Identity Crisis #5 2nd Print

In reaction to Lois Lane’s death threat, the superhero community becomes significantly more aggressive in their efforts to find the killer. Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Superman have gotten together to go after some hired killers, and they take down Deadshot, Merlyn and Monocle. Everywhere, tensions rise, and there’s a brutal backlash as villains are beaten and brought in to find any information they might know.

Firestorm fights against Shadow Thief alongside Captain Marvel, Shining Knight and Vixen. The Thief grabs the Knight’s sword, spins around and plunges it directly into Firestorm. Because he’s a punctured nuclear reactor, Ronnie Raymond realizes that he’s going to blow up and die. He flies off into the night sky, asks them to say goodbye to his dad for him, along with the rest of his friends and family, and explodes.

Ray Palmer and Jean Loring share time together in her apartment. She thanks him for saving her from the murderer, and they are clearly falling in love again, having bonded over the crisis. She also reveals that she heard when he was praying for her. The two of them embrace in a kiss, their relationship rekindled.

Captain Boomerang bonds with his recently discovered son, Owen Mercer. He is teaching him how to throw Trick Boomerangs, which Owen has a natural talent for. One throw of a razor-tipped blade strikes too true to form, and nearly takes the Captain’s head off, but his son rushes out in time and saves him from it. They discover that Owen has some latent super-speed abilities, and that his mother was not Golden Glider as previously believed.

In Gotham City, Robin argues with his father Jack Drake. Although Jack wants him to stay indoors, Tim thinks that he would be best going out to help his friends until the crisis is over. They’ve been spending a lot of quality time together lately, but the only way to stop this is to go out there and catch whoever is responsible. But he wants his dad to make sure that he doesn’t open the doors under any circumstances, because he’s a target just like everyone else.

After his son leaves, Jack Drake goes into his kitchen and finds a package, containing a note showing that the mysterious killer also knows his identity. There is a gun included, with a message telling him to protect himself. Realizing his life is in danger, he calls Oracle to get his son on the phone. Just then, Captain Boomerang busts in, having been hired through Calculator to make a hit on Drake. Batman and Robin speed back in the Batmobile, and Bruce is desperate not to let it happen again. Jack tells Tim that he loves him, that he’s incredibly proud of him, that it’s not his fault, and that everything he does is worth it. At the same time, Owen receives a phone message from his dad explaining the job he’s taken, and Mercer realizes that he’s going to lose his father as well. In Drake Manor, the two men face off. Jack Drake dives out and guns Captain Boomerang down, but is caught by a razor tipped boomerang in the chest as the villain goes down. Both men lie there dead.

2nd Print