Identity Crisis #4 - Heap your praise here!!!!!

[Rocketeer]

...if anyone has an extra copy of #4 can you please PM me,..I couldn't get one this week...

[deathlok]

Well unless Slipknot was the one who attempted the second killing, then someone else has copied his Modus Operandi. So it must not be terribly difficult to copy if he wasn't the one commiting the crime.

 

I just keep wondering why the Boomerang backstory.

 

I think the son is a very good possibility, don't get me wrong.

 

Let's assume the boy wants to follow in his daddy's footsteps:

 

Captain Boomerang assumed the mantle of Mirror Master for a period of time. If the boy had access to the Mirror Master technology, he could easily enter the homes undetected.

 

Captain Boomerang is closely associated with Heatwave. Sue Dibny's body was burned AFTER she was murdered, perhaps for no other reason than to mislead investigators.

 

Captain Boomerang was, indeed, a member of Suicide Squad where he would have had contact with Slipknot... but that Dutch knot thing still bugs me. How/why his son would know anything about Slipknot (a relatively insignificant villain if ever there was), is beyond me.

 

But how does he PROFIT from all this? Living his father's dream isn't exactly profit, is it?

 

Who PROFITS= Who BENIFITS.... .... WHO IS THE ONE PERSON MAKING $$$

 

OUT OF ALL OF THIS?

 

Not who profiits. Who Benefits. Boomerang's son would only have the beneift of either replacing his father as Captain Boomerang II or becoming a better villain than his father.

 

It would make sense of an unknown player stumping the heroes as to who is the killer.

 

The only one who may profit is DC comics.

[Kevin Boyd]

Sure the Calculator is making money off of all this, but IF he had information that proved that Superman is Clark Kent, or that Tim Drake is Robin he certainly wouldn't be using it to hire villains to kill their loved ones. He would be selling it to the highest bidders. He would be sellng this information to the "A" level threats (the Luthors, Jokers, Penguins, Kobras, Vandal Savages, etc.) and then they would act rashly as they always do.

 

But having a villain use the Calculator as an intermediary in a much larger game makes more sense (so as not to get their hands dirty).

 

So far the threats have been against the spouses of heroes whose identities are public knowledge. But hiring him to have a Gotham City businessman or a Daily Planet reporter killed seems where we are going next.

 

Calculator makes the arrangements, hires the operatives and gets the job done without any direct connection back to the employer (and he doesn't know that the person he had killed was connected to a major superhero). The question then becomes, who is the employer and how does he know the secret identities of these heroes?

[dam60]

All I am going to say is that EVERYONE should buy every issue of this book and READ every issue. This stuff is so ridiculously good and it's just going to keep getting better. Great story, great art, great character twists and turns - this series is the real deal,

 

DAM

[The Brain]

Sure the Calculator is making money off of all this, but IF he had information that proved that Superman is Clark Kent, or that Tim Drake is Robin he certainly wouldn't be using it to hire villains to kill their loved ones. He would be selling it to the highest bidders. He would be sellng this information to the "A" level threats (the Luthors, Jokers, Penguins, Kobras, Vandal Savages, etc.) and then they would act rashly as they always do.

 

But having a villain use the Calculator as an intermediary in a much larger game makes more sense (so as not to get their hands dirty).

 

So far the threats have been against the spouses of heroes whose identities are public knowledge. But hiring him to have a Gotham City businessman or a Daily Planet reporter killed seems where we are going next.

 

Calculator makes the arrangements, hires the operatives and gets the job done without any direct connection back to the employer (and he doesn't know that the person he had killed was connected to a major superhero). The question then becomes, who is the employer and how does he know the secret identities of these heroes?

 

 

Great call. That what I was getting at. This is why i use that new sig-line. MY vote BEST COMIC.

[BradleyX2]

Maybe the Boomerang backstory is because Captain Boomerang is the killer, (trying to make his last hurrah, or something) and his son is going to be the one to put a stop to it.

 

I'm just clutching at straws here.

[Stark This-migration]

I think there are more clues in the Batman aside then we allow oursleves to believe. With Batman remarks, I think DC is point blank telling us that they are misleading us. The first 2 attacks have been made to look like someone in the suicide squad. Although Wonder Woman and Green Arrow believe Slipknot is telling the truth about his lack of knowledge of the event, that does not totally rule out Dr. Light, Slipknot, & the rest of the crew. Batman: "Who Benefits?" I believe we are going to find that it is a group of villians that have come together to exploit characters that have identities that are public knowledge in order to accomplish something that we (the readers are not expecting) all the while framing/misdirecting the attention to other villians. Who I haven't come up with that yet. Just a thought. Between this and War Games, these are two of the best crossover stories I have ever read.

[Stark This-migration]

Let me know if you still need one, my local shop over ordered.

[Kevin Boyd]

Maybe the Boomerang backstory is because Captain Boomerang is the killer, (trying to make his last hurrah, or something) and his son is going to be the one to put a stop to it.

 

I'm inclined to say it will go in the opposite direction. I think Digger will end up being the fly in the ointment, so to speak... and will die in an act of redemption. He's not really an evil villain, he's been a bit of a foul-up and at times he's even been likable. He's not the kind of character that will kill someone in cold blood. But if he did kill Sue Dibny he'd make sure someone knew about it because he needs the type of jobs that a high profile hit like that would get him.

 

He's got ties to the Calculator, who seems to genuinely feel sorry for him and shows him some respect as a friend. If something happens to the Calculator (maybe he's a loose end that has to be taken care of) then he may pass along information to Boomerang that can deliberately foul up the real killer's plans. My guess is Digger will die saving Lois in #6 or 7.

 

However, his son may not see it as a heroic death and will end up becoming the new Boomerang, taking his dad's spot in the Rogues.

[Aman619]

tell me... where is the cALCULATOR FROM? IS HE A RECENT JLA VILLAIN??

sorry caps locked... dont wanna retype..

[deathlok]

He's been around a long time. He just changed his operation from being a criminal into being an information broker. Much like Oracle gives info to the heroes, Calculator gives info to villains for a price.

[Stark This-migration]

He's been around a long time. He just changed his operation from being a criminal into being an information broker. Much like Oracle gives info to the heroes, Calculator gives info to villains for a price.

 

Thanks, this helps me too. One less guy I have to track down to figure out how he plays into things.

 

<----Slowly learning the DC world.....

[Zonker]

The Calculator first appeared in Detective Comics in 1978 or so. It was a backup series featuring Black Canary, Atom , Elongated Man , Green Arrow, Hawkman. First 2 episodes were drawn by Mike Grell. The latter two episodes were some of the earliest jobs by Marshall Rogers. The series culminated in a crossover with Batman in Detective 468, the first of the Rogers/Austin run in that series.

[Kevin Boyd]

tell me... where is the cALCULATOR FROM? IS HE A RECENT JLA VILLAIN??

sorry caps locked... dont wanna retype..

 

 

Deathlok covered it, but he first appeared in some great backup stories and a full issue conclusion that ran in Detective Comics 463-468 by Bob Rozakis, Mike Grell (parts 1 and 2) then Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin. I remember the stories because they were all reprinted in black and white in "The Superheroes" a DC reprint mag that was published in the UK. I got it while I was in London back in '82 (had this awesome painted cover of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman).

 

Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, and Hawkman all go up against the Calculator in solo stories before all regrouping with Batman in DETECTIVE COMICS #468. In each of the stories he's able to use the odds against each hero and defeat them until he comes up against Batman who outsmarts him (with help).

[deathlok]

The Calculator first appeared in Detective Comics in 1978 or so. It was a backup series featuring Black Canary, Atom , Elongated Man , Green Arrow, Hawkman. First 2 episodes were drawn by Mike Grell. The latter two episodes were some of the earliest jobs by Marshall Rogers. The series culminated in a crossover with Batman in Detective 468, the first of the Rogers/Austin run in that series.

 

First Apprearance in Detective Comics #463

[deathlok]

From Who's Who:

 

[Kevin Boyd]

Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, and Hawkman all go up against the Calculator in solo stories before all regrouping with Batman in DETECTIVE COMICS #468. In each of the stories he's able to use the odds against each hero and defeat them until he comes up against Batman who outsmarts him (with help).

 

Wait a minute... Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Batman...

 

[Aman619]

From Who's Who:

 

 

okay, I remember him now. Always thought it was a lame costume. A real literal illustration of his name with a real (graphing?) calculator on his chest as opposed to him now who "calculates' strategy.. Then again, werent electronic calculators pretty newfangled gadgets in 1978?? cant remember exactly...

[Foolkiller]

I love the theory that elongated man and sue are behind all of this -- I'm not sure if it's the case or not, but it certainly is a possibility.

 

There are a lot more shocks and twists to come, as well as a lot of great moments, some predictable, others not, I'm sure.

[Illiterati-migration]

I love the theory that elongated man and sue are behind all of this -- I'm not sure if it's the case or not, but it certainly is a possibility.

 

There are a lot more shocks and twists to come, as well as a lot of great moments, some predictable, others not, I'm sure.

 

It seems unlikely as EM has been independently wealthy for a long, long time (since before he met Sue, even?). Beyond that, the panel with the insurance company calling is DEFINITELY a red herring because Sue was a very, very wealthy woman anyway, so what would be the motive there? The rich getting richer?