10 Recent Comics That Would Make Good TV

Comic book related shows a big right now, with Netflix preparing 4 new shows, a Commissioner Gordon centered series, and of course Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D all helping to expand heroes into other mediums and in some cases tie back into the big blockbuster movies we all love. While this is great, there are so many other comics that could make great television, some of them you might not have ever even heard of. So what we have here are 10 picks of recent comics that could make for great television. Once you’re done make sure to let us know your picks in the comments.

Hawkeye

Why It Would Work:
We already got to see Clint Barton make it big screen appearances in The Avengers, and of course the minor cameo in Thor. But those two movies didn’t give Marvel’s premiere archer nearly the screen time he deserves. In the last decade or so Hawkeye has been through a lot, and it’s been a great character building experience for him. With the current Hawkeye series written by Matt Fraction it’s the perfect time to bring Clint to a wider audience. One of the best parts about Fractions Hawkeye is the book is about what happens when Clint’s not out saving the world as a member of the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D, instead it’s a character focused comic, and boy does it have a lot of character. Another big part of the comic is the ‘other’ Hawkeye Kate Bishop, a member of the Young Avengers. We all know Jeremy Renner probably doesn’t have time to film a weekly TV series, but he could certainly pop up here and there on a show about Kate right? This doesn’t have to be a monster of the week, it doesn’t need big battles in every episode, it just needs to have the heart that the comic has.

How To Make It Work:
Well I already hinted at this above, but focusing more on Kate Bishop rather than Clint Barton as the title character would be the way to go. Obviously we’d still need Clint to pop up here and there, but with that Hawkeye off as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D in the movie and tv universe he probably doesn’t have much downtime. This could easily be made via back door pilot via Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D to help introduce people to Kate prior to launching the series. Being a hero without super powers means the budget wouldn’t need to be huge as she could deal with normal thugs and such when she’s not dealing with just normal problems. Something like Veronica Mars only with Marvel references and cameos, and a lot more archery.

Saga

Why It Would Work:
Sci-Fi movies, when marketed well, thrive in theaters. We’ve got older franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars making comebacks in the theaters. Along with some news additions like Enders Game. But how about one that doesn’t revolve around a galaxy spanning war? Well I suppose Saga does have the big war going on, but it’s not a focal point of the series. At it’s heart Saga is a family dramedy, it’s got laughs and feelings galore and characters that everyone no matter who can connect with. It would be that movie that opens the genre up to more than just rebel groups attacking “The Man”. Now you probably noticed the things other space things I mentioned were all movies, and this is about TV. Well there’s a reason for that, TV doesn’t have any good spacey sci-fi shows that appeal to the masses. Sure there have been plenty of the years that have found various degrees of success, but Saga could be the one to really break things into the mainstream and maybe even land on Network Television. Series creator Brian K. Vaughn was a writer for Lost and has been working on this past summers new series Under The Dome, so the man definitely knows TV.

How To Make It Work:
Well I guess first thing would be to tune some of it down. The book has a lot of nudity and sexual stuff going on, and while it’s nothing we haven’t seen on HBO it’s more than a network station could show. A lot of those things are easy enough to cover up or allude to without showing. Having Saga air late in the 9pm or 10pm time slot means it can get away with a lot more. For this to thrive it’s going to need to appeal to a broad audience and be easily accessible. Now while shows like True Blood and Game of Thrones pull in huge numbers premium cable just isn’t the place for this show. That key 18-35 demographic is going to be a lot stronger when it can be viewed by everyone much easier. As I talked about in the ‘Why It Would Work’ section, Brian K. Vaughn is no stranger to sci-fi television, and I think he would be able to lead the way with Saga. There’s a great market for new experimental shows right now. Look at things like Hannibal, Under The Dome, and Sleepy Hollow. These are all different than we’re use to, and aside from Sleepy Hollow they run on slightly different schedules. That means Saga doesn’t have to try and fit into the fall line up, throw it on in the Spring / Early Summer when there aren’t as much to watch. Draw in an audience in the off season and if it does well, then maybe consider moving it into the more traditional fall lineup. Frankly though, that TV structure is slowly dying out, and Saga can be part of the herd to bring in a new generation of TV scheduling. Saga has so many elements that can appeal to so many different audiences, all it needs is for people to give it a chance and we’d be set.

Morning Glories

Why It Would Work:
Supernatural thrillers can draw great audiences when given the right chance. Look at shows like Being Human(syfy), Lost, Supernatural, and several others. Morning Glories would be a much subtler show too, like the early seasons on Lost. You know something weird is going on, but you don’t quite realize it’s supernatural weird. Even after you saw the smoke monster for the third time it’s still up in the air what’s going on. Morning Glories hits that just right, after over 30 issues it’s still not clear what’s going on, but there is definitely some creepy stuff with ghost demon students, and time travel, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

How To Make It Work:
Morning Glories is probably the best suited recent comic to be adapted to TV. So it makes a lot of sense for us to have it at number 1 on our list. The mystery and ordeals of the students at Morning Glories academy could easily hook a pretty solid viewership if done correctly. First it wouldn’t be an 8pm network show. A nice 9pm or 10pm time slot would do a series like this wonders whether on cable or network television. Another thing that can go a long way would be a semi-established cast. Keep the students fresh, but have the faculty be actors and actresses we’re familiar with. That said, you’ve got to be careful, the book has a definitely sex factor to it and you don’t want to go to overboard, but you also don’t want to cast the teachers as 65 year olds. Another bit that may have to be changed for TV would be the kids ages, while teen sex and drama and death isn’t new, it’s probably not something the larger networks want to get attached to. Maybe making them all 18 instead of 16, or have it be college instead of high school could elevate some doubts networks and even viewers would have. If something of that nature had to be done it would have to be done carefully, half the intrigue about this series is that it’s kids trying to react to these dire circumstances. Also just throwing it out there, but Mark Pellegrino would make a great Abraham, that role has his name all over it.

Grimm Fairy Tales Present Robyn Hood

Why It Would Work:
Everyone knows Robin Hood, the character has been around for centuries, but not many know the story of Robyn Hood. Fairy Tale inspired shows are doing great right now, Grimm manages to thrive on the dreaded Friday nights, and seems to be one of NBC’s go to shows when it needs to fill a spot left empty by a failed series. And over on ABC Once Upon A Time isn’t just going strong it spawned a spin off down the rabbit hole in Wonderland. That still doesn’t quite explain why Robyn Hood would make a good choice for a TV series though does it. Well it’s simple, it’s a well known character but with a very modern and drastically different twist. Look at shows like Elementary, taking the Sherlock Holmes legend and bringing into a modern setting. That’s what Robyn Hood is, rather than a guy hiding in the woods with a bunch of friends and stealing, it’s a teenage girl thrust into a world she doesn’t understand and has to try and fight her way out of. Not only would it make for a great action adventure show, it’s got a lot of metaphor for life in general. Both males and females would find things to like in the show, with a strong female lead and plenty of action and adventure to help propel some of the more dramatic stories that have already been told in the comics. Zenescope the publisher responsible for the Grimm Fairy Tales comics have already had there Wonderland series optioned for a TV series, so why shouldn’t Robyn Hood get a shot too?

How To Make It Work:
This one doesn’t really need anything changed to survive in the current climate. Like I said already, there are plenty of other fairy tale inspired shows doing great right now, and this would be just different enough to not just be considered a ripoff. A big thing will be the casting though, this won’t work without the right group of actors and actresses. Obviously the casting of Robyn is major, it’s got to be someone younger, who can really get across all the anger and things that the character has going on. A nice unknown would be great, but at the same time going with someone a bit more established might help to draw in an audience. It’ll definitely be a fine line to walk.

Hoax Hunters

Why It Would Work:
Hoax Hunters would make a great fit on those cable networks with all the terrible ghost hunting shows, or the various other “Myths and Monsters” shows that have been on. Obviously those shows are portrayed as real and unscripted, Hoax Hunters on the other hand would be 100% scripted mockumentary spoofing all those shows. In the comic the team goes around and solves supernatural cases and debunks them, only usually they’re real and they have to clean it up before saying it was all a hoax. That’s the selling point right there, while all the ‘real’ shows are trying to prove ghosts and monsters are real, this fictional show would be doing the exact opposite. So all those people who watched a show claiming it would show evidence about Big Foot but got nothing, can sit back and enjoy a giant monster terrorizing some woods while a group of investigators tries to dispatch him. Of course there would need to be a bit of a budget for this show, with characters that aren’t exactly normal running around, and of course the monsters each week. Like another show I’ll talk about later, this would also have an appeal to people who like shows like Sleepy Hollow.

How To Make It Work:
A big thing for this show to work is a reasonable budget and a good special effects team. Look at a show like The Walking Dead, they do a lot with some really common things like raw meats and such. It doesn’t all have to be CGI and fake looking, because lets face it TV never has a decent enough budget for solid effects like that. Aside from that, the comic is already formatted to be a TV series, so not much else really needs to be done to it, the stories would translate well to TV and with all the various myths and legends out there, there is no shortage of new stories that can get cooked up.

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Chris talks a bunch on PodQuest each week. He's also been known to write about stuff from time to time. You can Email Chris or follow Chris on Twitter @Just_Cobb or Facebook

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