Sci-Fi to Comics and Back Again

By Marissa Sammy
August 1, 2006

This month we ask the Tarts: "What science-fiction book/movie/tv show would make an awesome comic book, or vice versa? What adaptations either way do you think worked really well or not at all?"

If you have a question you'd like the Tarts to answer, send it to Marissa Sammy and we'll try to answer it in a future issue.

Rebecca Buchanan, Culture Vultures Editrix

Well, I already know that Firefly makes an awesome comic; see Serenity: Those Left Behind for proof. Maybe if enough fans write in, Dark Horse will make it an on-going, or at least a series of miniseries.

Of science fiction which has not yet been adapted as comics or graphic novels (to my knowledge), I nominate ...

Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb (murder mystery at a Sci-Fi/Fantasy convention; it does too qualify!);
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (feminist classic about an all-female utopian society);
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin (anthropological Sci-Fi set on a world where individuals can spontaneously change sex);
any of the Republic Commando novels by Karen Traviss.

The prematurely-cancelled tv series Earth 2 would make a great comic. Humans on an alien world! Weird native species! Betrayal! Unrequited love! The mystery of how other humans got there before the "first" colonists. The mystery of how and why the ship was sabotaged. And what the heck happened after cancellation!

Same goes for Space: Above and Beyond. The series tackled everything from racism and intolerance, to the dangers and responsibilities of technology, to war profiteering and politicking and loyalty and bravery and .... Well, you get the idea.

Kim De Vries, Staff Writer

This a tough one because nowadays so many movies and shows have accompanying comics right from the start. Books, on the other hand ... well, some that spring to mind would be the Archangel series by Sharon Shinn. They start out seeming like fantasy, but soon we find they are actually science fiction. They have action, humor, social commentary and a little romance. This last aspect is especially good — Shinn's deft handling of romance reminds me a bit of Georgette Heyer, who I think we can rightly call the founder of Regency romance novels. Translate that into a distant future on another planet with genetically altered humans watching over the rest, all with a strangely Judeo-Christian-Muslim flavor ... I'd love to see someone have a go at that!

One other series springs to mind: Doc Savage by Kenneth Robeson. I used to love this pulpy adventure series. It was more adventure oriented than hard science fiction, but considering the undersea adventures and the forgotten civilizations typical of those tales, I think it could qualify.

I can think of many comics I'd love to see hit the screen. Anything by Neil Gaiman. Courtney Crumrin, as long as she wasn't made too cutesy. Most of all I'd like to see Global Frequency really get made for TV, and maybe a couple of Transmetropolitan movies.

Katherine Keller, Copy Editrix

While not a true adaptation of the movie, I really did enjoy the Matrix comics. Not only did they have a wonderful variety in terms of artists and writers, I think they did a nice job of expanding on the Matrix universe. In particular, I have a soft spot in my heart for John Van Fleet's short story, "Burning Hope".

The comic and book series I'd most like to see adapted to TV are Christopher Hinz' Paratwa stories. I'd like to see four HBO mini series made. The first would be set in the world shown in the Gemini Blood comics. I think the themes of chaos, terrorism, and the problems caused by the creation of new technologies (such as genetic engineering) would go over quite well given current events. The next season would cover the events shown in Liege Killer. In addition to addressing all the themes brought up in Gemini Blood, there would also be the issues of class and race with the introduction of the "Cousteaus". Ash-Ock and The Paratwa would then follow.

The sequences of action/violence in the book should be short, shocking, and bloody. The director(s) should be cautioned that unless a scene specifically states it, a Paratwa must never be dressed in any kind of clothes that "mark" it.

Also because a Paratwa is a single consciousness that exists in two bodies (who can be separated from each other by thousands of miles), another mandate would be the use of split screen anytime something is shown from a Paratwa POV. Yes, this means that we'd have a lot of gibberish and talking over, but if done right (and on a limited basis) it would help illustrate how very very unhuman a Paratwa is, despite the fact that they have human bodies.

At any rate, I would love to see the Paratwa stories hit the little screen because the stories blend so many genres: action/adventure, Sci-Fi, espionage, police procedural, man-hunt thriller ... and after the Gemini Blood stories, it's all set in space. There's something in this series for everybody, and if done right would certainly give Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica a run for its money.

Deanna Lytle, Staff Writer

Most of the television shows and movies I can think of have already been made into comic books.

But looking at the ones that have been made, I don't think any of them were that good. My brother and I collected Predator, Aliens vs. Predator and Terminator comic books when we were younger.

But they never seemed to capture the feeling of the movie. The stories either seemed too close to the film or the writers tried to distance themselves too much from the source material — and this resulted in stories that made you go "hmm."

One story that was quite ridiculous was an issue of Predator where said Predator was offed by a southern bayou dweller who wanted him for a special batch of gumbo. Um, yeah. They even provided a recipe at the end. Take it from me, plastic Predator toys do not substitute well for the real thing. I'd recommend Ninja Turtles instead.

Sheena McNeil, Anime & Manga Editor

Well, with the new live-action Transformers movie coming out next summer I am quite happy (provided they do it justice). And while this is totally random and I only saw a few episodes I think Lexx could be turned into a pretty good comic — lots of sex appeal, weird characters, humor, and action. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy might translate to comics well, but it might depend on the art style.

On the anime/manga side, The Big O worked quite well in both forms and is very Batman-esque in my opinion ... only with giant mecha. And while the rights have been purchased for the live-action version of Neon Genesis Evangelion (which worked exceptionally well as an anime and is a good manga too) it will depend very much on special effects and casting. Just as X-Men worked so well as a movie thanks to special effects and the outstanding casting, Evangelion's success or failure will depend on that (and fans of those series are quite protective, defensive and/or critical).

Wolfen Moondaughter, Staff Writer

Was The Fifth Element ever done as a comic? If it was, I never saw the adaptation, but as it's a film that's often described as having "comic book sensibilities", it seems a natural choice for such a thing. Hell, I would like to see an ongoing series set in that universe, it's so well-developed as a concept and so visually engaging! It wouldn't even have to have the original characters (though I would hope there would at least be mention of them).

I wouldn't mind comics based on Equilibrium (a post-apocalyptic story about a society where everyone is doped up and emotion, particularly its expression in the arts, is forbidden) or Gattaca (a future where people are bred for specific traits and DNA is heavily used for security). Again, though, what I'd like to see is further adventures in those worlds more than an adaptation of the existing film — unless said adaptations concentrated on fleshing out moments that were skimmed. I don't like adaptations that alter continuity (be it from film to book or book to film), but at the same time, I really don't see much of a point in doing an adaptation that only shows what we already know.

Book-wise, I'd love to see a comic based on K-9 Corps, a series by author Kenneth Von Gunden about a military man with a pack of genetically-engineered, telepathic dogs. Gunden stopped writing the series after the fourth book, and I wish he'd pick it back up. Same goes for Peter David's Psi-Man series, about a man with psychic abilities and his giant telepathic German Shepherd (are we seeing a pattern with my tastes here?) and since he's an award-winning
comics-writer, the transition from book to comic should be even more natural! And then there's Gary Gentile's Time For Dragons series, an action-packed futuristic trilogy about humans fighting against the alien dragons who have taken over their world. All three series have so much unexplored territory that could be covered, and so much potential for great visuals!

In the past, I've enjoyed the Star Wars comics (the old Marvel run — I haven't seen much of the Dark Horse run, I'm afraid, though what I've seen of the art seems impressive) and Ewoks comics. I enjoyed the Real Ghostbusters comics (I've yet to read the rebooted series because it throws all the animated series continuity out the window). And I recently discovered a special issue of the Doctor Who Magazine that had all the comics featuring the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), which I enjoyed immensely! (See our Report Card for more details!) I understand there was a strip based on the British Sci-Fi series The Tomorrow People, which told the story of teens with the powers of teleportation, telekinesis, and telepathy (everyone had all three powers). I adored that show growing up — I'd love to read any comic with Stephen, my favourite character! And lastly, I'd dearly love to see the Red Dwarf comics I've seen rumoured — the show and the novels are gut-bustingly funny!

The X-Men, Spider-Man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are excellent examples of franchises with Sci-Fi elements that started as comics and branched out successfully onto both the small and big screens and into books. And yes, I've enjoyed them immensely at one time or another.

Marissa Sammy, Staff Writer

My dilettante affair with science fiction ended many years ago when I was in senior high school, so my knowledge of the genre is sketchy and old-fashioned at best.

And with that disclaimer, I will say that Aldous Huxley's classic dystopia Brave New World would make a fabulous comic, if done right. I also think that Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle would be good for adapting, given its staccato nature and the way that everything is divided in short takes.

Stephen King's short story "The House on Maple Street" (in his book Nightmares and Dreamscapes) about a group of children dealing with their mean stepfather, would be a great comic. The children discover something metallic growing through the house and a countdown mechanism, and with King's deft touch with characterization it would translate pretty well.

And, of course, the BBC series Red Dwarf would be worth a spin. It's hard to say whether or not the jokes would transfer successfully to paper, given that so much of the funny is brought by the cast's performances — it worked in the novels, but that's because creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor were involved. Still, it would be fun to see!