In the early 21st century, film and comic books are more interlinked than ever before; the Marvel Cinematic Universe reigns supreme and the dominance of superhero films has had reflexive effects on the comics.

RELATED: Kevin Smith & 9 Other Filmmakers Who Became Comic Writers

That said, this intermixing of material hasn't necessarily bled over into a mixing of talent—it's fairly rare for comic writers to break into screenwriting and rarer still for them to helm adaptations of their own work. However, "rare" doesn't mean "never."

10 Steve Niles Brought "30 Days Of Night" Full-Circle

30 Days of Night

30 Days Of Night is set at the northernmost tip of Alaska in the town of Barrow. During Barrow's mid-winter, the sun doesn't rise for a month, leaving the residents out of luck when a pack of vampires attacks. After having little success pitching the story to comic publishers, author Steve Niles tried shopping 30 Days Of Night around to movie studios but ran into the same wall.

Eventually, Niles struck a deal with IDW, and the story was finally published as a comic in 2002 (Ben Templesmith provided the art). The comic now serving as a proof of concept, Niles resumed his attempts to launch a 30 Days Of Night movie. Produced by Sam Raimi, directed by David Slade, and co-written by Stuart Beattie, Brian Nelson, and Niles himself, 30 Days Of Night premiered in 2007.

9 Katsuhiro Otomo Adapted His Manga, "Akira"

Kaneda from Akira walking towards his bike

Manga is a more creator-friendly field than the American comics industry. Indeed, Akira, one of the most famous anime films both in Japan itself and internationally, was directed by the creator of its source material, Katsuhiro Otomo. Otomo wrote and drew the Akira manga from 1982-1990—told over six volumes, the series created one of the most well-known cyberpunk settings this side of Blade Runner.

The film, released in 1988, streamlines the story while retaining the major beats and characters. Having only grown in estimation since its initial release, a live-action American remake of Akira has languished in development hell since 2002.

8 Judd Winick Scripted An Animated Adaptation Of His Comic, "Batman: Under The Red Hood"

under the red hood

"Under The Hood" comprises Batman #635-641, 645-650, Annual #25, all written by Judd Winick with art by Doug Mahnke, Eric Battle, and Shane Davis. The story features the return of Jason Todd, the 2nd Robin, in the guise of the Red Hood. The late Boy Wonder seeks to avenge his own murder at the Joker's hands and surpass his mentor as Gotham's guardian.

RELATED: Red Hood: 10 Ways Jason Is Better As A Villain

In 2010, Winick scripted the animated Batman: Under The Red Hood. Winick appreciated the effort to "cut out all the fat and get to the heart of [the story]." Indeed, Under The Red Hood is superior to the comic thanks to this streamlining—no superfluous ties to Infinite Crisisa simpler explanation for Jason's revival, yet with the core of a guilt-ridden father trying to save his son preserved. Relatedly, the climactic stand-off between Batman, Jason, and the Joker is more emotionally affecting when performed instead of read.

7 Dan Clowes Co-Scripted The Film Adaptation Of "Ghost World"

Thora Birch as Enid Coleslaw in Ghost World

Issues #11-18 of Dan Clowes' Eightball featured Ghost World. High school graduates Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer aimlessly wander through an American urban jungle, sardonically spouting off critiques of a world they don't know their place in.

The comic ran from 1993-1997; shortly thereafter, in 2001, Terry Zwigoff directed a film adaptation of the comic. Starring Thora Birch as Enid and Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca, Ghost World barely made its budget back but was critically acclaimed. Indeed the script, co-written by Zwigoff and Clowes, was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

6 Geoff Johns Contributed Two Stories To The "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" Anthology

Green Lantern Emerald Knights

Green Lantern is undoubtedly the character who Geoff Johns has shaped the most. Over a nine-year run, Johns revived Hal Jordan and introduced the color spectrum which is now foundational to the Green Lantern lore.

2011's Emerald Knights, co-directed by Lauren Montgomery, Jay Olivia, and Christopher Berkley, is an anthology focusing on different members of the Green Lantern Corps. Johns co-wrote two segments of the film, "Abin Sur," and "Emerald Knights." He also has a producer's credit on the live-action Green Lantern film, though the less said of that undertaking, the better.

5 Mike Mignola Has Story Credits On The Animated "Hellboy" Duology

The cast of the Animated Hellboy standing together.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola had varying degrees of involvement in all three of the live-action films. In the first two, however, it's clear that director Guillermo Del Toro ultimately had a greater say in the creative vision, while the Neil Marshall helmed reboot is too jumbled to decipher any individual vision.

However, there are more Hellboy films than the live-action ones—Sword Of Storms, released in 2006, and Blood & Iron, released in 2007. Though not set in the same continuity as Del Toro's films, the main cast reprises their roles: Ron Perlman as Hellboy, Selma Blair as Liz Sherman, and Doug Jones as Abe Sapien. In addition, Mignola has story credits on both. Though obscure, this makes the animated Hellboy the most direct adaptation of Mignola's comics.

4 Marjane Satrapi Revisited Her Childhood Twice Over With "Persepolis"

persepolis

French-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi is responsible for the most famous graphic auto-biography in publication: Persepolis. Published in two volumes ("The Story Of A Childhood" then "The Story Of A Return"), the first book focuses on Satrapi (known in-text by her childhood nickname "Marji") living in Iran during the 1980s, a time of social repression. Part 2 sees a young adult Marji live in Europe before briefly returning home.

Acclaimed and one of the few graphic novels to break through into literary canon, Persepolis was adapted to film in 2007; Satrapi co-directed the film with Vincent Paronnaud and combined the two volumes into a streamlined whole. With Satrapi as the director, it's no surprise that the film emulated the style of comic but brought motion to it.

3 Frank Miller Has A Co-Director's Credit On Both "Sin City" Films

Sin City Comic Films

Even when writing superheroes and samurais, Frank Miller's work always has noir underpinnings, from the gritty atmosphere to the hard-edged narration. In 1991, Miller ditched pretense with Sin City, a collection of mini-series following the inhabitants of the corrupt Basin City. Written and drawn by Miller, Sin City walks the line between homage and pastiche.

RELATED: Sin City: 5 Ways It Is Brilliant (& 5 Ways It Does Not Hold Up)

In 2005, a Sin City film was released. Using digital technology to recreate the comic's panels down to the black-and-white coloring, director Robert Rodriguez described his film as "less of an adaptation than a translation." As a result, there is no screenwriting credit and Rodriguez shared the director's credit with Miller. Nine years later, a sequel was released, subtitled A Dame To Kill For with two original stories"The Long Bad Night" and "Nancy's Last Dance," the latter a sequel to "That Yellow Bastard," adapted in the original Sin City.

2 Joe Kelly Adapted His Superman Story - "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & The American Way?"

Superman Whats So Funny

"What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, And The American Way" was published in Action Comics #775, written by Joe Kelly, and illustrated by Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo. Meant as a response to The AuthoritySuperman confronts violent vigilantes The Elite, and asks: is there any place for a boy scout like him in the world of the anti-hero?

In 2012, the story was adapted into animation—titled Superman Vs The Elite, Kelly wrote the film's script himself. Rather than streamline like Vinick did with Under The Red Hood, Kelly used the longer running time to flesh things out, especially the Elite themselves.

1 Allan Heinberg Wrote A 5-Issue "Wonder Woman" Run, Then Scripted The 2017 Movie

Wonder Woman Comic Movie

Allan Heinberg primarily works in television, with credits on Sex And The City, Gilmore Girls, and The O.C. However, the writer is a self-avowed comic fan and has had the chance to write for both of the big two superhero companies. Heinberg's greatest contribution to DC is a five-issue run on Wonder Woman with the married artist pair Terry and Rachel Dodson.

With his connections to both the comic industry and Hollywood, Heinberg also has sole screenplay credit on 2017's Wonder Woman. There have been plenty of attempts to bring Diana to the big screen over the years, but it was Heinberg's script which triumphed.

NEXT: 5 Moments That Prove Wonder Woman Could Never Turn Evil (& 5 That Show How Scary It Would Be If She Did)