Movies and comic books have been connected for decades. Big screen characters and scenarios eventually ended up in a nine-panel, four-color format.
When a movie did make it big and a sequel wasn't in the works, creators developed comic book series to continue the story. Sometimes, this set up events for the next blockbuster. Other times, the print versions failed to the point everyone considered them imaginary stories. For example, here are the 10 worst comic book sequels to great movies.
10 2001: A Space Odyssey
There have been several book and movie sequels to this stylish 1968 sci-fi film. For example, Arthur C. Clarke wrote a follow-up to his original story that eventually became the successful film 2010: The Year We Make Contact. And where it answered many of the questions left from the original movie, the comic book series by Jack "The King" Kirby did not.
The Marvel Treasury Special and subsequent 10-issue series were one of the incentives to bring Kirby back to Marvel's bullpen after his DC Comics tenure. However, instead of expanding on the consequences of the Monolith and Bowman/Star Child, he put together something else. Namely, the creation of Mister Machine -- the character who would eventually become Machine Man. Eventually, that whole 2001 connection was removed for convenience.
9 Aliens and Predator
This one is somewhat misleading. Since the release of these two horror/sci-fi franchises, numerous comics have been released. Many of them, like Alien versus Predator, were a success. Even when they added another related character, like in Alien versus Predator versus Terminator, it made sense.
It's when they started moving these characters into superhero universes that things went downhill. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the WildC.A.T.S. battled the Aliens or the Predator separately, together, or separately then together. It was an environment that eventually created Archie vs. Predator. For some strange reason, this worked out better than Aliens vs. Captain Carrot.
8 Ghostbusters: Legion
No, this is not an X-Men tie-in. This is the 2004 mini-series from 88MPH Studios that featured the original movie cast. Or, rather, the movie cast and Real Ghostbusters cartoon cast. Whatever the version, the series told the story of the 'busters and supporting characters shortly after the first movie and before the sub-par sequel.
It wasn't the art or writing per se that was the problem. Instead, it was the number of delays and the simple fact the publishing company ran out of money that makes this a bad movie-to-comic sequel. Thus, there was no hardback re-release of the four-issue series, no closure on some plot points, and no Ghostbusters vs. X-Men tie-in. Man, talk about lost chances. Egon and the Beast? Classic.
7 Frank Miller's Robocop
Frank, why do you need to mess with people outside of Daredevil and Batman? You knew the story you produced for Robocop 2 wasn't well-received in theaters. So, why did you allow Steven Grant to utilize the unused pieces for a comic book series? Would you want Judd Apatow to use your unused Sin City plot lines for a movie remake? We think not.
Frank Miller's Robocop was published by Avatar and ran for nine issues. Most of it featured the first RoboCop dealing with his technologically advanced clone -- creatively named RoboCop 2. Reviews leaned toward the negative. For instance, while Greg Sahadachy at Action-A-Go-Go was a fan of the original RoboCop, he felt the comic was too haphazard. In the end, it seems few people wanted to buy it for a dollar.
6 Battlestar Galactica
There's a technicality with this one. Most people know the original Battlestar Galactica from its television run in the late 1970s. However, the pilot episodes premiered in U.S. theaters prior to its small-screen release. Hence, the reason it's listed. Actually, the reason it's unfortunately unlisted.
Thanks to the show's distributor at the time, Universal, Marvel Comics couldn't produce stories that filled gaps between episodes. Therefore, the creators did what they wanted, more or less. In turn, readers who wanted to see popular characters like Adama and Starbuck were disappointed when they didn't show up. Luckily, the latter became the owner of a Seattle coffee shop not long after they discovered the 13th colony of Earth. We know, a predictable joke.
5 Star Trek (DC Comics)
The problem with producing comic book sequels based on movie franchises is the creators may not know what is going to take place between installments. This is the case with DC's Star Trek release in the 1980s. While it wasn't the worst comic book sequel, it certainly left a lot of fans scratching their heads.
Situated between The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home, the creators couldn't leave the crew of the Enterprise on Vulcan. So, after battling their mirror universe counterparts, Kirk took command of the Excelsior. Meanwhile, Spock regained his memories and became commander of the science vessel Surak. However, everything was erased when Star Trek IV was released. In the end, never muck with continuity. It leads to so many problems.
4 Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues
As Patrick Ross said at adventuresinpoortaste.com, "Reading a new licensed comic is sort of a crapshoot." This is certainly true when it's based on a movie that lovingly embraced the culture behind sci-fi television. It's also why the 2015 release of IDW's Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues was both anticipated and dreaded.
The series wasn't really for non-fans of the 1999 movie. If they didn't know anything about it and didn't follow the recap in the first issue, then they were lost. While there were some positive reviews, many came across as neutral or negative in tone. Perhaps the eventual TV series will turn things around -- if it's ever released.
3 Mad Max: Fury Road
This one has a mixed story to it. Released in 2015 by DC's Vertigo line, the series was a prequel to the events in the blockbuster Mad Max reboot. It focused on the main characters -- Nux, Immortan Joe, Mad Max, and Imperator Furiosa. The issues based on Nux, Joe, and Max, were viewed positively. The one on Furiosa ... not so much.
Vulture and The Mary Sue reviewers were upset at the portrayal of women in that issue. Rightly so, as Joe was shown abusing the Five Wives right before he attempted to impregnate them. In addition, they believed the characterization of the females not only affected the comic but also put a negative spotlight on the film itself. Which begs the question of why the issue on Immortan Joe didn't also fail?
2 Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future
It's 1999. Sarah and John Connor are attacked by a T-800 in a Metropolis shopping mall. Superman is thrown into the future year 2032. Lois Lane, Supergirl, and Superboy battle flying terminator robots. Lex Luthor invested in Skynet. All this and Ah-nold is nowhere in sight.
Such is the plot of Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future. Yes, it seems as convoluted as the summary. Throw in an aged Steel who survives the Skynet attack, and there are more questions than satisfying answers. For example, why wasn't Steel in the second Terminator movie? Also, why was Sara Connor in a shopping mall when she would never be caught dead near a Forever 21?
1 Ewoks
Yes, this 1980s comic was based on the Ewoks Saturday morning cartoon. However, the animated series wouldn't have been possible without Return of the Jedi. So, whether you like it or not, it's on this list.
In the end, both the series and the comic were a mistake. It's true the Ewoks were cuddly. However, what people don't remember is they were also warriors about to eat Han and Luke before young Skywalker used the Force. In other words, the Ewoks comic gentrified a group of cannibalistic and spear-toting teddy bears. See what happens when you're not owned by Disney?