Tracking DC Rebirth Plots

[Restingvoice]

Rebirth Reading Order WIP
Flashpoint
DCU Rebirth #1
The Flash Vol. 1 Lightning Strikes Twice
The Flash Vol. 2 Speed of Darkness
The Flash Vol. 3 Rogues Reloaded
Batman/The Flash: The Button

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When DC Rebirth first started I was really enthusiastic because there's a bunch of exciting plots and developments teased. Eventually that enthusiasm peters out because either they're taking too long to come true, there's so many books I want but unable to afford at least for now, disappointed with some story and characterization choices, and so on.

Now, there have been plot developments here and there, but unless they have their own mini series, they're kinda spread throughout many titles so it's kinda hard to keep up. The purpose of this thread is to find out which story arcs. books or issues that contain those developments.

Since there are so many plots, I need to define it first. The priority here is the largest plot that affect the entire DCU. After that is the plots that affect only certain group of people or team, and finally each individuals.

DC Universe Rebirth #1 establishes some story hooks that's currently already resolved or become an ongoing

Blue Beetles and Doctor Fate - The Scarab is magic = Blue Beetle

Ryan Choi - Fish Ray Palmer out of the Microverse = Justice League of America

Damian Wayne - New Ideas = Teen Titans

Jackson Hyde - gaaaaaay = Teen Titans

Jessica Cruz - Join Simon Baz = Green Lanterns

Hal Jordan - Face Sinestro = Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps

Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance - Strange feelings = Green Arrow

Gotham - Mysterious new heroes = I am Gotham

Grail - Diana's twin brother and baby Darkseid = Robinson's Wonder Woman

Mr. Oz - You and your family are not what you believe you are = Superman Reborn and The Oz Effect

Then there are these plots that as far as I know are still unresolved

Batman - Three Jokers - https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04...-three-jokers/

Johnny Thunder - Find the Justice Society = Doomsday Clock?

Saturn Girl - Speak with Superman = Doomsday Clock?

Arthur and Mera - Proposal = Aquaman #50?

Swamp Thing and Constantine - Save Abby Arcane from the dark side = Hellblazer

Barry and Wally - Dr. Manhattan and missing timeline = The Flash = Flash War?

Other than that, there's a main plot that suddenly pop op on their own. As in, they're not established in DC Universe Rebirth #1, but become super important as it affect the entire universe as well.

That is Metal, which leads to No Justice. That one's still new so it's easier to track.

Out of those I figured Barry and Wally's plot is the main, largest plot since it affect the entire DC Universe and timeline and still unresolved.

So now that we've established things, first question.

Which books contain plot developments related to Dr. Manhattan?
You can include the teasers whenever he's mentioned, but the priority is when he actually, directly affect something or the characters discover something new about him and the missing timeline, like in The Button.

I already know Batman, Titans and The Flash are connected, by virtue of starring the characters directly experiencing the problem, but I don't know if other books are related as well.

Oh yeah, I honestly don't know how Doomsday Clock fits in all of this.

I also like confirmation on which plot from DC Universe Rebirth #1 I listed above have been resolved or still ongoing

After that I want to make a reading order for the main plot, but let's tackle those two questions first.

Some detailed informations from other posters to be arranged later for the reading order

Titans, despite being the only book where Wally was one of the main characters, never really get into the overall Rebirth´s main plot. It was forgotten after the first story arc, "The Return of Wally West". Actually, you can't say there's some story arc that really develops that main plot about the missing years and Dr Manhattan.

The Button was more like an epilogue to Flashpoint. In the end, we got a teaser to Doomsday Clock. It is also the first reappearance of Jay Garrick, although is only for a few pages, but the first glimpse to his come back happened in The Flash #9, where Barry saw a vision of his hat.

The Superman Reborn merged both PreFlashpoint timeline and New52 timeline, so we are in a new timeline where there are elements from both continuities.

Then in OZ Effect, in Action Comics, Oz's true identity and origin were explained. Manhattan never physically appeared in the story. There are some little extra details in "A lonely place to living", in Detective Comics. The latter happens at the same time that the former.

As far as I know (I haven't read all of DC rebirth books), the Dr. Manhattan plot is in:

On one side you have the Batman / Flash storyline
On the other side you have the Superman Storyline

- Flash of Two Worlds
- Crisis on Infinit Earths
- Watchmen
- Before Watchmen
- Zero Hour
- Infinit Crisis
- 52
- Flashpoint
- Batman: Zero Year
- Earth-2: World's End + Futur Ends
- Convergence
- Darkseid War
- Superman: The Final Days of Superman
- Superman: Lois & Clark
- Titans Hunt
- Batman Epilogue (includes Batman:Rebirth)
- DC Univers Rebirth
- Titans: The Return of Wally West (includes Titans: Rebirth)
- The Flash: Lightning Strikes Once (includes The Flash: Rebirth)
- Justice League vs. Suicide Squad
- Justice League of America: Road to Rebirth
- Batman / The Flash: The Button
- Superman: Reborn
- Superman: The Oz Effect
- Detective Comics: A Lonely Place of Living
- Justice League of America: Panic in the Microverse
- Doomsday Clock

John Constantine and Swamp Thing finding Abby Arcane has kind of been dealt with in The Hellblazer 1-12 where Swamp Thing and Mercury left to find her without John

Basically, read Watchmen if you haven't already, and then start with the Rebirth Special. All of those other stories are great, no doubt, but if you wanted a Dr. Manhattan mega-arc to read, they are not even relevant to things.

Another Manhattan´s sighting was in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. He divided Kyle's white ring into seven rings from the different corps, maybe because the White Light of Creation is very powerful and he didn't want to take risks that it would be used against him.

Manhattan wasn't referenced, but Mr. Oz was looking those events. Also, Oz kidnapped Doomsday, Mxyzptlik and a new villain from Superman series, because they were dangerous to Superman. The weird thing is that he also kidnapped Tim Drake/Red Robin at the end of Detective Comics first story arc from Rebirth.

Okay, since there are differing opinions on back stories, let me explain how I view this first so you all can adjust your recommendation.

Most characters are not aware of Manhattan's existence. The ones who do only saw glimpses and don't know his name. In this case, Watchmen as Manhattan's back story is only relevant for Doomsday Clock. I already read Watchmen and Doomsday Clock is on the list, so this one's a non-issue.

Next, these are what I know about the other back issues and their relevance to current story arcs.
Darkseid War is relevant to Wonder Woman, who is fighting Grail, Darkseid, and finding out about her brother.
Death and Return of Superman provides context to Doomsday and The Anti Superman Team.
Flashpoint is relevant to The Button and Flash War.

Now since the story I want to prioritize is The Manhattan Mystery, we cross reference The Manhattan Effect List everybody else already contribute with The Back Stories List.
Wonder Woman hasn't been connected with Manhattan, so for now her book and Darkseid War are out... or... in, since Batman was talking about the Mobius chair, but I already know what that is, so for me it's out.
Batman and The Flash have been affected by Manhattan, so their series and Flashpoint are in.

I can see the list changing once I actually read the books or when I get new info, but for now that's how we're going to narrow it down.