At the beginning of May, Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder in July. It's safe to say that superhero comics aren't showing any sign of stopping their large and small-screen dominance.
Marvel and DC have certainly been household names for decades. Still, on the shelves of bookstores are comics from other publishers without superhero-based stories that have been recognized and prestigiously awarded. All of them are original and none quite like the other. They range from epic sci/fantasy sagas to vampire-driven horror and coming-of-age love stories. They have heartfelt themes and complex characters, and they all deserve to have their day on the screen.
Invisible Kingdom
The Eisner Award, named after comic book writer and cartoonist Will Eisner, is given out at San Diego Comic-Con every year. The winner of the Best New Series award in 2020 went to the Invisible Kingdom by G. Willow Wilson and Chris Ward.
Invisible Kingdom follows a devoted religious follower and a freighter pilot as they deal with the repercussions of discovering a conspiracy between religious leaders and a mega-corporation. The sci-fi setting is filled with bold colors and extensive world-building that would be perfect fits for a film or series, and the plot mixes small interpersonal conflicts with large-scale interplanetary intrigue.
Bad Blood
The Bram Stoker award, named after the famous author, is given out by the Horror Writer’s Association. In 2014, the honor of Best Graphic Novel went to Bad Blood by John Maberry and Tyler Crook. The initial story centers around Trick, a college student who is attacked by a vampire and comes to find that his blood is toxic to them.
Toxic human blood is a fun, largely unique addition to incorporate into a vampire film. It’s touched upon in the movie Only Lovers Left Alive, but to have an entire plot circulate around the concept would be a welcome change of pace.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me
Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell created a not-so-traditional love story in Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me that has won several awards including a Harvey. Readers follow Frederica “Freddy” Riley, who's struggling with the question, why does Laura Dean Keep Breaking Up With Me?
Love stories populate the film and tv industry, but not many are adaptations from graphic novels. Then again, this isn’t a typical love story. Rather than watch a couple grow, you watch love, toxic love, crumble. It’s a heartfelt, coming-of-age story that leaves readers with this: not all love is good, and not all love should last.
The Fade Out
An Eisner award winner in 2016 for Best Limited Series, The Fade Out is a must for noir crime enthusiasts. The series art is by Sean Phillips and the story is by Ed Brubaker, also known for putting pen to paper for Westworld. Readers can unpack the murder of a Hollywood starlet along with a colorful cast of characters.
A Clue-like murder, albeit with much less humor and much more grit. To elevate it more, it could be filmed from the multiple perspectives of each key player to build intruige with the audience for a real surprise ending.
Alabaster: Wolves
The Dark Horse comic Alabaster: Wolves received some serious accolades from the horror market. Attached to its name are a Bram Stoker as well as an International Horror Guild Award. The story revolves around Dancy Flammarion, a young girl fighting demons, werewolves, and other monsters that abound in the American South.
Caitlin R. Kiernan and Steve Lieber brought this work to life, and it immediately garnered attention for its beautiful gothic art and intense action. It is a horror adventure filled with shadows and suspense. Mix this with wide-panned shots of an eerie bayou, and the atmosphere and tone would be set and sold for a horror project based on American folklore.
Chew
Image comics hit it out of the park with this Eisner and Harvey award-winning series Chew. Cop dramas have long become both a beloved and somewhat overdone topic, but Chew adds a fresh perspective. It introduces a world where poultry is outlawed and a cop can gain psychic information for his cases from the food he eats, including bodies, to find criminals.
Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory, is a strong contender for a weird, and wacky tv series. With as much of a focus on food as murder, the audience could see a binge-able product of Hannibal meets Pushing Daisies. Unique, grotesque, delicious, and interesting, Chew has many flavors to offer.
LaGuardia
This comic, written by Nnedi Okorafor with artwork by Tana Ford and color by James Devlin, holds not just an Eisner but also a Hugo Award. Readers enter into a world where aliens exist and are attempting to make a home on planet Earth with its human residents.
A live-action tv series could be a perfect depiction of this world. It’s a blend of science fiction with real, tough, and poignant issues plaguing society today. Both literally and through allegory, the story deals with issues such as immigration, equality, and the struggles of trying to belong.
Monstress
It’s no surprise that Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda has acquired Eisners, Hugos, and a Harvey award. The Image comic has taken these awards home for not one but several of its volumes.
This is an epic fantasy series in dire need of becoming a television adaptation. It is a period piece with a young female protagonist. It’s a story of war and monsters with a dash of being steampunk. All of these aspects tied together are the perfect elements for on-screen adaptation fans have never seen the likes of before.
Saga
Creators Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples found incredible success with Saga. The beloved series has some serious critical acclaim, with it snatching several Eisners, Harveys, and Hugos, among others.
Saga seems like an obvious choice to helm a live-action series or film. Yes, it has space. It also has a cast of characters that will require attention to detail in their design, hopefully in the form of makeup and prosthetics versus CGI. But, most importantly, Saga effortlessly mixes strong elements of family with issues of war and acceptance, and there's plenty of well-received content in the series to warrant a large-scale franchise.