There are a ton of projects that have made it mainstream media that were born from comic book pages. Image Comics has a few titles under their belts that have made it into the live-action universe with varying levels of success. Spawn had a film in 1997 and is currently in the works of being remade. Other titles such as Witchblade, The Walking Dead, and, more recently, Deadly Class have also made it onto the small screen.
Image Comics is known for having many titles that push the boundaries of what is typically seen in comics. Everything from introspective poetic masterpieces to ultra-violent dark comedies has graced their presses. Many of them can be pushed even further into a live-action story.
10 Savage Dragon: In Which A Green Fin-Headed Cop Fights Crime
A classic title from Image Comics, Erik Larsen brought his childhood creation to a larger audience. It chronicles the adventures of a green-skinned, super strong, fin-headed cop fighting crime in the depths of Chicago. The series begins with him being found in a burning field by Lieutenant Frank Darling. Having no memory of his past, he found himself integrating into society and eventually joining the police force. Most of his adventures include fighting other super-powered foes from a gang called The Vicious Circle.
This series, which briefly aired as a cartoon, has rarely pulled any punches with its storytelling. The character faces death on many occasions and also comes to terms with his true origins further down the road. Larsen also used this series as a platform to introduce many other characters, such as Mighty Man the super team Freak Force. While Larsen has no interest in seeing it become a movie, longtime fans would still be thrilled at the idea.
9 Battle Chasers: Fantasy Series With Magical Gloves, A Legendary Swordsman, & More
The well-regarded artist Joe Madureira published this limited-run fantasy series at the start of 1998. It had a very turbulent publishing history. It began first as a part of Wildstorm which was later absorbed by DC Comics. He published a few issues before releasing the 9th and final issue through Image Comics. This was all over a span of roughly four years, which is atypical for most comics.
The story begins with Gully, a young girl whose father has gone missing, leaving nothing but a mysterious box. She later meets Knolan and Calibretto - a mage and war golem respectively - who later help her open the box revealing her father’s magical gloves. The gloves are sought after by a series of monsters. In another part of town, legendary swordsman Garrison is approached by his mentor Red Monika in a plot to release a known pirate. He refuses, and she goes on her own only to accidentally release powerful beings that go on to cause havoc in the nearby town. The characters unite to fight this force of evil.
This project was at one point optioned to be a feature film (and was also featured as a game a few years back), but there hasn’t been any word on any production that might be in the works.
8 Invincible: In Which A Teenager Inherits & Hones His Powers
With the recent news of an animated series, it would be a highly missed opportunity if this comic wasn’t also turned into a live-action story. Created by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, this story follows the teenage son of the alien superhero Omni-Man. From the beginning, he knows that he’s about to inherit enhanced abilities. But using them to fight other super-powered foes is new to him, and comes with a mix of morals and other challenges that he doesn’t expect.
The world introduced in the comic is familiar with the presence of heroes. As his powers and experience grow, Invincible eventually gets to partner with some of them. In other stories, it's usually the case that characters his age will never find out about their abilities until a series of circumstantial events leads to their discovery. It would be interesting to see the story build with his eagerness to gain the full extent of his abilities, leading to his finally revealed secret about his true origins.
7 Genius: In Which A Girl Leads A War Against The Police
This story puts an interesting spin on the theme of leadership and conquest. A young girl named Destiny grows up in hardship in Los Angeles. A series of catastrophic events lead to the death of her mother at the hands of the police. This immediately sparks a plan which sees this girl rise to power among the local gangs, and then use that power to wage a war against the police.
Using inspiration from Sun Tzu, Ghengis Khan, and other well-known war leaders, this girl uses her wits to stay one step ahead of them while using extreme measures to fight against the social disparity she sees targeting her community.
6 Hardcore: In Which Bodies Can Be Hacked Into With Technology
Very much in theme with films like Minority Report and Face Off, this comic by Andy Diggle and artist Alessandro Vitti imagines a world where technology is used for the advancement of police and military forces. It follows Agent Drake who uses the Hardcore tech to “hack” into any body that would be useful for their assignments of either spying on or even assassinating their targets.
Drake ends up trapped in one of these bodies. Given a window of only seventy-two hours, he finds himself rushing to find his way back to his own body & figuring out who would want to see him eliminated.
5 Saga: About A Couple On Opposite Sides Of A Galactic War
With someone like Tessa Thompson already showing interest in taking part in the series, it would make one wonder why a live-action version of Saga hasn’t already been made. Creators Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples have talked about the interest in making it into a television series but felt that having it now wouldn’t match well with its original format. Not a complete dismissal of the idea, but a matter of technology and filming techniques not being able to match with its intended aesthetics.
The story chronicles the tale of a couple from opposing sides of a galactic war who have a child together and are on the run from both worlds. It’s been noted as having themes very similar to Star Wars and Game of Thrones while exploring classic themes of love and conflict born from heritage (as in Romeo and Juliet).
4 B**** Planet: About Feminism In A Futuristic Dystopian World
Imagine Orange is the New Black but in a futuristic dystopian world. This series of stories from Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Valentine De Landro exposes the lives of women who have been shipped to an off-world prison after being caught in situations as being “non-compliant.”
The story works directly into themes around feminism using the inspiration of women in prison films as a backdrop. While at times being extremely violent, there are many moments that lend themselves to themes of social and political discussion, giving the reader an opportunity for introspection throughout the story.
3 Aphrodite V: In Which Humanity Is Questioned In Machines
The more autonomy that a machine is given, the more it begins to question its purpose and humanity. It's a theme that has been illustrated before in different ways and becomes even more complex when a human being is transitioned into machinery. At what point does a human become more of a machine?
This question is explored in this comic as the titular character escapes from her makers. She is thrust into an adventure where she may very well be the only hope against a robotic being whose only goal is to destroy the city of L.A. Having elements that are not far off from cyberpunk stories like Ghost in the Shell, a live-action version to this story would have the potential to be extremely action-packed and full of pondering moments.
2 Heart Attack: About Discrimination Against Those Who Are Different
Heart Attack is a love story between two teens who are caught in a world of discrimination, segregation, and unequal rights. After the government has successfully found a way to make the population through gene therapy, some people end up developing special abilities. Those people, called variants, are apprehended purely on the basis of having these powers, forcing them to have to hide in plain sight.
This story would be fairly similar to stories in the X-men, but instead, it follows Charlie North and Jill Kearney as they fall deeper into a rebellion against an oppressive society.
1 MURDER FALCON: With Heavy Metal, Kung Fu, & More
Kung Fu. Heavy Metal. Magic. Giant Monsters. This comic doesn't need much more description than this and has the makings for being an epic (at times absurd) journey of finding oneself.
The story describes the downtrodden Jake, who was the former guitarist for a heavy metal band. He one day finds himself facing sure death when suddenly the anthropomorphic bird of prey, Murder Falcon, appears to his rescue. The only thing is that his abilities will only work at the sound of pure heavy metal.
There aren’t many live-action stories that would compare to this, which would make for a fairly unique and fun storytelling experience.