Identity Crisis: 9 Things It Got Right (And The 1 Big Thing It Didn't)

3. It's Intimate And Deeply Personal

Identity Crisis 1280 720
DC Comics

Usually, the antagonist in a comics event is some cosmic threat like Imperiex or the Anti-Monitor. Still, in Identity Crisis, the villain doesn't want to conquer the world or end all life on Earth. The stakes are much more personal for every hero; the killer targets their loved ones and, more importantly, knows just where to find them.

Each of the heroes becomes keenly aware of how vulnerable they are and how their actions or lack thereof have put those people they care about in mortal danger. Brad Meltzer begins asking questions about responsibility and guilt regarding how donning the cape and tights will affect those you have brought into your "personal" life.

It also spends a great deal of time looking at the personal relationships between the heroes and fleshing them out in ways that feel a lot more nuanced and realistic.

Identity Crisis is a story where the stakes are not so much the lives of millions but instead the scars left on all too human hearts.

Contributor
Contributor

Kevin McHugh is a code-monkey by day and a purveyor of the unpleasant by night. Having had several comics published by Future Quake Press he is now moving into prose. An avid fan of punk rock, cheap horror movies and even cheaper fast-food Kevin can be found pontificating either on Twitter or over at WhatCulture Comics where he is a regular contributor. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two daughters.