... a masterful 1970s literary mystery featuring this artist fighting against the patriarchy and dodging bullets in the desperate, male-dominated world of comics ... Alex Segura is an award-winning writer of comic books and mysteries and it shows in this well-crafted and layered mystery-thriller that excels in multiple dimensions. For one thing, it's a brilliant homage to comics that comes with gorgeously rendered excerpts from The Legendary Lynx embedded in its pages ... also boasts a realistic and well-crafted plot that flows easily from the social history of the 1970s comic book industry and of New York. From the grimy yet vibrant atmosphere to the conflicts around gender inside and out of the workplace, the scene-setting is meticulous and vivid ... Well-steeped in cultural history, Segura draws his protagonist's life with subtlety and sensitivity ... Though the implications are clear, Segura wields these metaphors around shadows and secrets and the threat of unmasking (when one's secret identity is revealed) with a subtle hand. Plus, the darkness is well balanced with light in this scenario ... Segura effectively balances the realities of Carmen's personal and professional challenges with the joy of creativity and friendship in a novel that manages to be thought-provoking and fun. The last ace in this deck is the consistent pacing and intensity of the plot; it's full of twists but free of red herrings. Secret Identity is a satisfying choice for lovers of comics, twentieth century historical fiction and mysteries that make you think.
... works well as a history of comic books — did you know that noir master Patricia Highsmith wrote comics? — as well as a look at New York during the mid-1970s and Carmen’s quest for her own identity ... Segura’s respect for the comic industry shines as he shows how this medium evolved into the more sophisticated graphic novel ... as engaging as Michael Chabon’s 2001 Pulitzer winner The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Segura’s sense of authenticity will have readers welcoming more thrillers set in the comic book world.
Not surprising for someone who regularly sees how the sausage gets made, Carmen has a tendency to observe her own actions and interactions from a remove, as if editing a comic book script—which is only exacerbated when she finds herself stalked and endangered on the already-threatening streets of ‘70s Manhattan. Segura’s writing reflects that with Carmen frequently noting how she 'felt' everything from a menacing grip on her arm to the chill of being watched from afar by a stranger, instead of fully inhabiting that moment. Unfortunately, that often translates to a similar distance for the reader. It’s difficult to become entirely emotionally invested in Carmen because she has worked her entire adult life to keep anyone from doing so ... Carmen’s Miami exists entirely in memory, evocatively described in contrast to seedy yet compelling New York City ... It’s rare for a hero’s origin story to be so relentlessly sunny, yet Segura aptly illustrates how even the most carefree-seeming place casts deep shadows ... For all that Carmen and her collaborators create comics out of love for the medium, I was hoping for more sequences lovingly describing the experience of making these stories ... Though Segura throws in a number of red herrings in the form of various editors and artists representing potential friendships, rivals, and/or love interests to Carmen, the resolution to the mystery errs more on the side of the unsurprising for anyone who has followed comics controversies over the decades. Yet that in and of itself is an incisive commentary on how little has changed: how powerful personalities are granted numerous second chances, while outsiders like Carmen dare not waste the one opportunity for their perfect shot at being part of comics history ... With this thoughtfully researched and lovingly crafted novel, hopefully Segura is doing his part to turn the tide in the direction it should have been moving all along.
[Segura's] reverence for the medium comes across vividly here, most pointedly through the book’s mesmerizing illustrations and in the revelation that Patricia Highsmith initially wrote freelance for comics to support her literary endeavors. A superlative one-of-a-kind novel.
Segura’s book works on so many levels, it’s almost hard to keep track. And as a thriller, it’s smart, perfectly paced, and wonderfully atmospheric—Segura captures the intense, grimy milieu of 1970s New York with aplomb. You don’t have to be a comics fan to love this novel; it’s a masterful book filled with real heart and soul. A triumph.
