It’s always preferable when a work evokes passion from its reader. Be it from love or hatred, passion at least means the material has struck a chord. Tepidity, on the other hand, is the earned reaction when a work lacks any real punch. Such is the case, sadly, with Secret Identities #1. It has both strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately neither is evocative or original enough to be memorable. #1 isn’t without potential, and the series may improve as the story develops, but it’s off to a lukewarm start.
Secret identities #1 introduces us to The Front Line, a superhero team made up of eight heroes: Luminary, Helot, Punchline, Gaijin, Recluse, Vesuvius, and Rundown. Through the magic of expository dialogue, we glean that each character has a backstory or inner conflict and a distinct rapport with the rest of the group. Yet, rather than kick off the series with the establishment of the team, the issue plops us right in the middle of an epic battle against a satanic messiah, a decision that is by far the best thing about #1. The civilization-ending conflict is resolved within the first few pages (“just another Thursday,” Luminary quips) and the story quickly shifts to focus on the induction of The Front Line’s newest member, Crosswind, and the personal lives of the other heroes. It’s a bit like being introduced to the Marvel cosmic universe with the last issue of The Thanos Imperative series, but I love the counterintuitive decision. It’s nice to get a new superhero team without having to slog through an origin story first. The writers, Jay Faerber and Brian Joines, seem to acknowledge the genre savviness of their readers: we’re familiar enough with superhero teams that we don’t need to see how they got together. We can skip ahead to the good part.
It’s just too bad that the way we’re introduced to the story is ultimately more interesting than the story itself. It’s early days yet, but nothing in #1 jumps out as anything truly original or attention grabbing.
Early on it’s revealed that (spoilers ahead) . While the development does come as a surprise so early in the issue, it’s also the same twist that Agents of SHIELD threw at us this year. Of course, plenty of stories have successfully retread familiar territory by approaching the material from a new angle. Secret Identities could do so with Crosswind’s arc, but #1 does not leave me hopeful.
In all fairness, the rest of the characters are an interesting bunch, particularly Vesuvius, a Roman centurion who was transformed into a molten lava creature during the destruction of Pompeii. There’s also the development that Rundown (aka Dave) is leading a triple life, managing two separate families, neither of whom appear to know that he’s a superhero. The maintenance of secret identities has always been my least favorite aspect of the superhero genre and I dearly hope juggling superheroic exploits with personal lives isn’t a major part of the series. Yes, I realize the series is titled Secret Identities, but I’m crossing my fingers that that’s more a reference to Crosswind’s agenda, the heroes’ various backstories, and, you know, the secret selves we all hide from each other rather than an indication that this is yet another tale about how being a hero is difficult.
There is a lot to enjoy about Secret Identities #1. I like that The Front Line’s headquarters are based in Toronto, thus keeping the team from being too America-centric. The racial diversity of the heroes is also much appreciated, and the characters are, while hardly ground breaking, varied, likeable and seem to have some pretty cool arcs ahead of them. It’s certainly worth checking out to decide for yourself.
Petra Halbur is an undergraduate at Hofstra University pursuing a BA in journalism and presently trapped in the world-building phase of writing her science-fantasy novel. You can read more from her at Ponderings of a Cinephile or follow her on Twitter.
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