Writer: Brad Meltzer
Artist: Rags Morales
Cover: Michael Turner
Publisher: DC
“What’s in the boooooox?”
The Story:
When someone very close to the Justice League is brutally murdered, the World’s Greatest Heroes must rely on the World’s Greatest Detectives to solve the mystery. But while Batman toils away in his lab, Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man, may have already solved the case. The culprit left no clues, covering his or her tracks down to the atomic level; but for those who know the JLA’s darkest secret, the mystery is not who committed the crime, but how to make him pay.
Spoiler:
It’s Lois Lane in the coffin. Just kidding.
The Reaction:
Wow. Meltzer has crafted an incredibly emotional drama in the superhero community, pulling lesser-known heroes and villains into the spotlight. His love for the Satellite-era Justice League sings in his characterization of Elongated Man, Green Arrow, and others. Taking the “Big Guns” out of the picture allows a much more human approach, as the stakes become higher because anything can happen. There is a lot going on in the first issue, with false leads, puzzling developments, and hints at a deeper mystery to come.
Fans who have been following the discussion of Identity Crisis over the last few months have probably already guessed who dies this issue. As Meltzer has said in assorted interviews, however, the real mystery isn’t so much who dies as who killed this person and why. Thankfully, the JLA’s “dark secret” does not appear to be the same secret recently explored in Judd Winick’s Caper.
Rags Morales’s art is perfect for superhero stories, with just the right emphasis on physique and natural movement. Unfortunately, the copious text boxes sometimes obscure the visuals. Also, it is occasionally difficult to sort out who is speaking in the captions, as some characters have colors designated for their thoughts but words spoken aloud all appear on a white background.
The Verdict:
While the victim’s death is unlikely to set the comic book world afire, Identity Crisis has become in just one issue the most compelling mainstream superhero book of 2004.
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