IDENTITY CRISIS #1 REVIEW

[Tan K.]

<a href=http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0604/IdentityCrisisCVR1.jpg target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0604/IdentityCrisisCVR1t.jpg" align=left alt="Identity Crisis #1"></a>Reviewer: Tan K.tan@comixfan.cjb.net
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Coffin

May --- ----- rest in peace.

Written by: Brad Meltzer
Pencilled by: Rags Morales
Inked by: Michael Bair
Colored by: Alex Sinclair
Lettered by: Ken Lopez
Assistant Editor: Valerie D'Orazio
Editor: Mike Carlin

WARNING: Contains spoilers


Wouldn't it be a shame if a person only exposed themself to one particular reading medium? Well writer Brad Meltzer decided to help those of you out there a little by injecting a little (and a lot) of his &quot;big book&quot; writing talents into this little story. I am sure different readers will judge Identity Crisis in a number of ways. There are a number of angles that I could have travelled in reviewing this issue. There are so many emotional and intellectual paths that diverge from page one that any one of them would have been a joy to explore. In the end, I went with the one that meant the most to me.

The person(s) affected by this issues events are ones that I only had a peripheral concern and interest in. So the fact that I was gut wrenched when the murder occurred tells you what type of job Brad Meltzer did. Mr. Meltzer from the onset started to develop an ominous atmosphere mixed with a heavy dose of suspense. Obviously, the impending murder that everyone has been talking about before the issue was even released contributed greatly to this. Meltzer also began planting seeds and clues for the mystery and investigation that is going to be taking place over the course of this mini-series.

He approached the introduction of the issue in much the same fashion that you would expect from novel. To me it was a much needed change of pace. I have been yearning for new stimuli within the great superhero world of comics, and Brad satisfied my taste buds from the opening panel. If he continues to deliver the rest of the story in much the same way without divulging the culprit until the very end, it may end up causing the birth of a different sub-genre of superhero comics. Of course, he could just as easily fall into the same trappings of formulaic storytelling, which wouldn't be entirely a bad thing, but it could relegate this series with other just-above-average company crossovers (i.e. Kingdom, Infinity War).

The story starts off with Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man) and Firehawk having a stakeout. Much of the first of the issue revolves around establishing the incredibly loving relationship between Ralph and wife Sue. I fell in love with their marriage. With that, Brad Meltzer captured me, and made my heart sink when the victim fell. As a husband, I was there with Ralph as he mourned the murder of his wife. I was right there with him as he passed through the stages....grief -> murderous rage. God help me if I didn't want to find out who did it and exact revenge myself.

As mentioned above, the writer doesn't stop at the murder. He begins the journey by revealing the interesting contents of a box and the near murder of a low-level villain as well as the investigation itself, which has different layers and interesting subgroup ramifications itself.

Art: Initially, it was difficult going from the gorgeous cover drawn by Michael Turner to the interior. I am not the biggest fan of the non-spectacular artist (examples of spectacular: Marc Silvestri, Jim Lee, George Perez). However, I have over the course of the past couple of years grown to respect the strengths of these types of artists. They may not draw the prettiest pictures, but they can relay emotion and the nuances of a story that the bigger guns sometimes miss out on doing. I truly believe that artist Rags Morales contributed greatly to my emotional attachment of the character. Would Michael Turner have been able to capture me as well? Who knows, and it doesn't matter. With the thrust of the story I am assuming focusing on the details and the emotions of the characters, DC did right (at least for now) by going with Mr. Morales.

Overall, the hype-equalling writing of Brad Meltzer and the strong storytelling style of Rags Morales has me anxiously awaiting the next issue. The last big crossover that I collected from DC was Genesis, and I was severely disappointed with that one. Our Worlds at War (from what I gleaned through my in-store reading) seemed better. I am just hoping that Identity Crisis remains ahead of the curve. There are number of ways this story can go, and some of them have the stink of mediocrity while others could land this up their with Kingdom Come and Infinity Gauntlet. I guess we'll find out which way Meltzer and company goes shortly.


ART:
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STORY:
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OVERALL:
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Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1309&cat=IDENTITY+CRISIS)

[ronaldmcdonald]

great story and mr. morales did a great job on the sad and touching moments of this issue.

[iammichaelman]

I read this as primarily a Marvel fan and knew very little/nothing about the minor characters of the book. Meltzer did an incredable job of welcoming new readers to the less popular characters. This was a very impressive book and definately worth your time and money.

[James Groves]

Man was this a good read.

I went into this issue thinking one of the big hitters of the D.C.U was gonna be killed off and when it was revealed within the issue who it was actualy gonna be i was shocked.

Not because i was disapointed in the fact it wasnt a heavy hitter but the way the writer made me emotinally envolved with the chracter and more to the point, the reactions of the other chracters within the book. Espeically Elongated man, a chracter who i would rate as one of my least favourite chracters.

This has now changed.

The plots a dilemma as its not really anything original, but the fact its such a minor chracter is interesting definately.

The scripts excellent and the chracterisations are very good, although Clark came off a bit more goofier then i'd imagine when he was at Ma and Pa's house, but that may just be down to the artwork.

The arts detailed and i enjoyed this isue far more than i'd previously imagined iwould do.

I'd give this 7/8 out of 10

Writng 4 art 3.5

[Elliot Vazquez]

I'm sure there are others who will eventually say what I could have said, so I won't filibuster. It was a great read.

The best scene in the whole book for me, though, was the funeral. (That's not a spoiler..you see a freakin' coffin on the cover! Besides, I don't know how to put a spoiler tag.) It was just really well written and I think the art was great in those scenes. I'd give the artist a higher grade than anyone here placed. It was on point. Morales was able to convey facial features quite well.

[Drax]

I'll agree with the review that this was an excellent comic. The quality and actual quantity of story in this issue was a welcome suprise.

The death was truly gut-wrenching. I honestly looked away from the pages for a second to gather myself. I can't remember a comic that has packed that kind of bunch for me in a very long time.

I thought the art was exceptional and that is where I disagree with the review. I was unimpressed by the cover. The interior art was what earned my praise.

[OptionZero]

The story is a freakin 10 man: overall plot, setups, characterizations.

I love the narrative shifts from Bolt to Green Arrow...this is where Meltzer's novel experience pays off in spades.

The art rating I disagree with. While "graphically" it may not be equal to Michael Turner's spectacular spreads and vibrant colors (i know thats the colorist) and designs, it succeeds perfectly in capturing the mood of the characters. It was flawless "story" art.

My only questoin is: Why was Tim Drake still beating up Mad Hatter even AFTER his dad found out? In the Robin book, was it not established he didn't do that anymore?

Anyways...lots of stuff gonna happen, I can't wait to see!!!

[§tormy]

I'm new to DC comics, new being I only infact picked up some DC Titles today.

Identity Crisis #1 was one of those titles. Even has a new reader, I could tell that Ralph very muched loved his wife, and even when she died I felt a loss for him. Being a new reader to the comic and being exposed to most of these characters for the first, I thought it was done well.

The funeral scene was great too, probably one of the best bits. The Dr. Light name at the end may have meant more to me if I actually knew who he was and what his significance was.

[QBBEADLE]

I love DC. I read almost as much DC as I do Marvel, which amounts to waaaayyy too much money spent at my comic shop every month. With that being said, I have a friend who only reads Marvel. I persuaded him to pick this issue up and he was floored by it. He only had a passing familiarity with most of the characters, but as soon as he finished the last page he hit me with a barrage of questions about the story. He wanted to know as much as he could about these characters, and then he immediately read it again with the background I'd given him in mind, and the next day he even picked up some old JLA and JLI.

In my mind, this shows just how great this issue was and how much potential this series has. When someone who's never read a DC title before is compelled to seek out as much as he can about characters he's only had one issue to get to know, that is powerful storytelling. I loved this issue, and I encourage anyone who is looking to get into DC to look no further.

[benbacca37]

Hey, I don't get much DC stuff, but this was a great 1st ish to the series. I really cared for the characters and I'm right there wanting to know who did it and then get there head on a platter.

I agree with Stormy that the name at the end of the book would have had more impact if I who who they were. If someone could post some info or a link on Dr. Light it would be appreciated.

[§tormy]

I was like your friend, I used to only read Marvel (Wow, this sounds like some cheesy info-mercial), but I was persuaded to pick up some DC titles.

This issue has amazing storytelling, and great potential and the next time I'm up at the store I'm going to pick up as many back issues as possible.

[Inferno]

I was also one of those people that went into this thinking a big name person would die the first issue....and was a little shocked it wasn't when I cheated and looked through the book. After I read it though, wow....this book was amazing. I don't care of you have never heard of Sue, to see what happened to her was still powerful.

[netenyahoo]

I am confused. Isn't Firehawk Firestorm's old girlfriend? Her name was Lorraine something too. Did another character take her code name?

[M-Angel]

Yes, I read mostly marvel
so could somebody PM and tell me who died
I dont know, I´m just curious

[mikepsy]

Dr.Light you can see his bio at dccomics.com:cool:

[RA Renteria]

This story was ok. The hype that surrounded it though was unneccessary - except to sell more issues to people expecting a major DC hero to be offed. I know I was suckered. The story is mediocre at best, as the whole issue revolves around the murder of the wife of a hero by a mysterious meta-human who holds a grudge agains the original JLA. Did I get that right, I hope so because as a Marvel fan I had no idea what was going on here, and there's the problem.

I only know DC though there big guns, I do not have an affinity for or a need to follow the supporting cast with very few exceptions (the Kents, Lois and Alfred). I have very little idea who Ralph Dibny is or why I should care about him, and this story doesn't give me enough to work with to form an attachment. The worst part of all though, for me was adding insult to injury by making the victim pregneant, which is just as cheap a plot contrivance as you will ever find. The funeral was overdone and forcing the new reader to understand Ralph and Sue was poor, mainly because this is the supporting character of a supporting character. What kind of long term effects can this death have on the DCU?

I know this is only the first issue, but I won't make it to seven, this story is the exact thing that most Marvel bashers will take Marvel to task for, DC trying to make there Universe more gritty is always a mistake and like Hal Jordan, everything will eventually be set back to normal. The catalyst for the story, the death and the hinted at terrible secret from the long convuluted past of the original JLA (i think) that caused the death are convinient plot points but that's it, and making the victim pregneant, well that just reeks of twisting the emotional cord a little more than necessary since these two have been without child and as far as I can tell from the story, never strived for it. It would be nice if I knew more about DC history, but I dont' and ultimately this fails to fill that gap.

Overall, if you are a hardcore DC reader you'll like it. If you're like me and don't know who over 80% of the people involved in this story are and mainly stay on the Vertigo side of DC, you're out of luck, or at the very least tricked into thinking you were gonna read a story of the death of a DC legend, and out $4.

Richard Renteria

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

Originally posted by RA Renteria
This story was ok. The hype that surrounded it though was unneccessary - except to sell more issues to people expecting a major DC hero to be offed. I know I was suckered. The story is mediocre at best, as the whole issue revolves around the murder of the wife of a hero by a mysterious meta-human who holds a grudge agains the original JLA. Did I get that right, I hope so because as a Marvel fan I had no idea what was going on here, and there's the problem.

I only know DC though there big guns, I do not have an affinity for or a need to follow the supporting cast with very few exceptions (the Kents, Lois and Alfred). I have very little idea who Ralph Dibny is or why I should care about him, and this story doesn't give me enough to work with to form an attachment. The worst part of all though, for me was adding insult to injury by making the victim pregneant, which is just as cheap a plot contrivance as you will ever find. The funeral was overdone and forcing the new reader to understand Ralph and Sue was poor, mainly because this is the supporting character of a supporting character. What kind of long term effects can this death have on the DCU?

I know this is only the first issue, but I won't make it to seven, this story is the exact thing that most Marvel bashers will take Marvel to task for, DC trying to make there Universe more gritty is always a mistake and like Hal Jordan, everything will eventually be set back to normal. The catalyst for the story, the death and the hinted at terrible secret from the long convuluted past of the original JLA (i think) that caused the death are convinient plot points but that's it, and making the victim pregneant, well that just reeks of twisting the emotional cord a little more than necessary since these two have been without child and as far as I can tell from the story, never strived for it. It would be nice if I knew more about DC history, but I dont' and ultimately this fails to fill that gap.

Overall, if you are a hardcore DC reader you'll like it. If you're like me and don't know who over 80% of the people involved in this story are and mainly stay on the Vertigo side of DC, you're out of luck, or at the very least tricked into thinking you were gonna read a story of the death of a DC legend, and out $4.

Richard Renteria

i disagree wholeheartedly. The only DC stuff i've read in the past has been dealing with the "big guns." The more epic stories, like Kingdom Come, Dark Knight Returns, Crisis on Infinite Earths, etc. I picked this up as someone who reads mostly Marvel, Vertigo, Wildstorm and indie stuff. DC's never really been able to grab me enough to collect regularly until recently. I picked this up on a whim and because what i'd heard of it was solid enough...and yeah, i wanted to know who got killed. But reading this story, i had no idea who a third of these characters were, including most of the majory players. Didn't matter. This was heart wrenching and moving stuff. It nearly had me in tears at two very key points over characters i know next to nothing about. THAT'S effective storytelling.

And i'll tell you what else, from what i've seen on these boards, i'm not alone. I've seen testimony from plenty of self confessed "Marvel zombies" who've read this and loved it. Sure, you get more and understand more if you read DC regularly and know the minutiae of that universe. But i don't feel like my ignorance detracted from my enjoyment in anyway. This isn't a book just for DC fans. It's a book for fans who just enjoy fantastic writing and artwork and have a love for this medium and genre.

[Jon Hancock]

Just to let people know that the bios of the characters involved in the death are up at comix-fan resources.

RA, Meltzer said repeatedly that the death wasn't what was important in driving this arc, it was the secret behind the JLA. The death was poignant and well written but it isn't meant to be impacting the whole of the DCU. It's the secret that does that. I think you'll regret not sticking with the series.

[Anand Khatri]

OMG!!!! This ish was amazing! I LOVED it! It was written sooooooo well. I liked the whole Elongated Man starting his own secret posse to go get Dr. Light. And the fact that Sue was pregnant. Wow! This is really great. Sure, I thought it was a little over hyped (it was in the Daily News here in N.Y.!!!) when I found out who died. But if you read further on, it gets really interesting. Sure it doesn't sound so devastating when you find out who died, but it has a dramatic impact on the characters. Thats also something else I liked about this is that the writer, Brad Metsler, has given and shown a different, more personal side to the characters in the DCU. For example, the scene during the funeral, where Elongated Man can't hold his form due to his greif. Just great stuff. Thats all this is. Great stuff.

[Al Harahap]

I feel like I have a different perspective to offer that I need to share. I'm a longtime comic reader, having known both DC and Marvel superheroes for over 20 years. But for the past few years, I've grown tired of them, opting for things more original, and have become jaded at both mainstream superhero universes. You could say, especially at so-called hyped-up "big events" like this. You can even check out my reviews of the recent JLA/Avengers and 1602 here to see my cynicism.

You know what's coming... Oh yes... Identity Crisis is an exception that blew me away. :banana:

It's not even so much the death and the funeral scene. I had so high expectations of those that they came rather naturally with little shock. Nonetheless, I felt the high quality storytelling. Here's proof as to why this book doesn't rely on hype of the death and the funeral: The scene with Clark at Ma and Pa Kent's house. It all revolves around Ma's need to still be independent without Clark/Superman's help. She insists that she can pay her own Daily Planet subscription, even though Clark can get her a free one. Clark continues to refuse, but when Ma (who doesn't know Batman's identity) says: "I bet Batman never does this to his parents," you can just see Clark's face realising that he's goddamn lucky to still have his around, and so decides to make her happy and follow what she wants to do. Man, this really touched me. Meltzer didn't need to get overexpositional by spoonfeeding words down our throats; you could just tell what was going on. If that's not great storytelling, I don't know what is.

Side note: We've been told there will be more deaths throughout the series. Does anyone get the feeling that this scene is foreboding a Ma and/or Pa Kent death? Hmm...

And even if you're not struck emotionally from these scenes, there's still the murder mystery that Meltzer has meticulously crafted. I mean, Luthor's battle armour? What's that all about... :hrm:

Originally posted by OptionZero
My only questoin is: Why was Tim Drake still beating up Mad Hatter even AFTER his dad found out? In the Robin book, was it not established he didn't do that anymore?

Yeah, that's my only gripe with the story -- Tim Drake still Robin, even though he's recently retired and passed over the mantle to his girlfriend, Stephanie Brown. Well, that and Captain Atom (who supposedly died in Superman/Batman #6) being up and about. These editorial inconsistencies lower my personal rating to "only" a 4.5/5 instead of a perfect 5.

Originally posted by §tormy
The funeral scene was great too, probably one of the best bits. The Dr. Light name at the end may have meant more to me if I actually knew who he was and what his significance was.

Originally posted by benbacca37
I agree with Stormy that the name at the end of the book would have had more impact if I who who they were. If someone could post some info or a link on Dr. Light it would be appreciated.

Don't worry, I'll hound our resourcists to get on his bio -- and hopefully other Identity-Crisis-related characters -- post haste. :D

Originally posted by netenyahoo
I am confused. Isn't Firehawk Firestorm's old girlfriend? Her name was Lorraine something too. Did another character take her code name?

Yes, she was, which is why you see the two snuggling up and consoling each other at the funeral.

Originally posted by Jordan T. Maxwell
i disagree wholeheartedly. The only DC stuff i've read in the past has been dealing with the &quot;big guns.&quot; The more epic stories, like Kingdom Come, Dark Knight Returns, Crisis on Infinite Earths, etc. I picked this up as someone who reads mostly Marvel, Vertigo, Wildstorm and indie stuff. DC's never really been able to grab me enough to collect regularly until recently. I picked this up on a whim and because what i'd heard of it was solid enough...and yeah, i wanted to know who got killed. But reading this story, i had no idea who a third of these characters were, including most of the majory players. Didn't matter. This was heart wrenching and moving stuff. It nearly had me in tears at two very key points over characters i know next to nothing about. THAT'S effective storytelling.

And i'll tell you what else, from what i've seen on these boards, i'm not alone. I've seen testimony from plenty of self confessed &quot;Marvel zombies&quot; who've read this and loved it. Sure, you get more and understand more if you read DC regularly and know the minutiae of that universe. But i don't feel like my ignorance detracted from my enjoyment in anyway. This isn't a book just for DC fans. It's a book for fans who just enjoy fantastic writing and artwork and have a love for this medium and genre.

Can ah get an amen for the Reverend? Ah said... CAN AH GET AN AMEN? :aargh: ... :]

[Lion]

Salutations,

I confess that one of the reasons I was attracted to this story was because of the cover, and then with the hype that soon surrounded it, how could I not be curious.

I thought the story was INCREDIBLY well written. I didn't know Sue Dibny, I actually have very minimal JLA knowledge save what I know from the cartoon, but I, like the honored reviewer fell in love with the Dibny marriage and was deeply moved by Ralph's double loss.

I did have the same question as OperationZero-san, though, about Tim Drake still in the role of Robin. Perhaps that was just a minor detail, or was there something I missed?

Also, and forgive my ignorance, what was the significance of the six heroes who were gathered at the end? Is there a backstory with just them that I should investigate, or is that all part of the mystery and no long-time JLA reader knows either.

I was kind of apprehensive about picking up this title considering I know so little about these heroes, but now I'm hooked. I am looking forward to the next issue very much and hope that many of you are as well. Until issue 2...

C'est mon avis,
Lion

[Al Harahap]

Originally posted by Lion
Also, and forgive my ignorance, what was the significance of the six heroes who were gathered at the end? Is there a backstory with just them that I should investigate, or is that all part of the mystery and no long-time JLA reader knows either.

Nothing major. Just that they were together in the 80's incarnation of the JLA. But what brings them together here -- and I think you may have to read between the lines in this issue -- is that something happened that they kept a secret from the big guns that served with them during that era (i.e. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman).

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

oh yeah, and did anyone else REALLY dig the JLA as CSI scene in the apartment? just a great reminder of how many great detectives this universe has...can't think of that many great Marvel detectives. ;)

[Gat0r-ManX]

This story was well told... i'm really looking forward to the next issue.

[Jon Hancock]

Half way through Dr Light III's bio. Should be up tomorrow or Sunday.

Al, make up an identity crisis hitlist and I'll do my best to work through it. Anyone else that wants to know more about a specific character can also ask me to write that bio. I'll try lots.

[Tan K.]

Originally posted by OptionZero

The art rating I disagree with. While &quot;graphically&quot; it may not be equal to Michael Turner's spectacular spreads and vibrant colors (i know thats the colorist) and designs, it succeeds perfectly in capturing the mood of the characters.

Uhmmmm...that's what I said. :?

[Zeb Aslam]

Ah...finally it's here. The crossover I've been dreading since it was announced. Quite frankly I have to say that I was blown away. I'm a reader of both Marvel and DC, not really differentiating between the two. I also have favorites on both sides of the fence, and yes...Ralph is one of those favorites. I'm probably one of the few people who has followed almost all his exploits from JLI to his mini onwards. I have always loved the character of Sue and was somewhat hesitant when I 'discovered' that she might be the one shoving off the mortal coil this time around.

But kudos to Meltzer, this was the best rendition of these two characters I've ever read. the remembrance pages in the begining with Firehawk...that's the closest a comic has ever come to bringing tears to my eyes as I remembered all those times, and recalled the importance of this character in the DCU...even if she is a third or fourth-stringer. She is still one of those characters who has touched the lives of a vast amount of people in the DCU, and I'm glad Meltzer was able to capture that.

The art was okay, I enjoy Morales art and this was some of his best work ever...but incredibly overshadowed by the story which was so mind-blowing that I was left clutching the issue in my hands 5 minutes after I had finished reading it.

I went into this expecting it to be another overhyped comic from the ranks of DC...what I got instead was a book that regardless of the hype, was still underhyped. Fantastic! Can't wait for more.

[DCUnited]

I absolutely loved this issue. I came into it knowing very little of the DC Universe and still managed to find myself caring about the characters. I can't wait for issue 2.

And Lion, I believe that as far as Tim being Robin this story takes place before he leaves the role and will touch a bit more on what forces him to give up the job.

[James Groves]

Originally posted by Jordan T. Maxwell
oh yeah, and did anyone else REALLY dig the JLA as CSI scene in the apartment? just a great reminder of how many great detectives this universe has...can't think of that many great Marvel detectives. ;)

Well Wolverine supposed to be a Detective in some capacity.

Although generally he just gives the crime scence a good sniff, gets on his bike and batters the person who did it, when he find them!:clown:

I cant think ofany either, at least not in the same league as their D.C.U counterparts.

Oh and man would i love a comic book based C.S.I.

Who would play Grissom? Batman?? Mr Terric? Dr Midnight? Matian Man Hunter? Elongated Man? There are a few oldies like Sand but their dead now but they could revist them, do a crime in the past or somethin?

[Zachary J. Morrison]

Great review, Tan. I definitely enjoyed reading the first chapter to this book and I'm glad to have picked it up when I saw previews for it. What a sad issue to read, especially to find out that the wife of a JLA member dies in this book, but to have the whole DC universe to help find the dude responsible for the late Sue Dibny's death. I basically cried my eyes out when I read the part where Ollie and a few others helped carry out the casket, and the writer Brad Meltzer introduces Sue's uncle wanting to take part in the memorial service, and that's when I started crying. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next in the second chapter, and I think it's going to be an excellent read continuing on with the rest of the issues to come.

[Danja]

Doesn't this kinda disrupt plans forI Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League?

[dopplegager]

I was going to check this book out but my comic shop sold out.

[gatorgav]

Yeah this thing seems to be selling out everywhere (which means we will probably get a second print with some alternative cover artwork) My dealer forgot to pull my copy so I had to e-bay it and am still waiting to read it :mad:

[Tom O'Connor]

Originally posted by Tan K.
I am not the biggest fan of the non-spectacular artist (examples of spectacular: Marc Silvestri, Jim Lee, George Perez). However, I have over the course of the past couple of years grown to respect the strengths of these types of artists. They may not draw the prettiest pictures, but they can relay emotion and the nuances of a story that the bigger guns sometimes miss out on doing.

It's good to see that you're coming around to the light. I'd take the solid, reliable storytelling of an artist of his caliber over the flash and hype of others anyday. As far as I'm concerned, Rags Morales has been doing great stuff since I first stumbled across his work in the pages of Black Condor in the early 90's. It was good to see that Rags found room for his old chum in the two page funeral spread.

[Dragon]

Great, Amazing leaving us wanting more..and i defently want more.

[MrFantomex]

For someone like me, who knows absolutely nothing about the DC universe except what I learn from cartoons, this was an amazingly well written book. There are still a few things I don't get Who the hell is Dr. Light? Stuff like that. Does anyone know of an "annotations" page yet? That one for 1602 was amazing.

[OptionZero]

Read the thread. Comix Fan is workin on one.

[Anand Khatri]

Originally posted by MrFantomex
There are still a few things I don't get Who the hell is Dr. Light? Stuff like that

There is his bio on ComiX-Fan. As well as Sue Dibny if you need info on her too.

[Tan K.]

Originally posted by Tom O'Connor


It's good to see that you're coming around to the light. I'd take the solid, reliable storytelling of an artist of his caliber over the flash and hype of others anyday. As far as I'm concerned, Rags Morales has been doing great stuff since I first stumbled across his work in the pages of Black Condor in the early 90's. It was good to see that Rags found room for his old chum in the two page funeral spread.

Thanks. On the other hand, I think that the "flash" artists get a bad rap for not being good enough storytellers. Sure there are a lot of poses going on, but there is a some good story stuff there as well as their ability to translate the energy of action sequences and the grandeur of stories.

[Al Harahap]

Since a lot of people are curious, until Jonberg posts his full bio, here is a temporary bare minimum on what you need to know on Dr. Light III:

The first Dr. Light was a Golden Age villain who is unrelated to the others. The second Dr. Light was a scientist who used his light experiments and technology to become a superhero. His scientist colleague, Dr. Arthur Light, found out about his identity, and after he died, stole his costume and technology to use it for criminal activities by becoming the supervillain Dr. Light III (the one we're concerned with). He was a regular human, who used the technology to manipulate light, even to the point of physical damage.

His archenemy was Green Lantern Hal Jordan and next to the renegade GL Sinestro, Dr. Light is probably runner-up archenemy to Hal Jordan himself. He has been primarily a Green Lantern and Teen Titans villain, although also causing trouble for the JLA once or twice. After finally being incarcerated by the Titans, he was recruited by the U.S. Government's Suicide Squad (a task force team consisting of criminals in exchange for redemption). For a short while, Dr. Light even thought of himself as a "superhero." Inevitably, he returned to his criminal ways, only to be entrapped by Hal Jordan in his GL Power Battery. Unknown to both, when Dr. Light escaped, all that time in the GL Power Battery had turned him into a metahuman being made of light with powers. His light powers were now more powerful, and he could even phase because his body was now made of light.

So he's perfectly capable of entering the Dibnys' home without leaving a mark and incinerating Sue to a crisp. He has no known major connection to Elongated Man and the Dibnys other than the usual "superhero vs supervillain" sentiments each hold. Unless, of course, it's part of the "secret" that Meltzer is going to reveal.

There is also a fourth Dr. Light, a female Japanese scientist named Kimiyo Hoshi, who used the Dr. Light technology for good and was even a member of the Justice League for a while. Her bio is up, and you can check it out in our Resources section here: http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=253

Presumably, the one Elongated Man (and Meltzer) is referring to is Dr. Light III, the villain. But who knows, maybe Meltzer wanted us to look the other way...

[OptionZero]

The thanagarian device said there was no phasing, so...unless he took out the security system, he couldn't have phased in.

[MrFantomex]

Awesome. Thanks for the info.

[Robb Welch]

Originally posted by Al Harahap

Presumably, the one Elongated Man (and Meltzer) is referring to is Dr. Light III, the villain. But who knows, maybe Meltzer wanted us to look the other way...

well concidering in the wizard preview for identity crisis, we see doctor light, for somereason in his old costume again, and very bitch-ass looking even though Ron Marz made him into a bad ass for the first, time crawling to Deathstroke for help, I would say its the villan.

[Johnny_Tsui]

do any of u understand y timmy is robin again? i mean, he did say it's after the whole batman and tim's dad thing... and he's still robin???

[Al Harahap]

Originally posted by Johnny_Tsui
do any of u understand y timmy is robin again? i mean, he did say it's after the whole batman and tim's dad thing... and he's still robin???

I don't read Robin, so this is just a guess, but maybe Steph taking on Robin is temporary. It wouldn't be the first time. She also took on the persona when he and the rest of the Young Justice were missing. Or it could be that IC #1 takes place before she took on the mantle.

[Jon Hancock]

or an editing mistake ;)

[Alex Groff]

I picked this up because this was a really light week for me, and I was blown away. I'm not a big DC fan, not because I don't like the characters but because the writing is generally subpar (in my opinion). This story was so far above and beyond that I may have to start trying DC heroes again, just to test the waters. I will definitely be picking up Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest now that I see the quality of Meltzer's (sp?) work.

[Anand Khatri]

Originally posted by Al Harahap
Or it could be that IC #1 takes place before she took on the mantle.

Couldn't be before. Because when Tim changes out of his Robin uniform his dad asks him if anybody shot at him in 'Identity Crisis'. And his dad found out and then Tim quit in 'Robin'.

[princej3]

Originally posted by Anand Khatri


Couldn't be before. Because when Tim changes out of his Robin uniform his dad asks him if anybody shot at him in 'Identity Crisis'. And his dad found out and then Tim quit in 'Robin'.

IC is probably set after the upcoming Batman crossover... the time frames in DC are a little messed up right now, especially when it seems to involve Robin... Teen Titans, Batman, etc are all behind Robin, but after the current TT arc finishes they're doing a Spoiler Robin iss... and Batman catches up along with the rest of his books with the crossover... so since Tim's dad know's that he's Robin here AND Tim's actually out playing Robin, my guess would be that something happens to Spoiler in the upcoming crossover (or she just stands back down after Tim is given permission to go back to being Robin)...

[Jon Hancock]

full bio is up

[PhorPointOh]

"Everyone expects Clark. But Diana knew her better. Good for Ralph. It's the kind of speech that's quoted in Bartlett's years from now."

CAUTION: This review contains spoilers.

Perhaps I've been exposed to so many badly written or morosely mediocre comics that when something as well written as IDENTITY CRISIS comes along, I go overboard with my praising. Or maybe Brad Meltzer is just that good, because I thoroughly loved this issue.

There were certain things that I had to forgive, such as Firehawk's presence at a clandestine stakeout. There she sat, burning in the bright blue way that she does as Elongated Man, a character that I've nevercared anything about, gave her the bits of his expertise. I wondered why, of all of the heroes he could have chosen, he chose one that could be spotted from a mile away. Not a very smart move for a detective. Unless, because he believed this to be one of the mysteries his wife cooked up for him, whom he brought along was of little consequence.

Brad Meltzer did his research. He delved into DCU history with astonishing acumen, the basis of which were love stories; the relationship of parents to their children, and most acutely, the relationship between Ralph and his wife. If IDENTITY CRISIS does nothing else, it proves to me that there are no such things as "bad characters," there are just unimaginative writers or at least shortsighted comic companies. "Lame" characters like Bolt, The Calculator and Elongated Man were given more depth than characters that have their own series. Just read an issue of JLA to see what I mean. Even characters that made cameos, like Mister Miracle, The Ray, The Metal Men and Animal Man, were rendered masterfully. And then there's Sue Dibny.

She's a character that meant nothing to me. A character in the periphery who was like a fly buzzing in my ear, an annoyance. I never understood why she had to be a part of the Justice League Europe/International. Lois Lane, Carol Ferris, Jean Loring-Palmer, none of them tried to tag along with their superhero husbands/boyfriends. Why was she there? It never made sense to me. She seemed to be more of a liability than an asset. But, not even the most insignificant characters deserve to die in the most brutal and grotesque ways. She was beaten unconscious and then burned to death; all the while pregnant with Ralph's unborn child. Suddenly, a comic book supporting player that irked me meant as much to me as my all-time favorite comic character. When I got to the pages that displayed Sue's death and I saw the home pregnancy test, I gasped aloud. The passengers on the N train looked at me like I was crazy. But, I wasn't crazy. I was just moved.

Perhaps it was not much of a mystery to figure out that Sue Dibny would be the victim here, but who expected that she would be pregnant at the time of her death? And do you really believe that Doctor Light is the murderer here? I don't. The one question that kept coming back to me was: Why the focus on The Bolt? As a friend pointed out to me, there was something not quite right about a trained assassin with both electrical powers and the ability to teleport being taken out by amateur street thugs, particularly with Elongated Man and Firehawk as alibi witnesses.

While Rags Morales' artwork here was very nice, it's not the strongest I've ever seen from him. In fact, his work on HAWKMAN was much better, I think. Perhaps it was his inker or the colorist?

I found this first installment to be impeccably written, entirely suspenseful and nearly on par with some of the best comics I've ever read. Think Alan Moore's WATCHMEN, MIRACLEMAN and TOP TEN and Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN. Although, the multiple points of view sort of confused me. Also, the time narration interrupted the flow of the story. And just where does this story fit in with DCU time, anyway? Ronald Raymond is still Firestorm, Robin's dad knows his identity, but Spoiler is not yet Robin, and Captain Atom is still alive. Hm.

Very much looking forward to the next issue.

[MrFantomex]

So, I was wondering... in general, what were the Elongated man (and the others he was with at the end of the issue) up to when Dr. Light disappeared (this assumes that the "big secret" has to do with his disappearance, which may not be the case). It seems they were the "core" Justice League members at the time of whatever event he's referring to, the big secret they haven't told anyone. (I know nothing about Justive League history)

[Al Harahap]

Originally posted by MrFantomex
So, I was wondering... in general, what were the Elongated man (and the others he was with at the end of the issue) up to when Dr. Light disappeared (this assumes that the &quot;big secret&quot; has to do with his disappearance, which may not be the case). It seems they were the &quot;core&quot; Justice League members at the time of whatever event he's referring to, the big secret they haven't told anyone. (I know nothing about Justive League history)

I don't think that's important to the mystery. I seem to remember (and I could be wrong) that the last hero Dr. Light encountered was GL Kyle Rayner. So I'm pretty sure all this is to do with something that happened off-panel when these particular people were together in the 80's JLA.

Oh, and they weren't core members. That JLA's era, unlike today's, didn't have any levels of "core members" or whatnot. They all were just kind of equal, which is all the more intriguing that they decided to exclude certain members from the secret.

[ultimateX]

im not a big fan of dc. well, because i reall find it stupid (sorry guys!) for people sporting such ridiculous costumes and codenames.

but recently, i got interested to batman and superman, thanks to the superman/ batman series which i have to say the best comics drawn ever.

now comes identity crisis # 1. i have to admit, the art inside was way too different from michael turner's covers. but the story was simply awesome, touching and heartbreaking.

despite the art, im pretty sure im going all through the issues, jsut to see what happens in the end.

and i have a guess on who the killer is...

[Jon Hancock]

silly costumes and codenames...


*looks at the X-men reload* hmmm... double standards perhaps?

[OptionZero]

people who read only marvel or only dc are losers.

Daredevil and Batman?
Teen Titans/Outsiders/JLA and Avengers and Ultimates?
Spiderman and Superman?

why would you pick?

Geoff Johns, Willingham, Loeb and Millar and Bendis?

You'd be stupid to ignore either side.

[ultimateX]

jonberg... yah i forgot to mention. the xmen reload event sucks big time with the fact that they returned to their ridiculous costumes!

look at polaris! lousy character with a lousy costume (my opinion folks!)

i wish they didnt change what grant morrison did in his stint.

uh, just to be clear though, i love emma frost's uniform (or the lack of... ;)

peace!

[Lowry]

I thought this was agreat book. The cover however...the art was fantastic, but the text they stamped all over it nearly ruined it. It looked more like a trade magazine than a comic.

[Radical_Dreamer]

Lol, I thought that was only me. When I went to pick it up, I saw it and figured it was an issue of Wizard or something with all the big bright yellow writing, its after reaing a few reivews on the web that i realized my mistake and went back the next day.
The PBT will be orgasmic to read. A true, graphi novel in the purest sense of the word.

[Anthony Lucynski]

This is my first DCU "major event" that hasnt taken place in the bat books (last major event I read was Batman: No man's land)

And I loved it!

Anthony L

[Anand Khatri]

This is really good. I guess some people were dissaapointed because it wasn't a Superhero who died. But this death is more devestating, because all superbeings know they are in danger when they do this, but when their family is hurt, it wasn't supposed to happen.