Monday, October 21, 2013

10 Graphic Novels That Would Make Great Movies [Guest Post]

Today's post is brought to you by Nigel and Maurice A.K.A. The Geek Twins. Their site is awesome, full of geeky splendor, so be sure to check them out after you read through their picks for 10 graphic novels that deserve to be made into movies. 



Kingdom Come by Mark Waid
The concept of the "retired superhero" is overdone in comics, but it was given new life in this inspired interpretation. It tells the story of the Justice League returning after decades and creating a dystopian world where super villains are jailed or killed. This one could be brilliant if it tied into the DC Movie Universe as an alternate reality tale.



Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison
The most twisted Batman comic ever made. Joker takes over Arkham Asylum and Batman is forced to go in. It takes the villains we know and uses psychology to make them the most disturbing comic you'll ever read. This one would feel like a superhero version of Saw.



Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb
This Batman story is a brilliant murder mystery. It follows Batman and Gordon as they try to solve a series of murders over the course of a year that fall on an American holiday. The movie The Dark Knight takes elements from the novel, but a movie would be great. Especially for the reveal of the killer which left many readers confused.



Astonishing X-Men: Gifted by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Written by Joss Whedon, this graphic novel is about a "mutant cure" designed by scientist Dr. Kavita Rao, who was secretly working with an alien warrior. Issues #1–6 won the 2006 Will Eisner Award for "Best Continuing Series" and IGN called the arc the "best X-Men run in a decade." While X-Men: The Last Stand was based on this idea, the ramifications and deeper story means it's still open for a film.


Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo
Studios have been trying to make a live-action version of this classic novel (and animated film) for years, but it's never gotten off the ground.



Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
Y: The Last Man is a dystopian science fiction comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra published Vertigo in 2002. When every male mammal on Earth dies from a plague, Yorick Brown and his monkey travel across the United States looking for his mother. They're actually working on a Y: The Last Man movie, but who knows when that will happen.




Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross
What if you told the story of the Marvel Universe from an Everyman? This limited series tells the iconic Marvel stories from 1939 to 1974 from the perspective of an normal person: Photographer Phil Sheldon. The series won three Eisner Awards and would be a perfect compliment to films like Avengers and Man of Steel, which gloss over the human cost of superheroes.



Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
The origin of the Joker is told in this deep and moving story. From a failed comedian to the "Clown Prince of Crime" it gave the character depth in a way never seen before. The novel also has the shocking paralysis of Commissioner Gordon's daughter Barbara. Her character would go on to become the wheelchair-bound computer expert Oracle, who was the star of the Birds of Prey TV show. She'd make an awesome movie in her own right.



Darth Vader and Son
This children's book follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker meeting his father as a child. It's heart-warming, sweet and perfect for kids.



Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Maus is a comic book for people that think comic books can't deal with serious subjects. The writer tells his father's story under Nazi occupation using mice, pigs and cats. An animated version would be good, but a live-action film would blow people's minds. Think Schindler's List meets Babe.



Agree/disagree with any of their choices? Sound out in the comments. I'll be putting together a list of some of my choices as well down the line, so if there are any you think should be included, I'd love to hear it.

And be sure to check out The Geek Twins

8 comments:

  1. Obviously a lot of Batman graphic novels need to become movies.
    No Sandman? I wonder if that one will ever get made...
    The animated Akira is such genius, I'm all right with a live version never coming to pass.

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  2. Great list! I love the inclusion of Darth Vader and Son, That is too funny! I would love to see a stand alone Killing Joke, especially if Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy did an animated version.

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  3. Hey thanks Tim! I like the covers you added to. Alex, Batman inspires a lot of great novels. David, another Hamill and Conroy team-up would be brilliant!

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  4. Some good choices. Since zombies are such an in thing they should adapt the Marvel Zombies or DC's Blackest Night books. Who wouldn't want to watch superheroes battling zombie superheroes?

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  5. I'd have laughed at the idea of a Kingdom Come film in the 2000's, but CGI has gotten so good that now it would be kind of awesome. Superman vs Captain Marvel would be amazing on the big screen nowadays.

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  6. Those look amazing. The asylum one would be intriguing. I like dark. No zombies, though.

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  7. They all look good to me,, but just based on the cover, I'm most attracted to Batman: Arkham Asylum.

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  8. Great post! I think comics have a ton of potential for new stories for Hollywood.



    And now I have a few new trades to look for on amazon ...

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