Dr. Light goes to the villain satellite for help. If Ray and Light had switched bodies, Ray in Light’s body would not have done this. So, assume they switched back, after. Why is Light in Ray’s body again at the end of Issue Six?
Ray really doesn’t look good for the attempt on Jean. The way it’s structured seems to prevent it from being Ray, possessed or not.
Light doesn’t remember the Sue incident until after Sue’s death.
The person who burned Sue’s body wore a trenchcoat. Why would the Atom be wearing a trenchcoat suddenly?
Why Boomerang and Jack Drake?
Here’s an interesting thing I noticed in a re-read of issue #1 - they make a big deal of the timing of Bolt’s teleport. It’s very conspicuous. Perhaps there’s something there.
Wild ass guesses
Maybe there’s two serial killers-The Top’s ghost and Dr. Light. The whole series might be about possession/body-switching. (Which, if we go with the “Boomer in Barry’s body sired Boomer Jr.” theory is even more evidence)
Perhaps the Top possessed someone to snuff Sue? Hell, I could make a case for it being a possessed Martian Manhunter–he knows how to get past the Martian tech, he’s got the muscle, he can shrink (and turn invisible) and hell, what better way to throw people off the track than to have J’onn burn someone?) I dunno. However, the Top has (since he died) adopted Golden Glider’s “To make the hero suffer, kill the loved ones!” philosophy, so there’s a motive for Jack–and IIRC, Top and Boomerang didn’t get along (? I’d swear there was an issue that dealt with a Top/Boomerang rivalry)…and that was Dr. Light’s motive too, per the flashback in issue 1.
I saw on the web (I can’t find the site again, dammit) where someone had Photoshopped the Dr Light picture over the Ray picture and the smile wasn’t just similar, it was identical. I mean, a 1-to-1 exact copy. So I’m convinced that Dr. Light is in charge of Ray (mind control or possession or bodyswapping or something)
I still prefer the “psycho-Jean Loring” theory, but the smile thing (and the three panel “Dr. Light sitting around looking spooky” thing has convinced me that there’s more to it.
Ray really doesn’t look good for the attempt on Jean. The way it’s structured seems to prevent it from being Ray, possessed or not.
Light doesn’t remember the Sue incident until after Sue’s death.
The person who burned Sue’s body wore a trenchcoat. Why would the Atom be wearing a trenchcoat suddenly?
Um, the last three lines shoulda been deleted. Oops.
What I’d meant to add was that the one big hole in my theory is why are the Top and Light working together? (It’d be uber-lame to have two serial-killers operating independantly who just happen to have the same motive showing up at the same time)
Well maybe not “just happen”, but it could be that Dr. Light is a copycat of whoever killed Jean originally; it’s clear he would have liked the idea. Heck, if he’s possessed the Atom, he could have framed him for the Jean murder after the fact (which still doesn’t explain her non-burning cause of death).
I’d bet against the Top being involved just because he hasn’t shown up in IC once (that I recall) and Metlzer said he wasn’t going to pull something like that. Part of me wants to say that it’s not going to end up being Dr. Light, either (spoilers for upcoming Teen Titans):
February’s Teen Titans has Dr. Light taking on the group. If Dr. Light is really behind what happened to Sue, I can’t see him getting away with it that easily.
On the other hand, there’s the evidence that Fenris mentioned (plus, I just noticed that the latest issue ends with Ray turning off the lights). At first I thought it’d be cool if they pulled some kind of “Atom and Dr. Light switched bodies 30 years ago” thing, but that wouldn’t make sense on a number of levels. Maybe that period when Ray was a teenager again and lead the Titans (gag) drove him nuts.
I’m still betting on Ray’s seemingly-evil grin being one final misdirection before the big reveal next issue, though.
Another interesting thing about the issue is that Ollie seems to think that Bruce has messed with their memories before, too. This can probably be chalked up to Ollie’s paranoia, but it is intriguing.
One more “just noticed” clue–Ray’s eyes are brown in the first issue when he and Jean go through the phone lines.
When Ray (in issue 5) makes the “bedpan” comment his eyes are sort of muddy brownish-purple, but next page when he’s getting kissy-faced with Jean, they become bright blue. In #4 when Ray “saves” Jean from being strangled they become bright blue and in the last few panels of #6 they’re blue…the same sort of blue that Dr. Light’s are earlier in the issue. Hmmm…
Light can’t be controlling him all those times, 'cause Ray narrates parts of it. Maybe Light can see through Ray’s eyes passively only taking control when he wants?
And I can come up with a sort-of motive for Light to frame Ray–from about 1977 onward, every time Light showed up, people would snicker and say “Aren’t you the guy who was beaten by the Atom? Bwahahaha!” That’s gotta burn!
Ray Palmer did it. Period.
No MC, no possession, no evil clones.
He decided that erasing memories made everything OK, so he comitted the terrible crime I hinted at above, in my earlier post.
Has anybody read any of Meltzer’s mystery novels? I’ve loved IC so far and was a big fan of the run he did on Green Arrow. Just wondering if his other work might be a fun read.
I wouldn’t put too much stock into the eye color thing just because I don’t think it’s only happened with Ray: I’m pretty sure Wally West’s eyes have been both blue and green at various points in IC (there are also coloring inconsistancies with his mask, so the series isn’t fool-proof when it comes to coloring).
J’onn’s overall absence in this series has been a puzzler to me, especially as there’s no explanation yet for any of the goings-on that doesn’t pin-point his probable involvement: mindwipes, altering memories, knowing people’s secret IDs, bypassing merged alien defenses, size-changing. These are J’onn’s abilities. Sadly, I haven’t read IC#6 yet, and I understand he’s in it – it might make or break my theory he’s involved as the killer somehow.
No, I don’t have a motive, but if 20 years watching forensic TV crimes shows tells me anything, look for opportunity and methodology first, then worry about motive later.
WHY was Sue burned? What does that signify? It’s been my theory for months it was misdirection on J’onn’s part.
I haven’t read the series yet…waiting for the TPB, but I’ve been following the thread closely.
I don’t understand people’s desire to see well established characters break their core personality. It doesn’t make any sense. The Manhunter isn’t going to kill anyone and burn up their body. It goes against his core personality, even INSANE people have patterns. C’mon do you really see the Manhunter killing Sue?
Same with the Atom. He’s going to rape Sue? Murder Sue? It doesn’t make any sense and most crimes make sense. People murder for 3 reasons: Profit, Passion or Protection and most crimes are really basic…he has something or knows something that I want.
What did Sue have that someone else might have wanted? What did Sue know?
Sue was a detective FIRST, on the level of Batman and the Manhunter. That’s where we should be looking, what did Sue know? This is a classic murder mystery…bodies are burned to hide the cause or time of death. I think you guys are reading way too much into this and not seeing it as a mystery first.
My two theories are using what you guys have said:
Sue finds something out, and is killed. The end. Everything else is misdirection… Boring.
Scenario 2:
Sue and Ralph are infertile and Ray donates…(this plays into Boomer’s Jr storyline)Sue’s pregnant, calls Ray. Jean somehow learns, goes bat-crazy again and kills Sue…because Sue has what she can NEVER have.
Burns the body to hide method of killing. Uses A, B, C scenario to shift focus from Sue as Primary victim, to just another ‘random’ killing by JLA enemy. Jean uses the trenchcoat to hide her exoskeleton and other Atom tech.
There’s a fourth motive: “They’re crazy”. Not passion, insanity. And the writer has referred to the killer as a ‘serial killer’.
I like that, but the problem with that theory is that it doesn’t explain the other murders at all. I was a pretty loud advocate of the “Psycho-Jean” theory for a while, but my big hang-up with psycho-Jean are: 1) Why Jack Drake? Why the hinted attack on Lois? I can just barely buy Jean for this part: psycho-spouse kills off loved ones of heroes: there’s a coherent motive there (and this is a story–real life may not have to make sense but stories do.) But my sticking point, and the place where the theory falls down is 2)“Why Boomerang”? He doesn’t fit the pattern of the serial killer: Boomerang isn’t a hero or a hero’s loved one. And besides, Jean has never met him (as far as I know), so it’s not like she has revenge as a side-motive. (Now if it’d been Chronos or Jason Woodrue or The Bug-Eyed Bandit… )
Ditto J’onn and ditto Ray and ditto Amazo. As far as I know they may have encountered Boomerang in passing during a fight scene, but they’ve never had any real one-on-one interaction with him. Ditto with Amazo. To me, the question isn’t “Why Sue?” or “Why Jack?”, it’s “Why Boomerang?” since he’s the piece of the puzzle that doesn’t fit the serial killer’s apparent motive (“loved ones of heroes”).
The one suspect who’s got any sort of motive to snuff Boomerang would be Dr. Light. Who has interacted with Boomerang (during Boomerang’s most obnoxious period–his Suicide Squad run (and damn I miss that series)). He and Boomerang were in the Suicide Squad together for about, ooohhhh, 10-12 issues. Just before Dr. Light died and went to hell. And ir. Light back in issue two’s flashback point-blank said (parphrased) “I’ll get you Sue, and I’ll get the rest of the JLA’s loved one’s too”.
(The Top barely qualifies too: his girlfriend (and him, after his death) have had a long established “Don’t kill the heroes, kill their loved ones” motive, and the Top has a long history with Boomerang although IIRC, they actually got along–they were Rogues Gallery members together. The problem is that The Top hasn’t appeared in the main title at all–only in The Flash.)
Does the writer mean ‘Serial’ Killer in traditional sense or a modified one? If that’s the case, there should be several other bodies…before Sue’s. Where are they?
Why kill boomerang? Because Boomerang KNEW it wasn’t Dr. Light, but Jean. He didn’t care as long as he got paid. (I’m sticking with Jean because of the Atom clues, which of course may be a deadend.) However any clever criminal, gets rid of any loose threads…having a person who could free Dr. Light from blame has to go. By having Boomerang kill Jack Drake AND get killed himself, the criminal not only removes the threat, but also continues the “kill JLA loved ones too…” Misdirection.
Dr. Light is the perfect frame up and anything that shifts blame away from him, has to go…like Boomerang.
But, assuming we can take Calculator at his word, Boomerang wasn’t chosen by the person behind the killings. It could have been anyone who’d work cheap.
I’m not sure which sense is which–I assume he was using it in the “Buffalo Bill” from SILENCE OF THE LAMBS sense–someone very smart with a particular “type” of people they murder…women under thirty with blonde hair and blue eyes/overweight redheaded guys/loved ones of super-heroes…that sense. (What other sense is there? )
There’s also been speculation that Linda Park (Flash’s girlfriend who’s been missing for about 10 issues) may have been a victim too.
Serial Killer is very specific term. It’s not just killing a “type”, but the moviation behind the killing; which is usually sexual and something that women rarely do. People don’t wake up at thirty and become serial killers, but they may ‘snap’.
Having a vendetta is not the same as being a serial killer.
My point is, that if we’re supposed to have fun trying to ‘solve’ the mystery, it doesn’t help if the clues being given aren’t clear or are incorrect.
If he meant psychotic, then he should say psychotic…not a serial killer. If it’s truely a serial killer, then it’s dishonest to create an previously unknown back story to ‘sell’ the conclusion.
A person who kills multiple times isn’t a serial killer…The Joker is psychotic, but not a serial killer. Mr Zazzk(sp) is a serial killer, because he marks his body when he kills and relives(sexual) the killing every time he touchs or sees the scars on his body.
I know it’s a comic and all fun, but if this is supposed to be the storyline of the year, then I would like to be able to hold it to a higher level.
Okay assume the Calculator was telling the truth, we have 2 scenarios. Jean learns that Boomerang is taking the job and decides he’s too close for comfort and wipes him out…or and this is where I’m leaning:
Jean’s not THAT crazy. She ONLY wanted Sue dead and was using the JLA loved ones threat as a misdirection. She faked her attack to throw off the hounds.
She lowballed the contract, knowing the NO one would risk the League for such a small amount…only Boomerang accepted. SHE warned Jack Drake, because she doesn’t want anyone else killed…Sue’s death was personal.
Dr. Light is a convenient event and the perfect scapegoat, but has nothing to do with Sue’s murder. This is all about Sue and her killer, everything is misdirection and bad timing.
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