Comic Books You'd Like to See Become TV Shows

[Rowsdower!]

Well, with The Walking Dead and Arrow going strong; The Flash, Constantine and Gotham on the way soon; and Daredevil and Preacher getting underway, we could very well be in a golden age of comic book TV shows. And it's great. Not every comic book character is Batman or Superman and needs to be in a movie. But there are many great characters and stories that have a much better chance of finding an audience on the small screen. What are some (more obscure) comics you'd like to see become a TV show?

One character I'd like to see (even though it likely would never happen) is X. No, not Professor X, but the ass-kicking, cold-blooded vigilante who was pretty much the only good thing about Dark Horse's Comics Greatest World universe. The character was basically what Batman would have been if he had Wolverine's ability to heal and had no qualms about killing ANYONE who got in his way. I just found out that Dark Horse launched a new series last year, so I guess I'll be making a trip to my local comic book shop soon to pick up the trade paperback.

Anyway, it's highly doubtful that anyone will be bringing X to the small screen (or the computer screen nowadays) anytime soon, but the concept could really work on a network willing to take risks (Netflix, HBO, Showtime).

 

[Sawyer]

I'm almost hesitant to put something that is so obviously never, ever, ever going to happen, but...

Spoiler

 

[random_havoc]

I think Spider-Man would suffer as a tv show because of the downgrading of the special effects.
If that weren't the case though it could be an... Amazing... Show.

 

[Sawyer]

The special effects wouldn't be as good, but as far as I'm concerned, a serialized show would be so much better than what's going on with the films right now.

 

[jonathancrane]

-A Question tv series. Part Arrow, part Lone Gunmen, part X-Files.
-A tv series based on the first volume of Legends of the Dark Knight. Make Sherlock length episodes (exclude the crossovers,) and adapt the following storylines: Prey, Venom, Gothic, Shaman, Terror, and a few others.
-Stef Hutchinson's Halloween comics. Have HBO pick them up and make a series of anthology seasons based on the individual books.
-A new Tales From The Crypt series. Include the Witch, Mummy, and Vault Keeper as guest hosts.

 

[cabel]

We had that Spider-Man show. I was Spectacular



Also, the Question.

 

[runawayboulder]

I think every comic is better suited as a TV show instead of a movie.

 

[KevanG]

I'd love to see Top 10 be a tv show. Powers may be coming along and I love both but Top 10 was went with the whole police drama in a superhero world and ran with it and it was amazing.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Bluntman and Chronic.

 

[James]

I think The Punisher has great potential for a TV series. There's not enough interest in the character to generate a blockbuster film (and the quality of the three films that have been made is much debated) but perhaps Frank Castle could find a decent following in TV. It would also allow the creators to flesh out the character more than they're able to in a 90 minute film.

 

[DrCosmic]

I have, like a ton, I should probably list them.

1. Supreme Power

Spoiler

Marvel's gritty Superman homage could play out on TV like a sort of a Justice League version of Game of Thrones. Betrayals, deaths, power-plays. I'd love that to pieces.

2. Invincible

Spoiler

Since Robert Kirman's Walking Dead is doing so well on TV, why not add another to the mix. One of the best comics out, if you haven't been reading it. A TV show is sort of a Walking Dead-ish version of Smallville. Like the Spider-Man suggestion earlier, even primo TV budgets will reduce the scope of the visuals.

3. X-Men

Spoiler

I have, like a whole extensive X-Men TV show idea in my sig, so, clearly a fan of that idea. I could go on forever about high school drama working on TV and serial storytelling for such a huge cast, but generally, you get the idea of Heroes meets Smallville.

4. Green Lantern Corps

Spoiler

On the CW with the rest of *that* DCU, fronted by John Stewart I imagine it a sort of Dr. Who meets Battlestar Galactica, with rings instead of spaceships, basically.

5. New Universal

Spoiler

I really loved this cinematic take on a new superheroic universe. If Supreme Power is too much of a DC knockoff, this could be just the thing.

6. Robin

Spoiler

I'd say I want a Batman show, but that's not really true. I want Batman as an overarching force and I want the development to really center around Dick Grayson as he grows up into something really incredible. 24 meets Arrow.

7. Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane

Spoiler

Another from my center-on-someone-other-than-the-overexposed-superhero angle. It would be absolutely and unapologetically a girl show, no ifs ands or buts about it. Grey's Anatomy meets Lois and Clark New Adventures of Superman. It'd just be, y'know, instead of medical cases and McDreamy, it'd be supervillains and Spider-Man. Good times.

8. Runaways

Spoiler

Long overdue for a film, this would work out better on TV. IMO, compressing that story would be a real mistake, not with 18 issues making for an almost perfect season. Still with the visual scaling, sure, but more than worth it to tell this tale of these very down to Earth very put upon teenagers and their failure to stay children.

I think that's it for real... but there's a lot more I wouldn't mind seeing...

 

[Arrowshieldfan]

young justice live version.....not sure if a tv budget would able to handle specific effect and other requirement needed

 

[Soapy]

Just about any of them. I feel comics are much better suited to be adapted to television than movies. I would love to have a Batman TV show one day on like AMC or FX or something. Too bad it will probably never happen.

 

[flickchick85]

Matt Fraction's Hawkeye.

 

[SuperheroMethod]

Punisher. In particular circle of blood could lend itself to a 5 part mini series

 

[smallville fan]

Y: The Last Man: It's essentially The Walking Dead with no zombies, and virtually no dudes except for Yorick and a whole lot of women. I could see a network like the CW trying it. Thoughts?

 

[Gort Baringa]

The Silent Knight.

An old DC Comics storyline . . . hero with a secret identity . . .

 

[James]

Punisher. In particular circle of blood could lend itself to a 5 part mini series

Circle of Blood would be good for sure. Ideally I'd like to see and adaption of Ennis' MAX run.

 

[SuperBatman]

I'd like to see a Punisher TV series maybe on HBO or maybe even on Netflix if they plan to do a 2nd Wave in a Netflix TV show type thing. I also wouldn't mind the Runaways.

 

[Goopy Snake]

A TV show always has to keep budget in mind. Even HBO had to cancel Rome because it got too expensive. So for the most part, superheroes are out of the question.

While I'm biased, I think Welcome to Tranquility would be a great series. It's a Wildstorm title about a retirement community for supers. A hero/nemesis pair that battled for decades now live next to each other and argue over where the property line is.

There's also the Image title Cowboy Ninja Viking which has obvious cult fandom potential.

And we've pretty much already scene Fables turned into a series in Once Upon a Time, only very, very badly.

 

[Goopy Snake]

I'd like to see a Punisher TV series maybe on HBO or maybe even on Netflix if they plan to do a 2nd Wave in a Netflix TV show type thing. I also wouldn't mind the Runaways.

I can second both of those, although only Punisher if it got on HBO/Showtime, or at least a cable channel that does more risque stuff, like FX.

 

[godisawesome]

There was a whole thread about the idea and feasibility of a Young Justice live action show. I liked it, but it was easily the most expensive idea. If you pulled it off perfectly, it could be good, but eh, you never know. I say that you have to use some thing like the "World Without Grownups" idea to make the premise stick. Seeing Robin and Nightwing trying to hold the fort without Batman, or Superboy trying to take Big Blue's place, could work very well as a mission for the show. Plus, a guy like Harm would be awesome for television.

I've got two ideas for Arrow spinoffs like Flash:

Suicide Squad. The Group's already appeared and shows potential, but I'd just add a few characters and causes. Captain Atom could make a cool character of they slowly built up his powers. I figure you could have him start as the wrongfully convicted volunteer for an experimental procedure involving low-level Mirakuru injections with radioactive isotopes from the Keystone Hadron Collider. He looks normal at first, but then starts to have a glowing heart like his symbol and eventually shows that he can "burn off" his skin to show the silver we all know. Put him and Plastique on the team, maybe have Deathstroke join for a while, have Bronze Tiger seek redemption, you've got a show.

Manhunter. One of the Japanese experiments for an early Mirakuru prototype was tested on American POW Paul Kirk. The treatment put Kirk into a coma, but proved to have regenerative abilities. Attempts to formulate another treatment from his blood proved fruitless. After the war, the Council secured his body an continued experiments. In the 1980's they applied the Super-baby method with surrogate mothers to get themselves super soldiers they could raise. Only a few of the babies survived, and now they are under the investigation of Mark Shaw, a private investigator and his liaison with the DOD, Kate Spencer II (not the lawyer) and track down a lead in the form of mercenary Kirk DePaul. The three ally and take on the Council, it's "Headhunter" enforcers, and the assassin Dumas.

 

[johndoe123]

American Vampire

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

Jonah Hex
Moon Knight
Deadpool
Animal Man
Plastic Man
Ghost Rider

 

[Donnie Darko]

Sandman animated series.