Identity Crisis

From the first issue of this DC mini-series, writer Brad Meltzer and artist Rags Morales created a story that would both shock and provoke thought.

They killed off Sue Dibny, the wife of the Elongated Man.

The Dibnys had always been regularly light-hearted comic book fare. Ralph Dibney, the Elongated Man, is a detective who can stretch like Silly Putty. Sue served as his sidekick in many of his adventures.

The Dibnys’ cases were the superhero equivalents of Agatha Christie novels or “Murder She Wrote” episodes where crime is more mystery than brutal act of violence.

So, killing off Sue in what appears to be gruesome fashion would be similar if Agatha Christie decided to brutally off Miss Marple.

Christie fans would have been shocked, and comic book readers were shocked with the death of Sue Dibny.

And that was just the beginning of the seven-issue run of “Identity Crisis.”

The storyline involved more death and attacks on the loved ones of DC superheroes. To protect their secret identities and their loved ones, Justice League heroes used questionable mind-erasing techniques on super villains … and each other.

“Identity Crisis” was a daring series.

DC attracted Metzler, a regular bestselling author of mystery thrillers and later the host of the television conspiracy-theory show “Decoded.” Morales gave the illustration panels the spirit of cinema; he even based each hero on the facial characteristics of movie and television stars.

The ramifications of what happened in “Identity Crisis” rippled throughout the Justice League and the heroes’ individual titles for years.

“Identity Crisis,” collected in a few premium formats, from hardcover to trade paperback, is worth identifying as a must-read.