My Identity Crisis
It's a process. Bear with me. And feel free to comment on the theories, if you're up to date on IC.
I've come to two conclusions:
1) Batman was present for the initial power pact and convinced Zatanna to wipe everyone else's memory, maybe including her own, of his presence so that he could act as a failsafe for what was, admittedly, a dangerous game. Batman loves the failsafes. This is the only reasonable explanation I've got for the flashback inconsistency.
2) Bolt was set up, just like Digger. Whether his powers failed him or not it seems clear he didn't expect the kids to shoot him. The guy's a supervillain. If two kids pop guns on him after he says he isn't paying them for their merchandise I don't think he would say "W-what's wrong with you? Friggin' psychos." I think he was told the money had exchanged hands, while the twigs were told he would have the money on him. We interpret his "who said anything about money?" as a threat, when it is actually a genuine question.
3) The calculator goaded Bolt into that deal, much the same way he guides Digger's relationship with his son. It's fair to say that if Calculator isn't the mastermind then he is certainly acting on behalf of that person.
4) Most likely metod of entry for Sue and Jean's attackers: Mirror Master technology. The magnifying glass has a reflective surface and there is a hall mirror right behind the door that Jean is hung from.
5) It stands to reason that in issue 5 Boomerang was actually going to the Drake's apartment to catch Sue's murderer, not kill Jack Drake. He tells his son that this one will put him "back on the map." Given that Robin's identity is not public, wouldn't Drake's murder just be chalked up as more Gotham crime? How would killing a single father put the Boomerang boys back on the map? It's also worth noting that Owen (Boomerang Jr.) seems more upset than he maybe should be that his father has done this. Is he working for the Calculator? Did he plant the gun in Drake's apartment? Did he hire the Calculator to get his father back into his life?
Now that we're on Boomerang, he's dead and all, but could he be the killer? In issue 3 Calculator says "He owes me a favor" and Merlyn responds with the implication that the favor Calculator did was getting the lovechild story into the tabloids. What if the favor was actually the botched job in the alleyway that distracted Ralph during Sue's murder? In the very next scene Calculator says to Boomerang "Nobody's going to hire you, not after what you did with-" Boomer: "I was just trying to prove I still had it." Calc: "Yeah, well- If you want to do that you have to go bigger than-"
From a pure narrative perspective Digger makes a good killer because now that he's dead before the mystery is solved we don't have to worry about what punishments the JLA will mete out.
That would also explain the line "this time I'm leaving a card. OUR card." Up until now the killer has left the calling cards of other villains, Dr. Light/Firefly/etc and Slipknot. This time Boomerang will take credit for what he's been doing.
Boomerang actually makes more sense as the killer now that he's dead. Funny that.
Also that was way more than 2 conclusions. I can't believe how this is ruining my life.
I've come to two conclusions:
1) Batman was present for the initial power pact and convinced Zatanna to wipe everyone else's memory, maybe including her own, of his presence so that he could act as a failsafe for what was, admittedly, a dangerous game. Batman loves the failsafes. This is the only reasonable explanation I've got for the flashback inconsistency.
2) Bolt was set up, just like Digger. Whether his powers failed him or not it seems clear he didn't expect the kids to shoot him. The guy's a supervillain. If two kids pop guns on him after he says he isn't paying them for their merchandise I don't think he would say "W-what's wrong with you? Friggin' psychos." I think he was told the money had exchanged hands, while the twigs were told he would have the money on him. We interpret his "who said anything about money?" as a threat, when it is actually a genuine question.
3) The calculator goaded Bolt into that deal, much the same way he guides Digger's relationship with his son. It's fair to say that if Calculator isn't the mastermind then he is certainly acting on behalf of that person.
4) Most likely metod of entry for Sue and Jean's attackers: Mirror Master technology. The magnifying glass has a reflective surface and there is a hall mirror right behind the door that Jean is hung from.
5) It stands to reason that in issue 5 Boomerang was actually going to the Drake's apartment to catch Sue's murderer, not kill Jack Drake. He tells his son that this one will put him "back on the map." Given that Robin's identity is not public, wouldn't Drake's murder just be chalked up as more Gotham crime? How would killing a single father put the Boomerang boys back on the map? It's also worth noting that Owen (Boomerang Jr.) seems more upset than he maybe should be that his father has done this. Is he working for the Calculator? Did he plant the gun in Drake's apartment? Did he hire the Calculator to get his father back into his life?
Now that we're on Boomerang, he's dead and all, but could he be the killer? In issue 3 Calculator says "He owes me a favor" and Merlyn responds with the implication that the favor Calculator did was getting the lovechild story into the tabloids. What if the favor was actually the botched job in the alleyway that distracted Ralph during Sue's murder? In the very next scene Calculator says to Boomerang "Nobody's going to hire you, not after what you did with-" Boomer: "I was just trying to prove I still had it." Calc: "Yeah, well- If you want to do that you have to go bigger than-"
From a pure narrative perspective Digger makes a good killer because now that he's dead before the mystery is solved we don't have to worry about what punishments the JLA will mete out.
That would also explain the line "this time I'm leaving a card. OUR card." Up until now the killer has left the calling cards of other villains, Dr. Light/Firefly/etc and Slipknot. This time Boomerang will take credit for what he's been doing.
Boomerang actually makes more sense as the killer now that he's dead. Funny that.
Also that was way more than 2 conclusions. I can't believe how this is ruining my life.
3 Comments:
I'm completely lost at this point, too. All I can say is that I hope a C-List villain was not the killer. A C-Lister killing C-Listers seems to me to be inherently undramatic. Even if the entire DCU is involved.
Calculator seems to obvious to be the mastermind. I think Owen's involved somehow, considering his reaction to Digger's message. I also don't think Digger's his dad, because where did he get those speed powers? Somehow I doubt his mom is Jessie Quick.
I like the Batman theory, though. I think that makes a lot of sense. The Mirror Master method (how alliterative!) of entering and exiting was something that had occured to me, too. But if Digger was the killer all along, why did he just walk into Jack Drake's house? It seems more likely that he was there to stop the killer and was set up.
I agree, Jeff.
As for the "someone else is owen's father" thing, I think that would be too cheap. A lot of my hypothosizing depends on meltzer not being a hack. If we're presented with this kid and told Boomerang and Golden Glider are his parents, and then it turns out GG's not his mom and, wait for it, Boomerang's not his dad either, well that wasn't clever misdirection it was just cheap. And of course there's the fact that, especially in issue 5, Owen has the same nose, hair, and eyes as Digger. I really think Digger is the father.
What makes more sense, speedwise, is that Owen is actually the child of Golden Glider and the Top, who were a couple, because the Top had limited superspeed. But the Top hasn't been in IC at all, and there's the whole Digger and Owen look alike thing.
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