5 Comic Books That Would Make Amazing Television Shows

There are some amazing comic books out there that fans are dying to see converted to television shows. AMC’s ​The Walking Dead is a hit and it was a no brainer to make it into a television show. Some work and some don’t, but here is a list of shows that could easily translate well to the small screen.

100 Bullets

Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, and Dave Johnson created one of the most intriguing comic books on the stands from issue #1 until its end at issue #100. 100 Bullets is crime fiction with a dose of the surreal at its best. The premise of having a suitcase full of 100 untraceable bullets to do with as you please, given to you by a mysterious “benefactor” is a plot that would grab anyone at any age.

image via Multiversity Comics

Throw in an overarching conspiracy and some of the most memorable characters ever put to page and you have a great new series that could be your favorite show if done right. Ideally, the whole team from Mad Men would make this show and blow you away.

Chew

Even though writer John Layman posted on Facebook in early February that the Showtime Chew series is “not happening”, Chew could be a modern day Alien Nation style show that flips perspective on you left and right. From the aforementioned Layman and Rob Guillory; Chew takes place in a world where poultry is outlawed due to disease. The main character Tony Chu can literally “take a bite out of crime”- whatever he eats gives him visions of horrible crimes.

image via Comic Vine

The book would translate well to television because although you are dealing with a pretty ‘out there’ story – it would be relatively easy to shoot and make a very interesting sci-fi story that could actually one day come true. The show could follow Tony Chu through cases, personal dilemmas, and the uncovering of secrets perhaps best left hidden.

Criminal

Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips are one of the go-to creative teams in comic books. If you’ve ever read any Brubaker stuff then you KNOW the guy loves his crime fiction.

image via Read About Comics

The genius of converting Criminal to television is that you can dedicate each episode to one story and then move on to the next. This would work well as an anthology taking the BBC approach of crafting 3 episode seasons containing 2 hour episodes.

Preacher

Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon and Glenn Fabry brought to life the story of a reluctant preacher that was imbued with the spirit of a half-demon/half-angel. The spirit gave him the Word of God, which would compel anyone who heard it do exactly what he says. The story of Jesse Custer, Tulip, Cassidy, God, Starr, The Saint of Killers, and every other crazy thing would make for an amazing series on HBO, which would be the perfect home for a story that is as brutal as it is well-written.

image via Preacher’s Divinity

Picture Jesse on the small screen taking on Jody, the Saint, or being the Sheriff of that no-horse town and you have yourself another title in your library that you would re-watch over and over again!

Revival

Revival takes on a very interesting aspect of horror- what if the dead returned exactly as they once were? Their loved ones have gone through the grieving process, healed, and possibly moved on but something happens in this small Wisconsin town that has its residents up in arms and confounded.

image via NERD Society

This show would fill the post X-Files and Twin Peaks void. Revival would be an eerie romp on TV that would have you talking at the water cooler every week, trying to figure out the mystery.

Read also: 5 Comics You Should Be Reading Right Now

Rich Stambolian (@btcrich) can be found in his native habitat of Flushing, Queens. When he’s not in the wild he enjoys a good comic book, a good rasslin’ match, a video game or two, and maybe an ice cold sud.