Book Review: Alter Ego by Alex Segura
By John Valeri
February 18, 2025
In recent years, Alex Segura has emerged as a superhero of sorts in publishing. After having made a splash with his Anthony Award-nominated Pete Fernandez Miami mysteries, he moved into the realm of comics, scripting original characters (The Black Ghost) as well as iconic canon staples from the worlds of Marvel and DC. Segura would then merge the crime story and the comics in 2022’s hybrid novel, Secret Identity; that book would earn a trifecta of starred reviews from the trades and go on to win the LA Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. Alter Ego is a “standalone sequel” that expands the universe of his own creation.
The book introduces Cuban-American filmmaker Annie Bustamante, a single mom whose dynamic (if temporarily stalled) career—which includes writing and comic book art—was largely inspired by her forebearer, Carmen Valdez. Notoriously reclusive, Valdez broke ground with her contributions to the female-fronted comic, the Lethal Lynx, in the 1970s before dropping off the radar under mysterious circumstances. Relegated to cult status, the character has been left to languish in relative obscurity—until the son of Triumph Comics’ founder decides to resurrect the Lynx for a new generation and taps Annie to help bring her back to life.
It’s an offer that Annie simply can’t resist. Unfortunately, her dream job quickly proves too good to be true, as is often the case when a person’s passion becomes their profession. Not only does she find herself at odds with her assigned collaborator, controversial film director Arturo Spinoza, but with the comic company’s CEO, Bert Carlyle, whose motives are more monetary than artistic. Further, Annie—in desperate need of a commercial success—is met with hostility when she begins to question the character’s origins; though the Lynx’s creation is officially credited to Carlyle’s father, Carmen Valdez’s role has long been the subject of quiet speculation. The full truth of the matter is a secret that somebody would kill (again) to keep.
The story opens where Secret Identity’s flash forward epilogue left off: with journalist Laura Gustines, who has just scored an exclusive interview with Valdez, who has finally spoken out after decades of silence. Then, Annie takes center stage. Her story arc is told through chapters that alternate between past and present, illuminating the profound impact of the Lethal Lynx on her development, both as a person and an artist. This not only allows the reader to understand the depths of her plight but her protectiveness as a mother. As with Secret Identity, the book includes illustrations by Sandy Jarrell (and lettering by Jack Morelli), which serve to underscore the relationship between words and imagery. As an added bonus, easter eggs are laid lightly throughout, which are sure to please fans of the author’s earlier works.
Alex Segura’s Alter Ego is the rare continuation novel that fully stands alone while amplifying what came before it. Rather than a retread, Annie’s story is uniquely her own while greatly influenced by the ghost of Carmen Valdez. As a result, there is both immediacy and profound sense of resonance—and yet the narrative carries echoes of the past. More than a mystery of meta proportions, the book is a meditation on art, commerce, and the murky intersection of the two. It’s also an undeniable celebration of the power of nostalgia and the lasting influence that our childhood heroes hold over us, told with the reverence of a fan and the finesse of a wordsmith.