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hakimbriki's review against another edition
2.0
I've been meaning to read Identity Crises for quite a while, somehow being sure that I would love it. The idea of a whodunit set in the DC Universe written by a crime author was very exciting, and I like books where heroes face real life situations.
Who killed the wife of the Elongated Man ? Who is chasing our heroes' loved ones ? Why on earth are we dealing with so many secondary characters ? Who knew Captain Boomerang and The Calculator were still operational ?
Ehhh. The story stars off quite well. Meltzer sets up an interesting mystery - How does the villain get in, kill Sue Dibney without leaving a single trace? This keeps us intrigued until... it all falls apart. The plot development is clumsy and completely vapid, and the attempts at shock value lack substance (Using rape as a plot device ?)
More importantly, the resolution is a big letdown. The motive of the killer seems idiotic, especially after such a long build-up.
Despite the good character drama and emotion, I found Identity Crisis to be disappointing, morose, depressing and -sorry to say- pointless.
Who killed the wife of the Elongated Man ? Who is chasing our heroes' loved ones ? Why on earth are we dealing with so many secondary characters ? Who knew Captain Boomerang and The Calculator were still operational ?
Ehhh. The story stars off quite well. Meltzer sets up an interesting mystery - How does the villain get in, kill Sue Dibney without leaving a single trace? This keeps us intrigued until... it all falls apart. The plot development is clumsy and completely vapid, and the attempts at shock value lack substance (Using rape as a plot device ?)
More importantly, the resolution is a big letdown. The motive of the killer seems idiotic, especially after such a long build-up.
Despite the good character drama and emotion, I found Identity Crisis to be disappointing, morose, depressing and -sorry to say- pointless.
sayre_94's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Several heroes are killed, and it’s eventually revealed that it is the Atoms ex-wife killing these people.
nocturnal14's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
addy_marie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
i_have_no_process's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
A worthwhile read. Something about this book always felt as though it could have been an all-time great if it had navigated its subject matter just a bit more deftly.
ptothelo's review against another edition
5.0
amazing amazing amazing
i haven't been a huge DC person but i really enjoyed this series, the precursor to 52. The Father's Day "episode" was one of the most heartbreaking things I've read/seen. And so was the revelation of who killed Sue and why.
i haven't been a huge DC person but i really enjoyed this series, the precursor to 52. The Father's Day "episode" was one of the most heartbreaking things I've read/seen. And so was the revelation of who killed Sue and why.
lornbr's review against another edition
2.0
Uma historia clássica da DC, só serviu para me mostrar o quanto eu não gosto da DC.
Os herois/vilões da DC são meio piadas pra mim, não sei porque, arcos isolados são legais 'Queda do Morcego' e outros spinoff.
E olha que a historia até tem um 'plot twist' interessante, foi o universo que não chamou minha atenção mesmo.
Os herois/vilões da DC são meio piadas pra mim, não sei porque, arcos isolados são legais 'Queda do Morcego' e outros spinoff.
E olha que a historia até tem um 'plot twist' interessante, foi o universo que não chamou minha atenção mesmo.
newbarrel's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
captwinghead's review against another edition
4.0
Law and Order: Justice League
So, this has a wonderful start. Like an extremely memorable start because it reminds me of the start of a good one shot crime thriller. It pulled me in, used a narrative that was compelling and it set up an interesting plot. Unfortunately, it kind of went downhill for me once we really got into Dr. Light's possible motives.
I'll get into a bit of why I hate sexual assault as a plot device further in because I told myself not to let that affect my rating. So,
The Good:
- Ralph (Elongated Man) is a compelling character. I liked his introduction, his characterization and I liked his relationship with Sue. It's interesting because I've never read about this character before this book and Meltzer set him up well enough that I was understanding of his grief and the lengths he went to get revenge.
- This had one of the best openings in any DC event I've read.
- I loved Oliver Queen in this book. While his actions were questionable, I liked his narration. And good thing because Ralph and the others take a backseat throughout most of this book as Ollie tries to solve the murder mystery. I liked Ollie's strategies and the way he explained his actions to Wally.
- I liked Wally in this book. He had a smaller role but I liked that he struggled with whether or not to go along with deceiving Clark and Bruce.
- The fight with Deathstroke was really well done. I've read a few books with this character and this is the first one that actually made me want to read more about him. His skill set was used in such an interesting way in the fight against the JL.
- Also worth noting that Deadshot's abilities were well utilized too.
- I enjoyed the small bits of Superman, Batman and Tim Drake in this book
- Tim Drake's plight is actually moving. I knew what happened to Tim's Dad from other books but this was the actual event and it was pretty damn sad. I really feel for the kid and that was one instance of the art really working for this book.
The Bad: ** mentions of sexual assault **
- Where were the women? I know, I know "Can the feminists let me enjoy one book?" - but seriously, it bugged me because I have yet to read a DC event where Wonder Woman gets a meaty role. In Kingdom Come, her storyline is constantly sidelined while Bruce and Clark have their tiff and then she pops up at the end pregnant because she's a woman. Here, there was potential for Diana, Dinah, Zatanna and even Lois to have a real role and a narrative and they just don't. It was weird.
- I wasn't a huge fan of this art style. Outside of the reveal scene, Oliver Queen and the shot of Tim Drake sitting in blood, I wasn't really impressed.
- Digger Harkness. I could live the rest of my life never hearing or seeing Captain Boomerang again and I would be so happy. I hate this character; I don't understand the point of this character and his storyline here was kind of irrelevant. Maybe it set up something afterwards but it seemed like, in efforts to make his death mean more, the writers just gave him this subplot with his son so I would care? I still don't.
- Perhaps the ending would've made more sense if I'd read about Atom and his wife before? Because I hadn't, this seemed like a Lifetime/Law and Order: SVU style plot twist.
- Here's a great place to check out if sexual assault as a plot point doesn't bother you because it was where my enjoyment took a dive:
- I hate it when writers, especially male writers (sorry) use rape as a plot device because it's rarely used with the intention of following the victim through recovery. Instead, it's used to victimize a woman for a male character's development. Ex: in the Jessica Jones Netflix show, Jessica's recovery is a focal point and she even helps another victim with their recovery. Here, Sue is raped and other women are threatened with rape to further Ralph's story and cause the other members of the Justice League to commit the controversial act of wiping Dr. Light's memory.
> Why? What about this couldn't have worked if Sue was just physically attacked? It still would've incited feelings of protectiveness from Ralph and the other members of the JL. Threats of violence are enough to push the plot forward. We didn't need the shots of her clothes being ripped and her crawling across the floor. It was unnecessary.
> There was a line here that bugged the hell out of me and I kept coming back to it. Ralph says, "Sue said she fought back. I hope that she did." What? What the hell does that even mean? If she hadn't, would that make her trauma less sympathetic to him? Because (and a lot of people don't know this) the chances of a woman being more seriously injured or murdered during a sexual assault increase exponentially if they fight their assailants. That is in no way shaming women that do but I'm saying its a valid response to this kind of attack. This statement from Ralph rubbed me entirely the wrong way because either he's saying it because it comforts him to think she fought because it proves she didn't want the attack (WTF?) or he's saying it because it comforts him to think of his wife as a fighter (not the time and no one cares about how you feel about this, Ralph). It was such a gross line and I had to pause for a moment after reading it.
- The lack of female character involvement in this story (outside of the end reveal, I guess) highlights why the above is even more of a problem. Dr. Light threatens all of the women in these men's lives and this is all used to motivate the men to stoop to new lows to protect them. The men are motivated. Where is Wondy protecting her sisters? Where is Dinah taking an active part of this investigation because she's always been protective over women? Where is Zatanna using her magic to help discover the killer? You have a plot that's not great towards female characters and then you sideline the only female heroes here. I'll shut up now.
Anyway, the negatives really bugged me but I promise, it didn't factor into my rating much. 4 stars because of the art, Digger's story didn't pack a punch for me. Really, all of the shots of the Calculator coordinating attacks fell flat for me. Also, the glaring absence of the female members of the League made no sense to me.
So, this has a wonderful start. Like an extremely memorable start because it reminds me of the start of a good one shot crime thriller. It pulled me in, used a narrative that was compelling and it set up an interesting plot. Unfortunately, it kind of went downhill for me once we really got into Dr. Light's possible motives.
I'll get into a bit of why I hate sexual assault as a plot device further in because I told myself not to let that affect my rating. So,
The Good:
- Ralph (Elongated Man) is a compelling character. I liked his introduction, his characterization and I liked his relationship with Sue. It's interesting because I've never read about this character before this book and Meltzer set him up well enough that I was understanding of his grief and the lengths he went to get revenge.
- This had one of the best openings in any DC event I've read.
- I loved Oliver Queen in this book. While his actions were questionable, I liked his narration. And good thing because Ralph and the others take a backseat throughout most of this book as Ollie tries to solve the murder mystery. I liked Ollie's strategies and the way he explained his actions to Wally.
- I liked Wally in this book. He had a smaller role but I liked that he struggled with whether or not to go along with deceiving Clark and Bruce.
- The fight with Deathstroke was really well done. I've read a few books with this character and this is the first one that actually made me want to read more about him. His skill set was used in such an interesting way in the fight against the JL.
- Also worth noting that Deadshot's abilities were well utilized too.
- I enjoyed the small bits of Superman, Batman and Tim Drake in this book
- Tim Drake's plight is actually moving. I knew what happened to Tim's Dad from other books but this was the actual event and it was pretty damn sad. I really feel for the kid and that was one instance of the art really working for this book.
The Bad: ** mentions of sexual assault **
- Where were the women? I know, I know "Can the feminists let me enjoy one book?" - but seriously, it bugged me because I have yet to read a DC event where Wonder Woman gets a meaty role. In Kingdom Come, her storyline is constantly sidelined while Bruce and Clark have their tiff and then she pops up at the end pregnant because she's a woman. Here, there was potential for Diana, Dinah, Zatanna and even Lois to have a real role and a narrative and they just don't. It was weird.
- I wasn't a huge fan of this art style. Outside of the reveal scene, Oliver Queen and the shot of Tim Drake sitting in blood, I wasn't really impressed.
- Digger Harkness. I could live the rest of my life never hearing or seeing Captain Boomerang again and I would be so happy. I hate this character; I don't understand the point of this character and his storyline here was kind of irrelevant. Maybe it set up something afterwards but it seemed like, in efforts to make his death mean more, the writers just gave him this subplot with his son so I would care? I still don't.
- Perhaps the ending would've made more sense if I'd read about Atom and his wife before? Because I hadn't, this seemed like a Lifetime/Law and Order: SVU style plot twist.
- Here's a great place to check out if sexual assault as a plot point doesn't bother you because it was where my enjoyment took a dive:
- I hate it when writers, especially male writers (sorry) use rape as a plot device because it's rarely used with the intention of following the victim through recovery. Instead, it's used to victimize a woman for a male character's development. Ex: in the Jessica Jones Netflix show, Jessica's recovery is a focal point and she even helps another victim with their recovery. Here, Sue is raped and other women are threatened with rape to further Ralph's story and cause the other members of the Justice League to commit the controversial act of wiping Dr. Light's memory.
> Why? What about this couldn't have worked if Sue was just physically attacked? It still would've incited feelings of protectiveness from Ralph and the other members of the JL. Threats of violence are enough to push the plot forward. We didn't need the shots of her clothes being ripped and her crawling across the floor. It was unnecessary.
> There was a line here that bugged the hell out of me and I kept coming back to it. Ralph says, "Sue said she fought back. I hope that she did." What? What the hell does that even mean? If she hadn't, would that make her trauma less sympathetic to him? Because (and a lot of people don't know this) the chances of a woman being more seriously injured or murdered during a sexual assault increase exponentially if they fight their assailants. That is in no way shaming women that do but I'm saying its a valid response to this kind of attack. This statement from Ralph rubbed me entirely the wrong way because either he's saying it because it comforts him to think she fought because it proves she didn't want the attack (WTF?) or he's saying it because it comforts him to think of his wife as a fighter (not the time and no one cares about how you feel about this, Ralph). It was such a gross line and I had to pause for a moment after reading it.
- The lack of female character involvement in this story (outside of the end reveal, I guess) highlights why the above is even more of a problem. Dr. Light threatens all of the women in these men's lives and this is all used to motivate the men to stoop to new lows to protect them. The men are motivated. Where is Wondy protecting her sisters? Where is Dinah taking an active part of this investigation because she's always been protective over women? Where is Zatanna using her magic to help discover the killer? You have a plot that's not great towards female characters and then you sideline the only female heroes here. I'll shut up now.
Anyway, the negatives really bugged me but I promise, it didn't factor into my rating much. 4 stars because of the art, Digger's story didn't pack a punch for me. Really, all of the shots of the Calculator coordinating attacks fell flat for me. Also, the glaring absence of the female members of the League made no sense to me.
bakablue2032's review against another edition
4.0
I personally really liked this story. I can see why some comic fans weren't so keen on some of the characterizations and how the story played out. This was more drama than action, but if you like that sort of thing in comics, you'll really like this story. Focuses on side characters other than the big 3, which is nice. Definitely recommend.