Heroes in Crisis #5 (of 9)

   I understand the impulse to make superheroes more realistic - comic books obviously don't have to be just "kid stuff," after all.

   But just giving something an "adult" edge doesn't automatically make it good, as the Heroes in Crisis clearly shows.

   It starts with an interesting real world premise - that super-powered characters would struggle with the consequences (physical and mental) of the terrible events they've been part of.

   It's certainly true for soldiers, policemen, firemen, emergency responders and so on - so why not heroes?

   So Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman created The Sanctuary - an innocent-looking building where those with super-powers may safely discuss their inner secrets. (I'm not sure why anyone would think this was a safe place to discuss their darkest secrets, but that's just me.)

   It's all thrown into confusion as several heroes are brutally killed at Sanctuary - so the search is on to find the killers. The two suspects are both acting strangely (even for them), and more sensible heroes seem to be enabling them, also for mysterious reasons.

   When Sanctuary is revealed to the public, the heroes must step into the spotlight and we get the odd sequence of Superman struggling to explain why heroes might need psychiatric help. (Is that really such an ugly subject?)

   So, basically, the story is kind of a car wreck of good intentions and murder, designed to show that comics can tackle serious topics - but doing it in a rather ham-handed, soap opera fashion.

   I'm hanging onto this series by my fingertips - I just can't work up much interest. (Mostly because of the mass murder of perfectly good characters.) I sometimes get the impression that today's comics companies would prefer that I stop bothering them with my business.

Grade: C

-------------------