New History of the DC Universe #1 & 2 (so far) by: B. L. Blankenship

       The spark that primarily caused me to purchase The New History of the DC Universe in the first place was my love of Wesley Dodds (Sandman), who is displayed on the front cover of issue #1. The appeal for the 2nd issue was that there are variant covers with Phantom Stranger on them. The dilemma that I faced yesterday was that neither of those covers was amid the 2 available at Nirvana Comics. I'd wrongfully assumed that they would be & thereby neglected to add them to my pullbox via the website LeagueOfComicGeeks.com, which they use.

       The first issue was highly satisfying as it holds tight to the regressive nostalgia that I find endearing within comics, as well as a lot of other media. It began with the creation of quite literally everything and ends with the Kryptonian baby Kal'El (Clark Kent/Superman) landing in Smallville, Kansas, where John & Martha Kent found & essentially adopted him. As you might imagine, the 2nd issue takes off from there. It begins by talking about how a young boy with superpowers (then Superman) progressed to become The Man of Steel that so many readers know & love. That second book ends by giving the details of Crisis on Infinite Earth. On its last page, we find Superman holding the dead body of Supergirl & see how The Flash too was killed. Issue #3 will hit stores on August 27, 2025. After that, Issue #4 will end the series, dropping on September 24, 2025. They will finally be available in a trade paperback collection on January 13, 2026, as has become custom.

        These books are just as much educational as they are entertaining. While I'm knowledgeable about comics overall, I find myself seeing glimpses of characters with whom I've never become familiar with. God knows that was the case with Wesley Dodds (Sandman). The 2024, 6-part, Dawn of DC limited series (titled: Wesley Dodds Sandman) was so exceptional that it made me love a golden age hero that I'd never read before. Thereafter, I bought the sizable book Sandman Mystery Theatre Compendium #1. I've taken spells going back and forth, reading it. The stories are slower, yet very dark and gritty noir/pulp detective-type stories. While the limited series has more excitement & twists throughout the dark mystery, the stories in this lengthy book feel more like watching an episode of the black & white Television show The Avengers (and I don't mean the Marvel Comics variety).

        The first book also had an homage to all of the Wild West characters, including another character that I particularly like, Jonah Hex. He got about as much attention in that book as Phantom Stranger did in the second. There was a single picture, more or less a footnote, but then that's not a bad thing. I was introduced to Phantom Stranger via The New 52. In that version, he is Judas Iscariot, cursed with immortality for his betrayal of Jesus, who seems to be referred to solely as "The Lamb" throughout the story. Spiritually/Theologically, it's a hodge-podge of a lot of religious systems in regard to Heaven, Hell, the infernal, & celestial. Still, it is quite good, or at least the first half of it is good, and then it didn't really do it as much for me when DC tied him into a huge event & entwined him with other character arcs. Still, like the Anime/Manga series Death Note, it all got tied up nice & neat in the end. Ergo, having read Phantom Stranger, I know that I prefer him to either have his own stories of to have less consequential cameo appearances with others. Incidentally, The New History of the DC Universe #2 mentions his interactive relationship with Blue Devil & John Constantine, which, of course, are very real things. Phantom Stranger tends to be involved with the magical characters more than any others. He has dealings with Swamp Thing, Zatanna, etc.

       Some of the lesser-known characters that I thought were good mentions were The Unknown Soldier in #1 & Ragman in #2. Regardless, these books are packed with a lot of illustrations and narrative tabs walking the reader through the history of the DCU. Yes, there are some changes here and there. Darkseid is born evil instead of having a narrative where he is twisted into being that way. Superman is no longer the nexus of the age of heroes, as you have some superpowered beings before him. With that said, the bar is still set where it is set. There are certain characters and events mentioned that pull from one thing, like The Watchmen, while doing away with others. Altogether, these are an easy & enjoyable read, as well as an education. In my assessment, they're totally worth checking out & adding to your collection, but then you be the judge.

        If DC Comics wanted to bait me into buying another issue with a character found later in its history, there are a few. Specifically, the fan favorite, Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond) has yet to receive a shoutout. I'm probably also in the corner of Red Hood, Damian Wayne, & such, as I tend to heavily favor more vigilante-type antiheros, horror, and the like, both as a writer/creator & fan. With that said, period-wise, I distinctly prefer the Mid-1800s - 1940s time periods, with some love for the dark, violent, gritty things that went on up until the 1970s & 1980s too. My exceptions to this are when the tones and types of stories meet these other stylistic tastes.