If you’re a brand new reader wanting to get into DC Comics, you’re in luck. New History of the DC Universe #1—from writer Mark Waid, artists Todd Nauck and Jerry Ordway, colorists Matt Herms and John Kalisz, and letterer Todd Klein—summarizes an early chunk of the universe’s history, as the title suggests, and gives the information to the reader a page at a time, with each focusing on a different event. It’s all mostly old universe lore mixed in with some new stuff from the past few years, so it is definitely nice to have an updated look at the DCU. The problem really is that, with so much of DC’s history being the same as it was in ‘86, it’s hard to feel excited about yet another recap of mostly the same things.

The issue starts with Barry Allen, the Flash, sitting at his desk. He’s decided to use this free time to write down the history of the universe as he knows it—knowledge that he has gained through his own travels. The rest of the issue is primarily just him recording these events with some really great pages present to show each event he writes.

WRITING 

There’s not really a lot of character work in this issue, as it’s primarily all just the retelling of the universe. Waid was smart for using Barry Allen as our main narrator for this, as he’s the character who most likely knows the most about the universe currently through his travels. After his introduction, he mostly takes a backseat for the rest of the issue. It all just kind of becomes text explaining what we’re seeing in the art. Waid retreads very familiar ground, but his addition of the events of the past few years to the lore is definitely welcome. While the book may not seem entirely necessary, it is nice to have an updated, modern record of everything. The problem is really that, while Waid should be commended for some of his deeper cuts and explanations here, the book kind of falls into this weird category where, despite being an explanatory issue, it can still seem daunting to new readers, and older readers either will already know what he’s talking about, or just aren’t totally interested in the things they don’t know at this point. It’s incredibly comprehensive and an impressive collection of knowledge, but it doesn’t do a whole lot to grab either of those groups.

ART

Nauck and Ordway do some great work here, respectively. While Ordway primarily handles the classic sections we’re most likely always familiar with, Nauck focuses on the newer additions to the lore. The two swap frequently, but that’s primarily the ground each covers. The pages have a really nice contrast to them actually. The Ordway sections are sort of flat and static, really giving the vibe of lore being retold. The Nauck sections, however, are much more dynamic, and have a pretty modern feel to them, like the information is new and a recent discovery, but it still belongs here with everything else. The work of the two comes together really nicely this way. The way each of them combines multiple massive events on a single page is a really impressive feat that really works in favor of the recalling nature of the book.

COLORS

The coloring from both Herms and Kalisz pairs really with Nauck and Ordway’s works. Herms really adds some more to those Nauck sections by using a more modern coloring technique. It fits the aesthetic of those sections and is really what makes those more dynamic portions pop. Kalisz works on the Ordway chunks, and he gives us some of the issue’s best work. He follows all of Ordway’s recap pages with these amazing colors that split up depending on what part of the page its on, changing for each little thing it’s retelling. Every page is bursting with color from all the different things we’re shown. In a comic that really zooms through DC’s history, Herms and Kalisz keep up well.

LETTERS

There are no speech bubbles in the issue; Klein only really has to use narration boxes when lettering the issue. They’re supposed to be Barry Allen’s records, but honestly the boxes flow really nicely throughout each page just and really gives it a sort of an omniscient feel. We’re being told all of this by a character we know, but the lettering almost makes it seem like what we’re learning is not only on account of Barry Allen, but the gods and those all-knowing as well. Klein also does a great job with this section at the end of the book citing individual issues. It’s a lot of work, but he remains consistent with it the entire way through.

CONCLUSION 

New History of the DC Universe #1 is a welcome retelling of DC’s history with some new stories being used to update that retelling, but it’s not something that’s going to be for everyone. Despite that, the team puts their all into making something detailed and comprehensive that’s very technically impressive regardless of content. Waid, Nauck, Ordway, Herms, Kalisz, and Klein each fill their respective roles beautifully in putting myth and lore to page in digestible segments that’s fairly simple to keep up with. Pacing is a slight worry for the remaining three issues, but the content present here covers some decent ground and never really feels rushed or prolonged. Overall, this is a very solid beginning to a retelling that’s sure to be used as a reference for many going forward.