By Eden Miller
Increasingly, it seems every comic out there will one day be turned into a movie. It can definitely be hard to keep track of what’s what if you want to dive into comics, so we’re here to help with some of the major ones.
Is the comic always better? I guess it depends on what you want. A lot of people would say yes, but I think as long as you realize that movies/TV shows are always going to be different than the comics, there is a lot of fun to be had reading the comics before (or after!) you see the movie.
- You’ve probably seen Iron Man 2 at this point. Unfortunately, like a lot of movies made from ongoing comic book series, it’s hard to know where to jump in when faced with so much history. However, The Invincible Iron Man, written by Matt Fraction, makes things a little bit easier (Fraction even consulted on the set). Will it be just like the movie? No, but it’s an Eisner-award winning series, so that should be a good enough recommendation.
- The movie version of Jonah Hex, starring Josh Brolin, is due out in less than two weeks, so don’t have too much time to catch up with the character, who has kind of bounced around the DC Comics universe since the 1970s. Still, DC Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex and Jonah Hex: Welcome to Paradise collections will definitely get you started.
- Tamara Drewe doesn’t come out in the UK until September (and who knows when in the U.S.) but Stephen Frears’ adaptation of Posy Simmonds’ title is on my “I can’t wait to see it.” (It stars the lovely Gemma Arterton, which should be enough for a lot of you.) This one is easy: Simmonds’ strip is collected in a single volume. (It can also be read online at The Guardian.)
- Scott Pilgrim is maybe a little bit more of a commitment, however, since the movie will more or less span all six volumes of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic. Of course, volume 6 isn’t out until July, so that gives you plenty of time to catch up before Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World hits theaters on Aug. 13
- The Walking Dead, a monthly comic written by Robert Kirkman with art by Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, is set to be a TV series on AMC, debuting this October. Here’s the selling point: It’s about zombies. So far, there are eleven collections of this Image Comics title (volume 12 should be out soon enough) so you obviously have a lot of reading to do between now and October.
Of course, this doesn’t cover everything. I’m sure there are about two dozen more comics that are being turned into movies as I write this (and I’m not even counting Thor or The Avengers or Green Lantern – basically, nothing that’s not coming out this year – and even then, I’m sure there’s things I’m missing). Still, though, I’m sure this is enough to keep you reading for a while.
[Image from Marvel Comics]
Thanks Eden! I never got into comics much but my fiance is a big fan of Jonah Hex, so I think I will probably read those pretty soon before the movie. But here’s a question — Do you think it’s a good idea to read comics before they are made into movies? I have this feeling like I might love the comic so much I will be disappointed in the movie, like I get with movies based on my fave books.
Good post. why the comcis industry isn’t taking more advantage of the film’s popularity is beyond me. Looks like it’s left to us comic bloggers to do it. I started up a review site recently aimed at people who don’t read comics, I’m hoping to get reviews of all those major comics that have been made into films, but it’s taking time, sadly.
(but if anyone would like to help me out contact me through the blog, linked above!)
I think it’s strange how there are some obvious ones that they could do more. I think Iron Man 2 is a good example — it would be so easy for them to push to Matt Fraction’s work, but I do think they assume that the movie audience and the comics audience aren’t necessarily the same.
It will be interesting to see how Scott Pilgrim does — I know a lot of people who don’t read comics regularly who are very excited about the movie.
I also know some hardcore SP fans who think it’s a really great adaptation of the book… in particular Rick Marshall from Splash Page (who’d seen an advanced screening) said that as a SP fan it was a “satisfying” experience.
I want it to do well and be well received — mostly b/c I think that Bryan Lee O’Malley and Hope Larson are two of the nicest people in the comics industry… (And, of course if the movie does will it will benefit the dudes over at Oni – who are awesome individuals.)
I want it to do well, too, for the reasons you’ve cited, but I also think SP is a good middle ground between “superheroes” and “graphic novels” (you know, in the snobby “I don’t read comics. I read graphic novels” sense). I think it will change some minds about what comics are and can be.
That’s my hope, anyway.
My platonic life partner (Tasha) is very excited about Jonah Hex. Whereas I’m pretty excited about Scott Pilgrim… Strangely I haven’t seen Iron Man 2 (I know I’m a bad, bad geek!) but I’m hoping to catch it over vacation. Personally, I think Iron Man #1 was the best adaptation of a comic book that I’ve seen to date (well, except for Sin City)…
Sooooo…
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