Identity Crisis #1
Review by Everest
Story:
Art:

Written by Brad Meltzer
Pencils by Rags Morales
Inks by Mike Bair
Colors by Alex Sinclair
Letters by Kenny Lopez
Covers by Michael Turner

Published by DC
Price: $3.95

My Verdict: Break open your piggy bank if you need to, but go out and buy this book immediately!

The premise: The Elongated Man, one of DC’s B-List personalities, and one who only DC could use as a serious character, is doing surveillance on a couple of street punks who are trying to sell a powerful weapon to a costumed felon. Meanwhile, he’s relaying the story of his life to the young hero accompanying him, Firebird. She’s asking a ton of personal questions, and so we get a good look into his life, his relationship with his wife, etc. Over the course of the issue, which starts half an hour ago and counts down to the momentous event of the book, we learn more and more about the Elongated Man and his life, his love for his wife, and his decision to go public with his identity. Then the clock ticks its last tick in the past, and we’re suddenly in the present: a painful, heart-breaking present.

The cover of the book features a coffin, with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the other icons of the JLA in mourning, so you know someone dies. I won’t go into who that person is, but the JLA is ticked when they discover that this murder was perpetrated by someone they could have stopped a long time ago--and didn’t. Now, they’re really angry, not only at the murderer, but at themselves…

The Writing: This book is fantastic. Brad Meltzer really must be a magician, because he was able to make me care about a character called The Elongated Man. I never thought something like that could happen. DC has a ton of off-the-wall characters that I’ve always been a little put off by, but Meltzer gives them interesting personalities and makes me care about them. He pulled me in, hook, line, and sinker. I was impressed by the writing, the style of storytelling, and the general sincerity that just oozes out of this book. Excellent writing!

The Art: As always, Rags Morales turns in some fantastic work. His pencils are clean and smooth, with just a hint of Jim Aparo’s influence visible beneath the inks. His depictions of some of the lesser known DC characters are top-notch, some of which he’s updated with new designs, and most of which look much better here than they ever have in the past. The art in this book is fantastic; it’s definitely worth checking out.

To Sum Up: The artwork and writing combine to form a story that is both beautiful to look at and intriguing me. It’s going to impact the DC Universe for a long time. Highly recommended!