Favorite Comic Book Movie Adaptations

Now that I’m the comic book reviews editor for Hollywood Jesus, I started thinking about what comic books have best made the leap to the big screen. Here’s the list that I came up with:

1. Batman Returns
2. Spiderman II/I
-These movies set the standard for how comic book adaptations should be done. A heady mix of action and great cinema as well as being true to the spirit of their original works.

3. Road to Perdition/Lone Wolf and Cub (Lightning Swords of Death, etc.) series - I count these as basically from the same work. Road to Perdition was Max Allan Collins doing Lone Wolf and Cub
4. V for Vendetta - no, the movie wasn’t strictly “faithful” to Alan Moore’s original source material, but it was a great flick.
5. Sin City - this was not so much an adaptation as much as it was a transliteration. A panel-by-panel birthing to the silver screen. It’s what true comic geeks say we want.
6. X-Men I/II - Truly wonderful works; too bad the third entry couldn’t live up to the first two.
7. Ghost World - a little known indy comic made good.
8. Men in Black - ditto.
9. Constantine - I’ll say it again, though I am somewhat of a fan of Hellblazer (the Ennis and Ellis runs), the movie was more ... comfortable for me to watch and best illustrates the power of religious horror.
10. Hellboy - I am a big fan of the comic and this film was pure fun crafted by a fanboy.


Nearly Made the Cut
Blade II (but definitely not Blade: Trinity) - from the same fanboy that brought us Hellboy.
From Hell - more love for Alan Moore’s comics.
The Crow
History of Violence

Brilliant Messes (Honorable Mentions)
Hulk
Daredevil
Superman Returns
The Punisher

Let the nerd debates begin.


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