| Title | : | Identity Crisis |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401204589 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401204587 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2004 |
When the spouse of a JLA member is brutally murdered, the entire super-hero community searches for the killer, fearing their own loved ones may be the next targets! But before the mystery is fully solved, a number of long-buried secrets rise to the surface, threatening to tear apart and divide the heroes before they can bring the mysterious killer to justice.
Bonus features include extended commentary by Meltzer and Morales, the rest of the creative team talking about their favorite moments, a look at Morales's sketchbook and more!
Identity Crisis Reviews
-
This is one of my favorites, and (to me) it still holds up after multiple re-readings.
Word of warning: People seem to either love it or hate it.
Obviously, I'm in the Love It! section, but that doesn't necessarily mean you will.
How many of you out there know who Elongated Man is?
Better yet, of those of you who know, how many of you care what happens to him? Thought so. Well, if you read Identity Crisis, you will find yourself caring not only about him but his wife, Sue, as well. As it turns out, they have a great love story all to themselves.
One that I had never even heard about before I read this book, which is what makes the opening pages even more heartbreaking.
Sadly, the story begins with Sue's murder. Naturally, members of the Justice League from all over spring into action trying to hunt down her killer and prevent anyone else's loved one from becoming a target. Secretly, though, several members meet in private to discuss past sins. As the story unfolds, we learn that there is a secret League within the Justice League.
And like most things in life, their story is neither black nor white.
Identity Crisis tilts everything you know about the DC universe on its axis by asking a simple question: How have the costumed heroes kept their identities a secret for so long?
One of my favorites, but definitely not for everyone. -
Solid story and a personal favorite!
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I chosen this TPB edition to be able to make a better overall review.
This TPB edition collects "Identity Crisis" #1-7.
Creative Team:
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Illustrator: Rags Morales
Covers: Michael Turner
HOW FAR YOU'LL GO TO PROTECT YOUR SECRETS?
Superheroes (at least many of them) depend of the privacy of their secret identities, but some time to time, it's unavoidable that some supervillain would find out their real identities, putting at risk the lives of all their loved ones.
So, with their personal life and their families and friends in deadly peril...
...how far they'll willing to go to protect them?
Because it's not only their own personal safety, but the security of their close ones.
And if some of their fellow hero friends would find out what they did to protect their secrets...
...what they'll do about it?
How far they'll go? When they'd pass the line? Is there a line?
Identity Crisis is a powerful story where heroes make hard calls and they have to live with the consequences of them, since what is at risk is just too precious to them.
VILLAINS AND OTHER WORSE THINGS
Spouses and other relatives of the Justice League are starting to die, and they have to do anything to stop this deadly path.
Elongated Man's wife is killed in too horrorful way, and seemingly impossible way, and the whole Justice League is out for blood since they won't stand that some of their own would be hurt.
Villains are in the run, generating in a case, one of the most epic fights that you'd find in a comic book about super-heroes.
However, not only villains are able to hurt super-heroes...
...sadly in life there are worse things that a super-hero have to face.
Shattering hearts along with the inner trust of the team...
...leaving in tears and pieces the Justice League.
This is one of the comic book events that I have enjoyed the most to read, since definitely it's a brave and bold tale where you can see the heroes beyond the costumes, showing them as men and women who can do a lot of good, but also a lot of bad, in the name of the safety of their loved ones, where at the end...
...they can solve it with super punches and power bolts.
There are crisis that just there isn't an easy way to deal with. -
Do you remember 2015's Viral image that broke the Internet?
*Blue and Black for me*
Identity crisis is the graphic novel equivalent of THE dress. I went through rating & reviews of my GR friends and there was scarcely any 3-star review! It's either five or four (Majority, like Blue and Black) and then straight to one or two!
Well, that's odd!
Premise
Remember Elongated man (AKA Ralph Dibny) of Justice League? No? Well, neither do anyone. Let's just say he is revised and reintroduced in Identity Crisis as one of the important (and cool) member of the Justice League. Tragedy strikes early in the series with the brutal murder of Sue Dibny, Ralph Dibny's wife. This event shook the very foundation of the superhero community, unleashing all their collective effort to track down the killer.The first rule of solving a crime. You need to find out who benefits
--------------- ---- Batman
Yes, this is a complex murder mystery. But then again, the story is much more than that.
What makes it one of the near perfect graphic novels is the tale's layered storytelling that portrays heroes in a new light by exploring their shortcomings & vulnerabilities. The Human vulnerabilities, to be specific. It's not always black and white as one perceives.
But What keeps this from achieving the status of a great story (at least for me) is the absolutely shocking lack of female narrators and moments. In the funeral scene of Sue Dibny, (which is very moving) Diana gives the eulogy as "she knew her better". And then not a peep from her except for a minor scene where she uses her lasso of truth. This was branded as a DC Universe event and the lack of a strong female superhero makes it sound a bit hollow. Another aspect I despised was
Nevertheless, This was a completely engrossing read which stands out from other DC stories that I've read. The writing and art compete with each other to deliver a dark and mature story which feels emotionally realistic at times. There are many moments in this story that I'll remember for a long time.
Especially these two!
And
You'll know when you read it.
--------------------------------
From Wikipedia:
While praised by some critics, this storyline is considered to be an example of "everything wrong with modern comics" by others.
Even they are not sure what's going on with this book! -
"I chose this life. I know what I'm doing. On any given day, I could stop doing it. Today, however, isn't that day. And tomorrow won't be, either." -- the thoughts of Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman
Comic book writer Gerry Conway (who has worked for both DC and Marvel, and on such notable characters including Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the Punisher) was quoted in a 2020 online interview that often the intended target audience age for the standard comic book stories roughly falls between nine to thirteen. Identity Crisis takes that viewpoint and curb-stomps it to a pulp and presents a fully adult superhero story - and I don't really mean 'adult' in terms of any overt graphic violence, sexuality, or language which would earn it an 'R' rating in a movie version - that touches on several mature themes, fears, responsibilities, and secrets. However, the added dramatic angle of sorts to this completely serious in tone suspense/mystery story is that it involves the costumed superhero/crimefighter community (specifically, the various courageous members of the eclectic and abundantly staffed Justice League) AND their families. There are a lot of reviews out there already, so I won't rehash the plot, but I will mention that author Meltzer, artist Morales and their crew do superb work across the board. I can't imagine reading this tale at twelve years old, but add another thirty or so years to that age and THEN this graphic novel becomes supremely chilling and effective. -
Elongated Man's wife is murdered and the search for her killer opens up a whole can of worms involving super-villains having their memories erased.
The best comics are the ones that are about something. Starman is about stepping into your father's shoes. Sandman is about stories. The Watchmen is about how power corrupts. This one is a mystery that raises a lot of ethical questions. Meltzer's writing is really good and Rags Morales's art is the perfect fit. Having Green Arrow being one of the main characters gives the reader a good view of things.
If you're looking for a super hero comic that's more than just two guys in costumes punching each other, pick this up.
2021 Thoughts: I'm tempted to downgrade this. In a universe where people are brought back to life and/or rebooted on a regular basis, I have to think this would have been better served using analogues like Watchmen did. -
“Identity Crisis” is probably one of the most baffling event books I’ve ever read. By turns it’s unintentionally funny, confusing, and ultimately pointless. At its core, it is a deeply cynical story and seems to be DC’s attempt at Watchmen-ifying the DCU - and utterly failing.
It opens with two unfamiliar characters speaking atop a rooftop: Elongated Man (yes that really is his name!) and Firehawk, a pair who look like the most generic superheroes ever created. They are failing to blend in with the scenery but aren’t spotted despite Firehawk being on fire at night, watching an alley with a box in it, 2 gangsters, and a “super” villain who are somehow all connected. Sue Dibny, Elongated Man’s wife, is preparing a surprise birthday for him so he’s put on his tights and headed out into the night to give her room. But it’s not going to be a happy birthday as she is about to murdered. Sue, it turns out, is the first in a line of family members of superheroes who are being targeted for some reason.
This first chapter… I think I could write an entire dissertation solely on how stupid this chapter is. First off – Elongated Man. Does anyone know who he is, let alone his wife? Does anyone care? His wife’s dead – so what? We’ve just been introduced to these characters. Maybe you’re one of the Silver Age readers who might remember these characters but I’m guessing most people coming to this book aren’t, and I’m definitely one of them. But the response is hilarious. EVERYONE in the DCU mobilises as if their entire world is shook up. Sue Dibny is dead? SUE DIBNY? The correct response would’ve been “who?” but it seems she meant a great deal to everyone in the DCU despite not being a superhero and being the wife of a superhero called, yes, Elongated Man. The worst name ever created for a “superhero”. Was “Distended Man” taken?
This is where DC begin ret-conning like crazy. Elongated Man tells stories of going out on patrol with Batman – I’ve read a lot of Batman comics and not once have I seen one mention of this character. Hell, in all the DC comics I’ve read, I’ve never seen a single mention of this guy. But whoever he is, he’s suddenly important because otherwise this book has no impact on the reader, so DC make up a whole bunch of stuff about this couple you’ve never heard of to build them up as some kind of massively important characters on par with Superman, Wonder Woman, et al. when the truth is Sue Dibny is an easy character to kill off because nobody remembers her.
The response is so overblown and melodramatic that, once you realise this is all for a character called Sue Dibny, the wife of a superhero you’ve never heard of, it becomes really funny. Green Arrow at one point says “Clark and Bruce may be the bricks - but Ralph and Sue... they were the mortar” which just made me laugh partly because he’s so solemn when he says it and partly because it’s so untrue. And then the funeral takes place. You’ve never seen such an outpouring of superheroes – for Sue Dibny! The superheroes act like this is their 9/11! At this point I wondered if someone had made “Who the fuck is Sue Dibny?” tshirts and that I should buy one – seriously, DC, it’s one thing to insist the reader cares so much about this unknown couple, but to have literally every superhero in the DCU breaking down over her death? It’s so ridiculous. This leads to the hunt for her killer who is judged to be an unknown villain called Dr Light - with no evidence!
To recap so far: the wife of a superhero, neither of whom anyone has heard of before, is killed by an equally unknown “supervillain” whose power is being able to light up like a lightbulb. Oh dear...
The Dr. Light connection leads to some baffling revelations and the explanation for the title. Dr Light, a seemingly harmless loony, manages to break into the JLA’s moon headquarters (somehow because it’s never explained) while they’re all away. Wandering about – for no reason! You’re never told why he’s even there in the first place! – he meets Sue Dibny. And then rapes her! Here the laughter is replaced by an uneasy feeling that DC are now actively channelling Alan Moore. After half a minute or so, most of the JLA appear and stop him, beat him up, etc. Then, out of the blue, they decide to wipe his memory using Zatanna and then go further, changing his brain so his personality is altered! It should be said that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – the Big 3 – are absent but it’s implied that this has happened many times before and, as they were involved, they must have had a part in this. But for the purposes of this book, the ringleader is winner of the curviest goatee ever seen in comics, Green Arrow, who, in this book at least, manages to win over Barry Allen/Flash, Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, and Carter Hall/Hawkman and together, they watch as Zatanna does the deed.
In a book of really strange goings on, this is perhaps one of the strangest reasonings I’ve ever read in a DC comic. Going waaaaaay back to 1960s Silver Age comics, they single out an issue where a magic box switches the identities of superheroes and villains momentarily. While the villains are in the superheroes’ bodies, they unmask and find out the superheroes’ secret identities. Aghast, the superheroes, once returned to their bodies, fear for their loved ones as they will now become targets for the villains. So they decide to wipe the memories of the villains to ensure their secret identities remain secret.
This highlights one of the biggest problems DC, and Marvel for that matter, have – going back to the past and rewriting it so it’s “darker”. It’s like they’re embarrassed of their history. So those silly Silver Age stories that were aimed at and written for kids? DC have decided to go back and rewrite them to suit where they are – in the 21st century – as a company, creatively. They want things to be “real” and “dark” and “gritty”. First of all, if you’re reading superhero comics and want realism – STOP READING SUPERHERO COMICS. You’re reading about a guy who can move so fast his can vibrate his molecules and pass through solid objects and a billionaire who dresses as a bat, not to mention the alien who can fly – and you want them to seem more “real”? What a nonsensical complaint! The good news is that there are lots of “realistic” comics out there so you can fill your boots, but if you’re picking up a DC or Marvel book then you’re choosing to put aside realism and indulge in pure fantasy.
Second, why can’t DC leave well enough alone? Those Silver Age comics were written for a younger, less sophisticated readership compared to the comics audience of the 21st century which is predominantly adult. Those stories in the 60s were silly but that doesn’t mean you have to address the many bizarre stories that were printed and then find ways of explaining them so that there are “real” reasons behind their existence. They were just innocent stories for kids, designed to be silly – there is absolutely no reason to have to go back and pillage the past to suit the current Dark/Modern age of comics. I’m just getting so sick of this revisionist crap - writers who can’t come up with something original so they go back and “spin” something old. It’s so uncreative. How about a new take on Winnie the Pooh? Hey, you know why Eeyore is so down? He was molested as a young donkey. Yeah, he’s on a ton of antidepressants. And speaking of drugs, Tigger? He’s on crack. All the time, hence his energy. And Piglet, man s/he is such a whore, the things s/he does with Pooh in his trailer...
So that’s the “identity crisis” of the book – superheroes performing immoral acts on immoral people. I don’t know why DC felt they had to come up with an answer to the question of “how do superheroes maintain their secret identities so long?” especially as if that’s a valid question, how about “how can Flash move so fast? Isn’t that kind of speed impossible for a human?” etc. Once again, if you’re picking up a superhero comic, questions of realism/logic – these shouldn’t be valid as they’re not applicable.
And then we’re back to the murder mystery story of Sue Dibny, except now there’s another body and once again this victim is someone you don’t know nor care about: Tim Drake’s dad. I don’t even remember his name, that’s how unmemorable he was. He was Robin’s dad, that’s it.
To recap again: two unknown and inconsequential characters have died, and superheroes have been revealed as morally bankrupt. Why is this considered to be a “great” book again?
So finally we get to the end as Dr Mid-Nite figures out, just as Bruce Wayne does, who the killer is. And on the subject of Dr Mid-Nite, he’s been performing the autopsy on Sue Dibny since her death, basically the entire book. The events in this book take place between one and two weeks. Which means Dr Mid-Nite’s been performing an autopsy for over a week! Don’t these things take a day or two? He’s got to be the worst “doctor” of all time to spend this long autopsying a corpse.
And who is the killer of two unknown, inconsequential characters? Only another unknown, inconsequential character! The Atom!....’s wife. Who? Yes, the superhero you kind of know about, or might not at all, the Atom is a guy who can shrink himself down to the size of an atom. In this book, he’s been going through a divorce with his wife – who left him – and, despite the fact that she could get back together with him at the drop of a hat – he repeatedly reminds the reader how much he’s still in love with her – she concocts the most convoluted plan to get him running back to her. Which he already was.
So how does Atom’s wife do it? Well, I have no idea. I’ve read and re-read the sequence and am no clearer. She finds one of his tiny costumes in a box one day and then in the next panel she has acquired his powers and is able to shrink to the size of atoms. Um... Then for some reason she decides to try out her new power by going into Sue Dibny’s brain and playing around in there...Er...Brad Meltzer, I’m not following. Then she loses control, Sue Dibny dies, Atom’s wife tries to hide it by torching Elongated Man’s house, fake a murder attempt, and then kill Tim Drake’s dad. That’s right, this is the most nonsensical resolution to a non-story I’ve ever read.
Before I finish (and congratulations if you’ve made it through this elongated rant - eh?) I will say that the book contains one of the best fight sequences I’ve read all year. Normally I’m against superhero violence as it’s so inane, two roided-out dudes in tights punching one another – it’s dull, right? But the sequence when Deathstroke takes out the group of Justice Leaguers (minus the Big 3) was genius. It wasn’t plain fighting, it was tactical, it was clever, it was well choreographed, it was a perfect example of how superhero fights should be and so frequently aren’t. That and I just like Deathstroke, this is the one part of the book that is faultless. Rags Morales is the other reason this book gets 2 stars instead of 1. His art is, as always, fantastic and, despite the far-too many scenes of costumes crying, his work only elevated the book.
So that’s “identity Crisis”. A story featuring nobodies important in the DCU killing one another while the superheroes hover around the edges, awkwardly trying their damnedest to pretend it matters. Brad Meltzer manages to craft one of the most poorly constructed “mysteries” I’ve ever read while also smearing crap over DC’s superheroes for no reason whatsoever. This entire book is pointless, partly because the characters who died didn’t matter in the first place. It is a disasterpiece of modern comics, a cautionary tale for future writers to avoid making superheroes “real”. “Identity Crisis” doesn’t make you think differently about superheroes, it just makes you wish for the kind of stories that are reviled in this book. The ones that don’t try so hard to be “dark” and “gritty” and focus instead on creating original stories that have a balance between drama and levity - the kind of comics a kid would want to pick up.
“Identity Crisis”... it just sucks. -
This book just sucked the life and joy out of me while i was reading it... i like dark but that's halloween dark... the fun stuff... but this comic book was just not that dark but a drag. Did they try to make a more realistic story ? may be this was the goal... ? as far as realistic goes, all the realist writers put great amount of humor in their books 'cause life has humor in it and they don't want you to feel terrible when you read their book... but this book had no humor... it was straight out joyless, humorless, lifeless.. a piece of crap which made you feel terrible. This crap ruined my whole day and made me feel like a crap when i finished reading it, even if the anti depresant... Can you believe that ?!?!?! The end was so terrible... ''Superman hears what he wants to hear'' and ''Batman knows what he wants to know'' my ass... They should have punished the secret league in the league for all the crap. This book stabs you and then turns the blade to hurt more... And What was the point of it ? I don't see any point. There is something very evil about this book. I couldn't figure it out yet but nothing ever made me feel so terrible... Only this evil piece of crap story achived that.
-
The event that changed the DC universe for years. Yes, it is a murder mystery. Longtime Justice League member Elongated Man's wife, Sue, is brutally murdered setting off a chain of revelations that just keep coming. It becomes the impetus for all the events leading up to
Infinite Crisis, while shattering the Justice League. Meltzer does such a fine job of keeping the tension high while rolling out gut punch after gut punch.
Rags Morales gives the book a bit of a retro feel with his character models based off of old Hollywood stars. With all the flashbacks, it looks like it stepped out of the Bronze Age. His art is very expressive, capturing each hero's emotions. This is one of those books that I find myself returning to every few years. -
Not my favorite. It has some serious problems, like the Dibneys, mistreatment of female characters, and the mystery. And although I found myself getting excited for the mystery, the big reveal was pretty lame.
Firstly. Who the hell is Sue Dibny? I think it's safe to say the average reader doesn't know who she is. I can't remember ever reading about her, and I've only seen the Elongated Man (worst superhero name ever, by the way) a few times in various events and crossovers. In my research I discovered the Dibneys go back to the 60s, with Elongated Man in various teams from the 70s to the mid 90s. Unless you've been reading comics for thirty five plus years, it's unlikely you've had much exposure to the Dibneys. And Meltzer calling them "minor characters" is laughable.
"Clark and Bruce may be the bricks --- but Ralph and Sue --- they were the mortar."
I actually laughed at this quote. Revisionism much? There's absolutely no justification for this statement. Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Diana Prince, Ollie Queen. They're the mortar. So many others are ahead of the Dibneys for being the mortar.
The fact that the entire emotional premise of this book is based on our recognition of and sympathy for Sue Dibny is a terrible choice on Meltzer's part. Not to sound heartless, but I don't care about her. It's like when you read about strangers' deaths in the news, there's emotional distance, you want to care, you do care on some universal level, but it doesn't hit you like a friend or family member would. I don't know if Meltzer chose virtually unknown characters to do something different, to make them known again and immortalize them with their own story (not an event or crisis in any sense of the word), but it failed me as a reader.
"We'd never seen anything like it. Even at Arkham."
Right, the JLA has never seen a rapist before. I've lost track of how many comics murder and rape their female characters because "art imitates life" and "life is tragic" and "men are evil" and "women are the weaker sex." Frank Miller and Alan Moore love to do this. And Brad Meltzer does it, too. I think it's lazy and disgusting writing. As a writer, in a brand new world you've created in the reader's mind, where you can do everything differently, women still get murdered and raped. And the rape was totally unnecessary. Murder isn't bad enough, so let's make it even more horrific with rape and perpetuating this terrible social norm and instilling even more primal fear into our female readership. Good thing female readership is so low among comics anyway, because I could see some feminists getting pretty pissed off by this.
And the biggest bother yet was the mystery. I'll admit there were some clever twists and great misdirection, although I'm not a mystery reader so I'm easily fooled. In the first chapter we're told the killer's identity. Which pissed me off, because what a way to diffuse the mystery. Good thing they were wrong. And wrong again. Then the JLA is sent scrambling because more and more lives are put in danger and things get really crazy. And I was guessing until the end and was shocked by the big reveal. Again, I'm no mystery reader, so maybe it was more obvious than I think. But after the shock wore off I thought, what the fuck? That's the big reveal, that's the motivation? What a cop out. That's borderline Scooby Doo. Sorry, gang, Old Man Weathers was just plain 6s and 7s. That's it? So there's really no logical explanation for what happened. Obsessiveness and incident are responsible for three innocent lives. And what about Tim Drake? Is Meltzer just obligatorily fulfilling every Robin's destiny?
The more I write about this, the more angry I seem to get. Which is weird, because post-Sue I was getting into the mystery and flipping pages to find out what happens. There are some pretty good fight scenes, arguments, and dialog. Villains like Deathstroke gained more of my respect for their ruthlessness. And the artwork is very well done. But Meltzer's choice of the Dibneys, the murder and rape, and the reveal sort of ruined what small enjoyment there was. And Tim Drake? Terrible and unnecessary. This is about what I expected: unfamiliar characters, bad things happening to good people, a mostly unsatisfying story. Essential reading? Nope. But if you're really bored I guess there are worse things to read. -
This might be one of my favorite comics I've ever read from DC. I can see why some might not like it. It retcons things, it changes the past of characters, and it's far darker than most DC comics. When Elongated Man's wife is murdered every superhero (well almost every) goes on a hunt to find out who it is. This is when we begin to dig deep into the past of the JLA.
The main characters of this series (or event I guess) are Green Arrow/Wally/Tim Drake/Bruce/Clark. They get the most attention anyway. They are all effected the most by the events except for Elongated Man because, obviously, his wife died. However the events that happen here truly hit the characters above the most. Green Arrow being the narrative of most of the story and now most can see why I LOVE Ollie. He's good in nature but logical in others, and sometimes he has to make tough choices other heroes can't.
This is a murder mystery. Besides a (Badass) fight with Deathstroke and small one with Boomrang this event has very very little fighting. WHich is why I love it so much. I enjoyed Infinite Crisis alot for it's over the top fights and pacing but this is much slower and more calculated and honestly I LOVE the pacing in it. So be prepared this is a slowburn but it's worth the payoff.
What I liked: Love seeing the League deal with morally difficult decisions. Especially in the past. Thought the ending was really well done, if not sad, and I didn't guess the killer at all when I should have, and that's a good twist/reveal. The fights, while small, are amazing. Which brings me to the artwork, which is top notch, and some shots made me stare just at the page for a minute or two (Looking at you funeral shot). I also thought the narrative and pacing was also interesting and using Ollie was a great idea.
What I didn't like: I loved just about everything. Yeah the retcon was a little off and some old school fans might hate but that's about it.
Overall this is one of the books to come out and surprise the heck out of me. I know it's old but glad I read alot of DC before this. It made me feel for all the characters at some point and it hit me harder. This is a great book that I'd suggest AFTER you read a good amount of DC. A 4.5/5. -
One of darkest and best DC comics I've ever read.
The death of an hero's wife.
The death of ideals.
The death of a dream.
This and much more in this amazing murder mistery tale, and the ending is going to shock you for good. Twice.
Never read about Elongated Man before buying this hardback in a comics-buying-rampage at a convention here in Rome last month, but in a few pages the author made me love poor Ralph and Sue (ok, she was another DC "woman in refrigerator" plot-device like Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern's girlfriend, but a real well made one) Dibny... before punching hard and low this reader.
Loved how the "Trinity" was just in the background while things and League crumbled down, strong in their mythical aura.
Loved the brutal badass fight of Deathstroke against everyone.
The perversion of Dr. Light here was a real shock for me... so different from the one in "Teen Titans Go" cartoons I use to watch with my little daughter.
Michael Turner's covers were just awesome and I'm not going to forget that look on the face of Tim Drake for loooonng time.
A gut-wrenching surprising read.
If you are a fan of Watchman give a try to this one too: you are going to like it very much. -
This book came highly recommended (thanks, Rachel), and now I can see why!
What has always been a key feature of the Supers, particularly of the DC Comics variety? Maintaining those pesky secret identities, of course! so when the wife of a long-serving Justice Leaguer is found murdered, our heroes go into overdrive wondering whose loved one might be next to be targeted.
Brad Meltzer also writes those wordy things called, em, novels so the scripting could have suffered from being overly wordy, but fortunately for the project he found a collaborator in
Rags Morales who takes the underlying emotion and comic iconography and lets it all play out in some wonderfully rendered, even stylized, panels.
Also, despite the fact that most of the book is played as a straight murder mystery, the one epic fight sequence of Justice Leaguers versus Deathstroke was brilliantly executed and thrilling, much better than so many of the biff-boom-pow fights that a lot of artists are dialling in these days. -
Πολύ καλή ιστορία και σκίτσο. Απολαυστικό.
-
Bullet Review:
Very decent. I saw in a friend's review that it felt a lot like Watchmen, and I concur. For whatever reason, all the elements worked for me; in particular, I grew really fond of Green Arrow/Ollie. It's also overdramatic and pretentious as hell, but there's worse out there. -
Instead of going grand like its other Crisis siblings, Identity Crisis goes deep. And it hurts.
Elongated Man's wife is murdered and someone has to pay for it. As the superheroes find out the person responsible, filthy secrets about our beloved characters are laid bare. Brad Meltzer has effectively humanized many DC heroes and villains, putting them in a situation where their superpowers are close to being useless and playing with their emotions as if you were reading a novelized drama anthology.
Dirty things happen and are uncovered in Identity Crisis. For one, there is rape. I personally don't like a rape scene in any story. The rapture of female divinity is almost always present in these so-called "mature" stories mainly for its shock value. If not for its great and immersive story, I'd give Identity Crisis a one-star. Then there are other things like morally questionable decisions, deaths and other devastating repercussions, it's a Crisis event in the first place.
Speaking of an immersive story, this one is page-turner. This collected edition is filled with mystery, red herrings and plot twists. The little details in the dialogue and facial expressions give the characters a sort of dark vibrancy. There are some chapters that shine above the rest like the issue about fathers.
I agree with you, Rags Morales. This is my personal best emotional panel in Identity Crisis.
Rags Morales' facial artwork and close-up panels do the trick in emphasizing emotional distress. This close-up technique is even present in fight scenes and I love the claustrophobic feel it gives. The Deathstroke vs. all gruesome fight scene deserves a standing ovation.
Thank you, Deathstroke for this insanely delicious one-versus-JSA fight.
Identity Crisis is a must-read for DC fans. Be prepared though for there are things you cannot unread. The end may be a bit corny and shallow but overall it is great in a grim way. -
"I chose this life. I know what I'm doing.
- Bruce Wayne aka Batman
And on any given day, I could stop doing it.
Today, however, isn't that day.
And tomorrow won't be either."
The DC universe has seen it's fair share of world changing crises: big cosmic threats that will affect the universe forever. But Identity Crisis is different because although it does have major consequences for the comic universe, it isn't a cosmic event in the slightest, but an event that's much more personal than anyone would've ever expected, a crisis of morality, a crisis of leadership. Instead of epic space battles with aliens or Monitors, Identity Crisis is primarily a murder mystery, one where the Justice League must investigate the murder of one of their loved ones, Sue Dibney, the wife of Ralph Dibney, Elongated Man.
It hits harder than even a threat from Darkseid would, as it deals with the harmful repercussions of living the life of a superhero and the dangers it could put your family in. The book focuses on the importance of masks and alter egos, and why someone as powerful as Superman even needs one. And as the team comes closer to finding the killer, long-held secrets are revealed that could tear the League apart. And it contains one of the best superhero fights I've seen in a comic, where a handful of the League fight Deathstroke. The much more relatable story really sets this DC event apart from the rest. -
I wish DC/Marvel went back to this adult style more often these days, the way Brad Meltzer writes superheroes in this book is just amazing, all of them feel so very real, with all their virtues, fears, and defects, this is another one of those books where you can see some proper character development, and the mystery plot was very well done, with real stakes. Artwise, this is just as solid, Rags Morales created a lot of cool and iconic panels, with all the drama beautifully illustrated, with solid facial expressions, then to top it off, in this new edition, you get commentary from both Rags and Brad about their favorite moments, which is a really neat bonus, so this is an easy perfect score from me, highly recommended. Tom King's Heroes In Crisis is another recommendation for fans of this book, he clearly took a lot of inspiration from here.
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You can find my review on my blog by clicking
here.
One of the best things about superhero stories is the writers that can give these an edge so sharp that it could cut right into your emotions and make you bleed with passion. Not every story has to follow a conventional structure. When it comes to DC Comics, you can find just about all kinds of style, and this seven-part graphic novel looks to give superheroes an emotional touch that will leave you heart-broken. What the best-selling thriller novelist Brad Meltzer offers you is a look at how vulnerable these heroes who seek to protect others really are when you look at their human side. After all, most of them aren’t so different from you and I, except for their powers and duty as vigilantes that leave them with a far bigger burden than the common mortal could ever comprehend.
Identity Crisis puts Ralph Dibny, also known as Elongated Man, in the spotlight as his wife suffers an unexpected tragedy in the mist of what should have been a joyous and celebratory day. Struck with grief and derailed into confusion and incomprehension, the superhero community are utterly stunned. Gathered and connected by death, the heroes on Earth launch a mission to find a killer who has done the unspeakable. During these dark times, dark thoughts cross the minds of many as they contemplate the size of the justice they plan on delivering to the culprit. However, a long-buried secret starts to sizzle its way to the attention of certain heroes and turns this mystery into a far more complex event than one could expect.
The story deals with a lot of fascinating and realistic issues regarding superheroes and their secret identity. Similar to the exposed and constantly harassed lifestyle of celebrities, superheroes have the immense challenge of keeping their identity hidden from those who are ill-intentioned. While the world strives on finding out the latest gossip on these public figures, heroes seek to keep their loved ones out of harm’s way. To constantly worry about their safety is after all one of their greatest weakness and something that some have had to learn the hard way. It’s even more of a concern for them when they’ve seen a lot of heroes die, and only some of them come back. This exploration of their secret identity and the lengths they go to to keep it a secret is part of the reason why this story is so eye-opening.
Unlike other stories, Identity Crisis does not shy away from sensitive and dark subjects and delivers all the dilemma’s in a poignant and powerful fashion. One of my favourite question that was tackled in this story is how humanity should deal with criminals. As many strongly believe that rehabilitation is not a viable option, while death is no way to set the example for mankind to follow, a third option that looks into severely changing a person’s personality and diminishing their mental and physical capacities is explored. As touchy as it is, Brad Meltzer deals with it beautifully in a superhero context. And with the help of artists Rags Morales and Michael Blair, a lot of moments were delivered with raw vigor and emotion.
Identity Crisis is not the most accessible story for newcomers since there are a lot of characters that are used to deliver the emotional edge of this plot. In fact, knowing their history and who they are helps substantially in understanding where they come from and why they act in certain ways. Nonetheless, there is plenty that can be appreciated, newcomer or not. From amazing artwork, insane tactical action scenes, deep discussions on ethical dilemmas to a mystery filled with red herrings, Identity Crisis is a very intimate and stunning look at the personal lives of superheroes through a gripping whodunit story.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog:
https://bookidote.com/
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A very intimate and stunning look of the personal lives of superheroes through a gripping whodunit story.
P.S. Full review coming soon.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog:
https://bookidote.com/ -
Wow this was dark.
I can see why some people may have problems with it and like it tries to make the DCU more like Watchmen and now I can see where New 52 came from. Umm yeah this was something.
It starts with the murder of Sue dibny and we follow the superhero community as they try to solve the mystery of who committed this sin and its an epic one as we follow them but Elongated man knows who it can be and their connection with Dr Light and that one was a dark retcon, even controversial but then again this story doesn't hold back and from there it just gets more dark and Deathstroke, hero vs villains, Calculator, more mysteries and suspense and the focus on Superman and Batman and how it affects the wider DCU, the secrets of Wally and Ollie and what not and it becomes this fascinating read which changes the DCU forever.
Its really a murder mystery at its best but when the revelation comes while its a shock it makes perfect sense and its so good and it..is heart breaking and more shocking. Yeah I am having problem finding words to describe the severity and like dark nature of this, but nonetheless a compelling read and it makes you nostalgic and sad for these perfect like characters. Gods, but maybe they are more mortal than us? And the art is really good throughout especially the funeral scene like :(. -
Law and Order: Justice League
So, this has a wonderful start. Like an extremely memorable start because it reminds me of the start of a good one shot crime thriller. It pulled me in, used a narrative that was compelling and it set up an interesting plot. Unfortunately, it kind of went downhill for me once we really got into Dr. Light's possible motives.
I'll get into a bit of why I hate sexual assault as a plot device further in because I told myself not to let that affect my rating. So,
The Good:
- Ralph (Elongated Man) is a compelling character. I liked his introduction, his characterization and I liked his relationship with Sue. It's interesting because I've never read about this character before this book and Meltzer set him up well enough that I was understanding of his grief and the lengths he went to get revenge.
- This had one of the best openings in any DC event I've read.
- I loved Oliver Queen in this book. While his actions were questionable, I liked his narration. And good thing because Ralph and the others take a backseat throughout most of this book as Ollie tries to solve the murder mystery. I liked Ollie's strategies and the way he explained his actions to Wally.
- I liked Wally in this book. He had a smaller role but I liked that he struggled with whether or not to go along with deceiving Clark and Bruce.
- The fight with Deathstroke was really well done. I've read a few books with this character and this is the first one that actually made me want to read more about him. His skill set was used in such an interesting way in the fight against the JL.
- Also worth noting that Deadshot's abilities were well utilized too.
- I enjoyed the small bits of Superman, Batman and Tim Drake in this book
- Tim Drake's plight is actually moving. I knew what happened to Tim's Dad from other books but this was the actual event and it was pretty damn sad. I really feel for the kid and that was one instance of the art really working for this book.
The Bad: ** mentions of sexual assault **
- Where were the women? I know, I know "Can the feminists let me enjoy one book?" - but seriously, it bugged me because I have yet to read a DC event where Wonder Woman gets a meaty role. In Kingdom Come, her storyline is constantly sidelined while Bruce and Clark have their tiff and then she pops up at the end pregnant because she's a woman. Here, there was potential for Diana, Dinah, Zatanna and even Lois to have a real role and a narrative and they just don't. It was weird.
- I wasn't a huge fan of this art style. Outside of the reveal scene, Oliver Queen and the shot of Tim Drake sitting in blood, I wasn't really impressed.
- Digger Harkness. I could live the rest of my life never hearing or seeing Captain Boomerang again and I would be so happy. I hate this character; I don't understand the point of this character and his storyline here was kind of irrelevant. Maybe it set up something afterwards but it seemed like, in efforts to make his death mean more, the writers just gave him this subplot with his son so I would care? I still don't.
- Perhaps the ending would've made more sense if I'd read about Atom and his wife before? Because I hadn't, this seemed like a Lifetime/Law and Order: SVU style plot twist.
- Here's a great place to check out if sexual assault as a plot point doesn't bother you because it was where my enjoyment took a dive:
- I hate it when writers, especially male writers (sorry) use rape as a plot device because it's rarely used with the intention of following the victim through recovery. Instead, it's used to victimize a woman for a male character's development. Ex: in the Jessica Jones Netflix show, Jessica's recovery is a focal point and she even helps another victim with their recovery. Here, Sue is raped and other women are threatened with rape to further Ralph's story and cause the other members of the Justice League to commit the controversial act of wiping Dr. Light's memory.
> Why? What about this couldn't have worked if Sue was just physically attacked? It still would've incited feelings of protectiveness from Ralph and the other members of the JL. Threats of violence are enough to push the plot forward. We didn't need the shots of her clothes being ripped and her crawling across the floor. It was unnecessary.
> There was a line here that bugged the hell out of me and I kept coming back to it. Ralph says, "Sue said she fought back. I hope that she did." What? What the hell does that even mean? If she hadn't, would that make her trauma less sympathetic to him? Because (and a lot of people don't know this) the chances of a woman being more seriously injured or murdered during a sexual assault increase exponentially if they fight their assailants. That is in no way shaming women that do but I'm saying its a valid response to this kind of attack. This statement from Ralph rubbed me entirely the wrong way because either he's saying it because it comforts him to think she fought because it proves she didn't want the attack (WTF?) or he's saying it because it comforts him to think of his wife as a fighter (not the time and no one cares about how you feel about this, Ralph). It was such a gross line and I had to pause for a moment after reading it.
- The lack of female character involvement in this story (outside of the end reveal, I guess) highlights why the above is even more of a problem. Dr. Light threatens all of the women in these men's lives and this is all used to motivate the men to stoop to new lows to protect them. The men are motivated. Where is Wondy protecting her sisters? Where is Dinah taking an active part of this investigation because she's always been protective over women? Where is Zatanna using her magic to help discover the killer? You have a plot that's not great towards female characters and then you sideline the only female heroes here. I'll shut up now.
Anyway, the negatives really bugged me but I promise, it didn't factor into my rating much. 4 stars because of the art, Digger's story didn't pack a punch for me. Really, all of the shots of the Calculator coordinating attacks fell flat for me. Also, the glaring absence of the female members of the League made no sense to me.
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Identity Crisis has been my favorite TPB ever since I read it about 10 years back. I had the opportunity to re-read this week and my feeling about it has not changed an iota.
I still consider it to have one of the best story lines pertaining to superheroes, period. There are a lot of themes explored here - why secret identities are important, how heroes & villains have to live with the consequences of their actions, how the lines are crossed sometimes, what does it mean to lose someone. The main story line, as I have said before, is excellent and would stand alone as one of the best whodunnits/locked room mysteries.
In fact, I don't think there has been an adequate exploration of superhero tropes since the Incredibles or The Watchmen. Neither Brandon Sanderson's Reckoners nor any other Vertigo comic I have read come close.
In addition, I love this TPB because this is where I first saw how badass Deathstroke is and how vulnerable the heroes are.
If there is one thing I dislike, it is the artwork. The characters look weird and misshapen. -
This tale looks at superheroes and the people they love and how they protect them.
When a loved one is in great danger the JLA and JSA jump into action and we get to see their diverging viewpoints.
Easily in the top ten for JLA/JSA stories.
OVERALL GRADE: A minus to A. -
You just know when the first page is literally everyone crying that you made a terrible decision.
Luckily however it is a really good read and worth the emotional trauma and you totally get pulled into the story straight away. It's pretty much packed with a shit ton of characters as they try to figure out who is targeting their relatives. I could have done with a little more Aquaman because i felt like everyone else got a say and had their little 'it's my turn to play detective now' but Arthur as per usual doesn't get a look in because he's a poor neglected sea man.
I did however hate the ending, you didn't need to be a detective to see that coming!
It's a bit of a cliché ending even the reveal of who it is has been done so many times before there's no real shock ending. It is still totally worth picking up and you'll read this quite fast because it is a page turner even though you know shit is about to go down. -
Brad Meltzer surprised me with this, because somehow he turned Elongated Man (who?) into a compelling character.
This was a little reminiscent of Watchmen's, especially in the deep cynicism department. I don't want to reveal much about the plot other than that THIS is why we don't tell people our secret identities (I'm looking at you
Civil War.) Basically Elongated Man's wife is murdered, setting off a ripple of fear throughout the superhero community.
The characterization was great, and I feel like I could see into the mind's of many of the heroes. I especially love that Green Arrow narrated most of this. It focused a lot on smaller characters, with the Trinity showing up a little but by no means stealing the show.
Overall, I loved this and plan on reading it again. I wish I had read this sooner.
Artwork: A+
Dialogue: A+
Plot: A++
Characters: A+ -
I stumbled upon an absolute edition Identity Crisis super-cheap and couldn’t pass it up, as I remembered liking this when it originally came out years ago. I still enjoyed it.
Both Sam's (
Sam's review) and Martin's(
Martin's review)reviews did an excellent job at pointing out a couple of things that might make this slightly over-rated collection a disappointment for some. Relatively unknown characters, melodrama oozing from every page, the “rainbow of interior monologue captions” throughout, as well as art that may not be to the modern graphic novel reader’s taste. None of these accurate critiques prevented me from enjoying what I feel is a decent mystery with adequate artwork.
I, like Anne (
Anne's review) and Gavin(
Gavin's review), found myself interested in and caring about the relatively unknown characters of Ralph and Sue Dibny. Being happily married (and a big softy), I bought into Ralph’s heartbreak pretty quickly. And while I agree with Martin that the comic tries really hard to be “mature” and dates itself in that regard, I still liked the interactions between both the heroes and the villains in the book. In addition to being a mystery, the book focused on how these heroes try to protect themselves and the lengths to which they are willing to go to safeguard their “ordinary” loved ones.
And the scene depicting the League’s battle with Deathstroke was outstanding. He is a badass and finally gets his due with Meltzer showing just how dangerous he really is.
As far as the Absolute Edition is concerned, it’s nice but not necessary to enjoy the book. Doesn’t add much in the way of extras from previous editions and probably wouldn’t be worth the price to someone that isn’t already a fan of the book.
All in all, over-rated, but ultimately enjoyable whodunit. If you don’t go in with inflated expectations because of the hype surrounding this book at release, you will probably find something to enjoy here. -
Back when it first came out, Identity Crisis was getting a lot of very positive press, and it's obvious why. It's a crossover event that's very well-written and has an intensely personal, emotional, and even relateable story. Unlike pretty much every other crossover event I can think of, it's about love, loss, grief, and making the right and moral choice when there is no right and moral choice. Powerful stuff. Oh, and it's a murder mystery, too.
The murder mystery falls by the wayside over and over, but it's really just the vehicle for the much larger story. Which is good, because the mystery is actually pretty underdeveloped and, I think, lacks enough clues for the reader to solve it on their own before the book does it for them. That doesn't lessen the solution's impact in the slightest.
I do have to take issue with the scene where Sue Dibny was assaulted by Dr. Light. Was it necessary that it be a sexual assault? No, of course not. So why was it? And then there's the fact that the assault on Sue is never really about her, and she's never given any sort of opportunity to react. Sue as a person is beside the point. It all veers too close to woman-in-a-fridge territory.
The book is better than that scene, though. Much better, in fact. -
Quite frankly the best DC comic I've ever read. Full RTC soon👏🏻
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An average book with average story, average art, average mystery, average reveal and average conclusion.
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Great mini series. Very good plot twists. Excellent story. Very recommended
