There’s been an awful lot mentioned about the idea of “comic book movie fatigue” kicking in and there’s a definite long-term risk of it happening. The genre has been in the ascendancy for years and the bubble has to burst eventually. In fact, there have been signs of that happening already (Spider-Man 3, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Green Lantern etc).
An insane amount of movies are set to be released in the genre and it equates to a heck of a lot of money for the average cinema-goer to be dishing out – and the fact that most of the movies will play out the same comic book movie formula with different characters (yawn!) is definitely not a good thing. Add on the fact that the genre is now taking over television as well (seriously, get out of our brains!!) and you can see why there might be a problem.
That being said, next year’s Suicide Squad will provide some brief and extremely welcome respite from that formula (hallelujah!). For the first time in living memory, a comic book movie will be headlined by a group of villains and the genre as a whole could definitely benefit and learn from that defiance of tradition.
Comic books aren’t always about superheroes and nor do they all follow the same formula, so why should the likes of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and Iron Man constantly steal the movie limelight and always come out on top? It’s ridiculous! There are countless examples of non-superhero characters and non-traditional stories in perfectly adaptable and brilliant comic books out there right now.
Here, then, are eight awesome potential comic book movies that would totally refresh the genre – when that fatigue finally does kick in – by defying that tried and tested superhero formula.
Runaways
The Runaways have been rumoured to be getting their own movie for several years (way back in 2010 the movie was expected to start filming in 2011), but it has sadly never come to fruition. It’s a very different concept to anything that has ever been utilised in a comic book movie before, but it could actually become a part of the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A Marvel property, the Runaways are a group of children who found out that their parents were a super-powered group of criminals known as "the Pride". Consequently, they ran away (which is where their name comes from) and, after discovering they had inherited some powers from their ‘rents, became a group of heroes in their own right.
They’re an extremely popular property and have mingled with the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Young Avengers and Hank Pym, and they were a part of stories like Civil War and Secret Invasion, so there’s no reason they couldn’t fit into the MCU. It would really add something to see them in the franchise and the concept would definitely make a good movie in its own right.
Craptacular B-Sides
When it comes to the Craptacular B-Sides, I’m not necessarily saying that they specifically should be given the movie treatment, I’m simply saying that they’re representative of a concept that has been sorely neglected in the comic book movie so far – lame superheroes.
Every movie superhero seems to ooze charisma, have perfect hair and teeth, defined muscles and deliver witty lines. Where are all the losers? Those types of character are every bit as interesting as the jocks of the superhero world, after all.
Kick-Ass is about the closest thing to this kind of character that we’ve seen before – he was essentially a brave and dedicated nerd in a silly costume – but the idea is distinctly lacking elsewhere. The Craptacular B-Sides are a trio of disenfranchised youths with no direction in life until they form a superhero team – and their powers are extremely underwhelming – so why not produce a movie based on that kind of character for a change?
Masters Of Evil
As touched upon in the introduction to this article, next year’s Suicide Squad will contribute greatly to freshening up the comic book scene, as DC and Warner Brothers release a movie focused on a group of villains for the first time.
Marvel Studios should follow suit with a movie of their own about a villainous group – and what group would be a better one to focus on than the anathema to the Avengers themselves, the Masters of Evil.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe already has an abundance of villains to use in the team and could easily add more. It would be awesome to see the likes of Loki, Abomination, a returning Red Skull, a rebuilt Ultron and more villains teaming up against the likes of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk et al, so Marvel should definitely go ahead and get it done!
Sex Criminals
Sex Criminals is an ongoing comic book series that was first published in September of 2015. It’s brilliantly written by Matt Fraction and beautifully illustrated by Chip Zdarsky. The concept is superb and would make for a potentially brilliant movie.
It’s about Suzie, a librarian, and Jon, an actor. The pair meet at a party and sleep together, at which point they discover that they share the ability to freeze time when they orgasm. A movie would essentially be like Adam Sandler’s Click, but it would actually be well written and be a hell of a lot more adult-oriented.
There was talk early in 2015 that Matt Fraction – who created the comic, as well as being its writer – had struck a deal with Universal Television to turn Sex Criminals into a television show. If that’s the case, a big screen adaptation would be unlikely, but there’s absolutely no doubting that it would make a great movie and would certainly be a completely new spin on the comic book movie genre.
A Buffyverse Movie
This particular entry is a little bit different to the others on the list, as it’s the only one not based on material that started off as a comic, but let us explain further.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel were Joss Whedon television shows that were part of the same universe and came to an end in 2003 and 2004 respectively. The Buffyverse, as it was collectively known, saw heroes going up against all kinds of supernatural beings. However, comic book continuations of the shows have been ongoing since then and they have enabled things to happen that wouldn’t ever have happened with a television budget.
Therefore, movies based on the comic books – allowing Buffy and Angel to display real power and deal with some truly powerful beings – would be awesome to see. A Hollywood budget would make anything possible and the audience is still there, meaning any movies would still absolutely be an undoubted success.
The Wake
The Wake is a ten-issue, ocean-based horror and sci-fi tinged miniseries that was published in 2013. It was written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Snyder's American Vampire: Survival Of The Fittest collaborator Sean Gordon Murphy, and published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics.
It’s about Marine Biologist named Lee Archer who finds herself plunged into the depths of the Arctic Circle to a secret, underwater oil rig known as the "Ghost Rig". Things go horribly wrong down there, as she and her colleagues encounter a dangerous new species that could even be the missing link.
It might not be the most original comic ever written, but it looks great – its aesthetics would translate brilliantly to the big screen – it’s dark, it’s claustrophobic and it’s atmospheric and it would certainly make a fantastic scary movie. Moreover, it would be extremely different to any comic book movie that has ever come before it.
A “What If?” Movie
What If…? is a series of Marvel comic books that explore how certain things might have changed in the Marvel universe if particular events didn’t transpire. Essentially, they can allow for anything to potentially happen – even things that might seem absolutely ridiculous – because they aren’t canon and are really just for fun.
Examples include What if the Avengers had never been? What if the Fantastic Four had different super-powers? What if Conan the Barbarian walked the Earth today? And What if Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben had lived (and Aunt May was murdered instead)?
It would make for a movie with absolutely no consequences, so audience members could simply immerse themselves in it and then forget it about it afterwards – which would make for a very different experience, given the expansive nature of comic book movie universes today – while also getting to see some crazy ideas put into live action.
Punk Rock Jesus
Running for just six issues between September of 2012 and January of 2013, Punk Rock Jesus was a very unique comic and one that would surely make a fantastic movie. Created by the brilliant Sean Gordon Murphy and released on DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint, it’s about a clone of Jesus Christ himself, who was created from DNA found on the Shroud of Turin.
The clone goes on to completely reject religion, becomes an atheist, and ends up as a rebellious punk rocker who’s also the star of a reality television show.
It’s pretty damn twisted, but it’s cool as hell and it would undoubtedly make a really awesome and satirical cinematic take on both science-fiction and reality television. It would be one of those movies that would have the potential to become a real cult classic.
Saga
Saga is an ongoing comic that started in 2012. It has been described as "Star Wars meets Game of Thrones" and is said to evoke science fiction and fantasy works like The Lord of the Rings and classic works like Romeo and Juliet.
It is a combination of the amazing writing of Brian K. Vaughan, spectacular art by Fiona Staples, extremely varied weird and wonderful characters, some incredibly intense emotion and some truly hilarious and deeply thought-provoking moments.
It’s the kind of comic that would translate brilliantly to the big screen. There’s such a rich back catalogue of material from the near-four years Saga has been running that it has the potential to be a brilliant series of soap opera movies – something Guardians of the Galaxy proved can still be massively successful (and something Star Wars is set to further prove in the coming weeks).
Any Crossover Movie
One way to refresh the comic book movie genre would be with a crossover movie that mixes comic book characters with characters from another genre. There’s a huge back catalogue of crossover comic books in existence, including the likes of Superman vs. Predator, Green Lantern Versus Aliens, New Avengers/Transformers and Superman/ThunderCats.
The only times anything like that has ever been done on the big screen before is with characters from the same genres; King Kong vs. Godzilla, Freddy vs. Jason, and Alien vs. Predator, for example.
Doing something like this would bring in fans from two different genres, potentially introducing new viewers to comic book movie characters – and it would generally be unique and awesome to see. The possibilities are limitless – after all, a crossover movie wouldn’t necessarily have to be based on an existing crossover comic book – so it would totally inject new life into comic book movies.
What do you think? Does the comic book movie genre need freshening up? Would these movies do the trick? Have your say in the comments section below.
