EARLY REVIEW: Secret Identities #1 – Every Superhero Has a Secret Written by Trevor Van As Published: 13 Jan, 2015 • Updated: 17 Aug, 2020 13 Jan, 2015 •17 Aug, 2020

Written by Brian Joines and Jay Faerber. Art by Ilias Kyriazis. Published by Image Comics.

The concept of a secret identity is nothing new. It’s something that has been around since Superman was introduced to the world more than 75 years ago. They allow for people with extraordinary abilities to blend in with everyday people. But what if these heroes, although doing good in the public eye, had dark secrets in their other lives? And what if there was a mole in their team who could potentially discover these secrets to disastrous results? This is the premise of the new Image series Secret Identities by writers Brian Joines and Jay Faerber and artist Ilias Kyriazis.

As mentioned earlier, Secret Identities is about what superheroes do when they are not saving the world. Each hero in this team has their own secret that they would definitely not want the public to discover. Some of these secrets are morally wrong, such as having a secret second family on the other side of the country. Others are more criminal, such as aiding organised crime. Brian Joines and Jay Faerber have used this first issue to set up these secrets through the use of short sequences allowing the reader to learn these secrets without feeling to busy. They work well when juxtaposed to the opening sequence which shows off their heroics.

Ilias Kyriazis’ art works great for this series with the opening sequence being the stand out. It big on action and is full of hundreds of enemies but done in a way that doesn’t feel cluttered and would have taken forever to create. The character designs are also strong, with plenty of variation and interesting ideas. My favourite design would have to be Vesuvius, a kind of volcanic rock golem hero. The way his flames flyer around the place during the action looks great and is a nice touch.

Secret Identities is a series for anyone who wants to read Superhero comics but finds the large scope of Marvel and DC a little too intimidating. It’s nice to read a superhero series that is self-contained to itself. There is no need to have read any other comics to understand the plot, making for an accessible series.

Overall, Secret Identities #1 is a good début which introduces readers to all the characters and concepts. With strong art and a cliff-hanger that will leave you asking questions you will be wanting to read issue #2 right away.

Secret Identities will be available in all good comic book stores and digitally on February 18th. If you like the sound of Secret Identities #1 make sure you order your copy at your local store.