DC’s Next Absolute Edition: IDENTITY CRISIS

On a recent episode of the Pick of the Week Podcast we were asked future Absolute Editions from DC Comics. We did not mention Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales' excellent universe altering Identity Crisis mini-series BUT in 2008, Ron wrote an Absolute Edition wish list and he did include Identity Crisis on it.

What I'm trying to say is that in the newly released solicitations, DC has revealed that Absolute Identity Crisis will be coming in October. And my birthday is in October. So that works out.

ABSOLUTE IDENTITY CRISIS HC
Written by BRAD MELTZER
Art and cover by RAGS MORALES and MICHAEL BAIR

“The IDENTITY CRISIS mystery uses all of Mr. Meltzer’s skills as a thriller novelist.” – The New York Times

“A genuine comics landmark.” – Publishers Weekly

The unforgettable 7-issue miniseries from New York Times best-selling novelist Brad Meltzer (Dead Even) is now in DC’s Absolute format! Starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the entire Justice League, this is the widely talked-about tale of intrigue and an inventive look at the world of Super Heroes, fantastic powers and secret identities.
When the spouse of a JLA member is brutally murdered, the entire super hero community searches for the killer, fearing their own loved ones may be the next targets. Before the mystery is solved, a number of long-buried secrets will threaten to divide the heroes before they can bring the killer to justice.

This gripping mystery includes a gallery of the variant covers, previously unpublished script pages and more!

On sale OCTOBER 12 • 288 pg, FC, 8.25” x 12.5”, $99.99 US 

Thanks to RolandofGilead for the head's up.

Comments

  1. I’m pretty happy with this. Rags’ art deserves this treatment.
    October is soo far away.

  2. This is the story that really introduced me to the larger DCU. All-Star Superman was my first Absolute edition. This will likely be my second. 

  3. Meh. Still waiting and praying for Abolute Power Girl.

  4. While I am glad this will be collected in an absolute format, unless the extras are amazing, I have no reason to buy this.

    I have the original hard cover edition autographed by Michael Turner.

  5. nope, you did not mention it.  very happy to see this.

  6. I”m really happy to see this. I don’t know if i’ll get it…i’m set already but this is one of my favorite DCU stories, and one of the few key trades that got me back into comics. 

  7. I want an Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow. I know they had that smaller slipcase edition, but it’s been out of print for years, and now they’re taking the trades out of print in favor of a Showcase. They’re going the wrong way on quality.

    I should probably read Identity Crisis sometime, though… 

  8. Welll… it’ll look nice. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s a terrible story that sert the stage for a whole bunch of bad trends in the DCU since. Yay?

  9. Loved it. And it seeded my love for the DCU as well; however,

    7 issues = $100

    Straight foolishness.

  10. @Slockhart  –how bout an Absolute Deadman…Neal Adams in his prime. So great and out of print for a while. Now is the time…i’d even settle for an HC. 

  11. IMHO –Rags Morales did a wonderful job, Meltzer weaved an interesting tale with moments that stood out (Ralph trying to keep it together and euligize Sue at the funeral, Green Arrow disagreeing with the JLA on how to handle maniacs like DR. Light). REALLY looking forward to seeing the treatment this series gets!! Oh yea, forgot to mention the kickass covers by Michael Turner!!

    @Ilash  “terrible story” ? I thought it was a great who dunit that had me guessing at Sue’s killer! The reveal was startling, and the scenes with the JLA fighting/dissagreeing with each other, the emotional repercussions of death/attacks towards their personal/secret lives and loved ones lost was an interesting side of the equation we don’t see too often.

  12. @Jesse1125–i totally agree with your take and that sort of characterization really sold the story to me. From my observation i’ve seen that with this book you’re either with us and thing it was great or your part of the “this is the worst thing in the history of comics” camp. 

  13. @wallythegreenmonster

    There’s a paperback of that solicited for May 

  14. Remember when Absolutes were twice the size for the same price, or in a couple cases less? Man those were the days.

    I’m not saying that Identity Crisis is not worth the Absolute treatment, but it should be a $75 Absolute not a $100 for the page count.

  15. @wallythegreenmonster  http://www.amazon.com/Deadman-Collection-Dennis-ONeil/dp/1563898497/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297728672&sr=1-8

    They made a complete Deadman HC. It comes in a slip case and everything. It was made when DC did a few of those (as I like to call them) Beta Absolutes along with the Green Arrow/Green Lantern one.

  16. @jmstump @scorpianmasada  Agreed!

  17. @jmstump @ScorpionMasada  No need to worry, it will be much less on Amazon and InStockTrades.

  18. Excellent, I was just thinking how unfortunate it is that I have only the paperback of this.  Have money, will upgrade.

  19. This got me back into DC all those years ago.

  20. Awesome! What a great book.

    Agree about the Absolute Spirit, though. C’mon, DC. Hook a brother up.

  21. Interesting. I already have the soft cover and the hard cover, not sure if I need this one.  

    Spirit and Daytripper–those are my votes for sure. 

  22. Not sure about this one either, seems a bit much asking $99.00, although I do love absolutes.

    Does this mean we’ll also be getting Infinate and Final Crisis’s soon/eventually?

  23. @jmstump  –yeah i know about that one…kinda pricey even second hand. @Slockhart  —i’m very interested in the paperback. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that one!

    @CaseyJustice  –another vote right here for absolute Spirit…or any collection really. 

  24. Glad to see this being made. This is the book that really got me into DC’s universe, as it seems to have did for a lot of other people too. Would consider getting this but I already have the hardcover and can’t really justify paying too much for this since I already have a version of it.

  25. I hope my library gets one so I could check it out.

  26. I’ve never read this story.  Is it good?

  27. As many others have said throughout the thread: this was my introduction to the world of DC beyond the Bat.  I still cry when I re-read this.  Can’t wait to have in in Absolute format.

  28. GIANT SIZED RAPE AND MURDER #1 !

  29. the investigation right after the death, the funeral, Deathstroke takes out the JLA, Tim Drake’s father, sooo many great scenes and sequences in this.  for me, this story sets my vision of what the DCU, and really, what any good superhero universe ought to be like.  and I’m a Marvel zombie. 

  30. If only I had money.

  31. DC was never in my mind growing up with comics.  Always loved my X-Men and any other Marvel event thrown at me.  Then Identity Crisis came out in 2004 and changed that mindset instantly.  The murder mystery, the revelations about the lame villains and our shining heroes, the bonds broken…..it was everything I had hoped for in a comic book and set the course for 2 years of awesome storylines.  I’ve been a DC lover ever since.

    That being said, much as I’d love this story in a big hardcover, I can’t justify the price with my budget.  If I can barely sustain $20-30 a week on single issues, this is just not an option for now.  Woe is me….

  32. @PaulMontgomery  me too.

  33. Yeah…..Not really sure why this is getting the Absolute treatment.

    I mean it’s a good story and it has some good art. But an Absolute? Not really buying it; especially agreeing with @jmstump with the page count/price ratio.

    The book does have one of my favorite moments (especially coming back into comics) with Deathstroke absolutely (ha!) destroying the JLA without breaking a sweat. So it might be neat to see that sequence oversized.

  34. Wow, I was expecting more comments like llash’s, didn’t know that this many people liked it.

    @jashcraft1014- It’s good if you don’t know a lot about the DCU. Most of the complaints I’ve seen for the story were along the lines of Deathstroke’s scenes and a ‘how dare they did this to my characters’ variety. But I read it shortly after getting into comics and really liked it, I also met a teenager getting into the DCU and he liked it a lot too. So, if you’re not really connected to DC then you should like it.

  35. i just want the preacher absolute editions.i’ll probably buy this one but i really want preacher

  36. I think this totally makes sense to get an absolute treatment. love the story and the art.

    I also would be interested in a Seven Soldiers Absolute treatment but that might be just me.

    Also there is some Wildstorm stuff that could get the absolute treatment as well.

  37. @conor  True, but it’ll still probably be just a little bit more than what I would pay for this. I just think the initial pricing is off compared to what they’ve given us before.

    I agree 100 percent on a Spirit one. I would buy that one in a heartbeat and I already own the issues and HCs of that.

  38. i burned through this book in one sitting, one of my favorite DC stories, but i wont be getting it in absolute format, just dont see the point since i already own it, the art doesnt grab me as much as some other stories that have been absoluted

  39. Absolute Geoff Darrow Transmetropolitan Covers.

  40. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!.

    THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!.  YEEEEAAHHHHH BOOOOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.  WOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

  41. @jmstump: “Remember when Absolutes were twice the size for the same price, or in a couple cases less? Man those were the days”?. 

    You are completely right.  I do hope the number of pages increase.  288 pages suggest they will take out the commets Meltzer and Morales put at the end of the paperback/HC and replace them for a lame script of chapter one or something. 

    Although my first reaction was out of joy, your comment just made me realize I might be ok with my HC edition.

  42. This was the story that got me back into comics after an 8 year absense…

  43. good story & art. but, I will NOT pay the asking price. yes, cheaper on instocktrades.com or amazon, still i’ll pass.

  44. @iSpiderMan: Completely agree!.  Good to know fans are finally waking up to the fact that DC is going completely out of greed.

    I think I would buy this edition with my eyes closed if they throw something with 350 pages or more, but 288 pages??.  The same amount of pages in both the paperback and hardcover editions???.  

    Count me out…

  45. @iSpiderMan  — does anybody pay cover price for absolutes or deluxe HC’s? I like supporting my LCS as much as the next guy but i’m not overpaying by 30-40% when Amazon exists

  46. @Lexavi80 The DC site says that the current hardcover has 264 pages. There are 24 pages more, if this holds true. Not bad at all, by my standards. (And I loved the extras in the original hardcover)

  47. @RolandofGilead  –thats like 12 spreads of drawings and stuff. Kinda thin for a book of that caliber i’d say. Definitely would like to have 2-3x the backmatter for the price. 

  48. How interesting this was a big game changer and/or first for so many people. Add my name to the list by the way. Was mainly reading indies and Vertigo till I read this story and realized how amazing a superhero story can be.

    PS – @wallythegreenmonster the reason the deadman hc is that price used is because it’s OOP. It was $75 new, but as supply drops, price rises. 

  49. @itsbecca  –oh yeah i know all about that…i collect art/photo/design books as well and have funded my purchasing habits over the years selling out of print volumes that i don’t want anymore. =)

  50. Read the Elongated Man Showcase, get to know Ralph and Sue as people, and then reread IC. You’ll see it as the sensationalistic drive-by that it is. 

    “Excellent?” I’m sorry, but using that term to describe this work is troubling. Important? Yes, in that it’s been echoing throughout the DCU for eight years. Attractive? Yes, Morales’s art is fine. Cinematic, even. But “excellent?” No.

    And the price. Four times the cost of the hardcover. Four times. Gouge much, DC?

    Identity Crisis is loathsome.

  51. It’s also one of the best comics of the decade!

  52. I’ve never read identity crisis. I was out of the comic book game when this was released. I guess the absolute is as good a time as any.

  53. @RocketRacoon  You won’t meet a bigger proponant of the Absolute format than me, but I never recommend going Absolute on a book you’ve never read. It’s an expensive gamble.

  54. @wallythegreenmonster  Remember, this’ll be in addition to the 22 extra pages already in the original hardcover (or be it having new pages to replace this section). 46 pages in all. And this excludes the Joss Whedon intro.

  55. @conor Thx for the tip. I’ll see if I can get the trade on the cheap on amazon.

  56. @RobAbsten  — no one is in the wrong for enjoying a story, nor do you need to read a 500 page showcase to enjoy another self contained story. Its just comics. They’re supposed to be fun. 

    @RolandofGilead  — well that sounds much better. 46 extra pages is a decent amount of extra stuff…as long as its good extra stuff. =)

  57. @RolandofGilead:  Strange thing.  Amazon site still have published that the Softcover and HC both have 288 pages.  I could swear that matched with DC’s site months ago. 

    And true… I also loved every single extra on the HC and SC.  Hope those remains.

    Nobody want’s this book Absoluted more than me, but still, 24 extra pages making a total of 288 pages for $100 (maybe $75 at Amazon) is still pushing.

  58. @wallythegreenmonster: Dude, there’s no such of thing as 46 extra pages in this edition. 

    I just confirmed what happened…  Identity Crisis, both the soft and hardcover editions, have indeed 288 pages.  DC site is wrong.  They put the 264 pages number (that actually comes from Infinite Crisis) and put it in Identity C.  If it was a mistake or on purpose, I don’t know.  Count the pages in your books and you’ll see Amazon is right in the number of pages. 

    This overpriced Absolute Edition, if it comes with new material, will take existing extras to put in something new. 

    Bad form…