Discuss: Comic Adaptations of Television and Film

Doug: Two weeks ago, Martinex1 asked us about comics created using licensed properties. We're going to trim that down just a bit today, and ask you to recollect on those comics (of various sizes) that adapted specific films or television shows -- in some cases from specific episodes. Whether the comic went on to publish original material is not really on the table today -- we want pans and praises of the four-color versions of the live material.

Guest Post - If I Had a Buck... Photo Covers

Doug: Here's another economic decision to make -- you have a dollar, only a dollar. Spend it here, on comic books with photo covers!

Smile for the Camera: Photo Covers and the $1 Challenge

Mike S.: Take a look at these covers. What do you see? Do you see creativity, an early sense of cosplay,  photographic interplay years ahead of its time, and your greatest imagination brought to life?  Or do you say, “Meh, this is an empty attempt at marketing and uninspired pandering”?

I have to say I am plowing new ground here on this latest challenge of “If I Had A Buck…” because these covers do not appeal to me. Yes, it is true; I am a photo snob. If I am buying a comic I would like to see comic artwork. Give me Kirby, give me Romita, and Byrne, and Perez, and Kane! This photo trend in American comics left me uninterested and a little heavier in the pocket, because I did not spend a dime on these comics! And I did that based on the covers alone.

I understand completely that I may be wrong. I understand that I may have entirely missed the boat here. Was this any portion of the inspiration that led to photo realistic art like the work of Alex Ross?  Or was it a misguided attempt to do something different? Did you love it? Did it jump off of the rack for you? Or is it best left forgotten?

Now, obviously there are two types of covers here. There are a set of covers from Marvel’s exploration into realism. And there are a set of covers reflecting the adaptation of television or film adaptations. The second set interests me more. I liked reading comic adventures of my favorite television heroes, whether that was the Six Million Dollar Man, the Bionic Woman, Adam 12, or the Man From U.N.C.L.E., and it made sense that some of those comics might have the actual actors emblazoned on the covers. Though it is interesting to note that some of those mentioned above leaned toward traditional pencil and ink rather than photography; even Neal Adams illustrated Steve Austin.

I am not sure what drove Marvel to attempt this on a handful of covers. Surely it could not have been cheaper, could it? With costume development, set design, models, lighting, and photo sessions it had to be difficult. But what drove them to go down the photographic path? I cannot find any examples where DC tried this; do they exist? And even as much as I loved the Bullpen Bulletins and Not Brand Echh!, could I stomach a whole issue of Marvel Fumetti?

I have to recognize that photo covers were definitely a large part of the Silver Age for adaptations, and that trend edged into the Bronze Age as well.Does it have a place today? If I saw Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson on a cover for the Avengers would it surprise me? Probably not. Would I like it? I just might. Does the modern era of comic super realism on film make this more palpable? Maybe. Or do I just disdain the old model because the costumes were just weak? Very possibly. 

So tell me, would you spend your money here? If you walked into my shop and saw only these nine books, these nine oddities, would you bite? On what comics would you spend your single dollar? Or would you buy Marathon Bars, Twinkies, Snowballs, RC, and Fruit Stripe Gum instead?

Was it a Photo Bomb or a Photo Shop?

Dazzler #21; $1.00

Spider-Woman #50; $1.00

Marvel Fumetti Book #1; $1.00

Happy Days #6; $0.40

Beneath the Planet of the Apes #1; $0.25

The Mod Squad #8; $0.15

Amazing Spider-Man #262; $0.60

Marvel Team-Up #128; $0.60

Star Trek #8; $0.15

Who's the Best... Half Hour Sitcom?

Jumping the Shark

PLEASE:  HOLD ONTO ALL OF YOUR AVENGERS MOVIE DISCUSSION UNTIL SUNDAY'S POST -- THE BRONZE AGE BABIES ARE TRYING TO DO OUR PART TO KEEP THE MOVIE-GOING EXPERIENCE SPOILER FREE FOR ALL OF OUR READERS.  THANKS!

Doug:  You veterans out there will recall a couple of months ago when Karen and I requested some creative contributions from our readers.  Every now and then we get a bit rundown and it can be hard to come up with meaningful fodder for your discussing pleasures each day.  We've run several of your ideas over the past few weeks and have had a blast doing so.  Today we're back at it, with a missive from our ever-faithful Inkstained Wretch.  He wrote (with some minor editing by me):

Another idea that just popped into my head: A discussion of "jump the shark" cases for particular comic book series. I mean, at what point did a long-running, popular series go seriously astray?

We've talked in this comment section a couple of times about how the Avengers lost its way for years after the justifiably infamous 200th issue. Any other cases anybody would like to talk about?

Doug:  For those of you not "in the know", "jumping the shark" is a reference to a venerable American television program called Happy Days.  Set in the 1950's in David B.'s very own Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the show followed several friends through various sitcom situations.  It was very highly-rated, until that fateful episode when Fonzie, the King of Cool, -- jumped a shark.  In short-shorts and a leather jacket.  Jumped a shark.  All downhill after that, kids...  So today we're talking about comic series that were going along just swimmingly (ouch) until some event, creator, etc. just made it all head south in a hurry.  Have at it!

Classic American Television

Doug: Today's post spins out of a comment our pal david_b made last Friday on our Comics Code post. In the midst of his pontification David slipped in a reference to the television program Dragnet, which (for most of us who see it in reruns; there were earlier radio and TV versions) ran during the 1967-70 seasons and featured Jack Webb and Harry Morgan as LA policemen. That made me smile, and immediately got me to thinking of some programs my wife and I enjoy.

Doug: One of my favorites that I actually watched in reruns when I was a child is The Dick Van Dyke Show. Now that I'm older and fully understand the plotlines I really appreciate it. Van Dyke was so gifted at physical comedy, and it's that aspect of the program that stands out to me. Of course we were of the age that The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family were still being first-aired when we were little. Watching those today is a bit different from viewing "Dick Van Dyke" or The Mary Tyler Moore Show; the Bradys are a part of our personal history -- can you think of another program in the lives of people born in the mid-1960's that has been watched for virtually forever, as in the case of The Brady Bunch? Sure, it's not particularly fine as literature or cinema, but each show was it's own little whitebread morality play.

Doug: These are just a few examples -- I could go on with the sitcoms and then on into a few old dramas that we'll sometimes sit back and watch. But I'll let the conversation begin to flow through you, our readers. Which series of decades past did you enjoy, and perhaps still watch in reruns -- Green Acres (also mentioned by david_b last week), I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H, Mr. Ed, Happy Days, or The Honeymooners? Are there classic series that you've purchased on DVD? And, just to balance the equation, are there some shows that just make your eyes bleed? -Why in the world would any producer have wasted the celluloid? Thanks in advance for your comments!

NOTE: We certainly don't want to exclude our international friends from the conversation. Sidebars for British television, etc. are perfectly appropriate to today's topic. I'm sure if the comments get to flowing, there will be something that comes along that we can all get involved with.