I second askye's questions.

Questions

First thing

Mother Box: Is the sentient intelligiences of the New Gods, in PDA size and shape, long before they were PDAs. They are a highly advanced civilization, whose technology and knowledge is akin to magic. In addition to having near infinite computing power, they have a wide range of sensors and can activate a Boom Tube, a teleporation device with range on the galactic scale.

Second thing Bolt: Minor villian. Shares Punisher skull motif, but has superpowers, electrical generation I believe

Last thing Zatanna: Former JLA member, one of the mystical big guns of the DC Universe. Her schtick is what she says backwards happens. For instance, if she yells "yawa og", stuff goes away. She has had a lower profile for the last decade or so, but she is a member of the fishnet brigade along with Black Canary.

I third them!

Also, I was also worried about the Nightwing and Tarantula go on the road and Fight Crime! preview so I am happy that we get Dick still in shock and not even aware really there.

Oh my God. That's the dumbest schtick ever. Did they run out of schticks?

Okay, it's kind of amusing. But still.

She is a Silver Age creation. They were much worse ones.

She is a character who depends on whom writes her. Paul Dini, for instance, considers her a personal favorite and he has done several amusing and interesting stories with her.

It's silly -- but I could see where it could be useful, but what happens if you mispronounce the backward words? -- Of course her real superpower must be to always pronounce things backwards properly.

Oh my God. That's the dumbest schtick ever. Did they run out of schticks?

Zatanna's made the point that the speaking backwards is really just a way of focusing to make the magic work.

She's also one of the better characters from that era, and about the only character to cross regularly between the D.C. and Vertigo books (she's both a former JLAer and used to date John Constantine.)

Also, I'm wondering why I white fonted that. Not really a spoiler.

Wasn't Constantine born in the regular DC line? Does he count as a crossover?

I don't think my opinion of a new issue, even a one-word summary, should be un-whitefonted when you're citing it the day it comes out, PC. And my feeling about the speech that other people found moving was that it was a speech. A long speech. What makes comics special as a medium is that it can combine words and images for effect. There are so many things they could have done with what Dick is feeling, and they use a speech? Meh.

Also, the flashbacks to the *previous day* are fine as far as they go, but there doesn't seem to be a strong narrative reason for making them flashbacks, other than getting to start the story mid-fight. I tend to think that if Dick were remembering things at this point in the story, it wouldn't be things that happened the previous day, it would be things that have happened in the nearly 20 years he's tried to live by the Batman's code.

But, not much really happened in this issue, so, whatever, I'll wait for the next one.

I think my favorite part of Identity Crisis #1 was the two-page spread at the funeral. Geek central. I will continue picking this up, though I don't imagine I'll spring for the bound volume when it comes out.