Justice League Film: 10 Epic JLA Stories That Should Be Referenced

4. Identity Crisis (Brad Meltzer)

Essentially Identity Crisis is a superhero whodunit, which again had a huge knock on-effect for the JLA canon that would follow. Of course the story probably couldn't be told in its entirety; it heavily features a huge cast of league members, many of which haven't got a hope in hell of getting screen time in the Justice League movie (Elongated Man for example who's just too minor to make it to the big screen). What I wouldn't mind seeing referenced however is the whole 'human drama' angle, which is done so little in the comic book movie and indeed in comics in general; I imagine when a writer has the collective power of a team like the Justice League in their hands, the temptation is to look for opportunities for them to do battle. In Identity Crisis however, best-selling author Brad Meltzer chooses not to focus directly on their power but instead on their all-too-human weakness during an investigation that uncovers some pitch-dark truths which ultimately threaten to destroy the League from within. More of a thriller than your run-of-the-mill superhero fare (Meltzer did rise to prominence as a thriller author), Identity Crisis is certainly one of the more mature, more restrained superhero stories and while a direct adaptation is probably out of the question, I'd love some of the insights put forth here to have bled their way into the JL movie screenplay.
Contributor
Contributor

Stuart believes that the pen is mightier than the sword, but still he insists on using a keyboard.