DC comics took fans by surprise this year with the announcement of their all new Rebirth event that hit shelves last month. People were plenty skeptical about this idea and assumed it was another complete re-launch like the New 52, or possibly even worse. I was among the skeptics at first, until I heard the very first Rebirth teaser from Geoff Johns who is the Chief Creative Officer for DC comics. My skepticism quickly turned into enthusiasm, awe and eventually goosebumps. After having read every Rebirth book that is out right now, I’m here to tell you that DC has once again got it going on. DC has made reading comic books exciting again and I’m here to share that excitement with you. Here are my top 10 reasons why DC Rebirth is getting it right.

#1 Wally West is Back!

As long as you haven’t been living under a rock, in a cave somewhere; then you know a little something about Rebirth and the former Kid Flash plays an integral part in that story. Wally has been trapped within the speedforce, just outside of time; able to look in but not make contact. Being the man outside of time gave Wally the ability to see what no one else was a ble to, that someone had stolen 10 years of time and horribly altered the DC universe. Someone had snuck in during the wake of Flashpoint and took advantage of the weakness in time. Without any hesitation and with great risk to himself, Wally decides he has to make contact and warn his friends about this transgression. One little problem, nobody remembers who Wally is or that he ever even existed. He tries to make contact with Batman first and that doesn’t go so well. Then on his last ditch attempt he appears to Barry, who at first reacts just like Batman. Just as Wally is just about to disappear into the speedforce to be forgotten forever; Barry reaches out and pulls Wally back from the brink. This is the moment that really creates Rebirth for me. The return of Wally West is the return of hope, love, and friendship to the DC universe.

#2 The Return of Classic Dick

Yes this is my number two reason for being uber excited over Rebirth. Dick Grayson is back as Nightwing and fitting comfortably back in his classic black and blue costume; my world is now complete. Not only is he picking up the mantle of Nightwing once again, he is also reunited with the Titans; Garth, Roy, Donna, Lilith and yes now Wally too! I’m super thrilled to see Roy back with the Titans after his split with Jason Todd in the last issue of Red Hood/Arsenal. With Wally restoring all their memories in Titans Rebirth (out June 15th), the gang is back together and ready to take on who or what has done this dastardly deed. Titans Rebirth is a phenomenal book and you will not want to miss out on this reunion.

#3 Superman is Still Dead (or is he???)

I know this doesn’t sound like a great reason to be excited, but trust me that with Superman Rebirth Peter Tomasi is bringing his “A” game to this new story. After ripping our hearts out with the death of our universe’s Superman in Superman #52, Tomasi is giving us a new version on the old classic. There is much mystery surrounding this new Superman who first showed up wearing a black suit, looking very rugged and yummy. This Clark is married to Lois and together they have a super son named Jonathan. They have hinted that this is an alternate universe or alternate time line Clark, but who ever he is; he has the stones to pull off being our Superman. DC is doing things very right with the Superman franchise at this moment. Clark promises to give our world hope again by dawning the classic colors and cape of his predecessor. “These colors will fly.”

#4 Green Arrow/Black Canary Sparks Fly

Rebirth starts off with Oliver Queen really contemplating his place in society and what kind of man he wants to be. Very quickly Black Canary shows up and shakes his world upside down. Dinah and Oliver’s meeting was instant attraction; they immediately felt drawn to one another, like their blinders had been removed. I’m glad DC has given us back one of my all time favorite couples; I mean wild horses couldn’t keep these two apart. Green Arrow #1 already has these two hot and heavy in the sheets, but not necessarily a couple yet, that would be way too easy. It is really great to feel that love and passion from within these DC titles again. It does not diminish the action or the intrigue, but gives it another layer of dimension. I will always root for love to win out in the end, and I am so glad to have something to cheer for once again.

#5 Holy Bat-Family

With Rebirth pulling out all the stops, we are getting to see Gotham City fully staffed with many members of the bat-family. Batman is now fully restored and sporting his nifty new suit, along with some new recruits. I’m thrilled they are not going to let some of these great characters fall to the wayside. He has got Spoiler, Orphan, Tim Drake and now Clayface too; all training for whatever new threat Gotham might be facing next. Batman is giving the task of training over to his new lieutenant Batwoman (Kate Kane), who was just unequivocally confirmed to be Bruce’s cousin. I love the family feel and camaraderie that Batman Detective Comics has going on. Thanks to James Tynon IV we have one killer series to look forward to.

#6 Lanterns, Lanterns, and wait…..more Lanterns

With the mysterious disappearance of the entire Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan must be off world dealing with that crisis; leaving Earth in the hands of 2 rookie Lanterns. The newly designated guardians of Earth are hot head Simon Baz who likes to carry a gun because he doesn’t yet trust the power of his ring and Jessica Cruz; a female lantern that suffers from anxiety and mild agoraphobia. I don’t’ know how safe I am feeling, and to make matters worse Hal has forced these two to work as a team. They are an interesting pairing for sure, and they better get their crap together because little do they know Atrocitus is back and bringing the full rage of the remaining Red Lanterns to Earth. I’m looking forward to finding out more about why the rings choose these two and what exactly this means for the future of the Lantern Corps.

#7 Wonder Woman’s World Gets Rocked

Rebirth starts Wonder Woman out reeling from some newly discovered secrets that were just dropped on her in Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok’s Justice League #50. She finds out that she had a twin brother named Jason and that he was “the true chosen one,” not Steve Trevor as previously believed. This information leads Diana to question everything she holds to be truth, including; her heritage as half god, her purpose, and where she fits in this world of mortal man. These are some heavy questions for the Amazon Princess to deal with and she might not like the answers she finds once she starts digging. Just when we thought we knew all there was about this goddess, Rebirth comes along and shakes everything up. Diana is emotional, still reeling from the death of Superman and now this. How will she deal with this emotional turmoil in her life? This is what is fabulous about Rebirth right now is that they are tackling some truly hard, emotional questions that will have serious and lasting repercussions.

#8 Return of the Classics

Aquaman is back and his love for his Queen Mera is taking center stage. She is his heart, his strength but also his greatest weakness. DC has also given us the return of the classic villain Black Manta, and he is just jumping at the chance to exploit Arthur’s new found weakness and bring the king to his knees.

Barry Allen is back of course and he is his normal charming, fun loving, scarlet speedster self. He is just having fun with life again, enjoying the little things like bringing pizzas to some kids or just going out for a run. He was the first person to make contact with Wally and he is also working with Batman to help uncover who or what is responsible for the attack on the timeline.

Speaking of Batman, Bruce Wayne is back in the full swing of things now and holy hot stuff Batman. Long gone are the days of an old, broken down, weak Bruce. This is the Batman I fell in love with; strong, confident, fearless and sexy as hell. Thanks to the writing team of Scott Snyder and Tom King plus the art of Mikel Janin, they have brought Bruce back to a great place and yet again another shining example of how DC is getting things right with rebirth.

#9 Add Some New Blood

Along with the return of the classics, DC is mixing things up and bringing us some new faces and a few twists on some we already know. Super Sons is going to be a new series that will focus on the budding friendship/rivalry between Superman’s son Jonathan and Batman’s wayward son Damian. This duo isn’t going to be smooth sailing and I look forward to lots of snarky comments from Damian and some showing off from Jonathan as well. These two just might work really well together if they don’t end up killing each other first. Like fathers like sons; Superboy and Robin’s relationship will be a complicated and complex one for sure.

We are finall y going to get our Supergirl fix with a brand new series from Steve Orlando featuring a high school aged Kara Danvers. She’s just your typical all American high school student who happens to have superpowers and a really famous cousin too. This should be a great book watching Kara develop and find balance between her duties as a hero and homework. I just love the idea of her starting out as Clark once did, a emotional teen learning her place in the world. Supergirl is in great hands with the team of Steve Or lando and Brian Ching.

Finally my most anticipated new series is the Birds of Prey. This project is being taken on by the sister writing team of Julie and Shawna Benson, and it is definitely all about the girl power. Having Barbara teamed up once again with Canary and Huntress is going to be as good as it gets. They are going to kick some ass, take some names and look damn good doing it too; so watch out bad guys! I can’t tell you how excited I am for this and it wouldn’t have been possible without Rebirth paving the way for these friendships to be re-ignited once again.

#10 The Watchmen Vexation

The Watchmen are the unspoken perplexity of Rebirth that are only whispered about in the shadows and ta lked about like a ghost story. Not everyone understood the magnitude of the Rebirth 80 page one shot that came out on May 25th, but it had huge implications. Wally discovered that someone had taken 10 years from the DC universe and also removed all memories of friendships and love. Now who has the power to do that one can ask, because that is a fair question and it is a short list. However, we are led to believe that this mysterious being is none other than Dr. Manhattan; once a member of the superhero group called The Watchmen. If you either read the original by Alan Moore or saw the 2009 movie by the same name, then you know who I am referring to. Dr. Manhattan has the power to pull this off, and Rebirth also left us a few little clues pointing to him being the culprit behind this time massacre. I’m completely enthralled in speculation as to what his motivation was behind this elaborate conspiracy. This is going to be an ongoing question for all our heroes to sort out in the months and even years to come. A war is coming and our heroes need to be prepared.

What this all means for the future of the DC comic book franchise is unclear, but things couldn’t be off to any better of a start. Where disbelief and despair once ruled; we now have love and hope and the promise of great things to come. I am so excited to be along for this ride, and to see how it all unfolds. If you are a newbie, this is a great chance for you to get into some great titles on the ground floor; or if you are a die hard fan this gives you the opportunity to see things with a fresh new perspective. Either way there has never been a better time to be a comic book fan, because DC’s Rebirth is getting things right.