I’ve recently had the opportunity to preview an incredible new digital comic that’s launching today. You may have heard of it yourself as it’s been making its way around the blogosphere of late. The book is called My So-Called Secret Identity and any acclaim it has received so far is well deserved. It comes as no surprise that this book is being so well regarded either as its creator is a PhD and “internationally-acclaimed Batman scholar.” Speaking of the Bat, fans of Gail Simone’s Batgirl are DEFINITELY going to want watch out for this book as well, and I’m here to shed a little light on why YOU should too. Especially considering that the first issue is FREE.

Issue 1 opens with Cat Abigail Daniels. She describes herself as a normal woman who spent most of her days alone. That’s okay though, because she grew up in Gloria City, a metropolis filled with superheroes and villains to boot. This is a city where in order to be somebody, you have to be super. She’s studied this city and knows it better than herself. Cat is smart, incredibly smart, but has grown up underestimated and put down her entire life simply because she’s a woman. We find her building, or perhaps rebuilding, her life in the city. She’s finding a new place to call her own and meeting new people. Trouble is, something’s up that spells trouble for Gloria City, and Cat can sense it. Not with any arachnid-like sense or superpowered hearing, but because, well I’ll just let her tell you.

I don’t want to give too much away, but let me just say that this issue was incredibly fun to read. Gloria City feels like a real city and it was almost as if Cat was walking through my own town, doing the things that I like to do. She lives and breathes on the page, and you simply cannot help but to sympathize with her as you witness her struggles. The truth of the matter is that women are NOT treated equally in today’s society, and while this book aims to highlight this, and is, in fact, the purpose behind the book, it doesn’t beat you over the head with it. Her struggles in life as a woman are simply a part of who Cat is, just like it’s a part of all women in today’s society. This book intends on delivering an important message, and is doing so in the most entertaining format possible: SUPERHERO COMICS!!!

MSCSI intends on delivering quite literally explosive moments (as you can check out in the FREE first issue), fantastic yet relatable settings, superheroic and villainous characters, and a number of mysteries involving Cat Daniels herself and perhaps even Gloria City.



So, where did this incredible new comic come from? Dr. Will Brooker has spent his entire academic life studying and becoming the expert on Batman in all of his forms. He didn’t just stop with the Caped Crusader however, and is “acknowledged as an international academic expert, public speaker and media consultant on popular narratives and their audiences.” So yeah, he’s a pretty big deal. Handling the art duties are Susan Shore and Dr. Sarah Zaidan, who holds a PhD in superhero art! Aside from these creators having the COOLEST PhD’s EVER, they’ve grown tired of the misrepresentation of women in comics, and, with MSCSI, aim to show how it can be done RIGHT.

So go ahead and check out issue 1 for FREE. Believe me, you won’t regret it. Issue 1 will be free, but the second and proceeding issues won’t be. HOWEVER, this comic is a non-profit endeavour and as such will be donating all profits to charity. They will be changing charities each issue, but if you want to know where the profits for issue 2 will be going to, then check out awayout.com!

To learn more about MSCSI’s creator, Dr. Will Brooker, check out this nifty MTV Geek interview!

Also, check out MSCSI’s Facebook Page and the creators on Twitter below!

Dr. Will Brooker

Susan Shore

Dr. Sarah Zaidan

Yours in the multiverse,

Mikyzptlk