From Arrow to The Walking Dead, comic book adaptations are among the most popular shows on TV right now, so it’s unsurprising that network executives are on the lookout for comics and graphic novels that could form the basis of their next hit show.
Over the next couple of years, a bunch of the best comics in print right now will be making their way to the small screen. Of course, HBO has a new version of Watchmen on the way, but there are more obscure titles in the works, too. So, here are 10 Comics Coming To TV Screens Really Soon.
10 The Boys Vol. 1: Digital Omnibus
READ IT NOW: $11.99
Garth Ennis’ controversially violent superhero comic The Boys is finally coming to the screen. After a movie adaptation with Adam McKay attached to direct fell through, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who previously adapted Ennis’ Preacher for AMC, have developed this TV version for Amazon.
The story is set in a world where superheroes exist and some of them have been corrupted by fame. “The boys” are a team of vigilantes who keep the superhero community in check. 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg is helming the pilot episode for a 2019 premiere. So, now is the perfect time to catch up on the series with this 530-page omnibus!
9 Y: The Last Man
SEE IT NOW: $17.34 | READ IT NOW: $12.99
Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which all male mammals apart from one human man have been wiped out, Y: The Last Man (retitled simply Y for its upcoming TV adaptation on the FX network) is a study of race, gender, and class.
Created by legendary writer Brian K. Vaughan and equally legendary artist Pia Guerra, the series is one of the quintessential post-apocalyptic tales – as well as one of the best-reviewed comic books out there, with three prestigious Eisner Awards under its belt. The series has a cast of such stars as Diane Lane, Imogen Poots, Amber Tamblyn, and Captain Marvel’s Maria Rambeau, breakout star Lashana Lynch.
8 Harrow County
SEE IT NOW: $25.46 | READ IT NOW: $23.99
Harrow County began as a limited prose story that was released chapter by chapter on Cullen Bunn’s website. After ten chapters, the initial story – “Countless Haints” – ended and it was adapted into an ongoing comic book series with artist Tyler Crook on board. The comics blend horror and fantasy in a tantalizing way that will translate perfectly for TV.
Universal Cable Productions and Dark Horse Comics are working in conjunction to develop a TV series based on the comic. So, in the meantime, why not catch up with the beginning of the story with this collected volume of the early comics?
7 Locke & Key Vol. 1: Welcome To Lovecraft
SEE IT NOW: $19.91 | READ IT NOW: $9.99
Locke & Key is a critically adored horror-fantasy series written by Stephen King’s son Joe Hill. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci developed a TV adaptation for Fox under producer Steven Spielberg and the pilot screened at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con. However, despite a positive response from fans, the pilot wasn’t picked up.
Six years later, in 2017, Hulu began developing their own TV adaptation. Then in 2018, after going through a few directors, they dropped the pilot and Netflix picked up the comic for their own adaptation. Now, it looks as though the show is finally happening with Hill actually writing it this time.
6 Black Hammer
SEE IT NOW: $27.70 | READ IT NOW: $24.99
This trippy, twisted blend of superheroes and horror sees a team of superheroes stranded in a timeless Twilight Zone-y world after defeating their enemy, Anti-God. Writer Jeff Lemire said, “I decided with Black Hammer, because it’s so personal and near and dear to my heart, if I was ever going to option and develop it, I had to be intimately involved. As far as that adaptation, I do have to be the one that is creatively steering that ship, like the comic.”
So, he’s currently working on a pilot script for Legendary Entertainment and we should have the small-screen version of this comic very soon.
5 Ice Cream Man Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles
SEE IT NOW: $11.55 | READ IT NOW: $9.99
It’s unsurprising that a TV producer out there wants to adapt Ice Cream Man for the small screen, since anthology series are all the rage right now and this is basically an anthology series on the page. Each installment of the series is based on a whole new cast of characters who are experiencing their own form of pain or misery.
What connects them all is the familiar jingle in the distance. The Ice Cream Man, a provider of tasty delights and a weaver of stories, is upon them. The series is written by W. Maxwell Prince and published by Image Comics.
4 The October Faction Vol. 1
SEE IT NOW: $13.89 | READ IT NOW: $11.99
This horror-fantasy series is like an adult version of The Addams Family. It’s about a retired monster hunter who lives with his family, including a witch and a warlock, and gets into all kinds of spooky adventures with them.
An adaptation of the comic was ordered straight to series by Netflix last October (suitably) and a first season consisting of ten episodes will be released soon. It will star Tamara Taylor and J.C. MacKenzie, but no official release date has been announced. Catch up on the comics to develop an idea of the show in your head before the show itself is released.
3 Secret Six (2006) Vol. 1: Villains United
SEE IT NOW: $9.99 | READ IT NOW: $11.49
The Secret Six, like the Sinister Six or the Legion of Doom, is a supervillain team. It consists of Bane, Rag Doll, Catman, Deadshot, Scandal Savage, and Jeannette – in other words, some of the darkest, most dangerous characters in the DC Comics Universe. This volume compiles their earliest adventures, as they band together to fight against the onslaught of justice.
It’s the story of a revolution, set in the world of superheroes and comic book. Rick Muirragui, one of the writers of Suits, has been hired by Warner Bros. to pen a TV adaptation of the comics for CBS (or maybe the CW).
2 East of West Vol. 1: The Promise
SEE IT NOW: $14.48 | READ IT NOW: $5.99
There are a lot of similarities between western stories and post-apocalyptic stories. Both are set in a lawless world populated by outlaws who roam the wastelands in search of fortune and glory. In East of West, a post-apocalyptic tale is told as a western story and the two genres are combined.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the only ones who can save America in this dark, twisted, sinister version of the future. Writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta got together to create East of West after forging a strong working relationship when they collaborated on Fantastic Four comics. Amazon is developing the TV adaptation.
1 Lazarus: The First Collection
SEE IT NOW: $31.12 | READ IT NOW: $16.49
Lazarus is a dystopian sci-fi story with a strong female lead that has been one of the most highly acclaimed comics in print for a few years now. Most recently, it has been praised for mirroring the current presidential situation. In the comics, the world is controlled by 16 powerful families (family being one of the series’ strongest themes) and the plot focuses on Forever Carlyle, the military leader of the Carlyle family.
Legendary Entertainment and Amazon Studios have picked up the rights to develop a TV series based on the comics, so now is the perfect time to see what all the fuss is about.
NEXT: Beyond Batman: 10 Comics To Read When You're Fed Up With The Dark Knight
We hope you like the items we recommend! Comic Book Resources has affiliate partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from your purchase. This won’t affect the price you pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.