the perfect opportunity...or, you know, spell out certain doom for a teenaged speedster.

Unforgettable Moment: Wally may try to hunt down the “living shadow” to gain some glory for himself, but when he comes face to face with the monster, his first instinct is to offer to help him—not defeat him. It looks like Barry’s rubbed off on him in all the right ways so far. Now we just have to hope he finds him in time.

Detective Comics #944

By James Tynion IV, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Adriano Lucas

Batwing’s ability to work well with the team is put to the ultimate test as the charity gala comes under attack by the group of villains responsible for attacking FoxTech and Luke’s father earlier that week. They’re calling themselves the “Victim Syndicate” and they are less interested in any sort of material gain and more interested in making sure that all of Gotham knows exactly who, and what, they are. Which is to say: innocent bystanders who, in one way or another, were collateral damage in Batman’s various encounters with his super-powered villains. Batman is able to cut their grandstanding short, but at the cost of a massive fight that allows them all to escape. Now, at the very least, the team is able to do some digging and discover the details of exactly who they’re up against. At least, that is, for everyone but the Victim Syndicate’s leader. He or she calls themselves “The First Victim” and, as far as everyone else is concerned, they’re a ghost.

Unforgettable Moment: Whoever the First Victim may be, it looks like they’ve got a special interest in Steph. While she’s recovering from the fight at the gala in Leslie Thompkin’s clinic, she gets one very, very unwelcome visitor in the dead of night. The First Victim would like to have a chat. But why? And about what, exactly?

Titans #4

By Dan Abnett, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse

Abra Kadabra’s gambit gets murderous when he gives Wally an ultimatum for rescuing the kidnapped Linda Park: find Linda wherever Kadabra has stowed her in less than one hour, or she pays the ultimate price. And considering Kadabra’s techno-magic, that may not even be enough time for the Fastest Man Alive. Luckily, Wally isn’t alone in his efforts. The Titans band together and then split up to cover more ground in their hunting, but their teams of two are intercepted by the magician’s puppet doppelgangers at every turn—and their magical doubles do not go down easy. In fact, they don’t go down at all. Not good. Now, with his friends incapacitated and thrust into a death trap all their own, Wally is left with an impossible choice: use his remaining time to save Linda, or run to help his teammates. There’s no way he can save them all, but Wally is willing to die trying.  

Unforgettable Moment: He may be one of the only Titans without metahuman abilities, but Dick Grayson’s cool head under pressure is what makes him the leader of the team. Before Wally spirals into a panic, and before Lilith flies into a self destructive fog of doubt, Dick is able to ground his teammates back to the mission at hand. Good work, Boy Wonder.

Wonder Woman #9

By Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp and Laura Martin

Steve meets with Director Bordeaux to debrief her about their mission: rescuing the kidnapped girls, taking down Urzkartaga (by forcing his spirit into a lovely house plant) and putting Cadulo in custody. Meanwhile in Washington, Veronica Cale develops a plan with Adrianna to retrieve Urzkartaga and get Wonder Woman under their control. Wonder Woman, Commander Candy and Barbara Minerva go shopping to help Barbara get adjusted to once again being human. While at the mall, admirers gather to get a glimpse of Wonder Woman. Later, Diana and Steve go on a date and share a kiss. Barbara figures out that Themyscira isn’t a literal place, but a divine one that does not exist in our world. Steve and Diana then find themselves in Themyscira, where a group of Amazons meets them—led by Diana’s mom.

Unforgettable Moment: This issue has us wondering what what’s Veronica Cale’s angle is?

Batgirl #4

By Hope Larson, Rafael Albuquerque and Dave McCaig

Another run-in with Teacher’s students leaves Babs with a better understanding of the mysterious cabal of costumed strangers—Teacher’s students are literal students. They’re all people who are looking for a second chance on their unforgiving college exams and willing to do anything to get it, even falling in with someone like Teacher, who is encouraging them to put on costumes and break laws. And Kai’s piece of this puzzle turns out to be the bio-encrypted formula he’s been smuggling. It’s an experimental chemical compound designed to increase brain power, and it’s something Teacher and her students are desperate to get their hands on, no matter the cost. Without Babs there to protect him, tracking Kai down and incapacitating him isn’t so hard. Now with the mystery of Teacher and her students all but pieced together, Babs has one final move to make—to confront Teacher directly and put a stop to her plans. But, with the stolen formula in hand, she might prove to be a bigger challenge than Batgirl was expecting.

Unforgettable Moment: Babs can’t handle every problem by herself, so it’s a good thing she’s got some good friends willing to help. A call to Frankie Charles back in Burnside helps Babs connect some dots…and also helps her overall morale. Sometimes you just need to hear your best friend’s voice.

Teen Titans #1

By Benjamin Percy, Jonboy Meyers and Jim Charalampidis

Damian’s unorthodox methods have netted him four prisoners—Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy and Kid Flash, who are all far less than impressed with their pint-sized captor. But much like his father, Damian doesn’t do anything without a thorough plan. It turns out the Boy Wonder’s thirteenth birthday prompted some introspection, and from that introspection came a spark of inspiration. Damian believes that, under his guidance and direction, the legacy of the Teen Titans can not only be reborn, but take root and grow stronger than ever. And he’ll prove it using none other than some good old-fashioned antagonizing and reverse psychology. By making himself the target of their aggression, Damian demonstrates to the group that they really do function instinctively as a team; they just need something there to unify their goals. He’s more than up to the task...they just have to agree to join him. And it might not be a moment too soon, because halfway across the globe, another force is amassing a team, and it’s one that may hit a little too close to home for a certain ambitious Robin. From the shadows of Infinity Island, Ra’s al Ghul prepares to strike.

Unforgettable Moment: Beast Boy’s powers are…well, kind of weird, or so his new teammates are quickly finding out. Wally is a little less than thrilled when he has to cart a shapeshifted octopus around, rather than literally any other animal that wouldn’t be so slimy. But like Gar is quick to defend, sometimes he’s in a rush and these things just happen.

Harley Quinn #7

By Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, John Timms and Alex Sinclair

Jello leads Harley deep into the heart of the superhero fetish club that she and her band mates have been working to steal props for and it’s... Well, let’s just say it would be a pretty surreal moment for anyone else, but thankfully, Harley’s no stranger to weird. The club itself seems almost harmless until Jello introduces Harley to the lower levels—themed after Arkham Asylum itself, of course—where patrons are allowed to participate in a hyper-violent super heroic fight club. Meanwhile, Jello’s band mate, Billy, meets with their boss, the person funding and organizing the theft of super heroic memorabilia to be traded at the club—the boss who turns out to be none other than the Penguin himself. He, of course, is quick to blow Harley’s cover and immediately sends Billy to rectify the situation with a little lethal force. Unfortunately for both Billy and Jello, they underestimate Harley’s willingness to use lethal force right back. When the dust settles, Harley moves to confront Penguin about his operation and send a pretty clear message about what she intends to do if she catches him dealing in trading memorabilia—especially memorabilia relating to her past—ever again.

Unforgettable Moment: During their confrontation, Oswald digs deep at Harley when he remarks that her motives are actually feeling a little like a certain Caped Crusader in that moment. After all, shutting down a smuggling ring? Seems a little goody-goody, doesn’t it? Horrified at the very thought, Harley is quick to show Cobblepot just how unlike the Bat she really is.

The Hellblazer #3

By Simon Oliver, Moritat and Andre Szymanowicz

Chas Chandler goes to collect his winnings from the horse race, which raises suspicion since the odds were 500 to 1. Constantine floats down the cosmic portal, only to come out the other side and greeted by his aquaintance Map—whose mental state is a little off. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing and Mercury travel to the Rot, where they come across a wormhole. The two agree that Mercury should enter, leaving Swamp Thing alone among the decay. At the same time, Marid questions Clarice as to the whereabouts of Constantine, using an acquaintance of hers to try and blackmail her into giving him the information. When she refuses, Marid kills him and then walks over to Clarice, who begins to start rapidly aging. She gives up the name of “Chas Chandler” to him. Back under the ground, Map explains to Constantine that before humans, there were the Djinn and that the Djinn want to find Swamp Thing for a reason he is not sure of. Constantine heads back to Chas’s place where he’s shocked to see Chas has been tied up and gagged by some tough guys who are waiting for him.

Unforgettable Moment: Awesome issue that has us interested in learning more about the Djinn and what they want with Earth.

Blue Beetle #2

By Keith Giffen, Scott Kolins and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Jaime’s already complicated life is getting more and more topsy-turvy by the day. As if running around as a super hero under the supervision of an eccentric billionaire wasn’t enough, it turns out Jaime isn’t the only person in his neighborhood moonlighting with special abilities. A local gang calling themselves the Posse has experienced a rash of meta-gene awakenings, providing them with mutations and special abilities—all well and good, except for the fact that, in addition to the meta-genes, there also seems to be a rash of disappearances. Superpowered kids are vanishing and no one seems to be actively noticing or caring outside of the Posse themselves. Well, the Posse and Ted Kord, who seems to have made their cases his mission. He’s even gone as far as to designated Jaime’s mother their go-to doctor, much to Jaime’s extreme dismay. It looks like Jaime doesn’t have much choice but to accept the fact that the Posse are now his allies. Or, well, as close to allies as a gang of delinquents can be.

Unforgettable Moment: Jaime’s temporary “partnership” (emphasis on those air quotes) with one of the Posse’s own, a meta girl named Blur, proves to be…well, interesting. The two fall into something close to the relationship between Pepe Le Pew and Penelope almost immediately—and while that may be awful for Jaime, it’s pretty fun for us to read.

Deathstroke #6

By Priest, Larry Hama, Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz and Jeromy Cox

Tensions in the Wilson family run high as both Slade and Rose pursue their own leads about the origins of the price on Rose’s head. For Slade, that means a return trip to the nation from which he rescued his kidnapped former teammate, Billy Wintergreen (and also helped kickstart a brutal civil war) to rendezvous with Ja Zaki, the Red Lion. Slade needs his help in getting some answers from Richard, Rose’s current (but soon to be “former”) boyfriend, who Slade has reason to suspect is a key player in attempting to get his daughter killed. Meanwhile, back in the states, Rose is still working under the idea that Batman placed in her head: that Slade himself was attempting to have Rose executed to manipulate her. She takes this information to her half-brother, Joey, who is similarly at odds with their father in hopes to gain another perspective, and maybe enlist an ally to uncover the truth. But it turns out that Joey himself might have some secrets of his own to keep.

Unforgettable Moment: Billy Wintergreen’s been through a lot these last couple of years, and partnering back up with Slade certainly hasn’t made his life any easier. During their infiltration of Sub-Saharan Africa, Billy has to act as pilot, emergency evac, and tech liason for Slade’s…uh, well let’s call them “heroics.” That includes giving Slade a rundown of some new tech Hosun provided: boots inspired by the suit worn by Steel himself.

Batman Beyond #1

By Dan Jurgens, Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo

Since his return from Spellbinder’s control, Terry’s life has been even more chaotic than normal. A gang of Joker devotees who have taken over a corner of Neo Gotham and labeled it “Jokerz Town” has kidnapped Dana. Their leader, who calls himself Terminal, believes he can revive the original Joker—something that might sound crazy, except Terminal and his flunkies have actually managed to get their hands on the Joker’s corpse. To make things even worse, Terry’s out of practice. His time off has left him out of shape, and as he rushes to save Dana, he finds himself waylaid by a Venom infused Jokerz gang member and fighting a losing battle right in the middle of the Jokerz home turf. It’s clear that the direct Batman approach isn’t going to work this time. If Terry has any hope of rescuing Dana and retaking Neo Gotham back from the gang’s grasp, he’s going to have to think outside the box, even if that means becoming something he hates. It’s time to go undercover.

Unforgettable Moment: Terry learns almost immediately that being Batman isn’t something you can just come back to after a long vacation—especially not when you’re fighting on enemy turf. The Venom-addled Jokerz member was one thing…the entire swarm of face-painted maniacs who descend on him while he’s down is another.

Future Quest #4

By Jeff Parker, Doc Shaner, Ron Randall, Veronica Gandini, Craig Rousseau, and Jeremy Lawson

The fight against F.E.A.R and Jezebel Jade gets even more chaotic with Ty suddenly thrust into the role of super hero, care of Mightor’s club, and even more prehistoric creatures joining the fray. Thankfully, the chaos is just as much a problem for F.E.A.R as it is for everyone else, and Team Quest is able to ever so slightly gain the upper hand—though it nearly costs them Birdman. Luckily for Ray, however, Ty is adapting pretty quickly to his new powers. In the confusion, Jade and the F.E.A.R agents concede that their objective—a “power source” in the ruins—is lost, but do their best to scrape together a victory where they can. Namely, by retreating from the battlefield with Dr. Quest himself as a captive. Now, with vortexes cropping up all across the globe and a growing roster of hostages, it looks like Zin’s forces may have lost the battle, but could be winning the war.

Unforgettable Moment: Rule number one of superpowered fights involving prehistoric creatures: use your distractions where you can get them. In order to ensure Jade and his minions were able to abscond with Quest in hand, Zin sends a—you guessed it—raptor with a bomb strapped to it, charging into the fray. How’s that for a diversion?
 

We'll be back in a week with another set of Reader Recaps. Also, don't miss our weekly new comic book unboxing every Tuesday on Periscope for an exclusive preview of the week's new comics!