Hollywood has a long history of adapting comic books into movies with the Marvel Cinematic Universe being the best example. Similarly, movies are often adapted into comics and frequently when a hit movie is released, the comic book industry tries to capitalize on its success with sequel comics. Some of these comic spin-offs of film franchises like Star Wars, Godzilla, Army of Darkness, and RoboCop are nearly as popular as the movies themselves. However, there are comic sequels to movies that even the most die-hard fans don’t know about. Some of these comic book sequels are very underrated and have managed to match the quality of the movies that inspired them.
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Many of these comic sequels are lesser known because they weren’t ongoing comic lines but instead short miniseries. However, their art and stories are worthy continuations of some of Hollywood’s more interesting franchises.
5) The Dark Crystal
Image Courtesy of BOOM! Studios
Jim Henson’s groundbreaking 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal has had a sizable cult following for decades for its incredible puppetry, worldbuilding, and characters. However, the film was considered a box-office disaster when it was first released, and plans for a sequel were scrapped. Henson’s planned sequel to his magnum opus was later revived as two 12-issue miniseries under BOOM! Studios titled The Power of the Dark Crystal and Beneath the Dark Crystal, respectively. These stories are set years after Jen and Kira healed the Dark Crystal and became the new rulers of Thra. However, their growing senility led to corruption in their kingdom and Thra becoming sick. The series also introduced an all-new species called the Firelings who live deep near the center of Thra. These comics prove that The Dark Crystal mythos could easily flourish in the comic book medium because it has few limitations and provides great opportunities for expansive stories and worldbuilding.
4) Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Image Courtesy of BOOM! Studios
1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was a very funny movie that perfectly combined time-traveling science fiction with teen comedy. Between the releases of the second and third films, Bill and Ted’s band, the Wild Stallions, got to go on even more excellent adventures in two comic miniseries. Just months after the sequel film Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey was released in 1991, Marvel Comics published the 12-issue miniseries Bill & Ted’s Excellent Comic Book, which follows the titular best friends as they chase Death, who stole their phone-booth time machine. Later, the two dimwitted time travelers eventually made their big comeback to comics with BOOM! Studios’ 2015 series Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Return. Set immediately after the events of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, the comic sees Bill and Ted celebrating their victory at the battle of the bands. However, when they try to travel to the future for inspiration for their next song, they accidentally mess up the timeline and turn it into a dystopian nightmare. Like the movies themselves, these Bill & Ted comics are equal parts outlandish and hilarious.
3) Dredd
Image Courtesy of Rebellion Publishing
After the spectacular failure of Sylvester Stallone’s 1995 Judge Dredd film, the series got a gritty, underrated reboot in 2012. Dredd was a brilliant adaptation that captured what made the original 2000 AD comic anti-hero so popular with its tone, characterization, and themes. But despite the reboot’s positive reviews, Dredd didn’t make enough money to warrant a sequel. However, this version of Mega-City One’s brutal protector would live on through his own series of comics under 2000 AD. Separated from the main Judge Dredd continuity, these spin-off comics let this rebooted universe keep evolving. Storylines like “Underbelly,” “The Deep End,” “Furies,” and “The Final Judgment” all retained the movie’s grimdark aesthetic and political commentary on fascism and police brutality. This series of comics would ultimately lead to a three-way crossover between the comic, 1995, and 2012 versions of Judge Dredd. Like the Dredd movie itself, these sequel comics are certifiable cult classics.
2) The Thing
Image Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics
John Carpenter’s 1982 movie The Thing is celebrated as one of the scariest sci-fi/horror movies of all time. The film ends on an ambiguous, chilling note, with the two survivors of the Antarctic outpost massacre, Mac and Childs, wondering whether the other is really the shapeshifting alien in disguise. However, Dark Horse’s The Thing From Another World series kept the carnage going. Starting immediately where the movie ended, Mac is rescued, only to return to the outpost to make sure the Thing is dead. Naturally, the Thing isn’t; so Mac once again has to track down and destroy every piece of the creature to ensure it doesn’t make its way to human civilization and spread. Like the Aliens movie, The Thing From Another World comic trades suspense for action. And while such a tonal shift probably wouldn’t have worked for a movie sequel, it’s more than welcome in a comic.
1) Superman ’78
The 1978 Superman movie is still celebrated today as one of the greatest adaptations of the Man of Steel. Forty-four years later, DC Comics sought to honor the movie’s legacy with the sequel miniseries comic Superman ’78. No longer constrained by the limited special effects of the original film franchise, Superman ’78 goes all out with its action and visuals. The story revolves around Brainiac coming to Earth to shrink Metropolis and add it to his collection of miniature cities. While fighting Brainiac, Superman discovers that Brainiac had captured some of Krypton’s citizens, including his father, Jor-El. In the comics’ sequel, The Metal Curtain, Superman battles a Soviet soldier called Metallo who dons a Kryptonite-powered suit. Both comic storylines are, unsurprisingly, far better than the movie sequels Superman 3 and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. They capture the light-hearted, human side of Superman that made the original movie such a marvel.
What’s your favorite movie comic sequel? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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