Heroes in Crisis: $%@# This

The mystery of who massacred literally dozens of metahumans -- some of them very high profile -- at the therapy retreat known as Sanctuary continues, without a single clue (maybe) coming to light in this fourth issue. The readers may get a clue, but it's a very slight one, and it has to do with why Harley was able to get past Booster Gold's shield when she hit him.

Other than that, what we really learn is just how $%@#'ed up our heroes are. And how much they all like to say "$%@#" in this issue. Which is understandable -- they should all be more distraught, angry... hell, they should be pissed off. But they're inhumanly restrained.

In fact, in retrospect, that's perhaps the one truly huge flaw I see in the book, both in the writing and the art: the lack of raw emotion. Superman, helpless to his reporter's code of protecting a source. Barbara Gordon with her flat tone and the eyes of a dead shark. Seriously, as well drawn as Clay Mann makes Batgirl in this book, every single pose of her looks like a dime store mannekin in a pose.

Which pretty much sums up HEROES IN CRISIS. It's an existential crisis. So they deal with it by sitting around, getting drunk, self-reflecting, and moping.

Yay comics.

Okay, so it's probably a little deeper than that. But we reach the apex of this series next month, and something has to happen just by the formula of writing a limited series -- the midpoint is the turning point. We need more than WATCHMEN Lite, now with fewer action calories than before.

There's a concept here. A story to be told. So please, we're begging you: Tell it.