Bam! Pow! Zap! And murder...

If anyone knows me, and I'm sure if you're wasting your time reading this you do, you know that I have an insatiable thirst for sequential art. That's the self-important academic way of referring to comic books. But not as pretentious as calling it "juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate
sequence." However you want to label it, I love it all. And I've gone 25 posts and almost 8,000 words without mentioning comic books yet. That ends today.

And what better reason for breaking my silence than to discuss the year's most anticipated (and hyped) new comics crossover, Identity Crisis #1 by Brad Meltzer, a thriller-novelist-turned-comics-writer. Because of the name recognition of Mr. Meltzer and the promised shake-up to the characters of the DC Comics Universe, there's been some mainstream coverage of the event. Here's what the mainstream is saying about this book:

"In the world of comics this is the event of 2004." - New York Post

"The Identity Crisis mystery involves the biggest DC heroes and will use all of Mr. Meltzer's skills as a thriller novelist." - The New York Times

"In his comic book IDENTITY CRISIS, mystery novelist Brad Meltzer shows that even super-heroes have reasons to be afraid." - Spin

The book promised a death of a character close to the superhero community and the reveal of a dark secret from that communities past. Now people across the dreaded Internet message boards have hyped this death into "Death of Superman" status and have been disappointed with the results, as it is in reality a minor character. I suspected the character for months and I was right. What I didn't guess right was the level of emotional investment at the heart of the script that draws the reader into the story, making for an accessible and engaging read. One I am about to spoil by revealing the victims identity. I know most don't care, but it is standard practice to warn people of such things.

One-time Justice Leaguer Ralph Dibny, AKA the Elongated Man, is joined by Firehawk on a stakeout in Opal City. They received a tip that a high-tech piece of weaponry is up for sale, and they're keeping an eye out for the costumed underworld figure who's prepared to buy it. A short time later, the world's super-hero community is rocked by disturbing news. Ralph's wife, Sue Dibny, non-powered honorary member of the JL with close ties to the superhero community, has fallen victim to a metahuman attack. They rally to find the unknown perpetrator responsible, and they gather to say good-bye to their dear friend.

Elongated Man and his wife were an unusual thing in superhero comics: a happy couple. They represented that superheroes could get away from the drama of possessed love ones, murderous supervillains, the stress of the secret identity, all that crap and maybe find happiness. Not any longer. By the funeral scene I was teary-eyed and hooked. This comic shows their relationship and presents it as a symbol of fun, escapist element to superhero fiction, especially evident in the same superhero universe that contains Batman, Superman and other icons.

This tone is completely shattered with this murder mystery thriller. And that's exactly what it is. A mystery. And a well-paced, captivating one to boot. DC Universe has lost some of its innocence with this murder, and this series is just starting. I can't wait to find out all the dark secrets this series has to offer. In a world where death is often only a minor set-back it's the emotional impact that matters. This is how it should be done and I'm excited to see it play out.

Ok, now it's out of my system. That wasn't so painful now was it.