New History of the DC Universe #2

New History of the DC Universe #2 is a must-read. The history of comics can be confusing, and yet the way this is being told breaks everything down in a way we can easily understand. The artwork stuns and shines as it brings a flurry of emotions with every panel. Read Full Review

New History of the DC Universe #2 continues to be a well-told masterpiece of telling the vast and sometimes confusing history of the DCU as #MarkWaid blends old and relatively new ideas into a streamlined narrative that will hopefully appeal to long-term and new fans alike. Read Full Review

Overall, this is a fun and engaging read, and I'm especially enjoying the index at the back of the book. It's a great resource, listing the original comics Mark Waid has drawn from to craft this updated history. For readers who want to explore the source material further, it's an invaluable touch. Read Full Review

This oral history of the DCU, as told by Barry Allen, has a lot of continuity knots to untangle. This issue, which brings in two new artists including the iconic indie artist Mike Allred, takes us into the age of modern superheroes, which means a lot of the story beats are a lot more familiar and a lot closer together. Read Full Review

The New History of the DC Universe #2 effectively breaks down the complex history of DC's Silver and Bronze Ages, offering clarity in a famously convoluted timeline. However, it isn't without flaws. Waid repeats old missteps by relying on unnecessary retcons and missing the chance to present DC's history as it truly unfolded, but as we approach the modern era of continuity reboots, how it all ties together remains to be seen. Read Full Review

Mark Waid and Mark Russell reveal DC's Silver Age and Bronze Age eras in New History of the DC Universe #2, but not without repeating mistakes of the past. Read Full Review

It's alright. The writing really is nothing special, and while the art is fantastic, it doesn't do enough to elevate this to anything more than a glorified checklist. Honestly, I don't know why they didn't choose to release this as a trade, or something like a toned down version of Superman: The Definitive History.It would give you enough time to go through everything in more detail, maybe have some artwork you could pull out and use as posters. Make it more like an encyclopedia. Read Full Review

Max88

Jul 23, 2025

I can't get mad at such a beautifully drawn and extensively researched labor of love. However, I do have some quibbles. I find somewhat baffling that stories like Batgirl: Year One are mentioned but others like Nightwing: Year One or Teen Titans,: Year One aren't. Even lesser known ones like Black Lightning: Year One are but no Metamorpho: Year One (yes, that exists!). Does that mean those stories aren't canon? No, because they don't contraduct nything. It just means they aren't mentioned and not every single comic will be mentioned because that's impossible. After all, there is no mention of recent ones like Batman and Robin: Year One and World's Finest, and those are definitely 100% canon. But it would have been nice to have them ther e to make it a more complete reading experience. No mention of Long Halloween and Dark Victory which I find strange since most fans consider those to be the definitive versions of those events. And the one that I disliked the most: I just found out Tom King wrote a new version or the first encounter between Batman and Joker and I hate it. Who gave this guy so much agency over Batman history? His Batman is awful. Ed Brubaker's The Man Who Laughs is a better version of that story. I think it deserved a mention since it's a modern reworking of Batman #1 and that one got mentioned, but I guess they had to chose one and went for the more modern one. Oh well, it's not perfect but it's close enough. more

BatSledge

Jul 28, 2025

Improves upon the previous issue in the narrative, but the art is wildly inconsistent.

Reaper74

Nov 02, 2025

Nice history that is very coherent and cohesive even if it does combine some of the history but overall a great book to read and look at.

Simon DelMonte

Aug 03, 2025

- Allred is all wrong for this. - There has got to be a better way to tell a history than this. - Wait, Kara and Barry died? How does that mesh even a little with what is actually going on in the current comics? - So we're at like 50 percent pre-Crisis history, 30 percent post-Crisis, and 20 percent post-Flashpoint. What a mess.