With streaming channels allowing for numerous adaptations of comic book series, there have been shows that may not have ever seen the light of day in the old days of cable television. However, with avenues like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more available, fans are getting versions of their favorite comics more than ever. Sometimes they launch with great fanfare, and other times, they launch almost silently.
The difference usually comes in how much money is being put behind the series. Expect the next few Millarworld adaptations to receive a similar promotion to Jupiter’s Legacy. Netflix spent a lot of money securing the rights. However, a show like Resident Alien can be a big success even without tons of hype behind it. There are lots of independent comics that might not be big money affairs but could make great TV.
10 Saga Would Be A Great Series, But It Probably Won’t Happen.
There are great comics that may never see adaption to other media. It’s not that they aren’t viable, their creators are simply content with the stories existing as comics. With mainstream comics, this isn’t a problem, but some of the greatest independent comics are creator-owned.
Creator Matthew Vaughn has stated in interviews that he’s happy with Saga as simply a comic book. There’s always a possibility that Vaughn and co-creator Fiona Staples might allow a television adaptation, but it’s not being pushed by the creators. Any real push for a series will likely come from the television side.
9 We Can Never Go Home Was A Short Series, But Has Lots of Potential
Matthew Rosenberg, Patrick Kindlon, and Josh Hood produced a simply amazing series in 2015 with We Can Never Go Home. While it only had five issues, a world was established with super-powered individuals hunted by forces wishing to control them, including the government. The story keeps grounded by focusing on two teenagers, Duncan and super-powered Maddie.
A sequel was set up and previewed, but never published. This only means that there is more material available for television producers to draw from with the creators’ cooperation. It also ended on a possible cliffhanger with Maddie on the run.
8 E-Man Brings Humor With Potentially Brilliant Visuals
E-man is a wonderfully funny superhero comic with a very powerful protagonist. Nicola Cuti, Martin Pasko, and Joe Staton kept E-Man from ever taking itself too seriously. It even delved into a parody of the superhero genre at times with characters like the F-Men. It intentionally avoided going dark.
While a straight-out parody of superhero movies and television universes might be a good thing to touch on, any E-man series shouldn’t depend upon it. It might also see itself better adapted through animation, although a heavy-CGI series could be a way to go as well, depending on the outlet.
7 Giant Days Seems A Natural For A Coming Of Age TV Series
John Allison‘s series Giant Days followed three female college students, each of them different in amazing ways. The supporting cast each are well-defined characters in their own right, adding to the tapestry. While set in Great Britain, it never feels unrelatable to American audiences.
Of course, the urge to Americanize the location would be strong but keeping it in the U.K. can keep the story generic enough to appeal to a wider audience. The strength of the series is the relationships that characters share. There are also enough over-the-top story elements to make it different in the vast field of television offerings.
6 Day Men Has An Intricate World of Vampires.
The best series suited for adaptation into television are the ones that create a world to be explored. Day Men had a hidden society of vampires that used human operatives to protect them and carry out their operations. It was also beautifully illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze.
A Day Men television series could really benefit from delving deep into the life of a Day Man. David Reid was the focus of the comic book, and likewise using him to explore the life of a vampire family‘s operative is probably the way to go. If the mood of a season is to show the solitude of his lifestyle, then a series should wait to show other Day Men.
5 Body Bags Would Have Great Action For A TV Series.
Jason Pearson brought over the top action to comics with his father-daughter hitman team. The stories that featured this duo were heavy on explosions and gunfire. Car chases with Clownface’s ride called “Da Boss” would be great for on-screen action as well.
A television series based on this team could benefit from Latinx writers to take advantage of the diversity this duo offers, having of Hispanic heritage. Filming several outdoor scenes in Atlanta, the basis of this series setting of Terminus would add to the atmosphere. Casting Panda is the key to the success, though, as to avoid accusations of stereotyping.
4 Empowered Would Offer Over-The-Top Humor
Adam Warren‘s series Empowered would also make a good translation to television with its humorous take on superheroes. It borders on the more mature with its lead heroine constantly getting her costume ripped. It also plays on the ultra-violent trend in mainstream superhero comics.
Given the nature of many of its characters and their powers, Empowered might need to be animated. An obvious choice would be to go the pseudo-anime route of Avatar the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. It might get a little too mature for a broad audience, but with streaming services, it can find an audience.
3 Kim & Kim Offers LGBTQ-Friendly Action In A Sci-Fi Universe
Bounty hunters Kim & Kim offer space adventure with a dash of social conscience. Fortunately, the characters have always been written where their LGBTQ orientation has never been defining for them. The focus here is on two highly-skilled bounty hunters that are impetuous to the point of self-sabotage.
Protagonists that embrace their faults are interesting as flaws are what make characters feel real to viewers. That could create a show that could have a dedicated following.
2 Love and Rockets Already Has A Fantastic Narrative Structure
One of the first independent comics to gain a following that has persisted over the years is Love and Rockets. While the rights have been tied up for over a decade the closest that an adaptation has come to fruition is a possible Palomar film that hasn’t seen progress since 2013. Locas would also seem like a great story to adapt with its strong narrative structure.
The brilliance might come in keeping the series as a type of anthology, with shorter episodes for both Palomar and Locas. Perhaps even the Fritz B-Movies could add to the stories told in this series. With Love and Rockets, the stories flow so well with the slightly bizarre that it could be binge-able years into the future.
1 Strangers In Paradise Is The Drama-Filled Comic That Needs A Wider Audience On Television
While a film was announced in development in 2017 with Professor Marston and the Wonder Women writer/director Angela Robinson, Strangers In Paradise would seem to be better suited to a television series. It’s got over a hundred issues to adapt, something that can’t be captured in a couple of hours. The best a film can hope to do is capture the first part of a much larger story.
There are so many parts of the story that need to be told. Several of these are in the last two dozen issues alone. Best of all, Katchoo and Francine deserve the happy ending that creator Terry Moore gave them in Strangers In Paradise #90.
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