15 COMIC BOOKS THAT WOULD MAKE GREAT TV SHOWS

This week, the TV show MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD debuted on ABC.  A couple of years ago, that wouldn’t even be a pitch that would make it to pilot, but, after the incredible success of THE AVENGERS at the movies, it’s more than possible—it was eagerly awaited by millions of people.  Well, to be fair, they did try a NICK FURY TV movie (i.e. “hopeful pilot”) with David Hasselhoff in the title role.  Better than you’d expect, it didn’t exactly set the world on fire.  That the new show does NOT star the well-known Fury but rather a bunch of characters made up for the show (led by the Phil Coulson character who was made up for the movies) makes it even more unexpected.  It can definitely be argued that the original NICK FURY/SHIELD comic series was inspired by the MAN FROM UNCLE TV show and JAMES BOND movies of the 60’s, it’s interesting that that the concept has come full circle.

But there are some comic books that would make even more likely (and possibly better) TV shows!  Let's take a look at some of the top candidates:

THE BATMAN—This one is the biggest no-brainers of all time!  The only reason it’s not on TV right now is that Christopher Nolan didn’t want any attention diverted from his DARK KNIGHT movies.  TV shows like ARROW and SMALLVILLE show how well a comic book show can be these days.  And law and order “procedurals” are all over TV now and these would make a great template for a one-hour drama version of BATMAN.  Special effects would not be that necessary if you stuck to Batman’s costumed criminals (no shape-changing Clayface please!), and like the campy Adam West version of the 60’s, it would be great fun to see all the modern character actors portray the villains in recurring roles!  BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES showed how great a BATMAN TV show could actually be and I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Bruce Timm and Paul Dini in charge of a live action version too!  They could even adapt the animated show’s episodes!

ROBIN—If Batman is still off limits in favor of the movies, then I would really love to see a ROBIN TV show!  It can be the Batman story from the point of view of his trainee.  Batman or Bruce Wayne wouldn’t even have to show up that often or in full view.  TV shows about teenagers and their troubles are already a great basis for almost countless TV shows, add action/adventure and it would be great!  Training and learning also make for a lot of story opportunities.  And you could still have all the great villains show up, played by the day’s most interesting actors.  And Batgirl would always be welcome too!

LOIS LANE—Along the same lines, a Lois Lane TV show would be great!  We pretty much had that with Teri Hatcher in LOIS AND CLARK, a show that never bothered with too many super-villains and only tanked when Lois and Clark got together.  In the comics, Lois starred in her own comic for 20 years and consistently outsold BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN, and almost everything else on the stands for much of that run.  A fun mix of I LOVE LUCY (hi-jinx), THREE’S COMPANY (misunderstandings), and BRENDA STARR (reporter action), LOIS LANE appealed on many levels, and a TV show could do the same.  Right after the end of SMALLVILLE, they could have easily taken the delightful Erica Durance straight into her own show.  “The Super-Hero’s Girlfriend” is a great concept and if Warner Bros. doesn’t do it with LOIS LANE, somebody else will probably do a thinly veiled copy before too long. 

POWERMAN & IRON FIST—The whole “Heroes For Hire” concept is practically made for TV!  Think ROCKFORD FILES with super-powers!  Sure, the iconic versions of their costumes might be too 70’s…but these are two characters whose costumes are not their defining aspects.  These are two super-heroes who could go “plain clothes” and not have it affect them whatsoever.  As in the comic book, you could start with Luke Cage setting up shop almost as a super-powered private investigator or bodyguard type with really down-to-earth sensibilities and then bring in Danny Rand/Iron Fist to add the fantastic and mystical to his life.  Again, the only reason this is not a TV show already is, I’m sure, because of the hopes for movie deals.

THE CREEPER—It’s funny, books often have writers as protagonists, there have been a lot of movies about movie-making, comic-books often insert comic-book creators in their stories, and one of the things that TV does best is make TV shows about TV shows!  And these are some of the best shows television has produced—THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, 30 ROCK, and a lot of other shows about news shows or comedy shows!  Even a lot of “reality” shows seem to be the “behind-the-scenes” “documentaries” about the making of TV shows…shows they just don’t bother to make.  Jack Ryder as a newsman would make a great foundation for the “regular people” half of the show (that every super-hero story always has) and then the conceit of Ryder switching to his Creeper guise by a simple click on the wrist is right up there with Wonder Woman twirling and not the boring “I’ve got to find a broom closest to tediously remove my suit to reveal the super-hero costume I always wear underneath” sequence.  And the Creeper is just super enough to make things interesting, but not so super that the viewers would be hardpressed to suspend their disbelief every episode.  If drawn incorrectly, the bright red and yellow Creeper might look silly, but, every time I’ve seen someone dress as him at a comic con, it looks really cool!  I think the Creeper design is one that translates really well to reality.  I honestly don’t know if I would be that scared if someone dressed like Spider-Man or Batman approached me in real life, but, if the Creeper leaped out at me in a dark alley, I would run like blazes!

DOLL MAN—Yes, I said “Doll Man”!  Yahoo is starting a web series right now called TINY COMMANDO, Marvel is going ahead with their ANT MAN movie, movies like HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS and THE BORROWERS always amaze, there was even a straight-to-video movie a number of years ago called DOLL MAN with Tim Thomerson as a diminutive alien with a big gun and a big chip on his shoulder, and, of course, Richard Matheson’s THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is a great book made into a classic movie.  The concept is fun and visual, good for comics and/or movies, but perhaps best suited for TV.  (Remember VALLEY OF THE GIANTS?)  Sure, DC could go ahead and try to adapt THE ATOM, but I think DOLL MAN is the purest example of the premise and a catchier name.  It has a touch of vulnerability to it which best conveys the dangers a tiny man might face—getting tied to an overflowing sink, stalked by a hungry housecat, being washed down a storm-swept street into the gutter, locked in a glove compartment—what have you.  I might save THE ATOM for the movies as his shrinking to sub-atomic size would call for incredible special effects and storylines like FANTASTIC VOYAGE are (no pun intended) bigger and should be rarer.

CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN—This is also a concept that could be a movie or revived as a comic book, but it just might be better suited to the TV format.  The latest revamp in the comics played with the idea that this monster and mystery-hunting team was actually a TV reality show was a good idea needlessly twisted and cluttered.  There have been a number of paranormal investigation shows on SyFy the last few years where they never actually find the monster or the ghost—how about a show that takes that concept and asks what happens when the team actually DOES come across Big Foot or Aliens, etc.?  Again, the costumes are disposable and regular clothes would work just fine, but you’re GOT to keep the core team of Ace, Prof, Red, and Rocky and their distinct personalities.

DR. STRANGE or CONSTANTINE—Yes, I know they’re prepping a DR. STRANGE movie and there already was a CONSTANTINE movie that flopped, but a mystical investigator is a concept that practically screams television!  Movies like THE EXORCIST and now PARANORMAL ACTIVITY have always been a big draw, mix them with the X-FILES format, and you’ve got yourself five years worth of stories.  If you went with DR. STRANGE, you could pitch it as a “supernatural House (or Marcus Welby or ER or any of countless other medical shows)”!  The "Blink" episode of DR. WHO is a great example of what's possible here.

THE SPECTRE—Everything I just said could apply to police Lt. Jim Corrigan and his ghostly alter-ego—except mix it with the trappings of a police procedural instead.  I would SO watch this! 

GHOST RIDER—Okay, the movie franchise has GOT to be dead by this point, right?  It’s the perfect time to reboot the concept as a TV show!  Again, plain clothes are fine and CGI can be as limited as the budget allows.  Even more suited to television than the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno HULK, the story of a cursed man traveling from town to town opens the door to countless story possibilities.  Add to that the coolness of motorcycles and the beauty of the open road through the American Southwest and you’ve got yourself a potentially GREAT series!  This time though, hire a 22-year-old blond kid to be Johnny Blaze—I’m pretty sure there might be a few of them in Hollywood.

ARCHIE—Why was this never a TV show?  SAVED BY THE BELL, 90210, GLEE, and just about every show on the Disney Channel—these all clearly express the great need and desire for a lighthearted TV show about teenagers in school and at home!  And the Archie/Betty/Veronica triangle is one of the best and most iconic set-ups in Americana!  Well, wait.  I suppose it WAS a TV show!  Red-headed teenager, his romantic ups and downs, the town malt shop, some goofy friends, wholesome 1950’s small town setting—what could be a better ARCHIE TV show than HAPPY DAYS?  But they misspelled “Archie” as “Richie.”

DEADMAN—Ah well, the same could be said about this and QUANTUM LEAP, except they added the sci fi element and different time periods.

THE X-MEN—Sure, the movie franchise is too successful to allow for a TV version, but, like BATMAN, I would rather see 100 or 200 one-hour drama episodes of this than a few hit and miss movies.  And it lends itself so well to the episodic weekly format.  A new mutant pops up in some small American town, send the core team to investigate, things explode—that’s a great premise!  As we’ve seen by MUTANT X, HEROES, and ALPHAS, the premise is quite workable on TV.  Of course, all those thinly veiled knock-offs (or homages—whatever) failed, but I would guess the original version would do much better.  Hmm…if SHIELD can be on the air at the same time AVENGERS are in the movies, why COULDN’T there be X-MEN movies AND a TV show on at the same time?

Finally, how about a STEVE DITKO show?  Rod Serling, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ray Bradbury have all had their own anthology shows, how about a show adapting all those twisty sci fi and spooky stories Ditko did in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s for various comic publishers?  Go ahead, TV people, I freely give you this idea!