Comic-book adaptations have been a staple in the film industry since Tim Burton's Batman in 1989 and with the unprecedented success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, superheroes have been the trend for over a decade. However, the constant stream of Marvel and DC related films have left some viewers with superhero fatigue.
In the wake of successful comic book adaptations, such as Riverdale, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Preacher, it could be time for more non-superhero related comics to hit our screens. Here are our choices for non-superhero comics that deserve to be given an on-screen adaptation.
Saga
If you're a big comic book reader, then it's likely you've come across Saga at some point. In the same league as science-fiction and fantasy epics such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, this multi-award-winning series is perhaps the best comic-book title of the last decade.
Marvel fans may recognize writer Brian K. Vaughan (Runaways), and he's truly working at his best here. With a call for diverse representation in film and TV, Saga's portrayal of ethnicity, sexuality and gender roles, as well as its treatment of war is perfect. It's honestly hard to find a reason not to bring this series to the screen.
Given its long, ongoing run (Vaughan has said he'd like 108 issues; the series is currently at issue 54), Saga would be best suited as a television series, following the likes of Game of Thrones or the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Amazon.
Blackbird
If Sailor Moon and The Mortal Instruments had a baby, this is it. When an otherworldly beast kidnaps her sister, Nina Rodriguez must confront her past, her demons, and a secret society of Paragons (aka wizards) to save her. Written by Sam Humphries (Nightwing, Green Lantern, and Harley Quinn), Blackbird ticks all the boxes for a millennial magical girl series: An awesome magic system. A kickass female lead (with cool hair). And a talking cat.
Jen Bartel’s stunning artwork would translate beautifully to the screen with the right cinematographer. The series is currently on hiatus, but the first volume easily follows a compelling story-arc, full of mystery, magic, and family secrets.
The Wicked + The Divine
Every 90 years, 12 Gods are reincarnated into the modern world. For two years, they are worshiped as famous idols - authors in the renaissance era, pop icons in the 21st century, etc. And then they die.
The series starts with fangirl Laura befriending Lucifer. When Lucifer is framed for murder, it is up to Laura to prove their innocence and uncover a conspiracy amongst the Gods.
Fans have praised The Wicked + The Divine for its artwork by Jamie McKelvie, whereas the writing has at times been less well-received. There are some big concepts here, which can be hard to cram into just 5 issues. If given more room to breathe, the series would flourish (like recent series The Umbrella Academy). A TV series was announced in 2015, but not much news has come out since then.
Johnny The Homicidal Maniac
Originally a comic strip in the 1990s, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (JtHM) is the first big title from Jhonen Vasquez (Invader Zim). Chances are, if you went through some type of Goth or Emo phase during the 2000s, the Director's Cut was a book you had on your shelf. This is a weird, dark, psychological-horror/black-comedy with emphasis on the weird and dark.
Following Johnny, and how his unstable mental health, tendencies toward violence, and misanthropy affect his daily life - the series takes a turn when Johnny dies and is juggled between Heaven, Hell, and Reincarnation. There are some philosophical moments, which gives some depth to what would otherwise be a series that's edgy merely for the sake of being edgy.
The best way to capture the spirit and aesthetic of the comic would be to adapt JtHM as an animation series targetted towards mature viewers.
The Sandman
There are a lot of comic book titles and characters who go by the moniker Sandman. But specifically, here, we're talking about Neil Gaiman's (American Gods) classic The Sandman. Dark fantasy in a contemporary setting, the series follows Dream - a deity older than the gods, and the Lord and personification of dreams and reality.
The Sandman is epic, spanning across numerous volumes, spin-offs, and sequels. Plus, there were often guest appearances from other DC/Vertigo characters, such as John Constantine.
The Sandman has a long history of failed adaptation attempts, all of which seem to get aborted in pre-production. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt was once championing a film adaptation, but he dropped out in 2016. A Netflix series was announced in 2019, but given the track record behind The Sandman and its journey to the screen, we can only hope the future brings some success.
Nimona
Nimona's origins start in 2012 as a webcomic first posted on Tumblr by writer and artist Noelle Stevenson (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power). The comic served as her senior thesis while studying at college. Publishing company HarperCollins acquired the comic and published it as a graphic novel in 2015.
Title-character Nimona is a shapeshifter sidekick, working for a knight turned mad-scientist supervillain. What sets the series apart from other fantasy titles, is that the female lead (or magical girl, of sorts) isn't coded as overly girly or feminine. Nimona is designed as a more tomboyish or "butch" character, inspired by Stevenson's experiences with cosplay. The hugely successful comic is set to make its on-screen debut later this year and it's well deserved.
Amulet
The Amulet series is hugely popular with middle-grade readers (though when has that ever stopped adults from enjoying something, too?).
When she finds a strange amulet in her great-grandfather's library, Emily Hayes must accept its power and become a Stonekeeper in order to save her mother's life. The series is an awesome fantasy adventure, full of cute animal sidekicks, robots and demons. The art style, by author and illustrator Kazi Kibuishi, is a blend of western and manga aesthetics; it would be a disservice for any screen adaptations to not draw from Kibuishi's style, making an animated series the best option. Aron Eli Coleite (Heroes, X-Men) was selected to pen the screenplay for a potential upcoming feature adaptation we hope comes to pass.
Middlewest
If you're a fan of dark fantasy from the '80s, such as The Dark Crystal or Don Bluth, then Middlewest could be up your alley. The series follows a pre-teen boy living in a small-town America, and his talking fox companion.
A similar issue with The Wicked +The Divine, the writing suffers from the page constraints of a single comic issue and trying to jam so much story into only five issues. There's no doubt that Middlewest has its strengths - its originality and the fantasy elements are clearly the priority. If this series was given the chance for the storytelling to expand into an animated series, it would be a clear winner.
Rat Queens
Lord of the Rings meets Bridesmaids may not sound like a winning combination at first. But in the case of award-winning series Rat Queens, it's perhaps the best way to succinctly describe the foul-mouthed, sarcastic, and rambunctious modern-fantasy title that's also a love letter to Dungeons & Dragons. This is series screams fun as well as diversity and representation for the LGBTQI+ community.
Another contender for a potential animated series, Rat Queens has gone through changes in both art and writing staff and suffered an almost year-long hiatus. Hopefully, any potential series featuring the Rat Queens would be able to maintain some consistency.
Paper Girls
Winner of multiple Eisner Awards (including Writing and New Series), Paper Girls will surely grab the attention of Stranger Things fans. In 1988, four newspaper delivery girls are caught up in the biggest story of all time. This is another title helmed by Brian K. Vaughan, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint here with this coming-of-age series meets suburban drama, meets a supernatural time-traveling mystery.
Featuring a great cast, snappy dialogue, a captivating story that hooks you on the first page and doesn’t let go. This has all the ingredients to be the next Big Thing. Thankfully, an Amazon Prime TV series has been announced.