Heroes In Crisis
Collecting Heroes In Crisis #1-9
Written by Tom King
Art by Clay Mann
Once again the maestro of superhero psychology does it again with a brilliant comic event. This time instead of focusing on a couple heroes in times of progression and struggle. No this time we are focused on the entire world of super heroes and how do we treat heroes with PTSD and other mental issues that come with performing in a hostile environment constantly.
Heroes In Crisis focuses on a sanctuary (actually called Sanctuary) where heroes can go anonymously and safely to recieve help with their mental problems. A virtual computer places the hero in the situation/ environment of their choosing so they can face what is troubling them thus healing them. However what happens when all of a sudden a bulk of heroes wind up at the sanctuary dead?
Follow Harley Quinn and Booster Gold (and later Blue Beetle) as they investigate who killed the heroes at Sanctuary and why they are being framed for them! This complex and emotionally instilling event dives into just how important our mental health is and how we in society (albeit we handle it poorly) view it.
Through 9 panel pages of hero interviews of their mental state to single panel landscapes, King and Mann do an exquisite job at portraying a murder mystery with mental health at the forefront. Clay Mann’s art is both dramatic and instills emotion towards the heroes and setting while Tom King’s writing draws you in with twists and turns as well as alluring you to problems that even the most obscure heroes deal with (I’m looking at you Gnarrk you beautiful mistaken brute). Each character is given multiple layers of complexity that nuances a need to read and reread. Each read through brings a new psychological factor that creates an even deeper emotional draw to the characters. They hit the nail on the head with mental health and how a hero who can‘t remedy their problems can turn into a villain.
I don’t quite understand why this event got such a lot of criticism. This event is an upgrade and a huge step forward from all of the predictable good guy vs universal threat events that have been saturating the comic and movie world recently. This psychological story is a masterpiece and I am excited to see what comes next from these two maestros of the mind. 4.8/5⭐️
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