Mad Max (click for source)
by Sam Hurcom
Comics have never been more popular, and it seems as readers we’re utterly spoilt for choice. Zombie horror fans have The Walking Dead; warm hearted children’s literary fans have great titles like Abigail and the Snowman and Herobear and the Kid, Game of Thrones fans have Game of Thrones and sci-fi fans have just about everything their nerdy little hearts could desire.
Comics have never been more popular, and it seems as readers we’re utterly spoilt for choice. Zombie horror fans have The Walking Dead; warm hearted children’s literary fans have great titles like Abigail and the Snowman and Herobear and the Kid, Game of Thrones fans have Game of Thrones and sci-fi fans have just about everything their nerdy little hearts could desire.
Doc Brown (click for source)
MAD MAX
So I had to do quite a bit of fact checking on this one as I was utterly positive that a big name publisher had done a major series once upon a time. Turns out they haven’t; Mad Max’s only portrayal in the comic book world has been in a single prequel to a game released by Warner Bros. back last year. And better news still, with George Miller’s latest foray into the series in the form of Mad Max: Fury Road set for release on the big screen later this year, several pre-movie comic book specials will be released to mark the awesome occasion.
But the odd comic book special here and there seems hardly befitting of something with such mass potential as Mad Max. Let me pitch you one idea - a Mad Max series set between the first movie and The Road Warrior, a series beginning with a distraught half crazed, psychopathic and lonely Max dealing with the total, unquenchable rage that still begrudges him after the brutal murder of his wife and child. Lots of marauding biker gangs, double page spreads of that monster Ford Falcon V8 Pursuit Special (with plenty of detailed close ups of that super charger sticking out the hood!), sawn off shotguns, more leather than a Judas Priest music video and a two issue special on where that Blue Heeler came from (that’s the dog with the red sash Max has, by the way!).
If that doesn’t sound like a bloody incredible comic book series, I don’t know what does!!
THE ADVENTURES OF DOC. BROWN (BACK TO THE FUTURE PREQUEL)
Everybody loves Back to the Future, so much so that in the early nineties a comic book series was produced to extend the adventures of Marty McFly and co. Which seems a fairly logical step; if you had a flying, time travelling DeLoreon, you’d probably have more than three exciting escapades to your name right? Well yes and no; the Back to the Future series was tied up quite neatly in my view and I don’t really understand when Marty and Doc would get a chance to actually have any more adventures. I mean, weren’t the films set over like two or three consecutive days (in the eighties at least – I mean they were actually set over two centuries but I don’t like quibbling) and wasn’t the Deloreon smashed up on the train tracks at the end?
Regardless of time paradoxes or alternate realities, the idea of a comic didn’t sit well with me. But, ripping off an idea my partner Anna had, a comic based on the mishaps and strange doings of one Dr Emmet Brown circa. 1955 onwards might be a rather fun bi-weekly rag. Think lots of botched attempts at time travel, all number of whacky inventions causing chaos in Hill Valley and maybe even the introduction of an arch nemesis. Might have to skip over the Uranium sales by Iranian terrorists but there’s always one or two bugs to iron out.
So I had to do quite a bit of fact checking on this one as I was utterly positive that a big name publisher had done a major series once upon a time. Turns out they haven’t; Mad Max’s only portrayal in the comic book world has been in a single prequel to a game released by Warner Bros. back last year. And better news still, with George Miller’s latest foray into the series in the form of Mad Max: Fury Road set for release on the big screen later this year, several pre-movie comic book specials will be released to mark the awesome occasion.
But the odd comic book special here and there seems hardly befitting of something with such mass potential as Mad Max. Let me pitch you one idea - a Mad Max series set between the first movie and The Road Warrior, a series beginning with a distraught half crazed, psychopathic and lonely Max dealing with the total, unquenchable rage that still begrudges him after the brutal murder of his wife and child. Lots of marauding biker gangs, double page spreads of that monster Ford Falcon V8 Pursuit Special (with plenty of detailed close ups of that super charger sticking out the hood!), sawn off shotguns, more leather than a Judas Priest music video and a two issue special on where that Blue Heeler came from (that’s the dog with the red sash Max has, by the way!).
If that doesn’t sound like a bloody incredible comic book series, I don’t know what does!!
THE ADVENTURES OF DOC. BROWN (BACK TO THE FUTURE PREQUEL)
Everybody loves Back to the Future, so much so that in the early nineties a comic book series was produced to extend the adventures of Marty McFly and co. Which seems a fairly logical step; if you had a flying, time travelling DeLoreon, you’d probably have more than three exciting escapades to your name right? Well yes and no; the Back to the Future series was tied up quite neatly in my view and I don’t really understand when Marty and Doc would get a chance to actually have any more adventures. I mean, weren’t the films set over like two or three consecutive days (in the eighties at least – I mean they were actually set over two centuries but I don’t like quibbling) and wasn’t the Deloreon smashed up on the train tracks at the end?
Regardless of time paradoxes or alternate realities, the idea of a comic didn’t sit well with me. But, ripping off an idea my partner Anna had, a comic based on the mishaps and strange doings of one Dr Emmet Brown circa. 1955 onwards might be a rather fun bi-weekly rag. Think lots of botched attempts at time travel, all number of whacky inventions causing chaos in Hill Valley and maybe even the introduction of an arch nemesis. Might have to skip over the Uranium sales by Iranian terrorists but there’s always one or two bugs to iron out.
Luther (click for source)
DIRTY HARRY
In my mind, Clint Eastwood is one of the finest gifts the acting and directing movie gods have bestowed upon us. Anyone who says his performances are all the same and wooden has clearly never actually watched any of his films (and is probably a giant John Wayne fan). Arguably, one of Clint’s most iconic movie characters was the notorious ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan, a cop who’s sort of the pinnacle and very definition of a sub-genre of movies in their own right – the rough and tumble cop who continuously breaks the law but ultimately for good reasons and in the pursuit of social justice (think Giorgio Agamben’s philosophical, political concept of the Homo Sacer with a big 44. Magnum strapped under his arm!).
All in all there were five Dirty Harry movies and it pains me to say it, but only two were actually any good. Beyond the initial title, Magnum Force was probably the only film that didn’t fall into the trap of becoming cartoony, losing the dark undercurrent of Harry’s personal ideas of justice, to cheap one liners and action sequences. It may seem strange in that light to talk about adapting the Dirty Harry concept into a comic. But comics in the modern day aren’t all primary colours and zany plot twists.
Think the pages of Sin City, the dark political and social commentary of Watchmen and storylines that would resonate with readers around the world – corrupt politicians and high ranking figures in public office, over handed police officers pitched alongside lacklustre pencil pushers, a typical anti-hero struggling to understand any sense of right and wrong from which to make his stand. The imagery and world would be 1977, but everything else would be as current as a rolling news channel!
LUTHER
So as with every article I write, I’m going to digress a little. Much loved Kevin Smith has often talked about diversifying main stream comic book characters in an attempt to explore the social and ethical implications it may have for the character and his/her adventures. He’s often asked what having an ethnic minority taking on the role of Batman would imply – his background and lifestyle would arguably be quite different from the all-white, dynastical fortune and titles of Wayne Manor, and the villains and injustice he face may not all be crazed escapees from Arkham wearing strange masks.
The idea resonated with me and whether it was an original thought or something somebody mentioned down the line, I became fixated with the idea of Idris Elba taking on the role of Batman in this way. Anyone unfamiliar with Elba needs only go watch two titles he has appeared in to understand why he’s probably one of the best British screen actors in the world right now – The Wire and Luther. Strangely, it’s his work in the latter title as the do-gooding London based copper John Luther that translates to something Batman-esque.
The depiction of the dark and crumbling back streets of London, combined with villains and antagonists straight out of a comic in their own right (I’m thinking the sociopath Alice Morgan for starters) resonates well with the streets of Gotham and its citizens. Which begs the question why a full blown Luther comic wouldn’t work in its own right. The BBC have toyed with the idea to promote the latest upcoming TV series, but why stop with a six page digital comic on their website? Think full blown weekly run, a lot of strange new characters and that red tie emblazoned on every single page. Sounds pretty good to me.
In my mind, Clint Eastwood is one of the finest gifts the acting and directing movie gods have bestowed upon us. Anyone who says his performances are all the same and wooden has clearly never actually watched any of his films (and is probably a giant John Wayne fan). Arguably, one of Clint’s most iconic movie characters was the notorious ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan, a cop who’s sort of the pinnacle and very definition of a sub-genre of movies in their own right – the rough and tumble cop who continuously breaks the law but ultimately for good reasons and in the pursuit of social justice (think Giorgio Agamben’s philosophical, political concept of the Homo Sacer with a big 44. Magnum strapped under his arm!).
All in all there were five Dirty Harry movies and it pains me to say it, but only two were actually any good. Beyond the initial title, Magnum Force was probably the only film that didn’t fall into the trap of becoming cartoony, losing the dark undercurrent of Harry’s personal ideas of justice, to cheap one liners and action sequences. It may seem strange in that light to talk about adapting the Dirty Harry concept into a comic. But comics in the modern day aren’t all primary colours and zany plot twists.
Think the pages of Sin City, the dark political and social commentary of Watchmen and storylines that would resonate with readers around the world – corrupt politicians and high ranking figures in public office, over handed police officers pitched alongside lacklustre pencil pushers, a typical anti-hero struggling to understand any sense of right and wrong from which to make his stand. The imagery and world would be 1977, but everything else would be as current as a rolling news channel!
LUTHER
So as with every article I write, I’m going to digress a little. Much loved Kevin Smith has often talked about diversifying main stream comic book characters in an attempt to explore the social and ethical implications it may have for the character and his/her adventures. He’s often asked what having an ethnic minority taking on the role of Batman would imply – his background and lifestyle would arguably be quite different from the all-white, dynastical fortune and titles of Wayne Manor, and the villains and injustice he face may not all be crazed escapees from Arkham wearing strange masks.
The idea resonated with me and whether it was an original thought or something somebody mentioned down the line, I became fixated with the idea of Idris Elba taking on the role of Batman in this way. Anyone unfamiliar with Elba needs only go watch two titles he has appeared in to understand why he’s probably one of the best British screen actors in the world right now – The Wire and Luther. Strangely, it’s his work in the latter title as the do-gooding London based copper John Luther that translates to something Batman-esque.
The depiction of the dark and crumbling back streets of London, combined with villains and antagonists straight out of a comic in their own right (I’m thinking the sociopath Alice Morgan for starters) resonates well with the streets of Gotham and its citizens. Which begs the question why a full blown Luther comic wouldn’t work in its own right. The BBC have toyed with the idea to promote the latest upcoming TV series, but why stop with a six page digital comic on their website? Think full blown weekly run, a lot of strange new characters and that red tie emblazoned on every single page. Sounds pretty good to me.
Kill Bill (click for source)
KILL BILL
Beyond the fact that Tarantino’s masterpiece was totally outlandish, violent and utterly genius, there’s no real justification for making a comic featuring the bloody bride and her samurai sword. The movies were like a moving comic strip in their own right – wasn’t there an anime sequence at one point?! Not sure what the plot would be – just lots of yellow motorbikes and stabbing. I’d probably buy a few issues anyway.
That’s my top five, but here at I’m With Geek we’d love to hear what you think. So comment below and tell us what you’d love to see adapted into a new awesome comic book!
Beyond the fact that Tarantino’s masterpiece was totally outlandish, violent and utterly genius, there’s no real justification for making a comic featuring the bloody bride and her samurai sword. The movies were like a moving comic strip in their own right – wasn’t there an anime sequence at one point?! Not sure what the plot would be – just lots of yellow motorbikes and stabbing. I’d probably buy a few issues anyway.
That’s my top five, but here at I’m With Geek we’d love to hear what you think. So comment below and tell us what you’d love to see adapted into a new awesome comic book!
RSS Feed
