Friday, November 14, 2008

Identity Crisis

I'm still catching up with reading past storylines and just finally read the mini-series Identity Crisis. All I can say is...WOW. That was one of the most amazing storylines I've ever read and, despite already knowing the outcome from current series I read, I got weepy at the end.

Brad Meltzer dove into the characters of the Justice League of America better than anyone I've ever read. He showed their human side, that they do err and aren't "perfect."
Plus, he answered a lot of questions that readers have probably had since comics began. "Why hasn't anyone figured out the superheroes' secret identities?" Now we know. And we're a bit grateful. Not only for the answer but because the answer showed that our favorite heroes do what they have to do sometimes to keep things in check. They're real people, with real choices. Choices that have consequences they sometimes just have to live with.

I also loved that this series was very adult-oriented. Meltzer didn't dumb down the storyline or go easy on the characters. As an example, I point out the rape scene of Sue Dibny, wife of the Elongated Man. My eyes opened wide. My heart skipped a beat. I actually felt a sense of dread and panic for a character in the "funny books." THAT is the sign of a fantastic writer. Kudos to Meltzer and the entire Identity Crisis storyline. Now currently struggling to enjoy Final Crisis having been mildly shocked by the events in Crisis on Infinite Earths, and been underwhelmed by Infinite Crisis, Identity Crisis stands out as the leader in the Crisis pack.

Secret Six...the ongoing series

After reading Villains United and the Secret Six mini-series, I was SO excited to learn that The Secret Six were getting their very own ongoing monthly comic, written by Gail Simone, the writer who made me fall head over heels for the team members originally, and drawn fantastically by Nicola Scott.

I've now read the first three issues of the ongoing series and all I can say is, "Meh." What happened to the wonderful character development? What happened to the weird conversations with Ragdoll? And, most importantly, what happened to giving us some sexy Catman action?

Sigh...

I'm sticking with you, Gail, but I hope you can make me drool with antipication every month like you did with the previous limited series.