Identity Crisis is one of the most controversial comics ever released by DC, dividing readers over its story. Despite this, it still remains a very popular mini-series and has had major consequences for the DC Universe. Below, we explore all of the Identity Crisis controversy, from fridging to the fights.
“I originally said ‘you know what?’ I have no desire to go and just, you know, do a big shoot-them-up or do anything silly. I wanted to do something serious and what I hit upon was what if someone was attacking all the loved ones, all the family and friends of the world’s most powerful superheroes?” – Brad Meltzer
A superhero murder mystery
Identity Crisis was a seven issue mini-series written by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Rags Morales, and Michael Bair as colour artist. Written in 2004, it centres around a murder that shocks the superhero community. Sue Dibny, the wife of Elongated Man, is murdered while he is out on a stakeout with Firehawk.
The heroes come together to try to work out who was behind the murder. Despite the focus on the prime suspect Doctor Light, the death-count continues to grow over the issues. In the journey to uncover the killer, other secrets come to light which threaten to split the Justice League of America.
There is no arguing that Identity Crisis has a great skeleton of a story. It has a really exciting plot, which is enough to win over a lot of readers. There are many flaws though which irk some, as well as more serious issues that others find unforgiveable.
Major spoilers ahead for Identity Crisis!
Deathstroke’s powerup and a flamethrower
As comic book fans like to do, there are complaints about a fight scene in the story. Deathstroke was hired to protect Doctor Light from the superheroes who were after him. Deathstroke is met with a tall order however, as he has to fight off the entire Justice League. And he does just that.
Slade Wilson causes Flash to run straight into his sword. He breaks Kyle Rayner’s fingers, nullifying his ring. He pelts Atom with light particles from a laser pointer. All in all he overcomes six Leaguers, making them look like amateurs. It was only because Green Arrow stabbed him in the eye with an arrow, before everyone else piled onto him that the world’s greatest heroes were able to beat him.
Fans never like seeing their favourites bested, but this fight is raised by many as being unbelievable. This is not in isolation however as there are other moments that cause disbelief.
One other such notable instance involves murderer Jean Loring. Having just killed Sue, Jean takes a flamethrower to Sue’s body to cover her tracks. The question is, why did Jean happen to have a flamethrower? Jean mentioned picking weapons up in case things went badly, but this would undermine the story of her accidentally killing Sue.
Was Sue a victim of fridging?
One of the key complaints about the book is the treatment of Sue Dibny, with may claiming she was ‘fridged’. Gail Simone coined the term ‘fridging’, or ‘women in refrigerators’. It described women in comics who were killed or maimed as a device to move other male characters narratives forward. The reference to fridges is due to an infamous 1994 Green Lantern story where Kyle Rayner finds his girlfriend’s body in a fridge.
You could certainly make a strong case for it here. Sue’s murder is not only the catalyst for the plot but we also discover she was raped by Doctor Light in the past. Her experience is never given a voice from her character, just used as a narrative device.
Things have progressed slowly in the comic world but ignorance was not an excuse in 2004. Discussions about the treatment of female characters were being had even then. You only have to realise that Simone’s Women in Refridgerators website was launched in 1999 to know Meltzer could have done better.
Characters made to fit the plot
Many fans also have grievances over the treatment of other heroes, particularly with the mindwiping plot. To stop Doctor Light attacking again and revelling in his actions, Zatanna wiped is mind. This was not on a whim and the League voted to do this. Notably though, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman were absent from this vote.
This might be the biggest Identity Crisis controversy as it has had lasting impact in DC Comics. Readers felt the likes of Barry Allen voting to wipe Doctor Light’s mind as nothing short of character assassination. Those feelings grew when there was a unanimous vote for Zatanna to the wipe Batman’s mind after he discovered the truth.
Identity Crisis reads like the characters were made to fit the plot, rather than characters personalities and experiences guiding their actions. Meltzer got to use all DC’s major characters but did not necessarily respect them all equally. Poor Firestorm was killed off, having no impact on the story whatsoever.
At the time of writing Identity Crisis, Meltzer was an accomplished author, but still relatively new to comics. He had a run on Green Arrow prior to this and this was evident in his placing of Ollie into the foreground of Identity Crisis. He was not however, a seasoned comic book writer.
Most comic book writers at the big two publishers would have to answer to the editorial team. Writing characters with decades of history and continuity is confusing. One aspect of the role of editorial is navigating that, as well as looking into the future impact.
A lot of the issues mentioned previously could have been avoided with more support. Meltzer was given a lot of freedom however, as part of a marketing decision. In an interview with CBR, he stated that to ensure that there were no leaks, the plot and script were kept secret even internally.
A disappointing mystery
While the mishandling of some of the characters can be assigned to DC for blame, there is another that lies directly with Meltzer; Identity Crisis is not a good murder mystery story.
“I’m amazed it took me as long as it did to say ‘well, why don’t I do a mystery’ because that is what I do for a living.” – Brad Meltzer
A good ‘whodunnit’ should give readers a reasonable opportunity to solve it, with some red herrings thrown in. Identity Crisis certainly has the false leads in Doctor Light and even Captain Boomerang. There was no chance however that anyone would have worked out that Jean Loring was the killer.
‘It’s very simple if you didn’t wear a mask villains would go and slit the throats of your wives and your husbands and your children […] That is why you wear a mask and that is why you hide your identity […] From that one idea we really built the whole concept of Identity Crisis. What if there was a serial killer going after the loved ones of our heroes?’ – Brad Meltzer
The above quote is from an interview Meltzer did with NPR. Knowing that the killer is Jean Loring, his statement seems to contradict his story, as a loved one is the murderer. Jean had no real motive to do any of this, except being insane. As a motivation, that is very disappointing. The climax of the story too is underwhelming as there is no real payoff as Jean is just revealed as the killer.
A lasting legacy
Reading the average post on Reddit or niche blogs, you might think Identity Crisis is universally disliked and hated. This is far from the case. A quick glance at reviews on major shopping platforms will reveal very positive feedback. And that is okay. There does seem to be a disconnect however between what casual and more invested readers want.
Identity Crisis offers a great jumping on point for new readers into the world of DC. Even non-comic readers are familiar with Batman and Superman. How many though would know the Atom, Elongated Man, or even Green Arrow? Identity Crisis offers the chance to get to know all of them in a thematic format people understand.
The series had a lot of potential and might have worked better as an Elseworld story. In the main continuity however, it caused years of retcons and, for better or worse, spun many new storylines. It played a key part in development of the DC event Infinite Crisis in 2006. What is undoubtable though, is that Meltzer wrote a series that is still hotly debated, even after over twenty years. The Identity Crisis controversy will no doubt continue for many more.
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