By: Brad Meltzer Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 288 Publication Date: August 16, 2006 Release Date: August 16, 2006
Product Description: The most talked-about and successful DC Comics miniseries of 2004 is now available in a stunning hardcover volume!New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer delivers an all-too-human look into the lives of super-heroes and the terrible price they pay for doing good.
A great detective story... also has super-heroes! I'm not hugely into comic books. Oh, I read them from time-to-time, but usually only in collections like this one, Kingdom Come and similar. So when I do read them, I have pretty high expectations which, thankfully, this book lives up to.
The story centers around various members of the Justice League being very worried someone knows their secret identities. This someone has already killed the wife of Elongated Man, and several other family members may be targeted.
There's some surprising depth to this story, and a very satisfactory resolution. I had no idea who the killer was going to be and was quite surprised to find out. I was also very impressed by the ethical discussions that went on centering around events up on the Justice League space station.
The art and writting were both top-notch. I gave it four stars overrall cause parts did feel a little rushed and there were some side characters that were really just distractions. That said, it's a great book, and I really enjoyed reading it!
One of the greatest DCU stories ever. Brad Meltzer has taken one of the oldest story universes in the world, the DCU, and lets us see it as if for the first time.
The challenge given by DC for this series was to write an emotional, quiet, touching story set in the DCU. Not an easy task at all, but Brad pulled it off in style. And the guy's only prior comic work was a monthly stint on Green Arrow.
To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a mainstream superhero series written with such emotional honesty besides Alan Moore's critically acclaimed Watchmen. From the ground up, Brad established an emotional tone in this book. The characters weren't afraid to speak from their hearts in this one and the dialogue showed that. Everything seemed very real, the superheroes reacted very realistically, dealt with struggles that even we face on a daily basis. I don't think there's another superhero comic that has touched the emotional depths that this comic series has.
Identity Crisis is a real triumph in that regard, making us see the flesh and blood beneath even the toughest of skins, making us realize that even superheroes are human, flawed. And that's not all, it also makes us see how depraved a human heart can be, how often we take the easy way out by compromising our beliefs and how sometimes we can do nothing to help the brother beside us. The book moves from emotional height to depth constantly, never giving us even a moment's pause to catch our breaths. And that's a testament to Brad's brilliant pacing.
When it comes to plotting, Brad's a genius. The book rarely got out of point, the story stayed very focused throughout, and I don't think I ever hit a point in that book where it got stale. The story's vibrant and the characters driving that story, the DCU heroes, were captivating and larger than life, as they should be. Needless to say, I think comic fanboys, even those who aren't very much into the DCU, will welcome the affection Brad has showered over the DCU characters. Which was why this book turned out so well; every page was created with love and respect for the heroes that have enthralled us so much during our younger days.
But you know what's the most interesting thing about this book? It was that DC chose Identity Crisis to be a 'stepping board' for many of their future stories. Till now, we still see the effects of this book being felt in the current books, and that amazing. Brad wrote this book to be a quiet, standalone story.
I haven't even begun to touch on the beauty of Rag Morales' art. To draw such a realistic and vibrant book isn't easy by any means, which speaks of just how much in tune both Rags and Brad were during the creative process of this book.
So, go get this book now if you haven't. You would be crazy not to.
This one is just ok. Better ones exist. Personally, if you have not read a comic book in a while, this isn't the one to start. It feels more like this book is trying to compete with the fact that "mature themed" books sell better. To me, it was an ok read, but it further drags characters we've grown up with into awkward situations and further abandons their true spirit. I understand the use of questioning the long established themes of superheroes, ie What happens when it gets personal, when villians attack your loved ones? or ie Does the ends justify the means? These questions are great themes, but I don't believe they are executed as well as they could be. This isn't even in an elseworlds story.
*LIGHT SPOILER ALERT* This story really treats Batman and Superman like parent figures of these "lesser" JLA heroes. Not since Kingdom Come did we elevate Batman and Superman into such monarchy. But unlike Kingdom Come, I dreaded every scene with either Batman or Superman. It was so obvious that this story was not about them, they are not allowed to "solve" this one so easily. Furthermore, Dr.Light raping the wife of Elongated Man, it was just so awkward. It served no purpose but to jab us where it hurts, the topic of rape, its heavy no matter where it is found in media, and to use it in a comic book, you better know what you are doing and where you are taking it. But here, it goes really no where. Its just like the use of gore in movies, it unsettles you, but does little for the actually plot. Some may argue it is to illustrate the extreme instance that pushes the heroes to "alter" Dr.Lights personality. I don't buy that, personally, that is weak a plot device.
Also, there are many loose ends, one of favorite being like why Batman never found out what his own teammates did to him. It is unbelieavable to me that Batman figures out everything, but he never figures out why the room goes quiet everytime JLA talks about mindwashing.
Not for kids anymore Excellent story, a psychological angle to comics. Who benefits? The reader does. The best villain for super-heroes isnt a big strong monster from another planet, its life.
I also love how the big 3 seem larger than life in this book.
it shakes the world A short time ago, the powers at be at DC Comics decided to create a major storyline. Meltzer was the one who did it. And he reached inside and pulled out a major moral issue. What do you do when a supervillian knows your secrets and you don't kill. The Justice League (or a few members of it) decided that the best nonlethal action would be to have the villians mindwiped, oh, and as an afterthought, mindwiped about ten minutes from Batman. And chaos ensues when the villians start to remember. This is a great story and kicks off the Infinite Crisis storyline. Very important to any fan of any DC character. I think they all are involved at some point (or some book) or another.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
