AMC's
The Walking Dead broke viewing records for the cable network and also gave viewers a few things they might not have known they were looking for -- namely long-running zombie stories and TV shows based on comics normal people have never heard of.
We're assuming in the grand tradition of Hollywood believing that if something works once, it'll works several thousand more times, that the networks will start combing non-Marvel and DC comics for more potential TV hits. And they'll likely start looking at Image's back catalog for new properties to exploit first, since that's where
The Walking Dead came from. To hopefully streamline the process for the comics ignorant junior assistants Hollywood executives will surely send to the comics store looking for the next big hit, we've put together this list of five Image comics that would make for good television and five that are better left alone (although that doesn't necessarily mean that they're bad comics, as you'll see).
MAKE THESE:
5) Turf
Originally created as a 6-issue mini-series by writer Jonathan Ross and artist Tommy Lee Edwards,
Turf's mix of of 1920s gangster setting, aliens and vampires would offer the perfect jumping off point for a network with a good deal of money to spend. HBO's Boardwalk Empire has a similar setting and shows like
True Blood and
The Event have proven that there's an audience for this kind of material. Why not combine it all in one place? Sure the comic's obscure and only a miniseries, but that could work in the show's favor for the types of fans who were following along to
The Walking Dead premiere with the trade, checking off scenes and waiting for the good parts.
4) Chew
Networks love procedural dramas, but with all the major cities as well as the various levels of law enforcement are covered in the many different shows of this genre, what new ground can be broken? How about a show featuring a vice cop named Tony Chu who has the ability to essentially taste psychic leftovers on anything he eats? Pretty damn original, no? That's what the comic world seems to think of John Layman and Rob Guillory's
Chew, the book that came out of nowhere and became a gigantic hit. There are only a year's worth of issues out right now, but with a good writing staff and Layman working as showrunner/producer, we think this quirky series would catch on pretty quickly.
3) The Amazing Joy Buzzards
Okay, this one might be a stretch, but
Amazing Joy Buzzards would make an awesome show. The comic, by Mark Andrew Smith and Dan Hipp, features a rock band touring the world and fighting supernatural threats, kind of like
The Impossibles meets, well,
Supernatural. There's no reason that Biff, Stevo and Gabe couldn't be the next big thing on television, especially if they got some legit musicians to craft songs for the band to perform on their world-hopping exploits, which they have no idea are actually being orchestrated by the CIA. Sounds more interesting than
Undercovers, doesn't it?? Oh, they also have a Lucha Libre genie on their side, what more do you want?!
2) Violent Messiahs
Remember what we said about procedural dramas?
Violent Messiahs is about a couple of cops trying to bring in the vigilantes of Rankor Island with names like Family Man and Citizen Pain. We're on the fence about this one because the original comic by Josh Dysart, William O'Neil and Tone Rodriguez was pretty violent and had a distinct mood to it that we're not 100% sure can be captured on TV. But, hey, if
Dexter can work, why not
Violent Messiahs?
1) Morning Glories
Morning Glories' mix of teen drama and sci-fi mysteries make it perfect for a television landscape in need of more clever shows to fit both genres. The comic, written by Nick Spencer and drawn by Joe Eisma, only just premiered in August, but also carries a huge amount of buzz. Think of it as
Gossip Girl meets
Heroes, which might not sound super appealing to hardcore geeks, but probably has the ring of dollar signs to TV networks. We'd suggest doing this one as a miniseries in the same vein as the new
Prisoner or
Persons Unknown, so as not to stretch the idea out too much.
Dear TV execs -- please stay away from the comics on the next page.
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