Identity Crisis is a must read!

Identity Crisis, a new event involving the DC characters by writer Brad Metzler is a book that I had thought about picking up, but really looked like most of the other dribble that comes out in the comic world. But Christine had the first five books that are out so far, and she let me borrow them. There is never any harm in giving it a try then. (The cover to issue 6 picture here on the left, with Batman holding his hands.

It blew me away, and has hooked me. I can’t say that anyone who doesn’t read comics this would necessarily be a great pickup point, but I have seen articles in main stream press on how big of a deal this seven part mini series has become.

I ignored the hype, and the enticing Michael Turner covers, who is usually a touch overrated, and opened the first book on Saturday. The story starts out with a bang, a great mystery. A DC character that I had heard of in passing, Elongated man, is the main character. Brad Metzler does this great job of getting you introduced to this character quickly, and then all of a sudden, the tragedy drops.

You get a sense that this Elongated Man loves his wife very dearly, so when she is murdered, burned beyond recognition, you begin to ask yourself, what would you do?

People think that comic books are all a bunch of super heroes flying around saying stupid crap. When in fact today’s comics are based in reality, with real emotions and decisions under some exaggerated circumstances of course, but a relatable human emotion none the same.

Things snowball from there. A dark secret is told as the supposed identity of the killer is revealed to be Dr. Light. It seems that Dr. Light found Sue Digby, Elongated Man’s wife, many years ago unprotected. Well, he didn’t kill her, instead he did something worse. We see a very delicately treated scene where you connect the pictures that he rape’s her!

Well, the Justice League doesn’t know what to do. They know this evil man will come after her later, having found her once, to kill her. She won’t ever be safe. The moral dilemma. They decide to wipe his mind, which spawns lying among the team, hatred, and many other problems that come with evil.

As the story escalates, another wife of a super hero barely lives through a hanging. Superman is nervous, and so is Batman, who is always so calculating and composed that it seems like no one is safe. Lois Lane then receives an anonymous note that they know who she is and that she is next. Also, as issue five leaves it, Tim Drake’s (Robin) dad has been attacked and apparently killed. So not only is it shocking, it is affecting some major characters, not just those that we could care less about.

That is where the books have left off. No one knows who is doing it, and there are no clues. They can’t figure out how this killer is getting past the defense systems that are alien in nature. No normal man could get through them.

Only time will tell. Keep posted here as I review issue six which is due out the middle of November.

Here are some similar arcade posts

• Identity Crisis 6 escalates to the seventh and final issue.
• Spiderman 2 (2004)
• Elektra (2005)
• Upcoming Comic Based Movies for 2004
• So why do comics get the bad rap?

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