The best reboots and relaunches of comics are, at the top, House of X / Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman, DC Rebirth , Green Lantern: Rebirth by Geoff Johns and Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Bendis. This tier list ranks reboots that have succeeded in relaunching a character or a universe, according to their quality and impact. Facts (authors, publishers, dates) checked, no invented ratings.
Relaunching a series or a universe is a high-risk exercise: too many reboots miss their target. This tier list brings together those who have succeeded: by giving new life, meaning and readers to a character. Criterion: the success of the restart, both critical and lasting.
Editorial Ranks, Facts verified. Each entry refers to a site file when it exists.
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Start my trial →Tier S: the big relaunches
House of X / Powers of X (2019) completely rebuilt the X-Men around the mutant nation of Krakoa. DC Rebirth (2016) reconciled readers after the New 52. Green Lantern: Rebirth rehabilitated Hal Jordan, and Ultimate Spider-Man offered a new front door to an entire generation.
Tier A: successful restarts
Le Daredevil by Mark Waid brought the light back to the character. THE Batman by Snyder launched the New 52. Immortal Hulk reinvented Hulk, and The Flash: Rebirth brought Barry Allen back to the forefront.
Tier B: character rerolls
Le Thor of Aaron, Ms. Marvel, L'Aquaman of Johns and the Nightwing by Tom Taylor have each lastingly revived their hero.
Tier C: reinventions
Le Moon Knight of Lemire, the Superman of Bendis, the Doom Patrol by Gerard Way and the New X-Men by Grant Morrison brought a fresh perspective.
Tier D: bold bets
X-Statix , there Suicide Squad of the New 52 and the Hawkeye by Fraction close this tier list: more risky but memorable relaunches.
To remember
- Geoff Johns and Jonathan Hickman are the great masters of the successful reboot.
- A good reboot restores meaning without denying the character's heritage.
- The #1 major relaunches are often key numbers sought after.
- Each entry refers to a site file when it exists.
Reading the reboots in order: from Ultimate to recent relaunches
The relaunches on the list span more than twenty years, and reading them in release order shows how the exercise evolved. The starting point is Ultimate Spider-Man (Brian Bendis, 2000), followed by New X-Men (Grant Morrison, 2001) and X-Statix (Peter Milligan and Mike Allred, 2001). Green Lantern: Rebirth (Geoff Johns, 2004) opens Johns's series of Rebirths, followed by The Flash: Rebirth (2009) and DC Rebirth (2016).
Two families of reboots
The list mixes two logics that are worth telling apart. Universe reboots restart a whole catalog: Ultimate Spider-Man for a parallel version, the 2011 New 52 (with Snyder's Batman, Johns's Aquaman and Suicide Squad), DC Rebirth in 2016 to win readers back after the New 52, and House of X / Powers of X (Hickman, 2019) to rebuild the X-Men around Krakoa. Character relaunches concern a single hero: Mark Waid's Daredevil (2011), Aaron's Thor (2012), G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel (2014), Lemire's Moon Knight (2016), Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk (2018) or Tom Taylor's Nightwing (2021).
The two big names
Two writers come up more than the others: Geoff Johns, who wrote three of the relaunches on the list (Green Lantern: Rebirth, The Flash: Rebirth, DC Rebirth) as well as the New 52 Aquaman, and Jonathan Hickman, author of House of X / Powers of X. If you are discovering the idea of the reboot, these two names are the surest guides to what it means to successfully relaunch something: giving it meaning again without denying its legacy.
Why relaunch #1s matter to a collector
A reboot almost always comes with a new issue #1, and these first issues are often sought-after keys. It is a logical entry point for a collection: one issue, a clearly dated moment, an identifiable creator. Before buying, check that the issue is the relaunch one and not a namesake issue of an earlier series, because many titles have had several series with the same name.
A reading method
- Start with a tier S matching the universe you already follow (Marvel for House of X, DC for Rebirth).
- Move on to tier A to meet specific characters again with fresh eyes.
- Keep tiers C and D for last: they are bolder bets that call for an already formed taste.
- Check off finished relaunches in your tracker, so you can see at a glance which series you are still missing.
A reboot is designed to welcome new readers with no prerequisites: you do not need to have read a character's whole history to enjoy its relaunch.
Frequently asked questions
House of X / Powers of X (Hickman) for the X-Men and Green Lantern: Rebirth (Johns) are among the most successful and consensual revivals.
It's a reboot that relaunches a series or universe, often with a new #1, to offer a fresh entry point. It can erase or rearrange previous continuity.
Often yes: a successful reboot (Ultimate Spider-Man, DC Rebirth) is designed to welcome new readers without prerequisites. It's an excellent gateway.
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