You know, I'm kind of ticked... I read this whole damn issue, and nowhere do they tell us which Justice League member died. OK, OK, "Identity Disc = Identity Crisis" jokes aside, I didn't have a lot of hope for this one, as Rodi hasn't done much comics work that I've been fond of, and the rumors of a title change to mess with DC's hype smacked of desperation. Which is a shame, because actually, while Identity Disc has its problems, it's kind of a neat little story so far, playing off the gathering of villains archetype that has worked so well for books like Suicide Squad or movies like The Usual Suspects. The artwork, which is somewhat drab and lifeless, doesn't do Rodi any favors, but if you're a fan of any of these villains or just like a good caper, it seems possible that Identity Disc might be worth a look.
Mind you, Identity Disc does wear its influences on its sleeve, and that is one of the minor flaws that stops me from wholeheartedly recommending the book. The introduction of a Keyser Soze-like nemesis into the Marvel Universe isn't a terrible idea, but the way it is presented is almost identical to the way Keyser Soze is revealed in the Usual Suspects, going beyond influence and homage into what is almost an outright ripoff. The same is true of motivating the villains through their families and secrets, but the presentation there is somewhat different, and I love some of the secrets that Rodi has come up with, particularly the one for the Vulture that adds a potentially fascinating facet to the character.
Given the general disdain at Marvel for continuity these days, I expected Identity Disc to be a little ragged around the edges of consistency, but Rodi does a good job of fitting this story into the existing Marvel Universe framework. I hate the idea of the Juggernaut as an X-Man, but it is his status quo, and Rodi deals with that while still bringing him into the fold with these villains, and actually makes use of Juggernaut's reformation to add a bit of pathos to his story. He also plays off the Deadpool/Bullseye friendship that was established in the Deadpool comic, which was a nice touch. I also very much enjoyed the friendship between Sandman and Vulture, although the way that one plays out also seems a bit uncomfortably close to the events of Usual Suspects.
While Rodi's script surprised me by being somewhat fun despite the darker elements, Higgins, Florea and Estudio Fenix don't seem to have gotten the memo, as the artwork is pretty dark and, quite honestly, kind of ugly. The story is told pretty effectively, aside from an opening sequence that could have been much more clearly marked as a flashback, but the art itself just seems kind of rough. There are elements of style here that remind me of Richard Corben or the Dodsons, and Higgins handles the masked characters decently, but the faces are unwieldy and inhuman-looking, and some of the costumes, notably the Juggernaut, look bland and overly blocky. Even a splash page that features what should be a chilling splash of the villains triumphing over the heroes lacks anything in the way of energy or brightness to it.
The notion of a caper in the Marvel Universe is one of those concepts that sounds pretty good to me, and Rodi is off to a start by making full use of some of the ingredients, like classic Marvel villains on both sides and a macguffin that plays right into the superhero genre. He falls a little too close to some of his influences, notably Usual Suspects, in the writing, but with that out of the way in the setup, the actual execution of the caper could turn out to be quite a bit of fun.
