“Identity Crisis” is what it means to be a comic hero

Believe it or not, I haven’t always been into comics. When I was a kid I would read the occasional comic book when I went to the grocery store with my mom, but nothing ever obsessive, like you would probably say is the case now. When I got older, comic books seemed to be a nerd hobby much too far on the fringes of what could ever be conceived as “cool,” or even acceptable. I’ve pretty much always preoccupied myself with nerd hobbies, whether they be video games, Dungeons and Dragons or board games; the list goes on, but comics never found a place in my nerd heart.

That is, until a few years ago. An old buddy and I started hanging out again and in that time he had really gotten into comic books. I was back home in Hemet, the armpit of California in Riverside County, and had nothing to do all summer so I picked up comic books. At first, it was your typical superhero-type comics, where all the villains get punched in the face by heroes, etc. However, I finally stumbled upon what turned out to be a very different type of superhero comic: DC’s “Identity Crisis.”

In my mind, “Identity Crisis” is what really got me hooked with comics. The series deals with some of the most iconic heroes in the DC Universe, such as Superman, Batman, etc., but in a way I had never really expected when I first picked it up. It focuses on a mystery of a not so well known superhero, Elongated Man, and the murder of his wife. In doing so, it delves into an age-old question: what does it mean to be a hero? Not only that, but what does that mean for the hero’s loved ones? As Elongated Man says, “Anyone who puts on a costume paints a bull’s-eye on his family’s chest.”

Through interconnecting stories of different superhero relationships, such as father and son or husband and wife, Brad Meltzer weaves a wonderful tapestry of intrigue and suspense, culminating in the shocking ending that still haunts me to this day. I wish I could talk about it here, but I don’t want to give anything away.

I don’t cry too often because I’m a man and it isn’t really in our gender role to cry (oh, the hate mail I might get from that) but I honestly shed a tear or two while reading this book. This is not your grandfather’s comic; there are some scenes in there that are intensely graphic. Rags Morales, the penciller, has an amazing skill for conveying emotion, the likes of which one doesn’t see every day.

I know a lot of people might have qualms as to reading comic books. I understand, I’ve been there before. But if you are at all interested in superb writing and incredible art that really goes beyond genre boundaries, you should give “Identity Crisis” a shot.