RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Comic book movie and TV adaptations.

I was looking through some 1961-1962 issues of FOUR COLOR COMICS in my collection, that adapt several movies. Some of which you might have heard of are VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (issue 1230).
And KING OF KINGS (issue 1236) starring a pre-Star Trek Jeffrey Hunter (a k a, Captain Pike in "The Menagerie").

I'm a particular fan of artist Gerald McCann who did most of the issues I'm talking about. VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA was adapted by Sam Glanzman who later did war comics for DC in the 1960's-1980's.

When you loved a movie, these were a big deal in an earlier era, before VHS and DVD. Even into the 1980's there were a lot of movie adaptations. In some cases arguably better than the movie! Either for nice art, or for a version that is more expanded than the movie itself, or just interestingly different, like any other adaptation from the original.

The last I recall reading was a FROM DUSK TILL DAWN comics adaptation that was pretty good, from the short-lived Teknocomics (1994-1997). I actually worked for this publisher briefly.

But I think because of the easy availability in the modern era in DVD, Netflix or Hulu, or other downloadable forms, there is less demand for adaptations, and most readers prefer the movies and shows themselves to adaptations.

But back in the day, licensed comics were the bread and butter of publishers like Dell, Harvey and Gold Key.

All of these FOUR COLOR issues are 32-page stories, with movie still photos on the inside front and back covers. While I like the McCann art in FOUR COLOR 1227 here (McCann's first, MORGAN THE PIRATE), this one wasn't a particularly good story. But McCann excels in historical period art, whether it is naval/pirate scenes, Roman/Biblical era, modern/WW II era stuff, Western/cowboy stories, or whatever.

FOUR COLOR 1259, EL CID. Adapted from a movie starring Charleton Heston, it's about a knight in Moor-occupied Spain, who courageously faces hostile opposition on both sides in his effort to heal the rift between Moors and Christians. Though muted and quiet by comparison to modern comics storytelling, it's a good and interesting story.

The FLASH GORDON movie adaptation, with 60-plus pages by Al Williamson, scripted by Bruce Jones. It was originally published in 1980 as issues 31-33 of the FLASH GORDON comic book. Then it was released with offset printing in 8" X 11" hardcover and trade paperback editions. I have it in both comics and hardcover. I first got it in issues 31-33. Then years later I saw the hardcover at a very nice price. I bought it on ebay for $5.58 including postage from someone in New York city! I've seen the same edition sell for a minimum of $50.00 every other time I've looked. The comics are great, but the colors and offset printing and larger format are like the digitally remastered stereo-surround-sound version of the former.

And I recall even the jaded COMICS JOURNAL reviewing this adaptation when it came out, saying that despite such a mediocre movie, how great it was that it inspired this wonderful Al Williamson adaptation. There were some fun bit parts in the movie by Max Von Sydow, Timothy Dalton, and Sylvester Stallone, fun to see their likenesses in the comics version.

Williamson also did beautiful adaptations of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, RETURN OF THE JEDI and BLADERUNNER, in MARVEL COMICS SUPER SPECIAL.

Sylvester Stallone?

I thought I was hallucinating when I saw his image in the adaptation, but yes. Sylvester Stallone! He was one of the birdmen in the latter third of the story.

Not just direct adaptations of movies and shows, but also licensed new stories of characters from movies and television have offered some good reading.

Milke Grell did a 3-issue series JAMES BOND: PERMISSION TO DIE that was a great tribute to the Bond movie franchise. Grell's writing style tends to be something similar to the Bond movies themselves, a mix of tongue-in-cheek humor, combined with a very visual cinematic storytelling style largely absent of prose, that works very well and captures the flavor of the movies.

I'm glad I lucked onto this series in the back issue bins shortly after it came out. Grell's work in JON SABLE FREELANCE and MAGGIE THE CAT bordered on Bond material. It was a natural move for him do what amounts to a Bond movie in comic book form.