Identity Crisis #7 - ALMOST COMPLETE BOOK (Morales/Bair)

“Anyone who puts on a costume paints a bull’s eye on his family’s chests.” Ralph Dibny

For those of us that still read comics, it seems that each month there is a new, amazing, multi-issue, title spanning, special event waiting for us in our pull box. While I enjoy many of the current comics, the special events sometimes just aren’t, well, special. For me, a special event is one where I learn something new about characters that I’ve known for over 40 years; I get a perspective that is different, and I see growth or changes that add to the backstory in some new and innovative way. To be honest, there aren’t all that many of those. But, in my view, Identity Crisis, a seven issue series published in 2004, and written by Brad Meltzer, penciled by Rags Morales and inked by Michael Bair was that kind of event.

What made it special? It was a major story told through minor characters. It was about how the characters we know so well deal with something that we rarely see in comics – loss. There were perhaps a handful of action scenes in the entire seven issue series. Yet, I felt as if I was on an emotional roller coaster the entire time. Rags Morales and Michael Bair were at the top of their games. You really felt all of the raw emotions play out in front of you, and everything felt “right” as to how you would expect our heroes would deal with the death of a close one.

The deaths were handled in a very raw fashion. No gloss over here. Nothing romantic. Characters were killed, and there were reverberations throughout the DC universe. But, what I liked most is that the deaths were of “minor” characters. And, in the hands of an incredible talent like Meltzer, it was those deaths that had a real, lasting impact. In my opinion, the deaths of Sue Dibny and Tim Drake’s father meant much more than the deaths of so many major characters that we often see reappear a year later. More importantly, with the revelation that our heroes “crossed the line”, this series dealt with the loss of innocence in the DC universe.

Well, if you liked this run, then this is it. The final issue, almost complete (missing two pages). Everyone has their favorite pages or scenes. My favorite scene in this issue are in pages 14-16. Ray has turned the love of his life, Jean Loring, over to the Arkham Asylum. The “camera” initially closes in on Ray and then backs off, as Ray gets smaller and smaller in the scene till he really cries out in agony and shrinks himself out of existence. At that point, Ray knows that he’s lost a friend, a lover, and he fully experiences the regret and realization that all of this pain was caused by his ex-wife for him. The emotions are palpable. It’s just great work by Morales and Bair

There are 28 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

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There are 28 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

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