As many readers of this blog are aware, I have followed the DC Identity Crisis mini-series from the first issue, providing some speculation (both serious and satirical). However, with the
final issue being published this week (and having read it), here's my thinking....
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...like the Comic Treadmill I thought Meltzer played fair....until issue # 7. After that, I have to strongly disagree, and felt that the ending was...well, read on.
Despite many inconsistencies (listed here), Meltzer attempted to create a more psychologically "real" DC Universe - give some human motivations to both heroes and villains alike. It seemed that his attempt was to take some of the gloss off, to make it slightly more "Marvel" in tone, if that makes sense. Meltzer also wanted to show how one death impacted an entire "community", and was almost suggesting a conspiracy of villains, creating some unique dynamics. (Issue 2's focus on the old Injustice Gang satellite headquarters, for example). In short, although not a perfect series (and here are all the loose ends that he had forgotten to tie), he came rather close...until issue 7, when (in my not so humble opinion) the ball was royally dropped.
The whole revelation of who the killer was, in my opinion, was lifted straight from B-movie/soap opera cliche; the old "loved-one-of-victim-went-bonkers-to-prove-love" strategy. It didn't make sense - psychologically, narratively (what evidence was there, aside from the "autopsy" in issue 6, to suggest it?), or emotionally. It was a payoff straight from a Syd Field screenwriting workbook. The final half of the book - showing the immediate "moving on" montage also seemed a little too Hollywood, claiming that an era had been ended and finishing with a "cute" (but altogether creepy) moment. In short, betraying everything that the previous issues had suggested. Going for a curve ball than a line drive.
Of course, I have said this on other blogs - the only reason, I suspect, that many people didn't like it was not due to the quality of the storytelling, but to actually make the DC Universe a little more "adult." The same fans who won't look at a work critically (like, say, any of the comics on my blogroll), but who would rather keep (now) outdated storytelling notions than encourate creativity. It's the kind of thinking that has led to some really misguided ideas (John Byrne's Doom Patrol, which achieves Shatnerian levels of discomfort while reading), that doesn't allow for any mature or adult criticism, and whose idea of rhetoric seems to be "Meltzer's a Misogynist."
It seems lately, some fans don't want a 21st Century DC Universe - they want their comics to be just like they were when they were young, only with hipper references. In short, they don't want comics to grow up. Say what you will about Identity Crisis - it's not a perfect mini-series, by any means, (nor is it the Watchmen of the 21st Century, but it got people talking, and engaged
people - good or bad, IC attempted to rethink the way the DC Universe is portrayed. In my opinion, Meltzer did his best, but messed it up at the end with a less-than-original ending.
(By the way, for any of you who argue the Meltzer-as-Misogynist theory - I'm sure that you enjoy Britney Spears for her musical talent, enjoy Hooters for the food, and have never purchased more than one copy of Witchblade. Rather than attack the work, you will make ill-founded attacks on the author. Usually, that's not a good idea - and here are some interesting ways not to argue. I admit my previous comment was slightly snarky, but I am not as high-minded as, say, Post-Crisis and Fanboy Rampage. And please - don't start whining about DC Countdown/Crisis 2/Whatever until the book actually comes out and you've read it - only the Internet allows people with a minimum of knowledge [even me] to act as if they are experts.)
Enough with the resentments - it's time we all did what normally happens when things like this end: move on. Let's all just take a deep breath, step away from the keyboards, and enjoy the holidays. Maybe even read a book - you know, those things that are like comics, only they have all words and no pictures....
Let's all sit, have a nice cold up of egg nog, and enjoy the holidays.
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