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Heroes in Crisis


If we need peace, if we need to heal, if we need anything, does that then mean we are broken?

Heroes in Crisis is a very transparent take on mass shootings, written by Tom King, who is currently involved in DC's Batman run. It begins as an intriguing mystery-thriller, revealing a slew of slaughtered B and C-list heroes at a secret haven known as the Sanctuary. This pitches a question seldom asked about the mental health of those who have to risk their lives to fight superpowered beings and prevent world-ending threats from coming to fruition day after day. The emotional and mental strain this must take is enormous, and Heroes in Crisis is designed to show how the heroes cope.

This is when King's writing is at its best, superhero therapy. Several cameos from heroes of varying fame stop in to confess some of their thoughts on camera, and it offers a new look at the internal demons each of them faces. The most stricken of the bunch is Wally West, who was wiped from existence with the New 52 reboot and brought back in Rebirth, only to find nobody remembered him. He went from having a wife in children to not having a family, and it broke him. Up until this point, this had largely not been addressed, but King takes it on in full force here.

The premise gives away to an absolute confusing jumble of explanations regarding time travel and speed-force induced illusions, which is a pity given the sensitive nature of the content King is dealing with here. The explanation for this mass murder is ultimately grief and collapsing mental health, which offers a rather dangerous explanation for shootings some political pundits may be tired of hearing. If anything, it romanticizes the killer. Take sides as you wish about the writing, but lavish in the gorgeous artwork by Clay Mann and Mitch Gerads, which produced one of my favorite pages in comics of all time.


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