In a world where Marvel and DC have become culturally relevant phenomena, people sometimes forget that some independent comics are just as great, if not better, than anything published by the Big Two. As such, they can also serve as inspiration for other types of media. For example, there are some excellent independent comics that would make excellent animated series.
With the next Something is killing the children animated series, fans are wondering what other big comics could reach the general public through a television show. These comics have great characters, plots, and artwork. They have everything it takes to succeed on screen, especially if they get an animated adaptation in the future.
10
Barbalien: Planète Rouge addresses big topics
In Barbalien: Red PlanetMark Markz is a Martian shapeshifter living on Earth in the 1980s, in the midst of the AIDS crisis. As a gay man himself, Mark struggles with his own identity, mainly because he is a police officer and his peers are less than supportive of him. This causes him to think a lot about who he is while facing an old nemesis.
Barbalien: Red Planet is an incredibly touching story that tackles universal topics that will never fail to be relevant, like empathy, privilege, social activism, and the LGBTQ+ struggle. This comic could use an adaptation, and an animated series is the best option for preserving Tate Bombal’s incredible art, which adds to the story’s dark and often gloomy mood.
9
The Great British Showdown Is Quite Unique
The Great British Showdown follows Shauna Wickles, an eccentric pastry chef turned detective, trying to prevent the cancellation of a national baking competition. Since the event was canceled due to a murder, Shauna wants to find the culprit, and she is determined to do so.
The Great British Showdown is a unique story. It mixes an Agatha Christie mystery full of genre tropes with wholesome but bizarre humor and even a bit of fantasy. To make things even stranger, the title and some references to the plot The Great British Pastryso it also sometimes gets meta. This comic deserves an adaptation because of its uniqueness, but a live-action version would not do justice to its almost slapstick and parodic atmosphere. An animation, on the other hand, would be perfect.
8
The Strangely Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos Has Amazing Colors
James Tynion IV has established himself as a reference in independent comics, and The Strangely Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos This is one of the reasons why his career is only progressing. This unique series follows Christopher Chaos, a genius teenager with telekinetic abilities who finds himself in the middle of a war between monsters.
The Strangely Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos is both a coming-of-age story and a sci-fi action tale, so it would make a great series to Stranger Things. However, one of its greatest assets is the crisp colors on each page, so losing that would mean losing much of its charm. Fortunately, this would be easily fixed with an animated series.
7
The Mystery Society has some very strange characters that won’t translate to live-action
What do a rich couple obsessed with the paranormal, a ghoul, two twins from Area 51 and a robot with the brain of Jules Verne have in common? They are the members of the Mystery Society, a secret group of unusual adventurers in search of the skull of Edgar Allan Poe.
Mysterious Society is an underrated story created by Steve Niles and Fiona Staples. Whichever studio picks it up will have a diamond on their hands. The series has a lot of potential, but with such bizarre (yet lovable) characters, its best option is definitely an animation.
6
The Hunger And The Dusk Could Become The New Fantasy Animated Series
G. Willow Wilson helms what may be one of the best fantasy comics in recent years. Hunger and twilight takes place in a universe where only humans and orcs survived a mass extinction. The differences between the two species lead to a turf war that ends abruptly when the Vangol, an ancient humanoid race, arrive to take over. Now, humans and orcs must ally themselves into a group that will experience tons of adventures together.
Hunger and twilight would thrive in places where The Legend of Vox Machina And The Dragon Prince have conquered. This high fantasy story is a masterclass in world-building, with relatable characters and a good balance of drama and humor. A perfect combo for a new animated series inspired by a comic book.
5
Blacksad has anthropomorphic characters in serious situations
Sad black follows John Blacksad, a tuxedo cat who works as a private detective in a world full of anthropomorphic animals in late 1950s America. The series sees Blacksad solving crimes alongside Weekly, his occasional sidekick, and Smirnov, a German shepherd working as a police commissioner with a powerful sense of justice.
Sad black This seems funny considering there are animals involved, but that’s far from the truth. The series is a dark comic book that tackles serious topics like racial segregation, police corruption, and even suicide. This is the perfect series for an animated adaptation because it would simply never work in live-action, but it has some amazing storylines that need to be brought to new media.
4
Astro City doesn’t focus on just one hero
That of Kurt Busiek Astro City depicts the lives of various superheroes without focusing on any one in particular. Instead, he’s constantly changing perspectives, because he’s more interested in what a superhero is than who he is. This series is Busiek’s vision of superhero comics, a thesis on his vision of this genre, which follows the best tropes and archetypes.
Astro City remains one of the greatest comics in history, but for a superhero story in a superhero-centric media era, it has received very little attention. There have been several attempts to bring the series to broadcast media, but an animated series would be the ideal solution. Firstly, there would be no need for a CGI budget, which would make things easier immediately. Additionally, the constant changes in perspective for each character would make casting preparation difficult. Hopefully this amazing project will become more popular.
3
Earthdivers has a very complex plot
The year is 2112 and the end of times is near: ocean levels are rising, earthquakes are becoming too frequent and pollution has doomed humanity. A group of time travelers realize that the only way to prevent this is to change history forever. Now they are on a mission to kill Chris Columbus before he reaches the New World. Of course, this will not be an easy task.
Earthdiverse follows the crew in charge of this mission as they navigate the chaos of stopping a key moment in history. This comic mixes historical sci-fi and horror, which is the cherry on top of its very unique premise. It could be a movie, sure, but an animated series would work better, especially considering that live-action scripts tend to cut down significantly on the source material. Earthdiverse There are great moments on every page, so fans will appreciate having everything in the adaptation.
2
The Wicked + The Divine needs its colors to stay amazing
The wicked + the divine is the story of 12 people who discover that they are reincarnated deities. This grants them special abilities as well as fame during their lifetime. The only problem is that it can’t last forever. It turns out they are bound to an ancient cycle known as Recurrence, which means they will die in two years. It’s now up to them to make the most of the time they have.
The wicked + the divine is a complex story with incredibly lovable characters and incredible twists and turns in almost every issue, as well as a very detailed timeline. This series is very successful, so the fact that it didn’t become a TV show is surprising. Still, if a studio is considering bringing the series to the small screen, an animated series would make more sense, especially if they want to maintain the bright colors and overall glamorous vibe of the comic.
1
Saga is the best independent comic on the market
Saga follows Alana and Marco, two aliens of different races who find themselves at war. These two are on opposite sides: They love each other so much that they formed a family, so now they must escape their respective governments to raise their daughter, Hazel. To do this, they travel through space and experience all kinds of adventures.
Comic book readers know that Saga is the best Image Comics series out there. It’s a space opera that hits all the right points of the genre, but it also touches on important topics, like culture, segregationism, and war. Additionally, the characters are both alien and surprisingly human. It would be a great TV show, but its creator, Brian K. Vaughan, thinks the translation wouldn’t be right. According to him, the comic was created as such so that they could do absolutely anything [they] which I couldn’t do in a movie or TV show.” Here’s the thing: an animated series would give them the same opportunities, and it would be a stunning series.