10 Netflix Shows You Didn’t Know Were Based On Comics
Now that all of Netflix’s Marvel Comics TV shows, including several The defenders shows and The Punisherhave left the long-running streaming service for Disney+, other comic book adaptations have begun to reach new levels of popularity.
Some of the original comics that Netflix shows are based on have also become more popular through their screen adaptations, such as The Umbrella Academy and Lucifer — despite the latter premiering on Fox. That said, a lot of people don’t realize how many Netflix shows are based on comics and graphic novels.
hilda
Following the success of the 2021 animated film Hilda and the Mountain King, fans are eagerly awaiting more news regarding Season 3 of this sweet fantasy anime series full of endearing characters and beautiful creatures. The main character, Hilda, is an 11-year-old girl who loves to adventure with her friends and her red fox, Twig. She is voiced by Bella Ramsey, who is best known for her portrayal of Lyanna Mormont in game of thrones.
This animated children’s show is based on a series of graphic novels written and illustrated by Luke Pearson, who continues to play a major role in the production of the show. Since the adaptation’s success and positive response, more tie-in comics have been created as part of the wonderfully charming world that Hilda lives and explores.
Gourmand
Gourmand follows a “hybrid child”, Gus, as he tries to find his mother while avoiding those who want to hunt him. Although a little too close for comfort regarding the viral pandemic sweeping the world in this fantasy drama, audiences have fallen in love with the imaginative half-animal, half-human appearances and gripping storytelling.
With Season 2 on the way, fans are flocking to the original Vertigo comics written and drawn by Jeff Lemire. These post-apocalyptic stories have been called by many “madmax meets Baby.” Although the original series ended in 2013, a sequel was released in 2020 and ended the series. While the TV adaptation offers a more colorful and upbeat take on the story, Lemire’s comics have a much darker and sinister tone.
Kipo and the Age of Wonders
Kipo and the Age of Wonders is an animated television series created by Radford Sechrist and developed by Bill Wolkoff. It follows the coming-of-age story of “burrow girl” Kipo Oak and her friends as they navigate the post-apocalyptic surface teeming with mutated animals.
The series was inspired by Radford’s 2015 webcomic Kipo, which was originally posted on Tumblr. Consisting of just 32 pages published over a few months, the webcomic was quickly dropped by Radford and is only available to read through the Web Archive. With many character and world-building similarities, the comic resulted in a beautifully animated, LGBTQ+ positive story inspired by ND Stevenson and Rebecca Sugar.
warrior nun
Mixing science fiction, fantasy and religious deities, warrior nun is the modern equivalent of buffy the vampire slayer but with a much more reluctant hero in the protagonist and “Halo-bearer”, Ava. With season 2 premiering in 2022, many fans might be surprised how different the show is from its comic book inspiration.
It’s based on Areala warrior nun by Ben Dunn and first published in 1994. This American manga-style comic follows Sister Shannon Masters, the Halo wielder who dies in the pilot episode. There has also been much controversy over its appropriation of Catholic imagery, but it remains a unique standalone comic series in the mainstream market.
Dawn
Like The society and recent news on Archives 81, Dawn was canceled after just one season. He played Supernatural Alum Colin Ford as high school outcast Josh Wheeler in a more or less well-received 2019 doomsday comedy-drama. The story surrounds a nuclear fallout that led to the end of the world, as well as zombies, teenage angst, and a sort of madmax meets mean girls theme in the show’s high school clique turf wars. However, Dawn couldn’t compete with Netflix’s vast collection of programs and was canceled due to low viewership after its 10-episode first run.
The show is based on a comic book series of the same name written and illustrated by Brian Ralph. The comic book illustrations were originally posted on Brian’s blog until they became cult and compiled into a graphic novel and gripping story.
super crooks
In the same world as Jupiter’s Legacy, super crooks follows a group of super-powered thieves led by petty crook and supervillain Johnny Bolt, as they attempt to pull off one last heist before retreating. The story is from the writer and executive producer of Jupiter’s Legacy and comic book legend Mark Millar – who has also written several Millarworld graphic novels, including Kick ass and Kingsman.
super crooks is a four-issue limited series published in 2012 co-created by Millar and artist Leinil Francis Yu, known for his Marvel and DC Comics illustrations. As one of the first spin-offs of the Jupiter’s Legacy Universe, super crooks was released in November 2021 to an audience welcoming more content from Millar – who are also eagerly awaiting further development news surrounding super crooklive-action adaptation coming soon.
braid
Starting in 2021, braid explores ancient Filipino folklore and culture through anime-influenced design. Main character Alexandra Trese, a skilled and persistent supernatural crime-fighter, is aided in her battles by a myriad of interesting and often mythical characters.
It is based on the ongoing Philippine komik series written by Budjette Tan and illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo. First published in 2005, this award-winning series fuses Filipino mythology with dark storytelling and horror. Similar to the yet-to-be-renewed animated adaptation, the comics follow private detective Alexandra Trese as she tries to solve what the police can’t handle.
Raising Dion
Raising Dion Season 2 has raised everyone’s expectations for this superhero drama series surrounding a single mother raising her super-powered son. It’s based on a comic book and a 2015 short film, both created by Dennis Liu – who is also one of the show’s executive producers and has directed three episodes so far.
None of the adaptations are exact and there are some minute changes. Since this is a single-issue story, there’s plenty of room for Netflix’s own invention. This coming-of-age story is considered one of the prime examples of why Netflix’s comic book TV adaptations are better than Marvel’s. While full of amazing action sequences and CGI, the show remains grounded in the original story themes of family, love and diversifying or even completely ignoring superhero tropes. classics.
I don’t agree with this
Netflix’s habit of canceling shows, especially after a single season with an extremely intriguing cliffhanger, has angered many viewers. I don’t agree with this was an instant success in addressing issues of body image, sexuality, and family drama in young adults – as well as the well-known problem of unexpected teenage superpowers.
Fans still aren’t okay with the cancellation of the popular black comedy, but they can still enjoy Charles Forsman’s original and much darker graphic novel to some extent – also known for his award-winning comic. The end of the fucking world which was also made into a popular Netflix adaptation that managed to score a second season. While fans hoped for a happier ending for Syd in the TV adaptation, it clearly wasn’t meant to be — yet, anyway.
V Wars
V Wars was a 2019 sci-fi horror series starring Ian Somerhalder as Dr. Luther Swann, who is overwhelmed when a deadly epidemic caused by climate change turns humans into vampires. Despite a dedicated fan base and one of The Vampire Diaries alums at the helm, this series also fell victim to Netflix’s cancellation curse after just one season.
The streaming series was based on the eponymous anthology series and graphic novel by Jonathan Maberry. The comic series published from 2014 to 2015 explores the ongoing battle between humans and the ever-expanding new vampire subspecies. First published in 2012, there have also been four Maberry-edited anthologies consisting of short stories, “eyewitness” accounts, and reports concerning the vampire apocalypse. It featured writers such as Jennifer Brozek, Larry Correia, John Everson, and Gregory Frost.
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