This seven-issue mini-series was undeniably one of the biggest comic book event of 2004, sparking tremendous interest, controversy, and outrage alike all across the board throughout the entire mainstream comic book reading community. Essentially a murder mystery, Identity Crisis had fans' imaginations running wild trying to figure out who would be the sacrificial lamb in the first issue as well as who the killer is. Online boards and forums were inundated with all sorts of analyses and theories before, during, and even after all seven issues were released.

Identity Crisis opens with Ralph Dibny a.k.a. the Elongated Man teaming up with Firehawk on a stakeout, where they spy upon two thugs owning a mysterious box waiting to meet their buyer. Meanwhile, Sue Dibny, the Elongated Man's beloved wife is preparing for his birthday at home. Things go normally for awhile as Ralph recounts his relationship with Sue to Firehawk, but things quickly go to hell when the deal goes awry and gunshots are fired. At home, Sue collapses and is burnt to death by a mystery assailant. News of this quickly reaches Ralph, but he arrives home too late.

Literally every member of the superhero community show up for Sue's funeral, and it is one of the most emotional and heart wrenching scene I have ever seen in a comic book. Members of the JLA, JSA, Outsiders, Teen Titans, and a host of other solo agents and loved ones are there to mourn Ralph's loss, but it isn't long before they swing into action to figure out who killed Sue. In the end, only a handful of heroes remain in the church with Ralph, each one of them once belonged to the early 1980s incarnation of the Justice League of America. Together, they secretly seek out Dr Light for reasons known only to themselves.

It is revealed that Elongated Man, Zatanna, Atom, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Black Canary, Hal Jordan, and Barry Allen were involved in a dark, clandestine chapter of JLA history when they chanced upon Dr Light attempting to rape Sue Dibny in the their satellite headquarters. It was an ugly, brutal episode in their history but the heroes take a step further by having Zatanna do a mystical lobotomy on Dr Light to erase his knowledge of the satellite and transform him into basically a bumbling, ineffective fool that characterized his appearances in that era.

The greatest controversy lies within the events revealed in the first two issues. First, is of course the shocking death of Sue Dibny. However, it was the attempted rape by Dr Light that sparked the greatest furore as this is a seriously dark subject matter that is heretofore unknown in the shiny, colourful world of superhero comics. It was truly shocking, but also lends itself to the innate strength of Sue Dibny's character as she would eventually go on with her life and even prove herself invaluable to Maxwell Lord's incarnation of the Justice League. Equally shocking is the fact that members of the Justice League, supposedly the elite of the superhuman community, were willing to mind wipe not only their enemies but also certain members of the League itself! This does not sit well with Kyle Rayner and Wally West, who adopted the heroic identities of Green Lantern and the Flash from Hal Jordan and Barry Allen respectively after their deaths.

Dr Light, fearful for his life when he discovers these heroes are gunning for him, employs the aide of Slade Wilson a.k.a. the Terminator, to protect him. Throughout all these, former Z-grade villain The Calculator, is revealed to have re-invented himself as an information broker for the supervillain community and has amassed a veritable wealth of information equal to that of Oracle. Revealed to be working with Sue Dibny's killer, Calculator mysteriously dispatches ageing, pot-bellied villain Captain Boomerang to kill Jack Drake, the father of Tim Drake, the current Robin. How all these disparate plot threads relate together are revealed in the final issue, which reveals the very surprising identity of Sue Dibny's killer (for the record, I truly didn't figure it out and actually had the wrong person pegged).

I am divided by how I feel about Identity Crisis. I did not read any of the crossover issues, but I enjoyed Identity Crisis on its own for the most part. It works well as a murder mystery, leaving me breathless with anticipation at the end of every cliffhanger and making the one month wait for the next issue to be practically unbearable. For a seasoned comic book reader such as myself, this is a truly accomplished feat and I have not felt this way for any monthly comic book. On the other hand, the story is very dark and ugly, portraying the DC Universe in a different light which does not go well with me. I am a tremendous fan of the excellent work DC Comics did in the 1980s after the line wide revamp thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I am sorely disappointed and shocked by the decision to kill of Sue Dibny, which deeply affects the well loved Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis version of the Justice League.

And then there are the rather needless deaths that happen around this mini-series, such as the murder of Jack Drake and the death of the original Firestorm. Again, I am divided with my feelings towards these two deaths. The simultaneous killings of Jack Drake and Captain Boomerang is one of the tensest moment in the entire mini-series, and one can literally feel the fear, worry, and anticipation as these two very different men slowly approach their deaths. Also, Robin is now an orphan, plunging him into darker territory that would surely serve as great material not only for the Robin monthly, but also in Teen Titans as well.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said with the death of Firestorm, who was easily dispatched by the Shadow Thief after gaining possession of the Shining Knight's sword. Firestorm is easily one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, capable of manipulating matter on a molecular level and is easily killed with a sword simply because it punctures his body. I don't buy this as this has happened on a few occasions not only to Firestorm, but also to the similarly powered Captain Atom.

Lastly, there's the identity of the killer, who happens to be a long established character the DC Universe continuity. The killer is bastardised and then unceremoniously discarded in much the same manner poor Sue Dibny was by writer Brad Meltzer, showing utter disregard to what has come before. The method in which the killer is revealed and incarcerated rang false, and one wonders how it is possible to have even a murderer such as this individual locked up in Arkham Asylum without a proper trial.

The artistic team of Rags Morales and Michael Bair is a perfect choice for illustrating Identity Crisis, lending an air of humanity and weakness to the godlike superheroes that populate the DC Universe. The feelings and emotions felt by the various characters such as Elongated Man's grief and anger, Batman's determination, and Green Arrow's self righteousness is conveyed realistically, leaving absolutely no doubts in my mind as to what the characters are feeling.

Story-wise, Identity Crisis got off to an excellent start and maintained the momentum with the suspenseful conclusion of each issue before stumbling in the final issue, rushing to conclude the mini-series and explain away the methods in which the murder was perpetrated and why the killer did these heinous acts. The concluding act deserved more time and attention and I feel it would have benefited from an additional issue just to handle the repercussions of the killer's identity. Yes, there are some very serious flaws in the story that simply cannot be overlooked, but credit must be given to Brad Meltzer for crafting a suspenseful thriller that surprised me with each passing issue.