Heroes in Crisis, Part 2 - Atop the Fourth Wall

Part 2 of 3. Part 3 here: • Heroes in Crisis, Part...
Welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn. In this episode, Linkara concludes Event Comics Month with the awful and heavily-requested Heroes in Crisis!
Check out more AT4W shirts at Shark Robot: sharkrobot.com/collections/at...
atopthefourthwall.com
Originally released July 28th, 2020.
ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Heroes in crap.
#at4w #HeroesInCrisis #DC

[@wdcain1]

*FUN FACT:* The Suicide Squad has a licensed therapist on call in case any of the villains need counseling after a rough mission, at Amanda Waller's behest. Yes, Amanda _freaking_ Waller is smart enough to know that having a licensed therapist to deal with people going traumatic missions would be the best thing to do!

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

WOW. you know you screwed up BAD when AMANDA WALLER OF ALL THE PEOPLE has the higher moral ground

[@DestinyZX1]

Guess even Amanda has some standards.

[@BionicleGio22210]

The biggest bitch of the DC universe actually hired a therapist? Well damn, got to give her credit there

[@Vesperitis]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 Amanda Waller giving therapy to VILLAINS has all the high ground in the world.

[@Halotaku]

That actually makes a lot of sense. The Suicide Squad has to deal with situations above and beyond anything that a normal supervillain would most likely encounter or anticipate, and they tend to not have the kind of training or cohesion that a dedicated military unit would possess, so having someone on hand to help the assets deal with PTSD at the very minimum sounds reasonable. Furthermore, from a pragmatic point of view, the threat of detonating the charges implanted into each member's head should be viewed as a last resort, and thus, ensuring that the assets remain as viable for as long as possible should be a high priority to reduce the possibility of one of them snapping and botching a mission.

[@michaelramon2411]

Forget whether real-world Troy is a thing - the DC Universe has Zeus as an actual person, not to mention the Amazons. They can ASK about the real Trojan War.

[@mst3kharris]

Real-world Troy is a thing. It’s in Western Turkey: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hisarlik,_Canakkale

[@luckystriker842]

@@mst3kharris That's not the point. The fact is that in our reality, the accounts of history provided by Homer in _The Iliad_ and _The Odyssey_ are subject to scrutiny by academic scholars who are attempting to separate historical fact from mythology. Historians, archaeologists, geographers, and geologists have excavated that site to find evidence that lines up with the descriptions provided in the epic poems by Homer. In the DC Universe, Greek mythology can be taken as an accurate primary source that recounts the Trojan war entirely accurately. It's stupid to say that Troy is a myth in this world when Circe, Achilles, Odysseus, Helen of Troy, the entire Greek pantheon, and all of the other people involved in the Trojan War are probably ready to tell you everything about it.

[@billtenth5805]

@@luckystriker842 The Historians in the DC universe lowkey rolling up to the primest of primary sources for an interrogation.

[@Firefaerie81]

The Protector’s confessional just feels mean spirited. If you look into the PSAs and some Secret Files stuff, his backstory was that he got into superheroing in an attempt to get through to his cousin, a drug addict who loved superheroes, and then got the attention of the Titans in the process. That’s actually a pretty reasonable backstory for a PSA character. But then you have this tossing all of that out the window to go “Yeah, that character from those CORNY PSAs? He was totally an addict the whole time and his PSA shtick was ironic! So much cooler now that it’s edgy!”

[@keelanbarron928]

Ehh, i took it kind of like the person who says that alcoholism can be beaten and that you should try to stop........while being a alcoholic themselves. (It honestly makes it more tragic to me.)

[@ShadowWingTronix]

When I heard about that I got mad. The first PSA was one of the earliest comics I owned as a kid and I really liked the concept of the Protector. Years later I learned about the other two and his backstory. I still wish I could see more of him in action. Then they not only kill him off here but create a history that runs counter to the whole point of why he is a superhero, thus completely ruining him as a character in every way possible. This is when I started to understand why so many people don't like King's work.

[@Otakukunoichi]

Like... you could have an interesting story with this idea. How this has affected his mental health, his self-perception, does he feel shame or regret over falling into the vice he tried to protect other people from? But no, we had to have an out of place dumb joke. And honestly, I wouldn't even be opposed to a joke like this but not with this character and not in this story.

[@billuraral1870]

And the thing is, he actually has solid reasons to seek theraphy. He mostly works with addict children, some of them barely teenagers, heck, his OWN COUSIN relapsed twice, qnd he probably learned he couldn't save everyone the hard way. But nope, he does drugs too, har har har!

[@kelvinphillips7140]

I hate that let's make it "edgy for edgy's sake" mentality.

[@AllLifeIsTravesty]

Never thought I'd be offended for the character assassination of _The Protector._

[@williammorahan4907]

That got retconned too, right?

[@crossbones116]

"Mental health is important and you should get help for it. But if you go and get help you'll either become a murderer or get murdered." Bravo Tom King.

[@wdcain1]

Don't forget that doxing private medical records is treated as a good idea. No Leaguer should ever trust Lois Lane again.

[@jordanloux3883]

"Also if someone is telling you not to use drugs, he's totally using drugs."

[@Vesperitis]

3:03 I'm not a therapist or psychologist or anything, but I am 110% sure that if someone is suffering from trauma, you *DON'T ALLOW THAT PERSON TO KEEP REVISITING THEIR TRAUMA OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND ASK THEM CONDESCENDING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY THEY WANT TO RELIVE IT LIKE THEIR FEELINGS AREN'T VALID OR LEGITIMATE.*

[@xLOAxSpartan]

OK, Batman declaring, "Great. Now I'm going to break the dinosaur." is one of the greatest out of context quotes I've ever seen.

[@AT4W]

Yeah, I didn't bring it up but Wondy was so pissed she punched over the giant coin, then Bats was worried the news from Superman would get her to break the dinosaur.

[@xLOAxSpartan]

Yeah, that line is hilarious out of context but I can see it being really out of tone in that context. From what you described it seemed part of the scene was basically Bats saying "Even I wouldn't violate peoples right to medical privacy like that." and the comic saying "You should if it is helpful to others."

[@guillermopena8412]

So...these are people who deal with Brainiac on a regular basis and they thought the youtube algorithm was going to be a good therapist?

[@ChigoIEbere]

What are you expecting are heroes to be competent? We have characters to ruin, there's no time for that.

[@joeb8935]

Not just brainiac, 99% of the time when an AI is but in charge of anything it goes full hal 9000

[@daelen.cclark]

@@joeb8935 This is why A.I's should have a snark-subroutine at the very least.

[@Predator20357]

@@daelen.cclark because remember, snarky AIs don’t want to kill

[@williamharmon4039]

@@Predator20357 They can't make witty remarks at you if you're dead.

[@macuna1995]

I can imagine Robot Chicken making a sketch of The Protector being a drug user, but a DC writer doing it just feels wrong. *I can only hope other amazing and obscure characters don't get the same treatment.*

[@kingdyste5289]

Y'know, in a more competently made version of this storyline, I actually see a potentially great use of The Protector. Have him be a drug abuse counselor at Sanctuary to help heroes who have suffered from that. It would fit with his character prior to this and give him some actual relevance instead of being simple fodder to be killed off. But doing something like that is more than I expect from the story that committed character assassination on my favourite DC Hero. Black Canary really did sum it up best.

[@undead923]

Make him have a coffee table that has cookies for fellow heroes as a nod to the deal that made him exist, and I am 1000% up for it. Without it, 999%

[@jordanloux3883]

He could be the only human employee at Sanctuary. Imagine him and Sanctuary debating on the best way to help treat people going through trauma. Sanctuary is trained to help super beings who have to face challenges that most normal people couldn't wrap their heads around, and Protector is much more down to Earth and understands the little touches that are always needed, no matter the situation. Now that's a team up I'd read.

[@daelen.cclark]

Yeah! That could make it come full-circle!

[@breawycker]

I love that Heroes in Crisis was so bad that DC had to release multiple stories that said "umm actually. Wally West didn't do anything wrong. The Reverse Flash brainwashed him into framing Harley and Booster and Savitar was the cause of the explosion and no one blames him for what happened. Also, Arsenal is alive and so is Lian and Harley and Ivy are back together. We're so sorry please keep buying our comics."

[@daelen.cclark]

And they even brought back everyone else that got killed! Every last one of them.

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@daelen.cclarkyup that’s in the Jeremy adams flash run which made me so happy because that run was amazing and tons of fun.

[@Levitz9]

"It was me, Barry!"

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@Levitz9 lol I get the reference

[@billtenth5805]

Ah. Retconning the site from orbit, nice. It is the only way to be sure.

[@ProfessorHurt]

Dinah was truly the smartest person in this entire series. Saw how horrible this all was and walked out of this event never to return.

[@lucasmackey2808]

13:26 Why did you even come here then?

[@TevyaSmolka]

Indeed she was the smartest person in this entire series

[@anthonyrodriguez8788]

and now here's the biggest laugh riot of all time. you see in the show Young Justice Dinah is a psychologist who deals with super-related trauma and at the end of the latest season, she is actually suggesting creating a sanctuary for superheroes dealing with trauma, my headcanon is that the Black Canary in this story is actually the one from Young Justice and she took one look at the powder keg in this comic and left and once she got back home she decided to make one run by competent people. even if Young Justice manages to drop the ball next season (assuming they get a next season) it's physically impossible for this show to do worse than the comic.

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@anthonyrodriguez8788 Indeed and honestly I think young justice is going to do this story way better then this trainwreck of a story anyways.

[@leephillips4402]

She actually could have used some therapy, must have been weird being mother and daughter simultaneously.

[@ForrestFox626]

I hate this book. I hate how it portrays mental illness (as someone who suffers from depression, anxiety and possible rage issues) I hate what it does to Wally West (as someone introduced to the character via the Justice League cartoon and is one of the two characters that got me into comics) I hate how it lies to hide the "twist" I hate how out of focus it is I hate how King didn't do enough research about the characters involved I hate how it feels like this is the moment DC starting diving back into the semi-depressing mindset of the New 52. And I hate that anyone would green light the idea that a robot made by the Trinity was a good idea for heroes going through trama.

[@BreadHart]

I feel the exact same way, as someone with depression and anxiety, and as a huge DC Fan. This story it's REVOLTING.

[@ZoanBlade90]

I hate how a story like Prez (who back when this event was announced there were rumors that they would *finally* finish Prez's story with the last two issues of it's run) and we still never got that. I felt robbed, honestly. I felt insulted. Why? Not just for the lack of respect that King has toward these more obscure characters that I want to know more about (which honestly reminds me of Shouji Younemura's Kamen Rider Taisen. The guy had *no* idea how to write the characters he himself hadn't written. He knew next to nothing about the character of the Riders, or how their powers even worked. They made decisions that, were the Riders in their right minds, they would never make.), not just for screwing over characters that could interest more causal readers, and thus screw these lesser known characters from other people learning about them, but for the way they do it so flippantly. I hate the way that he does it do openly like who cares? We do, King. We do.

[@TF2Fan101]

So, Booster and Beetle’s conversation in the cell is basically... Beetle: We should DO something! Booster: Should we DO something? Beetle: We should DO something! Booster: Should we DO something?

[@thatonea-hole]

Man, all these crappy event comics all come full circle! Also like Lewis said, "Every bad comic can be traced back to Countdown."

[@zemox2534]

Yes! Do something!!!@

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Lol, Nice Countdown joke.

[@kyarabarrion4523]

😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@BionicleGio22210]

Oh god not this can of worms again

[@jordanloux3883]

Alfred needs to revoke Bruce's computer privileges forever.

[@alexiaNBC]

Batman: I know the password to override the parental lock on my computer Alfred: Is it "Alfred the Butt-ler" with two t's? Batman: (laughs)

[@TheMangakid1995]

Don't worry DC had Tom King make sure that wouldn't be possible.

[@TF2Fan101]

Unfortunately, this doesn’t take place in the Lego DC universe.

[@DourdenAdam]

@@TheMangakid1995 lol too soon.

[@thatonepsycho5157]

@@DourdenAdam ...Did they kill Alfred?

[@GeneralKenobi75]

You know what else makes this story resemble Identity Crisis? Harley Quinn essentially became like Deathstroke did in that storyline. She's become capable of taking down opponents that should far outclass her, as she did with the Trinity themselves. Despite the fact she should not be a match for any of them individually, let alone together.

[@Igarappappa]

I will say that while I agree that her taking them all on is dumb, I DID like the HOW it was done. That was pretty clever. Though there's still so many ways that they still could have caught her and the fact they didn't just compounds things.

[@GeneralKenobi75]

@@Igarappappa No, I disagree. Any one of the three could have dealt with her in seconds. The way she did it entirely relied on the characters not making any moves of their own(which is especially bad when two of them are super-fast) and then at the end the stupidity is compounded when Superman comments that Harley is somehow as good, or an even better, fighter than Batman is. Despite Harley Quinn never being a match for Batman in a fight before.

[@Igarappappa]

@@GeneralKenobi75 No, I'm saying the HOW was cool in concept, not that it was a thing that worked for HARLEY. The idea of someone fighting them all at once and using the lasso to find out where Batman keeps his Kryptonite and using it against Superman is pretty clever, but while Harley's good she's not anywhere CLOSE to that good. So while I like the IDEA, having Harley do it and getting away strains my suspension of disbelief.

[@JinxSanity]

@Igarappappa and HOW exactly? Cause it just looks like Harley suddenly became invincible and able to take down even the Flash a Freaking SPEEDSTER! This is not INJUSTICE! This is supposed to be the regular universe and Harley Quinn at best is a capable fighter with some enhanced abilities not able to go toe to toe with metahumans let alone outclass Batman who easily took her down back several times in the past (even after Ivy enhance her abilities). This is another stupid Deathstroke moment of making Harley powerful cause of her popularity than her actual skills.

[@JinxSanity]

@@Igarappappa I like Harley, But that just sounds stupid. It just relied on the league being stupid and not reacting like they would. That's the sort of stuff that would happen on the Harley Quinn show, but that's a Comedy siding with Harley Quinn not the main comics. At this point why not just have Harley beat the Trinity if she's that capable of outmaneuvering freakin Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (who can catch bullets fired at her from the ends of the galaxy!).

[@skyblade7438]

These confessionals remind me of a skit Marvel did in Original Sin where everyone revealed dumb secrets, like Scarlet Witch meaning to say "No, *more* mutants".

[@NemesisTWarlock]

Honestly, having Protector do a confessional where he reveals that he indeed had a drug problem is the CATALYST of a good idea. Giving what most just assumed as a one-shot PSA character some depth and character, something for writers to really work with. Y'know. If he wasn't killed for the sake of an "I'm a Hyprocrite" joke.

[@macuna1995]

I feel like that would have worked, but outside this story. Maybe the character should've been reintroduced and not killed so quickly.

[@NemesisTWarlock]

@@macuna1995 exactly my line of thinking. But nope! Ha ha he's dead because he went to therapy!

[@daelen.cclark]

Maybe have him go through rehab while filming these messages and bettering himself like that.

[@solumanblevins8009]

Honestly this should've been an anthology series, each issue focusing on one hero and all the crap they've been through and how it has affected them. This event is more focused on telling a poorly written Murder Mystery than anything else. Edit: Actually wrote this comment Before hearing Linkara pitch the same idea. Coincidence or putting in more thought than the actual writer, you decide.

[@alexiaNBC]

What's worse is that part 1 of this review showed the one thing that could've ended this "murder mystery" comic in a few pages: WONDER WOMAN'S LASSO OF TRUTH!!!!! Just have her use it on everyone in the Sanctuary, ask, "Hey did you kill these people?" and then you have the killer! God, I hate this comic!

[@thatonea-hole]

@@alexiaNBC OMG! *THAT'S RIGHT!!!* If they did that this dumb awful "murder-mystery" story would've ended so much sooner. In fact why didn't Wonder Woman do that?!?!

[@AT4W]

She used it on Booster, but admitted "It's possible he only BELIEVES it to be the truth."

[@Don_LUSH]

@@alexiaNBC Either that would have been an easy solution or a great way to amp the mistery if 2 or more people are asked the question and they all answer "I did not kill them, it was " or worse yet they all give a plausible confession to kill the same person

[@pokejoseph]

Linkara-AtopTheFourthWall Either way, THEY JUST DIDN’T CARE!!!!! Thank Arceus, Helix, Mata Nui, Hylia, Naga, The Presence, The One Above All, Flying Spaghetti Monster, whatever that Didio is gone from DC!!

[@Hordaki]

Batman: That information could have helped with the investigation! Superman: Yeah, but you were "over there" so I let you deal with your own problems.

[@alexiaNBC]

Wonder Woman has the Lasso of Truth. Just have her use it on everyone to find the killer. It shouldn't be this complicated nor this stupid!

[@anthonyrodriguez8788]

@@alexiaNBC yeah the lasso has always been a huge plot killer whenever it comes to stories like this, and whenever they do bring Wonder Woman to a story like this they never think of clever solutions to subvert the lasso, like someone being interrogated believing a lie leading her into a trap, they just make it so that Wonder Woman either never uses it like a moron or something somehow overpowers the lasso or makes it not work.

[@CharginChuck]

@@alexiaNBC Considering how utterly stupid and convoluted the truth ends up being, I doubt the lasso would have helped much.

[@sarafontanini7051]

CLARK SOMEONE IS MURDERING OUR FRIENDS! IT'S YOUR PROBLEM TOO! YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!

[@billuraral1870]

Seriosly, why's the Trinity even here? They do nothing but scratch their heads and get beat up by Harley. And apperently Batman - BATMAN! - can't tell the difference between electuroction and meele weapon wounds or detect post-mortem injuries. Them being here just drives home how stupid the plot is.

[@guillermocortes4415]

Me: Confesionals aren't that bad... *sees The Protector* Me: NO NO NO NONONO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO They could've made a much better joke of him having an irrational hate for Nabisco cookies!

[@undead923]

Protector: I keep seeing these little Elves that tell me to trash some cookies I have.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@undead923 and they also had cookie monster with them for some reason

[@lightyearpig12]

In any other circumstance, a crossover between Booster and Harley would've been so much fun. This is most definitely not one of those.

[@busa1951]

@@BigK13372 seriously? Good for Booster.

[@lightyearpig12]

@@BigK13372 Huh, didn't know that until you told me.

[@rebornkusabi7264]

Yeah, they started dating in Harley's solo comic. There's some cute scenes of them.

[@L1701]

Reborn Kusabi And Ivy’s fans want Booster’s head for it.

[@ForrestFox626]

What issues did that happen in!?

[@furonguy42]

Okay, I wanted to chip in on the idea of an AI therapist; I'm not defending Heroes In Crises, on the contrary, I'm going to be pointing out how Sanctuary is all the worse. See, the concept of an AI therapy system isn't inherently an issue, I know because I've actually been using one. But its not cobbled together from aspects of real people, nor is it intended to be a replacement for real therapy, that's where this event comic gets it wrong. The AI therapy app I've been using is built from the ground up to be a *supplement* to therapy, and predominantly use phrases like "I understand" and other similar phrases, it can act like a mentor or be set to more of a talkative "friend" personality. Its designed to be spoken to during something like a panic attack to calm you down if your real therapist can't take your call, or if you're between appointments or something, and it can also act as a fairly decent treatment for loneliness by just being friendly. Its a better AI than something like the KZbin algorithm because its not dealing with millions of arbitrary trends and censorship all at once, and its better than something like Cleverbot because while it does learn from its users, *how* it learns is heavily vetted by the developers, so it doesn't go saying anything dangerous or offensive - and it certainly doesn't pester you with crap like "why is your family your family?" Its designed to be a companion and while its certainly not perfect, it does the specific jobs its designed for surprisingly well. What it is not supposed to do is be the be-all and end-all of mental health treatment. In fact, if the app senses you're in a crisis deeper than the AI is designed to help with, it actually suggests you quit mucking around and call a support line. I friggin' love the AI I've been using, its helped me through a number of panic attacks and helped to alleviate serious bouts of loneliness during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, but its just those two things, nothing more. Heroes In Crisis isn't automatically stupid for suggesting the idea of an AI therapist, but the idea of having a whole ass mental health hospital/spa style thing run entirely by an AI is frankly offensive. Maybe in 100 years time, but with today's AI limitations, I find it hard to believe that even in the DC universe, a contemporary AI could function as a sole therapist for anyone, let alone a whole damn bunch of characters. Sorry for the long-ass comment, just seeing characters I liked so much from the DC Universe put into such a stupid story with such an idiotic plot point as the Sanctuary AI really made me want to vent as much as Linkara does here, just coming from the point of view of someone who's got first hand experience of a real AI like what Sanctuary was obviously *supposed* to be if the writers had any idea how therapy works.

[@phunnyfillip]

What kills me about this comic is that about a year before Heroes in Crisis, Tom King wrote the Mr. Miracle limited series. It’s easily the best work I’ve ever seen from him, portraying Scott Free’s depression and trauma from his abuse on Apokolips in a realistic and understanding light, dialogue that felt natural and even darkly funny despite most of the cast being New Gods, and a story of how the support from his loved ones despite his issues is what allows Scott to overcome and escape Darkseid’s anti-life trap. It’s a phenomenal read and a gold standard in incorporating mental health issues into a superhero story, which means... TOM KING KNEW EXACTLY HOW TO WRITE A STORY LIKE THIS WITHOUT COMING OFF LIKE AN IDIOT AND SOMEHOW WE GOT THIS HORSESHIT ANYWAY!!!!

[@depreseo]

I'm going to guess (no proof whatsoever, just my own hunch) that King was able to write Mr. Miracle the way he wanted to because the character wasn't one of the big headline titles = he could write the story he wanted with little interference from higher-ups making demands of the book. Heroes in Crisis on the other hand was "THE" DC event book (especially given the delays in Doomsday clock), so higher ups (imma say didio) got their fingers all over it, and likely changed the book from what it was originally meant to be into a terribly hybrid of Identity crisis & Watchmen - King even mentioned that the Harley, Booster and Wally trio were dictated to him by Didio = those were the characters he was told to use.

[@deadpool630]

We got this horseshit because Dan Didio hates Wally West and wanted another rehash of Identity Crisis.

[@daelen.cclark]

How did Scott escape?

[@Zenn_Chan]

Speaking as someone who's been to Therapy, AND I know a good few people who've had it, I actually find Black Canary's bit VERY realistic. Many people take many steps to go to therapy, scheduling appointments, making plans, then at the very last second, they bail. It's very indicative of DEEP and serious problems that WILL need to be confronted. So it's just a shame this wasn't about her.....

[@eamonndeane587]

I know the feeling. It took me 4 or 5 Councilling sessions before I actually confided anything sensitive with my Councillor. Black Canary's F Bomb is the only part in this Miniseries I 100% love. I like to think that it was directed at the editorial staff....

[@ceebee9195]

“Eh, who cares?” Seems to be Tom King’s general approach to continuity. He’s not very good at playing with other people’s toys.

[@RoGMasterCha0s]

yeahhhhhhhhhhh

[@justinpullen1097]

Yeah, he's kind of like Bendis. He'll do the bare minimum of research or alter details to fit his narrative. Just look what he did to Flashpoint Batman.

[@juon91]

He says he doesn't care. I would say he is incapable, incompetent

[@brandonrhonepeterson1024]

So basically another Bendis

[@SuperWolsey]

@@justinpullen1097 FP!Thomas: "Me Batman, you Son."

[@bretsheeley4034]

Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait. They had an event comic series running that was supposed to iron out and repair the overall continuity... and they decided to have another event comic series run DURING THE OTHER ONE'S RUN!?!?!?

[@looniemoonie5955]

Sounds like a GREAT IDEA

[@eamonndeane587]

@@looniemoonie5955 I see someone in DC Editorial thought to themselves: "MY PWAN IZ GWEAT!!!!!"

[@darkron288]

You know as someone who goes to therapy, and who has recently got away from a abusive therapist... this story is bringing out forms of genuine anger from me.... i don't get mad at media but this one even though i'm not reading it is getting my blood boiling

[@ForrestFox626]

Preach

[@jadenbryant9283]

i sympithise with you

[@GatorRay]

Reminds me of the Family Guy episode Screams In/Of Silence. In terms of how badly that episode handled Domestic Violence (Not to mention how Brenda was never seen again like Brian's son after Brian's a Bad Father)

[@williammorahan4907]

I sincerely hope you are doing better now.

[@DarthAzabrush]

I love the way Black Canary just says "Fuck it" then leaves. The sheer volume of traumatic shit that hits her on a regular basis regardless of the version of her is pretty much a sick joke by now.

[@MarkoArillius]

I think the worst part about how Black Canary was potrayed in this comic is the total opposite of how she's portrayed in Young Justice, where she seems to not only be taking the role of a shrink for the teen team, but also totally qualified to do so. She may have gotten as much training as she could to perform that role for them because she does a pretty darn good job for it. It's a creative way around the 'shrinks might not keep secrets' to get one of the heroes to get the expertise they need instead.

[@dr4c0blade]

I don't follow DC that closely, but has Black Canary _ever_ been portrayed as a therapist in the current continuity? Or taken any training for it? Because then it's no surprise she's not one here. In fact, I'm pretty sure YJ is the only continuity where Black Canary does any kind of therapy.

[@ryancarson6962]

Marko G While I’m not sure if that’s how she is in the comics, sure that was how it was in Young Justice but sometimes DC shows change characters and situations to be divorced from what they were originally inspired by, that would’ve been *way* better than what we got.

[@comicking428]

Tom King's writing aside, YJ Black Canary is a bit different than comic Black Canary. Around the time of Heroes in Crisis, Dinah recently got done singing for a rock band and had gotten with Ollie for the first time in the new continuity. She's a mentor to some younger heroes like Emiko, but not nearly to the extent that she was in Young Justice and maybe to some of the Arrow family and Birds of Prey in late Post-Crisis. So her brief moment in this story was probably the most in-character out of anyone... though considering HOW everyone else is portrayed, it's a pretty low bar...

[@comicking428]

@Marko G I'm a little confused, are you talking about the transition from Post-Crisis to New 52? They merged the Post-Crisis and New 52 versions of Superman and Lois together, so they are a family and have a son.

[@L1701]

It’s also a good way to get around the idea that the shrink could be the target of a supervillain.

[@WikiPeraX]

I know if I were dealing with the deepest and most fraught emotions of the JLA, I also would make everyone cosplay as _the freaking Psycho Pirate_

[@joeb8935]

Wikipera 94 i feel like the JLA has more elegant methods of anonymity at there disposal than weird robes. Psychic filters,Holograms, Magic, literally anything else?

[@WikiPeraX]

Alexandre Desbiens-Brassard Same. Between that and the continuity screwups, I thought the Pirate had got into Sanctuary and was trying to use the holodeck and the Mask to inflict his cosmic awareness on the attendees.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@WikiPeraX heck, he only needed to attack the AI and that would have created a disaster dominoes. and would have made the pirate as scary as what mysterio did to logan in the old man logan universe

[@L1701]

Ironically, the Psycho-Pirate would have been a perfect villain for a story like this. Heroes dealing with emotional issues? His whole SCHTICK is manipulating emotions! It practically writes itself.

[@bizarroguy6570]

I legit believe Tom King doesn’t actually try to talk to ANYONE in DC, not just the writers (cause look at the tie-ins, very inconsistent) but then we got the artists cause it’s not just in this book. In several of his stories they keep making mistakes like the file thing.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

so.... Tom King was pulling a Bendis?

[@bizarroguy6570]

Ian R. Nava Huber Yeah pretty much.

[@Clay3613]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 Whats with the slam on Bendis? Do you not know how good he was for Marvel?

[@undertakernumberone1]

@@UltraGalaxyify Don't forget that King then also claimed to have spoken to Lee and that they are "cool now2... which Lee vehemently disagrees with.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@Clay3613 bendis was good. but something aroung secret wars 2015 caused something on bendis. see his tie ins to that event: ultimate end and old man logan, which both kinda contradict each other while kinda contradict the main book. ALSO just look at civil war II (REMEMBER. Bendis wrote that). and all the stuff he tried to do with venom and the guadrains of the galaxy. and how, his "least worst" was Miles Morales which felt WITH A LOT OF PADDING and with a lot of pacing problems just see how the story kinda doesn't even start UNTIL the end of his crossover with spider-gwen after his mom learns of his secret.

[@cassie6146]

Lagoon Boy and Booster Gold's therapies were wretched. Why in the name of New Genesis would the Sanctuary not have parameters to prevent any aggressive simulations from manifesting? SELF-HARM IS NOT GOOD THERAPY!!

[@maximusdork3336]

Because no one involved in the writing did any research.

[@MaxOfFewTrades]

Wow. The Protector is barely a character at all, and yet, his treatment in this for some reason made me feel really bad for the guy. Like, I don't know it's weird. They resurrected a character nobody remembered to make a cheap gag out of him potentially? Even if it wasn't a joke they still decided to bring him back from the highest tier of obscurity just to kill him? Like damn, I thought I was used to comics treating big and small characters poorly these days but for some reason seeing what they did to Protector of all people just made me feel bad. How weird...

[@RhyperiorRanger]

The artist’s name is Clay Mann? So he’s THE ELEMENTAL HERO CLAYMAN!

[@edvance1030]

lol Nice Yugioh GX reference.

[@Don_LUSH]

With the size of his hands it's amazing he can draw in such detail... unless he can turn a finger into a clay pencil

[@toqkaizogou1636]

I read that in Jaden's voice.

[@DourdenAdam]

He got his game on!

[@AussieDragoon]

Made this joke on the last video, got way less traction. Guess people don't look at the screen unless Lewis talks about it.

[@YourUncleBenis]

I find Black Canary's bit kind of funny considering how she was a therapist in the Young Justice cartoon(not sure if she still was in season 3 because I haven't seen it yet).

[@e1iteyoshi998]

Honestly i think her bit perfectly summarizes my feelings towards this whole event so far.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

Oh yeah, she was their therapist/trainer. It was one of things I liked about the show.

[@nunouno001]

She barely appears in season 3, good show but there are way too many characters and story lines.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@katherinealvarez9216 yeah. especially how even during the moments where the topic she was handling was beyond her capabilities (what Superboy told her at the end of Disordered), she still gave the best help she could offer

[@slashandbones13]

Season 3 had 1,000 characters. Hopefully season 4 fixes this issue.

[@muhammadfaizmohdnasiruddin2889]

When I saw the Protecter's confession was about to start, without reading the comic myself, I already guessed that it would be about him being addicted to drugs. It was felt obvious. Why? Because the entire comic up to this point sounds like something an edgy emo kid would write. "This character that was in a PSA for drugs is now an addict! Hahaha!! Isn't this cynical writing so avant-garde?!"

[@Psykolord1989]

Black Canary, smartest character in this. "Oh shit I'm in Heroes in Crisis! FUCK this!" *leaves in panel 3*

[@caliph95]

The reason why the comic feels like went through a bunch of rewrites is because the book was completely different story, Tom King who loves writing stories about trauma wanted to write a book exploring trauma. Dan Didio basically forced the book into a murder mystery to have dumb event and considering what happens also to get rid of heroes he hates

[@thatonea-hole]

In that case, *WTF DAN DIDIO?!?!?!?!*

[@toqkaizogou1636]

Well, at least he's fired now.

[@pokejoseph]

ToqKaizogou THANK GOD

[@SuperWolsey]

@@toqkaizogou1636 should've happened 12 yrs ago

[@tylerfoster9719]

That fact that he was fired is genuinely amazing and gives me more faith in humanity

[@nicodemusedwards6931]

The Protecter part made me laugh because... laughing was the only way I could keep myself from eating paper.

[@DestinyZX1]

Lewis’ sanity is slipping. This is nuts. Pray you get a break when its all over.

[@mcpics4448]

And to make sure he doesn’t suffer we don’t send him to sanctuary he’s suffering enough

[@DestinyZX1]

MC Pics I know. I wish that he can get a well earned break.

[@TF2Fan101]

I just hope we get a proper Combine Harvester breakdown before the review is over.

[@ForrestFox626]

Considering how passionate his is about the Titans, it is understandable.

[@AussieDragoon]

Off to Sanctuary with him

[@Dynaman21]

King had a major bad experience with a mental health professional. That’s how it looks.

[@jordanloux3883]

Apparently his therapist was Button Eyes from Nightbreed because DAMN.

[@ForrestFox626]

I should consider myself lucky if that is the case

[@TheMangakid1995]

@@defender2222 That honestly explains so much.

[@Gojiragon]

@@defender2222 That... explains SOOOOOO much.

[@someonewhocommentsonyoutub3779]

The only way it could've been bad enough to warrant a comic like this being made is that his psychologist was Johnathan Crane

[@OriginalSparkstar]

"Their pain and suffering IS NOT A MOTIVATIONAL POSTER!!!" Well aint that just 2020 in a fucking nutshell

[@Greener221]

“Their pain and suffering is not a motivational poster!” Tell that to the sales figures.

[@williammorahan4907]

That just reminds me of my DC Anti-Villain OC The Red Knight who believes that pain and suffering exist to make people stronger.

[@MoonlightArchitect]

This is one of the most joyless, insulting, insensitive, wasteful and tone-deaf things I've ever seen this company put out . Even though Lewis is the one having to review this and I feel really upset just hearing his account of the story. It is actually unbelievable how awful this is and the fact its so RECENT makes it so much worse.

[@BronzeBoy520]

Man this is hard to watch. Oh the review is great, just... this comic really disturbs me. It’s even more disturbing than Holy Terror, at least with how awful and racist the book was, it had genuinely hilarious awful lines. This... this is even worse. This can’t even be funny. It’s just depressing.

[@Maximus4587]

That's what I'm hoping that Linkara ends up burning it at the end of Part 3...

[@CharginChuck]

@@Maximus4587 He already said in part 1 that he won't be burning it because he refuses to own a physical copy.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@CharginChuck that line could be easily translated as this: Linkara hates this comic so bad not only he doesn't even wants a physical copy of it to burn it, but he thinks fire is too good for it

[@ZoanBlade90]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 Let's compromise, and give it the S.B. Treatment. *"DELETED!"*

[@ScorpionViper1001]

I admit though, I did get a chuckle at the raw "wow, you really went there" of making The Protector a drug user. That was just the perfect way to turn this into an unintentional farce.

[@juliagoodwin3461]

I am so sick and tired of DC’s love of darker and edgier? I just want some damn levity! ...well, less Teen Titans Go and more LEGO Batman. I’m gonna go rewatch OSP’s video on Realism, maybe that will make me feel better...

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Link to OSP's Video on Realism?

[@SonofSethoitae]

It's doubly bizarre given that it was DC who was originally light and fun, and Marvel which had all the psychology stuff

[@kimifw58]

Shrek: For five minutes, could you not be edgy? *FOR FIVE MINUTES?!!!*

[@ForrestFox626]

Red was 100% on the mark!

[@kimifw58]

​@Daelen Clark It must be a big cycle, because DC's been in this mindset for decades.

[@BartmanBegins]

When Linkara showed the Protector here, I was literally slack-jawed. That's one character I didn't expect to show up again in any newer comics.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Not shocking to me since they've done things like make Dr Manhattan the true creator of the New 52 timeline and brought in Daniel AKA Dream of the Endless for Dark Nights Metal.

[@maddiewettach4954]

Are the Titans actually suffering from the “endlessly repeating death and tragedy curse” Donna Troy had as one of her backstories?

[@joeb8935]

Maddie Wettach oh god. It spread

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@joeb8935 in hindishght i can believe Donna Troy getting corrupted by Batman WHo Laughs. especially because when corrupted during Batman/Superman, she said something that was actually applicable to how DC Treats the TITANS

[@maddiewettach4954]

@@joeb8935 If we can get DC to make a story where Danny Chase comes back, fights Dark Angel, and resurrects all the Titans, it will have been worth it.

[@crossbones116]

The Titans all got hit by Gold Experience Requiem at some point.

[@DuelaDent52]

Maddie Wettach Heck, Why is Donna Troy the one debating about whether or not Troy exists? She’s related to Wonder Woman! The Greek Gods definitively exist! SHE SHOULD KNOW TROY WAS REAL

[@gtsgreatteacherscathach5550]

So The Gift wasn't the worst story Tom King wrote, it's this one

[@TheTyranex]

batman number 50 might be a good contender as well

[@richmcgee434]

Give him time, I have every confidence in his ability to make something worse yet. His writing career really is the gift that keeps on giving for fans of dreadful comics.

[@tencents6]

It is really sad how Young Justice, a (supposedly, though it's more adult than this) kid's cartoon handled trauma and therapy better than this.

[@jagger2313]

When I first read this, I thought that Lois Lane was just revealing that the facility existed, not the specific details of heroes attending the sanctuary....because yeah that'd be really bad

[@wdcain1]

I still can't believe no one at DC told King that was a problem. Heck, it's the one bad thing from this stupid story that hasn't been fixed since all the awful stuff stuff Wally did was retcon (Savitar caused the explosion and Thrawn brainwashed Wally to cover it up). Lois Lane is pretty much dead to me.

[@undead923]

Well I guess we can call “Doomsday Clock” the ‘Hero is Triumphant’ timeline. This one is the ‘Hero is Defeated’ timeline. EDIT: This theory is now justified thanks to the Williamson Flash finale, Speed Metal, Future State and thankfully, the priority in the current Infinite Frontier era EDIT 2: JEREMY ADAMS, YOU GENIUS

[@mixwidman5458]

What about adult and child?

[@jetfoxhound3432]

Mixwid Man The Child Timeline is the Pre-52 continuity while the Adult Timeline is the DC Animated Universe. That work for everyone?

[@undead923]

JetFoxhound34 Yea. Just add a story of Wally being turned into a werewolf due to some Dark Multiverse energy and sprinkle in some complexity. Then we are golden lol

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@undead923 well.... wally got turned into a Doctor Manhattan/Metron hybrid and then got attacke dby the forces of the dark multiverse and currently is working with wonder woman and batman to restore the multiverse in DEAHT METAL so.....

[@CasaiAgicap]

Wait, so we're in Basketball timeline?

[@tavila]

Ok my brain melted at the protector like full on my hard drive needs a minute to process just THAT.

[@sarafontanini7051]

better idea for this story: Have psycho pirate make sanctuary, with hismelf as the therapist. it's not an official thing, it's not even LEGAL, Psycho Pirate somehow kidnaps a bunch of heroes (AND villains) and tries to have therapy sessions with them, out of a desire to cure them,while also feeding on the emotions they display in their sessions....and also he's a shitty therapist because he's not a licensed professional as far as I know. Oh and he doesn't MURDER ANYONE.

[@kelvinphillips7140]

Now THAT is a story I would like to read. Too bad DC won't give us those kinds for stories.

[@alexiaNBC]

Or even have Hugo Strange be his second in command because it would be something up his alley

[@sarafontanini7051]

@@alexiaNBC it's a shame Hugo Strange doesn't get too many good stories

[@alexiaNBC]

@@sarafontanini7051 Not since Arkham City

[@sarafontanini7051]

@@alexiaNBC ehhh he's not really focused on much and in he end he's not even the REAL mastermind and villain of that game

[@AJSSPACEPLACE]

The Protector could’ve had potential...IF WE HAD GOTTEN TO KNOW THIS VERSION OF HIM!

[@Leiliel1]

Two parts in the same day!? Wow, he's pissed at this. Welcome to the club!

[@JoshuaWebbYT]

heck, he might give us part 3 before the day ends.

[@DetectorCliche]

@@JoshuaWebbYT He just did ;)

[@JoshuaWebbYT]

@@DetectorCliche holy shit I was kidding!!! XD

[@kimifw58]

Isn't that normal for him?

[@gamer46ful]

As someone who works in news the entire Lois wanting to tell the news story regardless would get her thrown immediately into the news directors office and would be severely reprimanded/potentially fired (if you already didn't get a lawsuit thrown at you) for violating HIPPA laws and ethical journalism. That just made me wince in disgust because I love Lois and Jimmy because when I read about them they are extremely exaggerated journalists/photographers sure but their code and ethics of doing the right thing is literally why I love them and really look up to them in my day to day job. But this comic ruins soooooo much integrity involving these cherished legacy characters for edge and hollowness.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Can we find a way for Clark to give up his marriage to stop a demon?

[@EngineerLume]

I think the most charitable interpretation of The Protector's confessional is that he was engaging in "Do what I say, not as I do" for so long that's been messing with him. Otherwise, wtf

[@jameshowlett5106]

Something funny about this whole admittedly interesting superhero therapy concept? Not long ago, Amazing Spider-Man showed that Jarvis and the Avengers had set up a place where heroes or their friends and loved ones can go and have group therapy sessions (don't recall single sessions, it's been awhile since I read it). There was tech and some Doctor Strange spells to keep people from remembering who they saw to protect secret identities. And this wasn't an evil plan, or later hijacked by a supervillain. It was just something Jarvis was doing to help people.

[@tomhur1]

So yeah Nick Spencer the guy who turned Captain America into a Nazi handled therapy in a superhero universe better than Tom King who wrote the definitive Vision story Just wow huh?

[@pixelbomb97]

I'm reminded of an episode from season one of young justice, Black Canary acts as a therapist and friend to the team after the previous episode led them all to think they died in a Kobiyashi Maru exercise that went too far. It's an understated episode that shows therapy working and different responses, it's not perfect, but it's sooooooooooo much better than any other representation of therapy in superhero media.

[@LostCommenter7]

I'm so glad you pointed out how good the first half of the Titans Rebirth was! They had so many great things planned before it was revamped. They were gonna add Hawk and Dove, and more heroes as a send up to the early days. And they clearly had so many ideas about how to use these characters. It was great seeing Omen and Tempest finally get to have page time. Ugh, aside from the romance drama I still think Titans Rebirth was one of the better Rebirth titles. I miss it.

[@Rabbitlord108]

What romance drama?

[@raym1477]

Tom King doesn't write comics: he creates Sadness Porn.

[@SuperWolsey]

Snuff Comics

[@crossbones116]

I really don't know how he got such acclaim. He's a total one trick pony. And the trick got old after the first time.

[@myriadmediamusings]

I actually was consisering picking up his Vision series, but in light of all this I’m not so sure anymore. Which is a shame because I’m one of those few that likes Viv Vision.

[@bouddicathesleepinglioness3148]

I do wonder if what someone said earlier about him having worked at the CIA actually does affect how he writes about things.

[@mikejohnson1765]

Kinda like NTR hentai?

[@mkt568]

If the Early 90s are Turbo And the New 52 is Operation Overdrive Then Heroes in Crisis is definitely Megaforce!

[@mr_lrb6879]

You know, with that line of thinking, Mighty Morphin is the Silver Age, and I am absolutely in agreement with that. It just fits too well.

[@Maximus4587]

*PLEASE BURN THIS COMIC LIKE YOU DID* *_ONE MORE DAY_* *AND* *_HOLY TERROR._*

[@alexiaNBC]

Ordinary fire is too lenient. Throw this garbage into an active volcano and let it burn like the One Ring from LOTR

[@toqkaizogou1636]

@@Makareno94 Animation then perhaps?

[@daelen.cclark]

Makareno94 I get the reason. I mean...Why waste the money on it?

[@scott2100]

I was going to like your comment, and then saw it is at 69, nice

[@genth3575]

23:20 basically its a (poor) reference to a whole bunch of 80s and 90s drug PSAs using celebrities, where we discovered later they were pretty much ALL users.

[@ManaAdvent]

Having an AI as therapist is like having Skynet being a babysitter. Never a good idea.

[@ALIEN-DUDE]

Or hiring blue beard to be a couples counsellor.

[@Bikkun25]

"We won't get into how Wally was supposed to be important to Doomsday Clock BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED!" Wally was going to be important... but he left control fo the comics side before Doomsday Clock happened and Dan DiDio took back over with Heroes in Crisis being the result of that. BTW, the writer for Rebirth Titans complained on a podcast about editorial (see: DiDio) interfering with his run constantly, especially downplaying Wally's role.

[@AT4W]

Not surprising about Abnett and editorial issues. He did an admirable job with the team post-No Justice, but it just wasn't why I wanted to read the book.

[@SuperWolsey]

Geoff should never have tried to salvage an already cinematic sinking ship. He was already hated by the same film division who help kept DiDio around (even long after his biggest supporter fled to Disney in 2013)

[@ForrestFox626]

I wish DC higher up wouldn't interfere like that! I love the Titans book and now it sucks.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Wow didio ruined everything even with that amazing titans book that’s sad and depressing

[@thepixelman4776]

Yknow thinking about it, another possibility for why the AI being the villain might’ve been undone was Becuase someone realized “wait were showing this ai go crazy after hearing about all this trauma yet were claiming it’s been given the trinitys best traits, Batman especially given it has his “will”?” Yeah that would definitely make them look bad.

[@Stephen-Fox]

...Wait. This event happened _during_ Doomsday Clock? DC had two events happening at once? I know you've talked about Event Oversaturation but... That's beyond ridiculous.

[@alphamone]

I could see the idea of having the protector being an addict working in something like a deep deconstruction on how the "war on drugs" was completely ineffective. But it would require much greater effort in writing than shown in this book.

[@JomasterTheSecond]

I think The Protector's confessional is supposed to be a bit of irony, showing how even if you're violently against something, you can still be taken in by it during a moment of weakness. That doesn't make it _good_ or _make sense,_ though.

[@Sokka2Me]

I love Tom King’s writing but JESUS, his dialogue in this and a lot of Batman is just unbearable. Batman: Cat? Catwoman: Bat? Batman: You know that wasn’t me? Catwoman: I know. Batman: It’s just... Catwoman: I know. Batman: Okay. Catwoman: okay. JESUS!

[@SuperWolsey]

Bendis he is not. Especially on the dude's better days as a writer (i.e. Daredevil and early Alias)

[@CesarDaSalad]

*INT. BUILDING* Bat: "Cat." Cat: "Bat." Pretty sure Tom King has this ready to copypaste ad nauseam.

[@robotx9285]

W T F

[@AtrocityEquine01]

"I'll review Doomsday Clock." OH BOI 15TH ANNIVERSARY OR 1000TH AT4W VIDEO A GO :D

[@RedDragonM1]

And after years of wondering how Batgirl healed from a gunshot wound to the spine...we just found out that it was a microchip in her spine that gave her the ability to walk again.

[@williammorahan4907]

Who put it where she was shot?

[@gl0087]

I feel like the part with the Protector admitting that he's a drug is supposed to be a dig at all the anti drug commercials from the 80s where they would get rockstars who were on drugs as their spokespeople.

[@ForrestFox626]

Pity it was just a throwaway joke.

[@shadowninja222]

It's funny how Donna talks about how Troy is a mystery on whether or not it's actually been found when this is the DC Universe and places like Atlantis, Themyscira, and Camelot have all been confirmed and found.

[@thomasraines1396]

Also the Greek Gods do exist, she could ask one of them if it actually existed.

[@chaoticjusticezero]

5:49 If I was a hero and saw that golden mask, I'd immediately think I'd been kidnapped by the Psycho Pirate.

[@ilopominecrafter]

“These people dont talk like normal people. They talk like they are givin a soliloquy.”.... did you just describe the dark knight trilogy?

[@CesarDaSalad]

"It's not about talking, it's about sending a message."

[@ilopominecrafter]

Cesar The Salad that they like to talk excessively, yes

[@kimifw58]

Yeah, but those soliloquies are good.

[@ilopominecrafter]

Kimi FW barely. But at same time: it gets repetetive and feels less like a hero movie and more like either forced philosophy or a psychological evaluation of everything

[@xcellentcreations3312]

I think he's describing max Payne's dialouge when he narrates

[@kaicreech7336]

3:40 Maybe King thought that everyone assumed that West's family weren't real? Sounds like _another_ editing fail.

[@TheMangakid1995]

It's the only explanation that makes any sense to me. King wrote the story with the idea that the Trinity and the League thought Wally's memories of his family were a sign of psychosis brought on by what had been going on in Titans and either didn't communicate that well enough to the people working on the Flash books or those same people ignored or misunderstood that note when writing the series of stories that sent Wally to Sanctuary.

[@BigAmericanGirlFan]

He seems to be writing the problem as if it's the same situation as Wanda's children, that they were constructs, when it's clearly not.

[@CazTheGamerGuy]

I do wonder if the masks in Sanctuary being designed the way they were was meant to be a callback to the Psycho Pirate, not that it would make the story better (i'd argue it makes it worse since its significance is to the readers familiar with the character rather than the events of the story and said callback is for yet another example of a person suffering from mental health issues, in particular due to the usage of said mask and the effect it has on them).

[@depreseo]

honestly when i read the first issue and saw the mask i thought that Psycho Pirate was going to be involved (he had already turned up in kings batman run) or at least somebody using his mask. But nope. red herring / editorial mandate change or whatever.

[@donb7519]

almost definitely considering that king was writing that i bet it was supposed to be a plot point at some time

[@joeb8935]

Up until linkara explained otherwise i had assumed it was psycho pirates mask. He definitely would have made sense as a villain for this story. his whole gimmick is twisting peoples emotions, an entire building full of traumatized superheroes would be like Christmas day. He’s also one of the few characters who remembers pre-crisis so kinda ties into the wally west stuff

[@DeathofInk]

Lois's character really has been screwed over by DC in recent times.

[@EliDEVITTSpeaks]

New52 and Bendis really did a number on Lois.

[@ForrestFox626]

Bendis isn't helping

[@eamonndeane587]

@@EliDEVITTSpeaks Earth 2 Lois Lane was cool though...

[@Van_the_Wanderer]

The irony of Black Canary bailing on her session is that in the Young Justice cartoon (good cartoon) she was the team's counselor

[@bthsr7113]

Hypertime told her to stay away from the horrendous mental ""treatment.

[@thisithis]

The truth is that Dan DiDio hated continuity, and it was proven back when he ran Mainframe Entertainment and was running Transformers: Beast Machines. Both he and Fox agreed to wipe out or just ignore events from Transformers: Beast Wars, With Marv Wolfman saying it was a bad idea with Hasbro agreeing with Wolfman. With Dan saying throughout his work history constantly complaining that continuity was the enemy. It was that complaining that finally got DiDio fired from DC Comics.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Good I am glad dan didio is gone because he ruined everything

[@SuperWolsey]

Dan's ignorance and arrogance proved to be his undoing the moment his greatest supporter in former WB Exec Alan Horn (now running Walt Disney Pictures) left in 2013, Diane Nelson stepping down from her top role as DC Entertainment President two years ago, and the 2017 AT&T merger happened leading to the bigger bosses examining everything he did since 2004 til last year

[@TevyaSmolka]

kory stephens indeed and dan didio is also reason why we got the terrible dcyou era garbage.

[@thisithis]

@@SuperWolsey AT&T merger also got rid of DiDio's protector Kevin Tsujihara who would constantly protect DiDio but was forced to step down after it was found out that he was telling female actresses to sleep with him to better roles in film, as well as that mistress behind his wife's back. But with Tsujihara gone, I knew that DiDio would be next.

[@TevyaSmolka]

damn thats freaking nuts but thank god both parities are finally gone so hopefully this means with DiDio gone this could bring back hope within the dc universe and maybe we can also get rid bendis awful Superman and all of his terrible dc work too.

[@joeb8935]

Oh hey, just when I finished part 1!

[@ignitedrowlets5776]

Same here

[@colinvandenberg3446]

I've had multiple Journalism professors teach entire sections on journalistic ethics. I admit they were introductory at best, but the fact is that, yes, source anynimity only goes so far. Journalists, like everyone else, have a responsibility to report illegal activity to authorities and to abide by laws such as HIPPA and anti-wiretapping.

[@smjaiteh]

Hugo Strange is a more reliable therapist than Sanctuary, because at least Arkham has never made such a massive HIPAA violation.

[@Zomdra]

*Comics in 5 Panels - Heroes in Crisis* Black Canary: _Ah,_ fuck this. *The End*

[@DarkfireTaimatsu]

The big thing with the mask thing? I thought the event was going to eventually involve Psycho-Pirate, or maybe Johnny Sorrow. They could've been using the Medusa Mask to manipulate people's therapy, and that would be the big scandal of Sanctuary. Or something. The point is, they're both mask-themed supervillains with trauma-inducing powers, and neither have anything to do with this event. And it seems really weird that they aren't.

[@Reivanhist]

The fact is that Tom king really wanted to write a story about how the characters remember their darkest times in life, what it was worth to go through and overcome them. It was a very personal story for him. It was called the Sanctuary. And then Dan Didio came in and told him to do a spiritual extension of his main success as an editor, The identity crisis . That's why the story is so twisted, that's why it has the word Crisis in its title. Blame Didio, we lost a great story. King has repeatedly proved that he is a genius screenwriter, it's a pity he was not allowed to do what he is best at here.

[@mcpics4448]

Editorial meddling is kinda a DC problem

[@adonis7626]

Сергей Герасимов The Tom King comics that i read were Fine... At their best ! I always have a problem with the characterization and the dialogues who were interchanging and very boring.

[@ForrestFox626]

I'm so glad DiDiot isn't at DC anymore! 😁👌🏿

[@MasterSpud]

King should really be allowed to do another story like what he wanted to do. It’d be brilliant.

[@Reivanhist]

@@mcpics4448 I know, that's why I'm paying attention. Trust me, I can give you a LONG list of what bad DiDio did as an editor.

[@ctdaniels7049]

My condolences to Linkara's blood pressure during this episode. I feel the same.

[@wolfmantheimpaler]

I feel like we're gonna get a combine harvester moment in the next part

[@zachgamemaster3329]

The protector being a drug user is kinda funny. The problem, as you said, is that not only are they doing a joke in the middle of a bunch of very serious things happening and it feels out of place as a result, but it also feels very spiteful. Katherine Kane being a lesbian is funny because she was first made to show how straight Bruce was. The Protector doing drugs is funny, but in more of a "Nobody likes this character, so let's make him do whatever we want" kinda way.

[@Robin0928]

I'm so angry at DC's execs (mostly Dan Didio) for this book. This is such a good concept for a story. Openly having a conversation about mental health in a superhero story, really trying to deal with issues in a mainstream superhero book (kinda like Tom King's Miracle Man book) and then DC took the concept and turned it into a F******* MURDER MYSTERY! I honestly believe that King wanted the mystery to be "Wally (or whoever the protagonist would be) stole the confessionals and is releasing them to the public, trying to raise awareness of other superhero's mental issues due to feeling isolated in their depression" but DC wanted a bigger mystery for their big crossover event so they demanded it be changed to a murder mystery. And knowing Tom King's story and the allegory that he wanted this story to be pisses me off so much that they decided to make this into a big bloated event in continuity with the rest of the titles instead of just an isolated miniseries. The whole book just got murdered by editorial and now this is all Tom King is known for, which blows hard because the guy is a talented writer when he isn't asked to stick to continuity and can tell the story he wants. Just a mess of a book

[@Robin0928]

@ULGROTHA Most likely, im guessing stuff like "Batman and Catwoman can't actually get married Tom. We know you got to build it up for a year and people were excited by it, but we won't let you do it" could have happened behind the scenes (I wasn't reading a ton of that run tbf) but from what King said about the book before it came out and reading stuff like Mr. Miracle, I can totally speculate that this was an idea he pitched for Black Label but Didio wanted it to be in the main continuity (probably to kill Wally West again)

[@williammorahan4907]

I suspect that these problems can be traced back to corporate mandate. Did I use the term correctly?

[@armandotorres8962]

I refuse to believe Tom King wrote Mister Miracle and this garbage of a comic.

[@CasaiAgicap]

AND he wrote Vision! Those are both absolutely fantastic comics! And yet he also wrote this crap!

[@Vesperitis]

Mister Miracle and Vision were mostly divorced from continuity, which is where I think King does his best work. He's very good at breaking his characters down mentally and emotionally, and unfortunately (or fortunately), this fundamentally changes their status quo, and that doesn't sit well with the mainline continuity. And I also think King doesn't really care/respect much for continuity anyway (see War of Jokes and Riddles)

[@jake51479]

I was loved the first half of Mister Miracle, but was not a fan of the ending

[@najhoant]

In my experience, King is at his best writing limited series without major connections to their surrounding universes (Omega Men, Vision, Mr Miracle and Sheriff of Babylon). Grayson was also good (though that was co-written with Tim Seeley), and I liked the parts of his Batman run that I read (I stopped after book 4 when I heard the wedding to Catwoman would be called off)

[@Vesperitis]

@@najhoant He opened his Batman run by having Bats steal Superman's signature shtick, namely catch a falling plane. That was ingenious, and showed that while he's no Geoff Johns, he can be a great writer if given the right material.

[@andrewrainey4192]

That whole Troy allegory really made me do a double take

[@TF2Fan101]

Boy, that rant on people trivializing the trauma of others REALLY hits home given what came out about *Redacted* in 2018. Edit: So... Regardless of whatever came out about CA, I'll be honest... I shouldn't have said this. Getting angry, ranting and making comments like this honestly helped nothing. Even worse, it got to a point where I was so angry that I wanted the channel to collapse. It was wrong, and I shouldn't have gotten so worked up about this and making comments like this.

[@rassilontdavros3004]

I mEaN lOgAn PaUl FiLmEd A dEaD bOdY aNd He StIlL hAs A cArEeR

[@TF2Fan101]

RassilonTDavros That and *Redacted*’s management.

[@joeb8935]

Readacted? As in redacted with glasses?

[@themysteriousretrogamer9655]

Who are you referring to?

[@TF2Fan101]

The Mysterious Retro Gamer Channel *Redacted*

[@SammEater]

This comic pretty much shows that a good art cannot save a bad script.

[@eamonndeane587]

Same goes for Cry For Justice and Amazons Attack.

[@autobotstarscream765]

Welcome to modern DC, where Batgod is always right and everyone else is an idiot! All praise Batgod! Kneel before Batgod!

[@kabutoisgay]

So...I've never read Identity Crisis ( nor did I ever really want to after "The Gift" but i've both watched Comic Pop's Back Issues on this book and now Lewis's take and I was really upset about the deaths of all these, albeit, mostly minor characters like The Protector and Lagoon Boy and Hotspot, and was absolutely heart broken, now, realizing that both Arsenal and Kid Devil (who i only realized was in this book because i saw his body lying there) it's felt even more like a gut punch and just plain unneccessary for these character, who yes, might not have as large of fan bases as Booster or Harley or the big three but....they were still well beloved characters, i mean, one of my first comics I boughr with my own money was the comic that introduced Kid Devil, but the thing that hurts me the most about all of this, is Wally... Wally West was MY Flash growing up, and is my favourite DC superhero, when Rebirth happened and I got post-crisis Wally back, THE Wally back, it gave me hope, it made me happy, it felt like a real return to form, a return to an era that may not have been perfect, but was wonderful and bright in it's own way.... Then this happened...and it felt like the biggest fuck you, just plain mean spirited and hollow in an attempt to be edgy and fake deep when it comes to trauma. As a Titans fan, I know the team is basically cursed to have bad things happened to all past and future members but this was just monstrous, taking a hero, a symbol that was so good and tried his best and had millions of people who looked up to him and avidly watched his stunning and amazing adventures just become this...thing...in a terrible story written by someone who should never have been handed ANY of these characters gave me the same feeling that I got when I read Cry for Justice and reached the moment with Lian... just...fuck you Tom King