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.