Comic books are a beautiful and unique medium. As legendary artist Neal Adams once said, “If you put the best artist in the world and the best writer in the world, they will make the greatest piece of art in the world and… you’ll call it a comic book.” Thanks to the way they expertly blend visual storytelling and reader imagination, comics have brought countless stories to life.
Plenty of movies and TV shows, at one time or another, have had to find a second life as comic book series. From books designed to tie into a new movie to projects that were trying to keep interest alive as the franchise dwindles, these are the best of the movies and TV shows that found new life as comic books.
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Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Has Tons of Fantastic Comics
The World’s Most Famous Kaiju Has Been the Star of Multiple Comics for Decades
Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, has been shaking the Earth and dazzling audiences since his debut in 1954. Awoken and mutated by nuclear bomb testing, Godzilla is a walking warning against the dangers of the atomic age, inspired by real-life ocean testing of atomic bombs. Seeing how the King of the Monsters has persisted to this day as an icon of cinematic destruction and cultural reckoning, it’s no surprise that Godzilla has featured in nearly every other pop culture medium. There have been video games, Saturday morning cartoons, and, of course, comic books.
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After the original Showa Era of Godzilla films ended with 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla, Marvel Comics acquired the license to publish comics starring the King of the Monsters. The series lasted 24 issues and saw SHIELD agents Dum Dum Dugan, Jimmy Woo, and Gabe Jones form a response group to stop Godzilla’s rampages. Godzilla has gone on to appear in so many comics that his time with Marvel can easily be forgotten, as the King of the Monsters is so prolific, he appears in comics with the Justice League, specifically his Warner Bros.-owned Monsterverse incarnation, while a more traditional Godzilla gets to interact with the X-Men and the larger Marvel Universe at the same time.
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The Terminator Came Back In Comics
The Terminator Went from Sci-Fi Horror Icon to Comic Book Star
All great art responds to fear. Some of the most powerful works in human existence, whether sculpture, painting, or film, are driven by the most primal fears and terrors that push people forward or freeze them in place. Legendary director James Cameron understood this when his nightmares led him to conceive of a killer robot built in the shape of a human, an idea that would eventually culminate in 1984’s The Terminator. The plot of the film follows Kyle Reese, a soldier from a dark future sent back to the past to save the leader of the human race, John Connor, before he can be erased from time by the titular Terminator.
Since its premiere, the story of John Connor’s war in the future against the cold, unfeeling artificial intelligence of Skynet has only taken on more relevant meaning, with the battle spreading to new grounds. The Terminator has been the star of multiple comic series, such as 1990’s Burning Earth, which detailed the background of John Connor’s war with the machines. The metal monstrosity has also been heavily published by Dark Horse Comics, where it fought a whole host of pop culture creatures like Robocop, the Xenomorphs, and even Superman himself.
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The Predator Has Explored New Grounds In Comic Books
Comic Books Have Paired The Predator With Everyone from Batman to Archie Characters
There are few pop culture creatures as immediately deadly and terrifying as the Predator. Ever since its debut in 1987’s The Predator, the creature eventually known as a Yautja has made an impact on moviegoers the world over. Its striking design and unspoken code of conduct combine to make a truly unique film monster, something both recognizable and unknowable, silently slashing its way across an entire jungle before finally being stopped by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch. Since then, the central premise of humanity coming up against a bigger and better hunter has always remained entertaining, especially when explored in new mediums.
The comic book history of the Predator has evolved in interesting ways, one of the earliest being the short story Predator: 1718, which offered an explanation for the flintlock pistol seen at the end of Predator 2. Most notably, in a 1992 crossover story, the Predator came to Gotham, slashing its way across the mob scene before putting the Dark Knight into a full-body cast. The Predator has also faced off against Archie comic characters on more than one occasion. Dark Horse was responsible for publishing the vast majority of the Predator’s comic book appearances until 2022, when Marvel Comics rebooted the line, having acquired the rights, and began putting their star hunter up against their heroes, such as Wolverine and Black Panther.
7
The Transformers Have a Major Comic Book Presence
Characters Like Optimus Prime Have Appeared In Comics for Decades
Along with being robots in disguise, the Transformers are also a complex puzzle of comics, TV appearances, and even toys. As is commonly known, the Transformers began life as a line of Japanese robot toys that were marketed to American audiences. To help with the marketing, Hasbro partnered with Marvel Comics to produce both an animated series and a comic book series to promote the show, replicating the earlier triple-pronged success of G.I. Joe. Although only meant to be a short promotional tour, both the comic and the cartoon lasted for years, cementing the legacy of the Transformers.
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The original Transformers comic book series, published by Marvel, was bold. Though it promoted the cartoon, it didn’t keep continuity with it, and the Transformers comic was daring, showcasing exactly how brutal an eons-long war between robot warriors can be. The Marvel comic became foundational for all future iterations of the robots in disguise, creating a legacy that continues well into the present day, with IDW Publishing wrapping up their massive, years-long Transformers saga and giving way to the new Skybound Entertainment series, which is still ongoing. No matter their struggles on screen, the Transformers will always have a home on the printed page.
Transformers (2023)
- Writer
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Daniel Warren Johnson
- Penciler
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Daniel Warren Johnson
- Inker
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Mike Spicer
- Publisher(s)
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Image Comics
6
The Evil Dead Rose Again In Comics
Ash Williams’ Fight Against the Undead Continued past the Boundaries of the Movie Screen
In 1979, 20-year-old Sam Raimi and 21-year-old Bruce Campbell created something billed as “The ultimate experience in grueling terror.” Since its debut, The Evil Dead has remained a cultural sensation and a showcase in low-budget DIY horror. For all its controversies at the height of the moral panic of the 1980s, Evil Dead is remembered less for the grueling terror viewers were promised and more for the sheer talent and inventiveness on display across the franchise as it evolved from horror to adventure comedy.
Since the end of Ash Williams’ journey in 1992’s Army of Darkness, fans have been clamoring for the return of the king, finally getting their prayers answered in the form of comic book continuations. While Dark Horse made some contributions, the vast majority of Evil Dead comics came from Dynamite Entertainment, who were keen on having Ash fight every recognizable horror villain and monster around. While Ash would eventually return to screens with 2015’s Ash vs Evil Dead, focused on an older Ash trying to emotionally move on, his comic exploits had him crossing paths with the likes of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Sam Raimi’s Darkman, and even Xena: Warrior Princess.
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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Got Their Start In Comics
These Heroes in a Half Shell Have Enjoyed Life in Every Medium
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a fascinating media history, to say the least. The Turtles initially started out as a pulpy comic parodying Frank Miller, with each aspect of the Turtles’ origins mirroring something from Miller’s iconic Daredevil run. But from those humble beginnings, the heroes in a half shell have become much more famous for their television exploits, and the various films and video games that spun out of that. For so long in their publication history, the Ninja Turtles have been more closely associated with their animated series, making their original comic roots seem almost quaint.
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The Ninja Turtles will always have a presence in the comic world, as evidenced by their numerous crossovers with the likes of the Ghostbusters and Batman, but the Turtle’s most famous comic book outing came in 2022, when series creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird reunited to tell The Last Ronin. The story sees Michelangelo as the last survivor of the Turtle Clan, trying to free the world from the rule of the Foot Clan, meeting the mutant daughter of April O’Neil, and finally reuniting with his brothers. Any and every aspect of Turtle history is subject to reinvention in the comic world, as evidenced by the return of the controversial Venus, the often-forgotten fifth Ninja Turtle.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024)
- Writer
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Jason Aaron
- Penciler
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Joëlle Jones
- Publisher(s)
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IDW Publishing
4
Doctor Who Has Thrived In Countless Mediums
For Decades, This Stylish Time Lord Has Dazzled Comic Readers
Doctor Who is the longest-running science fiction property in history, and that’s largely due to its capacity to change. The show, about the time-traveling adventures of an alien called the Doctor, originally started as an educational and historical program occasionally sprinkled with robots and monsters, before evolving into an epic battle of good versus evil fought across the stars. From the base-under-siege stories of the late ’60s to the Earth-bound tales of the ’70s, featuring mad scientists and out-of-control experiments, Doctor Who doesn’t survive change; it survives because of change, whether that change is to the lead actor, the setting, the kinds of stories, or even the medium these tales are told in.
Despite being more famous as a television show, Doctor Who has had firm ties to the world of comics since its inception, with a Doctor Who comic strip debuting just one year after the show’s premiere. In the ’90s, during a time when the main program had been canceled, the comics and novels were all that was left to keep telling the stories of everybody’s favorite Time Lord. In the modern day, where the main show has been back on the air for over 20 years, the comics serve as an engaging alternative to the limits of TV production. Budgets and special effects are no longer a concern in the world of Doctor Who comics, where the Time Lord is able to regularly go on adventures too extravagant for a TV screen.
Doctor Who
- Created by
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Sydney Newman
- Latest TV Show
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Doctor Who: The Complete David Tennant
Summary
Doctor Who, the longest-running sci-fi series in the world, takes viewers on a whirlwind journey through time and space with the enigmatic Doctor, a centuries-old Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. In their iconic blue box, the TARDIS, which can disguise itself as an ordinary police box, the Doctor travels with ever-changing companions facing off against alien threats, unraveling cosmic mysteries, and rewriting the laws of physics across the universe.
3
Star Trek Continued Its Mission Via Comics
Star Trek Has Boldly Gone Where Other TV Shows Have Gone Before
Star Trek has always had a unique position in pop culture compared to some of its siblings. As a whole, Star Trek is a franchise concerned with the parallel developments of empathy and technology, making sure humanity doesn’t become as uncaring as a computer. Taking place in the 23rd century, Star Trek follows the Starship Enterprise as it explores the galaxy looking for alien races to contact. The program ran as a TV show for three seasons in the ’60s, capturing the imagination of kids in the space race era, before being canceled due to low ratings. Since that cancellation, there have been years’ worth of Star Trek stories told on the printed page, answering old questions and telling brand-new stories with familiar faces.
Despite predating Star Wars by over a decade, Star Trek has always had a reputation for being less cool and accessible than its lightsaber-wielding counterpart. That cool factor is undeniably increased when considering the number of crossovers in Star Trek comics. The original Enterprise crew met the Fourth Doctor, while Captain Picard shared an adventure with the Eleventh Doctor. Kirk and company fought side by side with the X-Men, and the Kelvin Timeline crew also got to meet Hal Jordan and the other Lantern Corps. No matter the direction, past, future, or another universe, Star Trek comics have always offered thrilling adventures unlike anything seen on screen.
- Created by
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Gene Roddenberry
- First Film
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Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Latest Film
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Star Trek: Nemesis
2
Alien Brought Sci-Fi Horror to the Comics World
In Alien Comics, No One Can Hear You Scream
In 1979, science fiction horror was changed forever with the release of Ridley Scott’s Alien. Since then, the tale of a crew of space truckers coming into contact with a derelict ship and the terrifying creature inside has become legendary, often imitated but never duplicated. More than any other iconic movie monster, there’s an inherent unknowability to the Xenomorph that simply doesn’t apply to the likes of the Terminator or the Predator. There’s no reasoning with a Xenomorph, no recognizable weakness to exploit. It simply kills, as evidenced by the blood-soaked stars of the Alien universe.
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These comics are terrifying but also expand the lore of the Xenomorph in ways the movies can’t, as the films are typically focused on a new crew encountering the Alien for the first time, yet the comics prey on familiarity. Like his horror icon brothers, the Xenomorph has also been the star of several comic book crossovers, including battles with the Predator, the Terminator, Judge Dredd, and even Batman and Superman. Alien comics were being published by Dark Horse as recently as 2020, but due to Disney purchasing 20th Century Fox, Marvel Comics is now producing comics about the Xenomorph. Not only are there solo adventures that follow the films, but the creature is also now fighting the Avengers.
1
Star Wars Continued the Saga In Comics
From Legends to the Disney continuity, Star Wars Has Always Had Comic Book Adventures
Science fiction was changed forever with the release of 1977’s Star Wars. As a perfect blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and war genres, Star Wars almost immediately captured the public’s attention and has refused to let it go in the nearly 50 years since its debut. Whether following the tragedy of the Skywalker family and their eternal struggle with balance in the Force, or exploring an entirely new cast of characters in a new corner of the galaxy, Star Wars has always promised adventure and rarely failed to deliver. While the franchise is more famous for its film and TV installments, the Star Wars comic books act as a gateway to an entirely new flavor of sci-fi storytelling.
There are, of course, the comics published by Marvel immediately following the film’s release that feature Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie in adventures so extravagant they couldn’t hope to line up with the film’s continuity. In the ’90s, when the Star Wars Special Editions were being released, a new slew of stories set after the fall of the Empire detailed the struggles of the New Republic to build lasting peace. It bears mentioning that Disney purchased Star Wars in 2012, declaring that every comic and novel published before then was now considered non-canon, a continuity now referred to as Legends. Whether a fan of Legends or the new Disney continuity, Star Wars comics always produce amazing tales.
Star Wars (2020)
- Writer
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Charles Soule
- Penciler
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Jan Bazaldua
- Inker
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Jan Bazaldua
- Colorist
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Rachelle Rosenberg
