DC Comics Event: Identity Crisis

justinsayne

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Identity Crisis
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250px-Identity_crisis_1.jpg

Quick Summery

Identity Crisis is a seven-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics from June to December in 2004. It was created by writer Brad Meltzer and the artistic team of penciler Rags Morales and inker Michael Bair.

Plot Summery

Sue Dibny, the wife of superhero Elongated Man, is murdered in their apartment, apparently dying of burns (the Elongated Man was at the time on a stakeout, during which a minor character called Bolt is shot and wounded by criminals). The DC superhero community rallies to find the murderer, with villain Doctor Light being the prime suspect. Green Arrow reveals to the Flash (Wally West) and Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) that Light once raped Sue Dibny in the JLA satellite headquarters. To ensure this could not happen again, the current members of the League — Atom (Ray Palmer), Black Canary, Hawkman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and a very reluctant Flash (Barry Allen) — allowed the sorceress Zatanna to mind-wipe the villain and alter his personality.

Further discussion reveals that a mind wipe was also done on another occasion: When the Secret Society of Super Villains (the Wizard, Floronic Man, Star Sapphire, Reverse-Flash, and Blockbuster) captures JLA members Superman, Batman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Zatanna and Wonder Woman, and switched bodies with the heroes, allowing the villains to learn their secret identities. Although the heroes defeat the villains, Zatanna once again erases the villains' memories of the incident and their knowledge of the secret identities.

The heroes locate Light, who has hired the mercenary Deathstroke to protect him. During the battle, Light regains his memory and, enraged by the violation, uses his formerly lost powers to escape. Although questioned by Superman, Wally West continues to protect the heroes and their secret. Jean Loring, ex-wife of the Atom, is found by the hero hanging from a door and he revives her just in time. A death threat is then sent to Superman's wife, Lois Lane. Flash Rogues gallery villain Captain Boomerang (Digger Harkness) is hired by third-rate villain the Calculator (on behalf of the real killer) to assassinate Jack Drake, father of the then current Robin, Tim Drake. Drake, however, receives a gun and a note warning him of the impending attempt on his life. The character fatally shoots Boomerang, but not before the villain throws a razor boomerang into Drake's chest, killing him. Tim Drake discovers the body and is comforted by partner Batman, who confiscates the note before the authorities or the media can learn of its existence.

During the questioning of several villains by the heroes, former League member Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond) is stabbed through the chest with the sword of the Shining Knight by the villain the Shadow Thief. Firestorm's nuclear powers reach critical mass and he detonates in the atmosphere.

Wally West questions Green Arrow again when he accidentally saw a snapshot of the battle on the Satellite in Light's mind, which reveals that Batman was also present. Green Arrow confesses that Batman disapproved of the attempted mind-wipe and also had his memory of the incident removed. Batman uses his detective skills to find the hideout of the Calculator, but discovers the villain anticipated this and abandoned it.

The autopsy of Sue Dibny's body by Doctor Mid-Nite and Mister Terrific, members of the Justice Society, reveals Dibny was killed by an infarction in her brain. A microscopic scan of Dibny's brain reveals tiny footprints as a clue to the cause of the infarction.

Doctor Mid-Nite and Mister Terrific realize, as does Batman in the course of his own investigation, that Dibny was murdered by an assassin with access to the shrinking technology of the Atom (the technology allows the ability to shrink to subatomic size). Almost simultaneously Palmer learns that his estranged wife, Jean Loring, is aware of the note sent to Jack Drake (which had been kept secret) and deduces she is the killer. Loring claims she did not mean to kill Sue, and it was not her intention for Jack Drake to be killed, arguing that she sent the note and gun so he can protect himself. Loring states that she undertook the plan (including faking the attempt on her own life) in order to bring Ray back into her life. Palmer says that she is insane, and Loring is committed to Arkham Asylum and kept under heavy medication. In the final scene with the Justice League, Wally West is awkward in the presence of Batman, who is suspicious of his behavior.

Aftermath

The ramifications are depicted in the title Flash, as the hero's Rogues band together at the funeral of Boomerang, and the title JLA, which features a storyline revealing that Batman has guessed the truth.

Bibliography

Identity Crisis #1-7

Justin's Thoughts

Wow, I have never read this before, so I was reading through the plot summery as I was doing this (like I do with all these threads) I trying to follow that shit was difficult as all fuck, I'm still a littel lost, yet left really wanting to go out and pick this shit up!!, sounds like an fun story that I imagine is much easier to follow in the actual tpb as opposed that short summery of the whole arc, really don't know what else to say as I'm kind of lost at this point

Discussion Questions

-Is there anything about this arc that you would change? if so what?

Obviously at this point I only have a rough idea what's going on, seems like a lot of major events happened and a lot of people ended up dead by the time all was said and done, I really can't say whether or not I would change anything until I get a hold of the tpb and actually read through it

-Are you surprised Sue Dibny is still dead?

I realize that seems like a weird comics but as us comic fanboys know well, almost nobody in comics stays dead forever, however Sue Dibny has been dead for 7 yrs. now, that's almost unheard of, I don't know if DC ever plans on bringing her back, I wouldn't be shocked if they did, however I think they're committed to keeping her dead for the foreseeable future

-Would you like to see this arc turned into an animated DC Universe DVD?

I wouldn't mind, most if not all of the DC Universe DVDs have been well done and very entertaining, and they've shown time and time again they know exactly how to take a great piece of work, and transfer it from the comic book page to our television screens, if they were to realease this as a DVD I would buy it, and I'm sure I'd enjoy the hell too
 
I absolutely loved the Identity Crisis arc.

I borrowed the graphic novel from the library a few months ago and easily read it in a day. As I've mentioned many times before, I'm very new to the world of comics with only a basic understanding of main characters in both DC and Marvel. One of the things that interested me in this was that it was an event that involed nearly the entire DC Universe and featured both well known, and more obscure characters without becoming to convoluted to the average reader.

The story and mystery as to who killed Sue Dibny was intriguing, fun to follow and full of enough questions as to who the actual killer was to keep you guessing to the very end. It was nice to see how the superhero community rallys together and react with a number of different emotions in the event of a death to someone in their family.

-Are you surprised Sue Dibny is still dead?

Not really. Before reading Identity Crisis, I'd never heard of Sue Dibny so to me she is no where near being close to mainstream or vital to the DC Universe. If she held the importance or name value as someone else (not even someone like Batman, or Superman but even someone like Booster Gold or Blue Beetle) I can see her death being temperary, but since, as far as I can tell, she holds no real importance.

-Would you like to see this arc turned into an animated DC Universe DVD?

I would love to see this arc as an animated movie. DC always manages to do a top notch job in taking an arc from the comic and turning it into an animated movie. I don't think you would be able to take everyting that happened during Identity Crisis and put it in a ninty minute movie, but based off of DC's stellar track record with animated movies in addition to Identity Crisis being one of the best arcs that I have read, I would very much enjoy watching it.
 

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