Ok readers, listen up. I was going over the sales figures for DC comics recently and noticed a grave injustice. The book R.E.B.E.L.S. is one of the worst selling DC titles. Now, you may ask, “Mr. Rant, why should I care about such a thing? That book doesn’t have a Superman or Batman or Hal Jordan, so who cares if it goes?”

Well, Johnny Comic-Book-Reader, I care. And if I care about something, so should you. Why else would you be reading this article? So, without further adieu, the top five reasons you should be buying R.E.B.E.L.S.

• It’s written by Tony Bedard. Tony Bedard is the man who brought you the excitingly merciless book Negation during his time with CrossGen. He also wrote Marvel’s Exiles for almost the entire second-half of that book’s run. Bedard is able to throw the reader into an alien world (literally), with characters you’ve never heard of, and a situation that’s beyond dire (think Farscape meets Revelations). Through a non-stop ride of death, doom, and humor, he’s able to give you a reason to care and root for these characters. Even the villains turn out to be more than two dimensional conquerors.
• The art of Andy Clarke. I hadn’t heard of Andy Clark before I picked up this book. Now, he’s one of my favorite artists. Clarke has the talent to draw the entire Daxam army rising up off the planet to face an armada of alien ships, all rendered in exquisite, uncluttered detail. His scenes range from simple rooms to alien cityscapes teaming with all kinds of bipeds and non-bipeds alike. He can create a scene that is entirely overwhelming, but in simple fashion.
• Vril Dox. He’s the leader of the rag-tag group that he’s assembled through lying, stealing, blackmail, and duress. He’s Brainiac-2 with no time for silly distractions like empathy, love, compassion, or even camaraderie. For him, Plan A: try to reason with indisputable facts. If that fails, Plan B: blow your planet up. And he’s the good guy.
• Starro. Sure he started off as a giant starfish that was bested by Snapper Carr, but our little echinoderm has come a long way since then. This book shows us how and why our starry friend feels the need to conquer, and believe it or not, it’s not lame. Bedard brings true motivation and a little sadness to one of DC’s most ridiculous villains. Pair that with Clarke’s frightening take on the new facehuggers and the disturbing results of removing one by force.
• Sure, this book is rooted in previous DC Universe continuity, but you don’t have to know any of it to know what’s going on. Bedard treats the many connections to DCU continuity more like eye candy than a necessary read. Everything you need to know is contained in the book you’re reading, and explained succinctly. This is one of the easiest DC titles to catch up on.

If you want a book that’s different from all the other Superman-punches-something or Hal-Jordan-is-so-awesome, then this is your book. If you want an exciting ride of planets blowing up, a manipulative team leader that’s more about using his teammates than working with them, or a giant unstoppable starfish, then this is your book. If you want a book that actually made Despero a decent character. If you want a a book that is just well written, well drawn, and introduces you to new characters that you can end up liking and caring for, then this book is for you.

In summary, I think you all know what to do. Go to your local comic shop or wherever you get your comic books, and buy R.E.B.E.L.S. You wouldn’t want to disappoint Mr.Rant, would you?