Fierce #3 (fun series... Bourne Identity meets Ghost)

Freaks Of The Heartland #5 (this better have the best ending ever)

Madrox #1 (i'm not a peter david fan but i like the character)

Megacity 909 #1 Cvr A Kang (i'm skeptical but will give it a shot)

Strange #1 (i've already read the issue online but i want to have the actual issues, too)

Ultimate Nightmare #2 (the first issue was just okay but i'll give it another shot)

I didn't know PAD was writing Madrox. I'll have to pick that one up.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #632
BATTLEPOPE VOL. 1 (TPB)
THE AUTHORITY: HUMAN ON THE INSIDE (HC)

My stupid LCS didn't have the INVINCIBLE tpb or the 2nd
SLEEPER tpb, so I'm going to have to go to another store
that's a little out of my way this Saturday to get those.

FANTASTIC FOUR #518

STRANGE #1

SPIDER-MAN AND DOCTOR OCTOPUS: YEAR ONE #3

JLA SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS 2004 (for the Byrne art)

JSA: STRANGE ADVENTURES #2

IDENTITY CRISIS #4

BALLAD OF SLEEPING BEAUTY #3

Ultimate Nightmare #2
Emma Frost #15
New X-Men - Academy X #5
Identity Crisis #4
Birds of Prey #74
Fantastic Four #518
Iron Man #88
X-Men #161
Wanted #5
JLA Secret Files & Origins 2004

...and the last one is the only one I enjoyed. What's happening to comics? Why are they all so bleak? Where is the big fun? Re-reading JLAvengers has been so much better than the dreck I get weekly...

Emma Frost? That character has her own title?

*Sigh* Eventually Marvel will have done a complete role-reversal with their characters; the villains will become the protagonists and all of the heroes will become villains instead.

Not just <cough-cough-identity-cough-crisis-cough> Marvel....

I might be in the minority here (at least on this board) - but Im really enjoying Identity Crisis - its a cool whodunit. Plus Meltzer has created a tale where for the first time in a while...i really dont know what will happen. There is a sense of urgency and menace that I have not felt since Crisis...and its cool!

I will be picking up one of his novels once this mini is over...meltzer has got me hooked! I hope we get some more comics from him as well (looking at sales and press from IC - I would assume that we will its a huge success).

I like the pacing, the interaction of the various characters, the cliffhangers, the little clues, etc...its a really well thought out tale!

And I hate to say it but I have no attachment to the character of Sue Dibny..a lot of readers are up in arms...but I never read about the characters apart from a few issues of Starman...

It may be an excellent story, but Meltzer should never have used the DCU characters to tell it.

My problem with the book is less to do with affection for Sue than with the abject ugliness inside. There are some really very horrible things in that book, that I'd really rather had never been done.

It's along the same lines as the Spidey 911 issue. The real world has some very ugly consequences of even the most minor of actions that aren't part of comicbooks. If a plan ever crashed into a building in a comic book (and I don't think anyone will ever do that in the future) it would have been a bunch of busted windows, a few damaged floors, a badly-damaged plane, a bunch of injuries and a few deaths.

No-one would have disintegrated the plane, the tallest building in the city, and thousands of people.

Similarly, the very likely and possibly inavoidable real-world application of super powers means that if there were super-humans walking the Earth, they'd give their baser desires full rein over we normals. Rapes and murders and horrible, ugly things would happen.

I just don't want any of that in my Superman comics. I want four-colour action, thoughtful stories and Big Fun!

I mean, ugliness is what The Authority are for, no?

If the Avengers ever visit the DCU again, they are unlikely to find it as impressive as they did.

****Edited to add: Oh, and just for the record, I want it noted that my guess for the killer is BARRY ALLEN****

You guys are kidding. Right?

No, I'm deadly serious. I may be wrong, but I think it's just the kind of ending that fits with Metzler's entire approach to the story.

I would hate to be right, but I just wanted it noted in case I am.

Melissa, if you don't mind me asking, why are you buying
Identity Crisis if you hate it so much?

Okay, this week I bought:

Identity Crisis #4 (ok, "bought" isn't the right word. I acquired it for free. Why? Because it IS apparently a big event that's going to affect the DCU for years to come... even though I'm hoping it won't)

Strange #1 (read it online, so I felt obligated to buy it. It's good to see Brandon Peterson's art again)

Birds Of Prey #74 (still waiting for Barbara to get up out of that damn wheelchair)

Marvel Age Team-Up #1 (I'm enjoying some of these Marvel Age titles very much!)

Two extra copies of last week's Marvel Age Hulk #1 to give to a couple of kids in my extended family. Trying to seed the pastures of tomorrow, y'know?

C'mon, if I bought every "big event" that was supposed to have
"lasting consequences" I'd have thousands of comic-books
in my closet.

Oh wait...I do have thousands of comic-books in my closet...




Seriously, you need to pick up the various pocket digests I mentioned
here a few weeks ago. They don't have Marvel Age Hulk yet, but
they've got at least 2 MA Spider-Man & FF digests out, not to
mention DC's Superman, Batman, & Justice League Adventures
books. I bought some for my 10 year old Godbrother & I'm going
back to the store Saturday to get some copies for myself.

Um... no. I don't like those damn things. I'm an American living in America. If I wanted to buy those digest things, I'd move to friggin' Japan!!


Okay now I know I mentioned that I'm getting my copies for free...

Well, I used to love the little pocket digests I got
as a kid. Superboy & The Legion Of Superheroes
were my favorites. And I used to get lots of others, too.
Things that, at the time, I didn't realize were classic
reprints, I just thought they were cool stories. Like
lots of those "Imaginary Stories," like Superman
Red/Superman Blue, & "Superman Jr. & Batman
Jr." I first encountered all of those in digests.
That's the perfect format for kids, IMO. Easy to take
with you & read on the school bus (or in class when
the teacher's not looking).

And regarding IC, I just meant that nothing
really has lasting consequences in comics. Everything
reverts to the status quo eventually, sometimes it
just takes longer than others. Heck, look at "Emerald
Knight" that lasted about 10 years, & now Hal's
coming back. So don't worry, one day Indentity
Crisis will just be a distant memory, along with
Avengers Dissambled.

I know, JR. But if it's free, I figure I might as well pic it up. 'Course, I think it should be renamed "Green Arrow: Identity Crisis/Crap On A Stick," though. Sure, the execution of the writing on the part of Meltzer is good, I'm just not liking the decisions that are being made concerning this story.

And I will never, ever, support those godamn digests. I would, however, support an industry-wide increase in the standard number of story pages in a comic book from 22 to 32.

....




....

I can't explain it...

My vote is for Snapper Carr.

Motive: Don't know. Maybe he went jealously crazy at the level of success the non-powered friends of the super people had attained.

Clues: Perhaps the Kryptonian/Thanagarian/Apokaliptic alarms and such wouldn't stop Snapper ...? He's a friend, right?

Supposition: Whoever is doing these things would appear to have access to information that only a leaguer would have. The originating event with Dr. Light may have occurred when Snapper was the official mascot.

Then again, what do I know?

Melissa - I agree with some of your points - i also enjoy four color comics (JLA/Avengers was great) but I also like super hero comics with edge (hey Im a child of 80s comics what can i say) like Identity Crisis and Bloodhound.

If you want a fun comic: check out RUNAWAYS (the firts 12 issues are available as digest size trades for 12$ Canadian)...its fun, full of little mysteries, great new characters, funny dialogue and its fast paced and original. Vaughn really makes us care for these cool new characters (I love Molly she reminds me of my little sis)...its a story suitable for kids but its got action, mystery and suspense...brilliant book...you'll be hooked and from your comments I think its what your looking for...

PS: I disagree with Allen as the killer....I think its a villain..maybe that Merlyn guy...see love it or hate it IC has got everyone talking and guessing...its a damn brilliant book!