Top 10 Comics to TV Adaptations

I'll warn you: this list *may* anger you. You may disagree. You may, in fact, weep at some of my choices. If such is the case, I encourage you to let us know, and to also follow me on Twitter (below) so you can flower me with your hatred. 
 

 

 

It was shortlived, but TNT's Witchblade television series (following a TV-movie pilot) was a relative hit with fans. Direct involvement from Witchblade creator Marc Silvestri made sure the series had an authentic feel to it, and the devotion to the source material bled through, for better or for worse. 

 

Witchblade only lasted a total of 24 episodes (currently available on DVD), but remains one of the more unique selections for a comic adaptation to date. 

 

 

 

 

Holy hamburgers, Batman! As absurdly detrimental as Adam West and Burt Ward's portrayals of the Dynamic Duo were for the Batman property in the eyes of the comic community, Batman is simply amazing. It is campy perfection wrapped up with 1960's psychedelia mockery, and I dare you not to enjoy it.

 

If you are a hardcore fanboy and can't get past the fact that this show went against everything that The Dark Knight stands for, then consider this: in terms of benefitting the characters, Batman actually brought forth a few characters into the public eye that were previously obscure at best, like The Riddler. 

 

 

 

 

Many of us have fond memories of the old Fox X-Men cartoon. Sure, it's cool when you are a kid and don't know any better. But watch it now, and you'll realize: it's borderline unbearable. The animation is stiff and some of the voice acting is just awful. That's why when it comes to X-Men on TV, Evolution is top dog.

 

Taking sort of an "Ultimate" approach to the characters and placing them all in a high school, Evolution was a fun exploration of the X-Men mythos while at the same time being something completely new. All of the classic elements are here: the Brotherhood, Apocalypse, Rogue-drama, but it feels fresh with the younger skewing voice talent and original character designs. 

 

 

 

 

Once again, it isn't the most true to the source material (most of these shows aren't), but following in the wake of Tim Burton's Batman was CBS' The Flash, complete with a Danny Elfman-scored theme. John Wesley Shipp was a great Barry Allen, and though the costume was a tad over-the-top, it was a valiant effort and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

Throw in great appearances by Flash rogues The Trickster (Mark Hamill, how I love thee), Captain Cold and Mirror Master, and you've got a surprisingly fun 22 episodes of Central City goodness. 

 

 

 

 

The Spawn movie sucked. Bad. Luckily, around the same time, HBO began an animated series around the same time that completely eclipsed the film in every way possible. Animation is something that HBO hasn't explored nearly enough, but Spawn was an appropriately mature adaptation of the source material, featuring the amazing voice work of super badass Keith David. 

 

Running 3 seasons but only 18 episodes, HBO's Spawn remains the definitive mainstream focal point of Todd McFarlane's creation.

 

 

 

 

What's left to say about Smallville? Arguably the most successful adaptation of a comic book property for television, it has seen it's share of goosebump inducing nerd-out moments (construction of the Fortress of Solitude, Christopher Reeve cameo, Lex Luthor being awesome), as well as plenty of WTF/jumping the shark moments (Chloe has superpowers, Clark still isn't wearing glasses, anything related to Lana Lang). But in the end, it has truly evolved from Dawson's Creek with superpowers to a full-on assault upon the DC Universe, albeit Smallville style.

 

Green Arrow is a cast member, and we've seen everyone from Martian Manhunter to Black Canary and coming soon, the Justice Society. For all of its blatant flaws, Smallville is still a presence of DC Comics on the small screen, and for better or for worse, has introduced a whole new demographic to the world of the DCU.

 

 

 

 

In essence, Justice League Unlimited is every nerd's wet dream. Warners literally threw in everything but the kitchen sink, expanding the DC Animated Universe to include characters like Metron, Amanda Waller, Booster Gold, Granny Goodness, and The Atom. For a comic book nerd that loves his superheroes, this is the last stop in animation. Featuring epic, century spanning stories, the greatest voice talents ever and a robust cast of characters, JLU is, quite simply, the shit.

 

 

 

 

Despite the tragic ending of it's lead actor George Reeves, The Adventures of Superman remains a beloved television classic and a precursor to many of the other entries on this list. While it's clearly a camp ridden and low budget production, there's no denying that this 1950's show was many children's introduction to the Man of Steel and his cast of characters. 

 

Ironic is the parallels of George Reeves' death and the dissolution of innocence moving out of the 50's into the 1960's, but that's another article entirely. 

 

 

 

 

Surprise! If history is any indication, there is where the hatemail will be spawned. Despite near universal loathing by the comic book community, Lois & Clark holds a great many things: the best live action representations of both Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) and Perry White (Lane Smith), not to mention Jonathan and Martha Kent, genuinely funny writing, and an amazing love story. Never before has the romance of Lois and Clark been so well rounded.

 

I'm serious here. If you put aside the fact that the effects are cheesy, and that some of the Superman mythos is a bit muddled, you'll find a romantic comedy series with real sexual tension between the leads and some hilarious episodes. Some key moments include: Lex Luthor (the awesome John Shea) staring down a cobra in the pilot episode and shedding a solitary tear, the entire cast playing alternative roles in a 1930's gangster setting, and making me cry during a Christmas episode starring George Jefferson as the Toyman. 

 

Yeah. You read that right.

 

 

 

 

I'm fairly certain there won't be anyone that disagrees with this entry. Batman: The Animated Series brought brand new stylings to The Dark Knight, let alone true artistic talents, both on the animation front and in acting. Most of the voice cast remains the iconic interpretations of these characters in animation. TAS also introduced us to everyone's favorite lovable psychopath, Harley Quinn (read our Wednesday Retrospective: Batman: Mad Love)