Top 5 Comic Books That Should Be Made Into TV Shows

The Walking Dead has been called the “King of Cable TV” (in the US, don’t you dare throw your set-top-boxes out the window).

12 years ago the Smallville pilot broke the WB record for a TV debut. More recently Arrow (2012) (which is basically Batman Begins plus Robin Hood) became a huge success. So what Now Marvel will be strike back this September with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But when these 2 behemoths were wrestling for concepts, Image Comics took the cake. Their comic’s adaptation The Walking Dead is a bigger commercial and critical success than any other comic book show.

So which stories should producers pick to emulate TWD’s success?

#5 Planetary (Wildstorm/DC)

By Warren Ellis & John Cassaday

Planetary is a trio who call themselves "Archaeologists of the Impossible". They are sponsored by the mysterious “The Fourth Man”. The team consists of Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and Drummer (each having a handy ability for boss battles).

They investigate relics, phenomena and conspiracy theories while fending off The Four (evil, scientifically accurate depictions of the Fantastic Four).

This is exactly the show which will cater to the audience of The X-Files, Supernatural or Fringe. It can be episodic yet build a lot on its mythology. It also offers the flexibility to producers as a limited series or a forever-running-bore-us-to-death-with-thousand-seasons series.

#4 Morning Glories (Image Comics)

By Nick Spencer & Joe Eisma

Our six protagonists gain admission to the Morning Glories Academy. MGA is a highly exclusive boarding school. The parents don’t remember their children. The basement has a vengeful spirit. Other school locations have a history of occult. And the students have secrets of their own. It’s the regular curriculum today.

As a show we’ll have the quirkiness of Glee and the mystery of LOST blended together. But the USP of this book is its writing. When you complete an arc it feels like your mind got untangled. And yet you keep craving for more.

This can be a highly cerebral yet charming show for the 15-25 demographic.

#3 Y: The Last Man (Vertigo)

By Brian K Vaughn & Pia Guerra

Normally apocalyptic stories have genocide; this has ‘gendercide’.

After a plague all mammals with the y chromosome (penisoids*) die except Yorick Brown and his monkey Ampersand (Shift + 7). In their quest to find sexual balance in the society they must deal with deformed fanatics, militants and assassins.

Y:TLM could be a show with strong concepts such as sexism, feminism and social evils. But it has the tone of a comedy, because the last man is de facto the luckiest man. Well, maybe not.

Moreover, this can easily gain a cult following because of its potential to cast sexy powerful female supporting characters.

*males

#2 Locke & Key

By Joe Hill

This is the tragic tale of the Locke siblings. They move to their ancestral home Key House after their father is murdered by a psycho. The house has many secrets locked within. And every Locke has a key. The pun was necessary to keep this spoiler-free.

This is a story of macabre, friendship and growing up. This is solid mini-series material and would work best in the Sherlock format.

You’re still not convinced. Oh hell, here goes, writer Joe Hill is the son of the legendary Stephen King. Sheesh.

Ps. Don’t let the kids see this.

#1 Irredeemable (Boom! Studios)

By Mark Waid

       

What if Superman turned to the Darkseid (pun intended)? What if he starts butchering every single man on earth? What if the rest of the Justice League is wetting their beds? What if kryptonite isn’t his weakness? 
The answer is Irredeemable. In this The Plutonian has defected to evil and it’s up to his former team the Paradigm to stop him.

This is a powerful script for an HBO original drama. The story has twists, violence, scandals and sex. Interesting powers the world has never seen and a non-linear narrative (Nolan style) is just an added bonus.

This serialized tale of redemption can give Game of Thrones a run for their money. And for your information it’ll make you fear Superman more than... Hey who threw that batarang?