Comic Book Club- Meeting 2

This is our second meeting, and still only Shabazz showed up. Joseph didn't read the comic, mostly because of my iPod and his computer.
We read Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer. Peciles by Rags Morales, inks by Mike Bair, colors by Alex Sinclair and letters by Kenny Lopex; with Mike Caalin and Valerie D'Orazio as Editor and Assistant Editor. Overall this is one of the best stories I've (and Shabazz) have read. This is the only story I've read by Meltzer but love his work, and I can't wait for more of the new JLA.
*Spoiler Alert* The basis of the story is someone kills Sue Dibney, Elongated Man's wife. But Meltzer takes it MUCH deeper than that: It turns out, Jean Lorring, Ray Palmer's (The Atom) ex wife, steals one of his older suits and steps on Sue's brain to "knock her out", but accidently kills her. She wanted to just hurt her to frighten everyone, including The Atom, so they would turn to their loved ones. It worked, as Ray and Jean got back together, and all the other heroes held their loved ones a little tighter. Until he figured out what she had done. At first a small group of the Justice League believed Dr. Light to have killed Sue because he had previously attacked and raped her. Come to find out that small group had erased his mind and altered his personality, along with Batman's. Batman had came to the tower just has they were erasing his mind and they had to erase Batman's mind also.
The artists did a very nice job. The scene with Dr. Light and Sue was amazing and horrible. Dr. Light looked very sadistic and frightening. They didn't actually show what was happening but you could clearly tell what Dr. Light was doing, which was quite scarey. And the scenes with Robin and his dad were amazing. The first time I read it I was actually scared and sympathetic for Robin, for everyone that lost someone; you could see their fear and pain. And Meltzer taking it that far was incredible. It seems (at least for me) that when someone dies in a comic that it is actually happening, a real story, instead of a movie or game when I know it isn't real and (usually) don't care for the character. But Meltzer and all the other writers made us care for Sue and her death. But in a comic the person is gone, forever, or at least for a while, and you see and feel the emotions of the characters, you have a connection with them. In this story there is about three times when I, or anyone would cry or at least come close to it: Sue's death, Jack's death, and the end.
Although I love this story there are a FEW things that were "wrong". Shabazz noted that it didn't explain how Sue Dibney knew how to tie a bowline knot with a Dutch marine twist (which was a boyscout knot) and why Green Arrow didn't stab Deathstroke in the good eye; Jean went to insane extremes to get Ray back (I know that it was for love but she could have just hired Boomerang to kidnap her or something similar); nothing happened to Lois Lane after she received the threat. Shabazz also said he thought Batman was spying on Ray Palmer (The Atom) and Jean Lorring as he figured out the mystery right when Ray did. But I assume it was just a coincedence or a timing thing, showing they both figured it out. But it does go along with Brother Eye in O.M.A.C. Project with Batman keeping tabs on the heroes.

In conclusion, the story is excellent, the art is superb, the action is action packed and the mystery is suspensful. I would suggest everyone read this, especially if you're reading later stories. A lot of the later stories (Infinite Crisis, 52, Day of Vengeance) reference Sue's death and it's good to know what happened. I hope the new JLA is just as great.

We're not sure what we're reading next. If anyone has any suggestions, please email me or post it in the comments. We're thinking of Quiver (the death and "rebirth" of Green Arrow) or Archer's Quest (a Green Arrow story by Brad Meltzer).