Comic craziness
The trend toward turning comic books into TV series is just getting bigger.
From left: iZombie, Arrow and The Flash have all made the move from comic book to hit TV show. With more new TV shows being made each year – over 400 across the 2015/2016 season alone – TV is definitely in its heyday. That is one of the reasons why there has been a recent surge in shows adapted from comic books. It makes a lot of sense: for one thing, successful comic book series come with a built-in fanbase like The Walking Dead, where the fans were chomping at the bit to see the cult favourite comic book series
OUTCAST (2016-CURRENT)
come to life on TV, which it did in 2010.
Comic book-based TV shows tend to be horrors, fantasy or sci-fi and with today’s advanced special effects technology, it’s cheaper than ever to make these shows look cool. Plus, like Outcast (starting on FOX, Monday 6 June at 19:00), they’re often pretty violent and gory, something many TV fans want more of. So here’s our roundup of some of television’s top shows based on comic books… What it’s about: Kyle Barnes’s (Patrick Fugit) loved ones seem to be prone to demonic possession in this 10- episode horror, which is getting a season 2. Together with Reverend Anderson (Philip Glenister), they perform exorcisms and try to find out why the devil seems obsessed with Kyle. The comic book: 18 issues have been published since 2014. OMG moment: the show starts with demon-possessed Joshua (Gabriel Bateman) bashing a cockroach into the wall with his head… and then eating the squishy remains. Yuck!
ARROW (2012-CURRENT)
What it’s about: masked playboy-turned-vigilante Oliver Queen aka The Arrow (Stephen Amell) and his friends protect Star City from evil- doers like Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer (John Barrowman) and Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough). The comic book: Arrow is based on DC comic book hero Green Arrow, who’s been around since 1941. OMG moment: the deaths of Oliver’s bestie Tommy (Colin Donnell) and mom Moira (Susanna Thompson) in seasons 1 and 2 were pretty shocking – so was the season 2 reveal that evil Malcolm is actually Olly’s little sister Thea’s ( Willa Holland) real dad.
GOTHAM (2014-CURRENT)
What it’s about: the origin story of Batman and villains like The Joker, Penguin and Riddler has breathed new life in the lucrative Batman franchise. The comic book: the Caped Crusader was created in 1939 and has since spawned hundreds of comic books, eight liveaction movies and over 10 mostly animated TV shows. OMG moment: Penguin’s (Robin Lord Taylor) dad being poisoned in season 2 episode 16 and creepy Dr Strange (BD Wong) resurrecting villainous Theo Galavan (James Frain) two episodes later were huge twists.
THE FLASH (2014-CURRENT)
What it’s about: forensic investigator Barry Allen becomes super-fast superhero The Flash following a science experiment gone wrong. The comic book: The Flash was created in 1956, was killed off in 1985 but was then revived in 2008. OMG moment: the season 2 finale (on Vuzu AMP on Tuesday 7 June) involved time-travel and the reveal of the man in the iron mask.
IZOMBIE (2015-CURRENT)
What it’s about: zombie Liv Moore (Rose McIver) works in a morgue where she helps solve crimes by eating brains and getting the victim’s memories. The comic book: created in 2010, the comic differs hugely from the show. OMG moment: season 2’s reveal that Seattle is about to turned into a citywide zombie-friendly headquarters. NB! See more on p47.
THE WALKING DEAD
What it’s about: zombie apocalypse survivors in the US fight off the undead, but the bigger threat to staying alive is usually other humans. The comic book: after 156 issues, the series is just as iconic among comic book geeks as the TV show. OMG moment: season 6’s “who did Negan kill?”… Noah’s (Tyler James Williams) death in season 5 episode 14 where his face is literally ripped apart… there’s no shortage!