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| source// Warner Bros |
In recent years, comic books have brought new life to old stories.
Movies like Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure have all been given comic-book spin-offs. Each of these takes well-loved characters and concepts into fresh areas, expanding on material established on the big screen.
This is a genius move on the publishers’ part, as they have a pre-established fan base to sell these spin-offs to, possibly helping to attract new readers to the medium itself. A hardcore John Carpenter fan (for example) could well pick up an issue of the awesome Big Trouble in Little China continuation and find the inspiration to try other titles.
Comic books are cheaper to produce than movies, with fewer overheads. There are no major stars to pay for, no effects department, no costs for closing down areas of sprawling cities for a day’s shoot. Comics also offer unlimited freedom in storytelling: Snake Plissken or the Ghostbusters can go anywhere and do anything, unlike their big-screen counterparts.
The comic-book medium offers no end of potential for other movies to explore new ideas and characters. Both cult and blockbuster films can enjoy a new lease of life on the page, appealing to existing and new fans alike.
8. Starship Troopers
The Starship Troopers universe is not under-explored by any means. Three live-action sequels, an animated series, and a few short comic-book series from Dark Horse have all presented new adventures set in the world of bug-fighting soldiers.
However, the original movie still has a lot of devoted fans (just look at the outrage sparked by word of remaking Verhoeven’s original in a more 12A-friendly style). Releasing a comic-book spin-off now could capitalize on the movie’s approaching 20 year anniversary and give fans an official continuation without the low budgets and casting difficulties faced by the live-action sequels.
Cinemagoers who loved the first film never got the big-screen, big-budget sequel they may have wanted, and the straight-to-DVD follow-up, Hero of the Federation, was something of a let-down.
The concept of super-soldiers taking on a race of brutal insectoid aliens is perfect for comic books, with all manner of blood-splattered battles and otherworldly landscapes sure to look gorgeous with the medium’s modern production values. The spin-off could follow on from the original movie in-line with the sequels, or retcon the series altogether. Stories set before the first film might give us another angle on the action, or cover the events of the first film from other perspectives.
7. The Goonies
The Goonies has a huge fan-base, and while talk of a sequel has been tossed around more than ever in recent years, the idea itself generally gets a mixed reception.
Seeing the original actors back as older versions of themselves passing on the torch to their own kids is an enticing prospect for some, but not all. An animated series has also been rumoured, which would be a much smarter approach but is unlikely to happen. The cost of either of these ventures is sure to be pretty high, and would prove something of a gamble.
A cartoon spin-off also has problems, like voice acting: the original performers would obviously be too old to play their younger selves, and fans might struggle to accept the characters with different vocals. A comic-book spin-off, though, would be a great way to take the Goonies on bigger, bolder adventures without having to worry about the logistics of age, inflated budgets, or trying to recapture the original’s 80s charm on today’s screens.
There’s huge potential to be explored on the page, giving fans the further adventures of the entire cast, including heroes and villains. What bizarre inventions will Data come up with next? How will the Fratellis escape prison again? Does Sloth really go on to live with Chunk?
A comic-book spin-off has the freedom to satisfy fans without tainting their love of the original, in much the same way IDW’s Back to the Future or Ghostbusters series have: readers can recognize them as expansions of the movies without seeing the actors they loved playing characters they’re no longer right for. The Goonies could be a great comic, appealing to fans of all ages.
6. District 9
As with the Goonies, a sequel to District 9 has been mooted for some time now, but still seems some way off (if ever likely to happen at all). Director Neil Blomkamp has been hard at work ever since, and with his Aliens sequel in a tricky phase of development, is likely to be occupied for the foreseeable future.
There’s still plenty of story left to tell in the District 9 universe. The Prawns have been moved into District 10, and hero Wilkus is still one of the aliens himself, with hopes of returning to his former self. The freedom of a comic book would give District 9’s setting all the space it needs to evolve, with potential to cover the time between the aliens’ arrival and the film’s action, or events following the original movie.
With its grungy visuals, advanced military tech, and unconventional extraterrestrials, a District 9 comic could fit beautifully in today’s comics scene. The medium is a goldmine of amazing sci-fi, boasting titles like Copperhead, Black Science, Britain’s own 2000 AD, and Descender to name just a few, and District 9 could flourish equally on the page. Also, its themes of racial segregation and immigration could be explored even further with an ongoing monthly format in which to evolve.
5. Gremlins
Considering Gremlins’ potential for mischievous, sinister, blackly-funny adventures, it’s a surprise there has never been an official comic-book continuation of the movies.
The first film may be more than 30 years old now, but the film and its sequel still hold a special place in many hearts. A sequel still looks set to happen, with original actor Zach Galligan confirming recently that it will be a continuation and not a reboot, but a comic book spin-off could really help to get the franchise back in the mainstream consciousness before (or if) the third film actually surfaces.
With more than two decades’ of blank space to play around in, a Gremlins comic book could bring us the further adventures of Billy, Kate, Gizmo, and even Mr. Futterman. With Gizmo simply needing a splash of water to spawn more of the crafty little tykes, setting up more mayhem would be pretty easy, and the freedom of the page would allow writers and artists to really up the ante.
The second film gave us all manner of bizarre gremlins (including that horrific spider), and a comic could go on to explore equally grotesque territory. The black humour and violence could also be pumped up, with the gremlins themselves free to do anything the writers and artists could imagine.
4. Blade Runner
Back when Blade Runner was first released, Marvel published a comic-book adaptation, but no company has since dared to continue the movie on the page (though K.W. Jeter did write a series of novels).
As a film sequel is finally ready to go before cameras (whether fans like it or not), now is the perfect time for a comic-book spin-off. Even if writers were prevented from continuing the exploits of Rick Deckard (which would be likely, given his return in the forthcoming sequel), there’s still so much a team could do with the world.
Other blade runners could be sent on cases, giving us a deeper insight into the bloody work of hunting down escaped replicants. Stories set off-world on Mars are also ripe for exploration, perhaps exploring how bad the world of slavery was to make Batty et al so desperate to escape.
The stunning noir-heavy visuals in Ridley Scott’s film have inspired countless artists since, and there’s no doubt that a comic-book spin-off of Blade Runner would look incredible on the page. In recent years, Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? has been adapted as a comic-book, and sadly this may be the closest we ever get to seeing Scott’s world on the page. Still, with the sequel set to bring even more attention to the original, hopefully a publisher like IDW, Image, or Dark Horse will see the license’s potential and snap it up.
3. Riddick
While Pitch Black may not have revolutionized science-fiction cinema, it was a solid low-budget movie that introduced one terrific character: Richard B. Riddick.
Riddick makes for a likeable anti-hero, with a simple but eye-catching look (goggles, vest, bald head, Vin Diesel’s impressive guns) and an artificial ability to see in the dark. Since Pitch Black, Riddick has appeared in the so-so Chronicles of Riddick and a hit video game, Escape from Butcher Bay. 2013’s Riddick may not have set the world aflame, but it was a solid little movie that put the character to great use.
Given his tendency to wander, his grey morality, and the expansive universe he exists in, Riddick would work brilliantly in a comic-book spin-off. Stories could follow on from Riddick, or dip into his past, showing us how he came to be who he is and why. This is a setting in which gun-toting mercenaries, bizarre aliens, and various cultures exist across a disparate galaxy, giving Riddick no end of adventures to go on. With the odds of a fourth film not really in fans’ favour and video games almost as costly to produce, comics offer Riddick a place to flourish.
2. Highlander
Without doubt, Highlander is the most deeply-plundered movie on this list. Unloved live-action sequels, a questionable television series, and an animated version have all explored the concept in depth.
However, the quality of these spin-offs has been erratic at best, meaning the concept’s full potential hasn’t quite achieved all it’s capable of. The idea of immortals battling each other through the ages offers writers and artists the chance to tell all kinds of stories, in a huge variety of settings.
If done right, a comic-book spin-off would retcon the series, perhaps following on from McCloud’s final battle with the Kurgan, sidestepping the horror of Highlander II: The Quickening altogether. Alternatively, the spin-off could ignore everything that has gone before and introduce us to new characters, exploring the huge, rich theme of immortality and its gift/curse.
Thankfully, the ill-advised reboot starring Ryan Reynolds never surfaced (as he now appears to have his defining role in Deadpool) and so the franchise could re-establish its credibility in comic-book form before any further movies are made.
1. The Matrix
When The Matrix first hit cinemas in 1999, it was accompanied by a small run of comic spin-offs produced by industry-veterans (including Neil Gaiman). These gave a wider view of the grungy world established in the movie, exploring the real and digital settings from the perspective of new characters.
With so many fans of the original movie left bitterly disappointed by The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, the concept has been left unexplored since (outside of the The Matrix Online MMO), which is a shame. Some viewers felt the sequels failed to give us the kind of stories we imagined possible after the first movie, and there’s still plenty of potential to tell incredible, deep, philosophically-rich tales within The Matrix’s world.
A comic-book spin-off could go anywhere and do anything. To start with, writers could retcon the series and present an alternative continuation of Neo’s story, avoiding the complex meandering of the sequels. This would be unlikely to happen, but that does nothing to limit the possibilities.
With millions of people still plugged into the matrix by Revolutions’ close, there is no end of stories to be told as others discover the truth of the world around them. Other stories could take place in other times, building on the material used in the Animatrix series of shorts, such as the rise of the machines. Tales could even go into the far future, to explore a world in which machines no longer need humanity’s organic-energy and hunt the last survivors down.
As amazing as the first Matrix movie remains, the entire idea itself was left tainted by the let-down of its sequels, so a solid comic book put together by today’s leading names would give the franchise the redemption it needs in the eyes of some fans. Perhaps the Wachowskis could even be persuaded to pen some back-up tales, helping to raise the spin-off’s profile at release.
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