an adaptation is always best appreciated
when you know the source material
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top
10 comics and graphic novels to read
before they’re adapted before we begin
we publish new videos every day so be
sure to subscribe for more great content
for this list we’ll be looking at
popular and critically acclaimed comics
and graphic novels that you should
really check out before they hit the big
or small screen we’re only considering
comics and graphic novels for which
direct adaptations are reportedly
already in some stage of development for
TV or film number 10 Watchmen sure it
was already adapted for the big screen
in 2009 but like most Zack Snyder
offerings it proved to be a highly
divisive film now the property is
getting another shot and this time in a
serialized format on HBO with Damon
Lindelof co-creator of lost and the
excellent and captivating HBO series the
leftovers serving as showrunner there’s
plenty of reason to hope for a high
quality yet crowd-pleasing adaptation
created by Alan Moore Watchmen is
considered by many to be the greatest
graphic novel ever written so whether
you’re familiar with it or not now would
be a good time to dive in as a primer
for what is sure to be a buzz worthy
series number nine the boys considering
how insanely violent and sexually
explicit Garth Ennis is comics tend to
be you’d think as titles regardless of
how popular they are would be on a
blacklist labeled content to never be
adapted at pretty much every network but
we’re living in the post West world in
Game of Thrones world and his comics
suddenly seem like viable candidates for
TV the creative team of Seth Rogen and
Evan Goldberg successfully brought
Ennis’s preacher to AMC and now they’re
doing the same with his series the boys
for Amazon Studios be warned the comics
which explore a world of corrupt
superheroes and the team tasked with
keeping them in line isn’t for the faint
of heart
number eight Lazarus comic book
properties are a hot commodity these
days so when a new series comes out from
an established writer the adaptation
rights get snatched up quick this image
comic series by greg rucka debuted in
2013 and by 2015 after a bidding war
legendary television walked away with
the rights despite the fact that the
series hadn’t even concluded yet Lazarus
is an interesting concept a dystopian
future in which the world is ruled by
just six families who’ve divvied up the
globe into feudal territories each
defended by their genetically enhanced
warrior or Lazarus it’s a compelling
read one that you’ll definitely want to
check out before the series hits the
small screen number seven hack slash an
adaptation of this comic book has been
stewing in development hell for over a
decade but there finally appears to be a
light at the end of the tunnel or so we
hope
inspired by slasher films and Buffy the
Vampire Slayer hack and slash follows
our heroine Cassie hack as she hunts
down killer monsters known as slashers
there were talks of a film adaptation as
early as 2006 and those talks persisted
up until about 2012 in 2015 however
relativity announced a television
adaptation for fans of horror this
series is a must read and when the TV
show finally gets made
we hope it translate into must watch
television – number 6 scalped easily one
of the most inspired comic series of the
new millennium scalped his part crime
thriller part modern Western set on a
Native American reservation the story
dives deep into the settings unique
cultural economic and political
situations as masterfully navigated by
Jason Aaron and RM guerra earning
critical acclaim during its five-year
run scalped was unsurprisingly picked up
for a small screen adaptation as a TV
series it would probably feel like Fargo
meets Deadwood but refreshingly focusing
on a group that is grossly
underrepresented in popular media a
pilot was filmed for WGN America but due
to a possible buyout of the parent
company the property is reportedly still
looking for a network number five lock
and key a fantasy horror series lock and
key tells the story of the lock children
who discover keys that give them special
abilities unfortunately as they soon
find out there’s a malevolent force that
also seeks to control these little
pieces of extra dimensional iron if
properly adapted for the small screen
this Eisner award-winning comic could be
the next stranger things in 2011 a pilot
was filmed for 20th Century Fox and was
even screened at San Diego comic-con
despite the positive reviews Fox
ultimately decided to pass but good
things come to those who wait and in
2017 a new pilot was ordered by Hulu who
will hopefully do an even better job
with the brilliant source material
number 4 Essex County a truly
one-of-a-kind comic book creator Jeff
Lemire tells intimate stories like no
other from the wonderfully odd sweet
tooth to his brilliantly fresh take on
moon night
he’s carved a niche for himself as a
writer who refuses to play it safe
though he’s tackled some big concepts
his career really got started with Essex
County a trilogy of short graphic novel
story set in rural Ontario Canada
these emotionally charged stories of
family growing up loss and interpersonal
connection earned Lamar critical acclaim
and widespread attention they’re also
rife with potential to be adapted for TV
which is just what the CBC plans to do
number three sex criminals in the age of
the me2 movement a name like sex
criminals is likely to raise a few
eyebrows but don’t worry
sex criminals is about consensual sexual
partners committing crimes together and
it’s wildly original after Suzy and Jon
discover they both happen to have the
ability to freeze time when they orgasm
they decide to work together to rob the
bank that Jon works at the series earned
widespread critical acclaim and as a
result the rights were acquired by
Universal TV to be produced by series
creator Matt Fraction zone company which
he founded alongside fellow comic book
writers sued to connick these
collaborators are also reportedly
bringing the wicked and the divine to
the small screen translation you’ve got
a bunch of great source material to get
through ASAP
number two the Umbrella Academy My
Chemical Romance frontman Jared Way has
a penchant for hip making and it extends
beyond music to the world of comics in
2008 his critically acclaimed series
umbrella Academy took home an Eisner
Award originally a film adaptation was
said to have been optioned by Universal
Studios but it fell through only to be
replaced with the TV series in 2015
which honestly feels like a better fit
for this story anyways the series is set
to debut on Netflix in 2018 which means
you’ll want to get familiar with this
peculiar period piece about
dysfunctional child super heroics sooner
rather than later
number one why the last man this
phenomenal series has been in some stage
of development as either a film or
television series for far too long we’d
rather have them do it right than
quickly but the weight has been
agonizing thankfully as of 2016 a series
is officially in the works at FX Michael
Green has been named showrunner and
given that he had a major hand and
bringing Neil Gaiman American Gods to
the small screen in such spectacular
fashion we have reason to believe that
this would be the adaptation that Bryan
Kavon series deserves for the
uninitiated meteoric an ampersand
last man on earth and his pet monkey
you’ll quickly understand the high
demand for this adaptation do you agree
with our picks check out these other
great clips from watch mojo and
subscribe for new videos every day
when you know the source material
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top
10 comics and graphic novels to read
before they’re adapted before we begin
we publish new videos every day so be
sure to subscribe for more great content
for this list we’ll be looking at
popular and critically acclaimed comics
and graphic novels that you should
really check out before they hit the big
or small screen we’re only considering
comics and graphic novels for which
direct adaptations are reportedly
already in some stage of development for
TV or film number 10 Watchmen sure it
was already adapted for the big screen
in 2009 but like most Zack Snyder
offerings it proved to be a highly
divisive film now the property is
getting another shot and this time in a
serialized format on HBO with Damon
Lindelof co-creator of lost and the
excellent and captivating HBO series the
leftovers serving as showrunner there’s
plenty of reason to hope for a high
quality yet crowd-pleasing adaptation
created by Alan Moore Watchmen is
considered by many to be the greatest
graphic novel ever written so whether
you’re familiar with it or not now would
be a good time to dive in as a primer
for what is sure to be a buzz worthy
series number nine the boys considering
how insanely violent and sexually
explicit Garth Ennis is comics tend to
be you’d think as titles regardless of
how popular they are would be on a
blacklist labeled content to never be
adapted at pretty much every network but
we’re living in the post West world in
Game of Thrones world and his comics
suddenly seem like viable candidates for
TV the creative team of Seth Rogen and
Evan Goldberg successfully brought
Ennis’s preacher to AMC and now they’re
doing the same with his series the boys
for Amazon Studios be warned the comics
which explore a world of corrupt
superheroes and the team tasked with
keeping them in line isn’t for the faint
of heart
number eight Lazarus comic book
properties are a hot commodity these
days so when a new series comes out from
an established writer the adaptation
rights get snatched up quick this image
comic series by greg rucka debuted in
2013 and by 2015 after a bidding war
legendary television walked away with
the rights despite the fact that the
series hadn’t even concluded yet Lazarus
is an interesting concept a dystopian
future in which the world is ruled by
just six families who’ve divvied up the
globe into feudal territories each
defended by their genetically enhanced
warrior or Lazarus it’s a compelling
read one that you’ll definitely want to
check out before the series hits the
small screen number seven hack slash an
adaptation of this comic book has been
stewing in development hell for over a
decade but there finally appears to be a
light at the end of the tunnel or so we
hope
inspired by slasher films and Buffy the
Vampire Slayer hack and slash follows
our heroine Cassie hack as she hunts
down killer monsters known as slashers
there were talks of a film adaptation as
early as 2006 and those talks persisted
up until about 2012 in 2015 however
relativity announced a television
adaptation for fans of horror this
series is a must read and when the TV
show finally gets made
we hope it translate into must watch
television – number 6 scalped easily one
of the most inspired comic series of the
new millennium scalped his part crime
thriller part modern Western set on a
Native American reservation the story
dives deep into the settings unique
cultural economic and political
situations as masterfully navigated by
Jason Aaron and RM guerra earning
critical acclaim during its five-year
run scalped was unsurprisingly picked up
for a small screen adaptation as a TV
series it would probably feel like Fargo
meets Deadwood but refreshingly focusing
on a group that is grossly
underrepresented in popular media a
pilot was filmed for WGN America but due
to a possible buyout of the parent
company the property is reportedly still
looking for a network number five lock
and key a fantasy horror series lock and
key tells the story of the lock children
who discover keys that give them special
abilities unfortunately as they soon
find out there’s a malevolent force that
also seeks to control these little
pieces of extra dimensional iron if
properly adapted for the small screen
this Eisner award-winning comic could be
the next stranger things in 2011 a pilot
was filmed for 20th Century Fox and was
even screened at San Diego comic-con
despite the positive reviews Fox
ultimately decided to pass but good
things come to those who wait and in
2017 a new pilot was ordered by Hulu who
will hopefully do an even better job
with the brilliant source material
number 4 Essex County a truly
one-of-a-kind comic book creator Jeff
Lemire tells intimate stories like no
other from the wonderfully odd sweet
tooth to his brilliantly fresh take on
moon night
he’s carved a niche for himself as a
writer who refuses to play it safe
though he’s tackled some big concepts
his career really got started with Essex
County a trilogy of short graphic novel
story set in rural Ontario Canada
these emotionally charged stories of
family growing up loss and interpersonal
connection earned Lamar critical acclaim
and widespread attention they’re also
rife with potential to be adapted for TV
which is just what the CBC plans to do
number three sex criminals in the age of
the me2 movement a name like sex
criminals is likely to raise a few
eyebrows but don’t worry
sex criminals is about consensual sexual
partners committing crimes together and
it’s wildly original after Suzy and Jon
discover they both happen to have the
ability to freeze time when they orgasm
they decide to work together to rob the
bank that Jon works at the series earned
widespread critical acclaim and as a
result the rights were acquired by
Universal TV to be produced by series
creator Matt Fraction zone company which
he founded alongside fellow comic book
writers sued to connick these
collaborators are also reportedly
bringing the wicked and the divine to
the small screen translation you’ve got
a bunch of great source material to get
through ASAP
number two the Umbrella Academy My
Chemical Romance frontman Jared Way has
a penchant for hip making and it extends
beyond music to the world of comics in
2008 his critically acclaimed series
umbrella Academy took home an Eisner
Award originally a film adaptation was
said to have been optioned by Universal
Studios but it fell through only to be
replaced with the TV series in 2015
which honestly feels like a better fit
for this story anyways the series is set
to debut on Netflix in 2018 which means
you’ll want to get familiar with this
peculiar period piece about
dysfunctional child super heroics sooner
rather than later
number one why the last man this
phenomenal series has been in some stage
of development as either a film or
television series for far too long we’d
rather have them do it right than
quickly but the weight has been
agonizing thankfully as of 2016 a series
is officially in the works at FX Michael
Green has been named showrunner and
given that he had a major hand and
bringing Neil Gaiman American Gods to
the small screen in such spectacular
fashion we have reason to believe that
this would be the adaptation that Bryan
Kavon series deserves for the
uninitiated meteoric an ampersand
last man on earth and his pet monkey
you’ll quickly understand the high
demand for this adaptation do you agree
with our picks check out these other
great clips from watch mojo and
subscribe for new videos every day
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