September 28, 2004

Identity Crisis - Speculation (Possible Spoilers)

Right now, I am mega-tired; lost a battle for some legislation in Ballwin that I was working on (I'll probably post more when I'm not being such a sore loser; right now, I'm wishing that I was back in Chicago to watch my all-time favorite cable access show, We're Geniuses in France), so please excuse the heavy tone. In light of Comic Treadmill's theory (and this article on locked-room comic mysteries), I would give my own personal "take" on the murderer's identity. (And no, it's not Ambush Bug, despite my previous posts to the contrary
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Anyway, what we have, on the face of it, is
  • an indiviual who can bypass security systems;
  • someone with the ability to access information about our heroes (hence the ending of # 4)
  • Someone with a perceived "grudge" against the Satellite era JL
  • someone who has/can gain access to classified info on the Suicide Squad; and
  • someone we've seen in the series so far (so no surprise Despero moves(

Although some people may suggest Captain Boomerang, I think he's being set up. By whom? I'm opting for a "conspiracy" between the Calculator and Merlyn.

Both of them have the most to gain - Calculator by becoming the Oracle of the criminal world; Merlyn by gaining the reputation as the "world's greatest assassin", or some title. (Calculator was pushing Boomerang to "meet" his son, if you will - I will have to reread issue 1, but Boomerang seems extremely reluctant to connect with his flesh and blood). In addition, keeping the criminal set "on edge" would allow them to gain superiority - after all, the best way to solve a crisis is to start it yourself. Here's how I'm seeing this work:

Calculator - gains information about various security systems (as Mr. Miracle stated, there are 17 ways to break in without a Mother Box); could put critical personal information together (like a UFO landing with a birth notice following); has pretty much set himself up as the go-to person for information (see issue # 1 - he had sent Bolt for the shipment in Opal City); could have set up surveillance in JL headquarters they same way it was set up (and countered) in the old Injustice League satellite; could possibly find information in hard-to-locate areas, and anti-hacking laws would not stop him (for Suicide Squad information).

Merlyn - has the "real" expertise in assassination; would be able to make it "look" like another criminal performed the murders; is telling his compatriots to "tone it down" (see # 4) yet benefits (a three grand job with the Fiddler); was present when Dr. Light "appeared" in issue 2; although primarily an archer, might be willing to "diversify".

Is this a perfect theory? Heck, no, and I'm more than willing to hear others' comments. (And just for the record - I am not related, nor have a relationship with Brad Meltzer, so if I'm right, it's purely through my own thinking). At the very least, it's a fun little distraction for me...at least, until I drive down to lovely, scenic Jefferson City MO tomorrow for a training.

1 comment:

Jason said...

so, so intense!

love,
jason mulgrew
internet quasi-celebrity