Customer Reviews

Identity Crisis

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Up until recently I've been a very casual comic book reader. After reading various comics published by DC that mentioned "Identity Crisis" and finding it hard to avoid "spoilers" everywhere on the web I picked this up the day it was released to get caught up and find out what all the fuss was about. After closing the book, I was shocked about how much a "superhero book" could affect me emotionally. I had lost a very beloved family member a few days before reading this, and I'll admit it did affect the way I viewed this book. But in looking back at it "cold", I believe it stands incredibly well as a graphic novel, a tragic love story and a mystery.

The plot has already been gone over well, so I won't go there. Basically, it's what would be a fairly standard mystery except for that it surrounds the murder of the wife of someone named "The Elongated Man", has Wonder Woman deliver the eulogy, and a perplexing question is how a murderer could get around technology from places including Krypton. Typing it, it does sound like the book could have been a huge joke and misstep for DC- but in my opinion it was very effective.

I was not familiar with Sue Dibny, but I cried when her husband held her dead body in his arms (and saw the surprise present she gave him for his birthday) and the scenes at her funeral. My heart went out when another character lost a very close loved one, and I really felt the tension when the Justice League were at moral odds with one another. I will admit I was very unhappy when we were shown that Sue had been attacked before- by being raped by someone usually referred to as a fairly silly villian. This scene was the hardest for me to read. However it was done off panel, and we are basically shown reactions and some slurs from the rapist- it is not done graphically or sleazily but the very nature of it is harsh. Personally, I read comics for entertainment and as a break, but I did understand what this book was going for. I do not think sexual violence should have any place in 'superhero' comics and I do not believe it was needed in this story to give it more impact, but that's my own opinion.

I think this story has polarized a lot of comic readers. Some would like this genre to stay more classic with pages of fights with supervillians- and that's an extremely valid point. Others are open to and even prefer more adult stories like this one, and the sales of this storyline and the amount of buzz surrounding this have shown it's brought many people back to comics- or even into them the first time. Neither view is wrong, but it makes books like this tricky. Personally I love classic superhero tales but Identity & Infinite Crisis have got me reading current "big title" books for the first time and I'm really enjoying them.

If you go into this story already judging it, and picking apart the mystery aspect and every character action- you'll probably be left dissapointed. It's very well-structured, but parts are manipulated to get things rolling in a different direction. If you're debating reading this, all I can do is recommend that you go in with an open mind and read this with your heart on your sleeve. In the end this is just a book about people, relationships, and the pain we automatically accept when we love and care about someone. If you're ready to believe a superhero, under the mask, can love and lose as much as yourself... then I believe you will get something out of Identity Crisis.

This story single-handedly led me to pay attention to DC's mainstream superhero fare after years of, justifiably, considering the publisher to be the stumbling dinosaur of the Marvel/DC dichotomy. Who cares about continuity when you've got a story this compelling that makes even the most dust-choked DC relics seem new and fresh and gives modern purpose to the most anachronistic of characters.
It's too early to say whether this represents a serious turning point for the publisher, but for seven edge-of-your-seat issues, Meltzer and Morales fleshed out a tale as entertaining and relevant as anything DC has ever produced.

Best selling novelist and one time Green Arrow scribe Brad Meltzer weaves this best selling mini-series, which attempts to begin to turn the DC universe on it's ear. Identity Crisis focuses on the risks that one takes when they choose to become a costumed super hero, and the murder mystery that Meltzer weaves makes a majority of Identity Crisis a page turner. It begins with the murder of Sue Dibny, wife of Justice Leaguer Ralph Dibny AKA the Elongated Man. Soon enough, Ralph joins up with other Leaguers Green Arrow, Flash, Zatanna, Black Canary, Hawkman, the Atom, and Green Lantern to find Dr. Light, who he believes to be the killer because years ago, Light raped Sue. The reason nobody outside of this group knows this happened, is because through Zatanna's magic, Light was made to forget it ever happened, and in the process, his mind was changed forever from fearsome villain to laughable clown. This revelation opens up a floodgate of secrets and lies, including more murders, and the fact that the killer knows the real identities of the heroes, even those of Superman and Batman. You've got to give Meltzer credit where credit is due: no one has ever cared what's happend to a minor character like Sue Dibny before, and the murder mystery he weaves here is great to say the least. The fight between the aforementioned group and Deathstroke is just plain awesome, and it re-affirms the villain's place as the most deadly foe in the DC universe. However, by the time the final revelations are made, it almost betrays everything that came before it. Purist DC fans will either love it or hate it, but Identity Crisis only serves as a prelude for the upcoming Infinite Crisis in which the villains strike back (notice how it comes nearly 20 years after Crisis on Infinite Earths). The art by penciler Rags Morales and inker Mike Bair isn't anything real special, but it serves it's purpose trying to give the characters a realistic/less cartoony look. All in all, Identity Crisis is worth reading just because of it's premise and the promise it will shake up the DC universe (we've heard this before, but so far, so good), but for those who tuned out years ago when DC tried to be edgy by killing Superman, breaking Batman, and making Green Lantern Hal Jordan a mass murderer, this won't help how you feel.

I used to be a DC comic addict, and in the mid-'80s spent more than I should have buying issue after issue of all that DC and First Comics could put out. As I got older, I stopped buying the mags (I was spending my money on dates, then marriage, now kids...) and lost touch with the genre. But sometimes, while browsing in a book store, my legs would take me to the graphic novel section. My eyes would scan the titles, and from time-to-time I'd let temptation get the better of me. The Ultimate Spider-Man for instance,and the new JLA comics in particular caught my eye.

And just last month, I bought this book. I was attracted by Brad Meltzer's name on the spine. I like the guy's thrillers. They're usually mindless fun, perfect for a quick read. I thumbed through the book and liked what I saw of the art. I bought it.

And I'm glad I did.

This is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read, and it will hold a place of honor on my bookshelf, next to my Dark Knight Returns and Ultimate Spider-Man collection. This will be reread time and time again, and I'm glad I got around my aversion to buying comics again.

New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer takes a crack at the comic book spectrum with penciller Rags Morales, and the result is a life-changing event centered mostly on the minor players of the DC universe. When Elongated Man's wife is murdered, the other heroes suspect a plot to kill their families. As the entire crimefighting community scours the country for answers, five familiar heroes stay behind to guard a secret that not only brings their loyalties into question, but blurs the line between right and wrong.

If Gail Simone's "Women in Refrigerators" theory (the use of the death or injury of female characters as a plot device) is true, this is a prime example (and perhaps the best use) of it. Few minor character deaths leave such an impact on comics as that of Sue Dibly; in a way, her death is felt as much as that of even Gwen Stacy (you're welcome to debate this). Meltzer, also an established novelist, translates his style well in what would otherwise be unfamiliar territory, though the climax of "Identity Crisis" is somehow lacking. Included are several pages of commentary from the "Identity Crisis" crew as well as a variant cover gallery.

This comic is unrated: Graphic Violence, Adult Language, Adult Situations.

Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales' "Identity Crisis" collects the original seven-part DC Comics mini-series into an extremely engaging and entertaining superhero epic, which interestingly doesn't have all that much to do with superheroics.

What we have here is a clever and well-crafted mystery story revolving around the death of Sue Dibny, wife of Ralph Dibny, the DC hero known as The Elongated Man. The usually gentle Ralph is both devastated and angered by his wife's murder, and soon enlists the aid of his many (and better known) superhero friends to solve her murder and bring the killer to justice. Soon, the likes of the Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, etc. are on the case.

What's interesting here is that the various heroes are portrayed as flawed humans, not moral paragons. Indeed, the story purports that maybe these heroes were never all that innocent to begin with, even back in the early days when their comic book adventures were bright and cartoony and fairly kid-oriented. Maybe in this post-Watchmen comics era it isn't all that unusual to see a little darkness in our comics heroes, but true moral compromise by a big company's flagship heroes is still a pretty rare thing, and made me sit up and take notice in "Identity Crisis".

In particular, there's a flashback to an early Justice League adventure (an actual comic book story published decades ago) where a team of super villains switches minds with the Justice League, effectively taking over the bodies of the League's members. Even then, many kids must have asked, "Hey, when the bad guys were inside the bodies of the heroes, why didn't they unmask them and see who they really were?" Well, "Identity Crisis" purports that the villains did indeed do that, and that the heroes, once the villains were defeated, engaged in some pretty controversial activities (somewhat reminding me of the memorable, chilling close of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") to restore things to normal and protect their identities. Further, the story demonstrates that those activities, and similar past practices (most would say, abuses), are now tainting the way the heroes are now operating, and are maybe indirectly responsible for the murder now laid at their feet.

I didn't mind the controversial, often negative portrayal of the heroes in "Identity Crisis". This approach made them more complex and interesting to me. In any event, nothing they did was as unsavory as say, the sight of King Arthur drowning babies in the early chapters of DC's "Camelot 3000". Now THAT kept me from enjoying the rest of the book, no matter that the king later regretted his actions.

I hope that Brad Meltzer, who usually earns his living as a bestselling mystery writer, will occasionally return to the world of comics and write more stories as good as "Identity Crisis". In fact, I'm off to search Amazon to see if he already has.

In the end, if you like comics or you like mysteries, "Identity Crisis" should be quite enjoyable to you; and if you like mysteries AND comics, you should especially run right out and get it.

That this story is well written cannot be denied. What the author chooses to write about, however, is disturbing to any loyal DC comics fan. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back and enjoy any Ralph/Sue Dibny story the way I would have if I did not read IDENTITY CRISIS. What was the author's motivation for a work that left many fans feeling violated as they helplessly watched one of the most benign/likeable characters in the DC universe being subjected to one violent atrocity after another?

I'll start out by letting you know that I'm huge comic fan, but not really into the DC guys that much. In fact, I don't read any of them if they don't have ties to Gotham City. However, a buddy of mine told me that if I really wanted to read a good murder mystery that I needed to check out Identity Crisis. Some of the best advice that I've ever taken (thanks to Gary, Eric, and Mike). I loved the fact that there were characters in the book who I knew (Bats, Zatana, Supes, Robin) and others that I didn't (Elongated Man, Red Tornado, Dr. Midnight etc.), but no matter what you grew to know how they interacted with each other, and grew to even feel for certain characters. Meltzer is one heck of a writer. This is the first thing that I have ever read by him, by I will have to check out some of his novels. Rags is one of my favorite artists in the industry, having grown to love his work from reading Nightwing. And of course, there are the wonderful covers by the late Michael Turner. RIP. This book is one not to miss. I would even go so far as to call it a must have.
Peace and Love,
Jake

Really, really good book. This is such a human yet mysterious story that it is tough to put down. There is everything you really want out of a book: character development, a sense of moving the DC Universe forward, great action scenes, plenty of protagonists and antagonists, great artwork, and a mystery that no one figures out until the very end. A+

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

It's just all a bit much. Jean Loring, the Atom's ex-wife, brings a flamethrower to tea with Sue Dibney. And apparently it's a MAGIC flamethrower, because after the fact, Batman, the "World's Greatest Detective", and Superman, who can read the driver's license in your back pocket from the surface of the moon, can't find any traces of it. Green Arrow stabbing Deathstroke with an arrow instead of using his bow. I could go on, but there's too many stupidities to list. It just seems really lazy, like Meltzer went with the first draft where a rewrite could have done wonders.

The underlying idea, that the superheroes used Zatanna's magic powers to erase the memories of supercriminals who had found out their secret identities, is actually pretty clever. As is the idea that not all the heroes were on board with the mind-wipe. It's the execution that is lacking.

Meltzer apparently operates under the idea that "comic book" means stupid, and he can pull any illogical and irrational bull that he wants, because after all, when you're dealing with a world with Superman, doesn't any attempt at logic and common sense fly out the window with him?

"A" to "Z" it's a good idea, but "A" to "B" to "C", there's a lot of howlingly stupid things in this book. This is actually in line with Meltzer's previous literary efforts, which rely heavily on unbelievable coincidence and slide right over logic quite a bit, so if you have read some of his previous books, you might not be surprised with the tricks he pulls here. Since there's a lot of people who are giving this five stars, not everybody stumbles over the dumbness in this book the way I do. If you can just grit your teeth and get over the idiocy of some of the plot points, I guess you might enjoy the artwork. That's the only thing that brings this book up from one star to two, for me.