Friday, October 30, 2009

Friday Question/Friday Answer: Adaptations

Okay, here we go for real this time: an actual Question/Answer entry. I made this question up myself, with some input from Anika, but please feel free to ask me future questions because I'm just not creative enough to keep on doing it.

I've been wanting to talk a bit more about non-print media, so this seems like a good transition piece.

What is your favorite comic book adaptation?

Because it's hard for me to narrow it down, Anika recommended I list a few and end with a winner. It's nice to have smart friends!

By the way, I welcome discussion on this. These are all opinion, and I have some very interesting tastes that not everyone agrees with (Donner's Superman doesn't crack my top 10, for instance).

Honorable mentions: Supergirl (1984), Watchmen (2009), V for Vendetta (2005), Mutant X (2001), Batman (1988), Iron Man (2008), Flash (1990), Flash Gordon (1980), The Crow (1994), Tank Girl (1995).

5) X-Men: The Animated Series (1992). This show made comics cool for my whole group of friends and, more importantly, for people who would normally pick on my whole group of friends. I didn't know anyone in my age group who didn't watch this at some point. And because of this show we got all the other neat animated shows that followed in that decade, including DC's amazing, comic-inspiring animated universe. Not to mention that it followed so well with the comics, including the awesome Dark Phoenix storyline. This show made me love Scott Summers, which... is saying something.

Plus it had the one of the best TV theme songs ever.





4) The Adventures of Superman (1952). My dad used to record all the episodes that aired late at night and we'd watch them together. This was my first introduction to Superman, so it holds a special place in my heart. There's something about the fifties-era Superman that is so perfectly perfect that I can't help but love it. The great thing about Superman is that he really is just always like that. I know that makes some people have less of an ability to connect to him, but for me that makes him more universal. Superman is Superman. Even if he crash lands in Siberia and is raised by Communists (a perfect foil to this Cold War Era show, by the way) he will always have the same set of values and morals. He always wants what's best for his adopted planet, even if he doesn't always fit in with it, and there's something very childlike and innocent about that which, in my opinion, is perfectly showcased by this fifties-era version.

3) X-Men (2000). As much as I hate that it was a Marvel movie that did it, Bryan Singer's more-grounded-in-reality version of the X-Men is responsible for the current wave of superhero movies and current love of comics by Hollywood (and therefore the main stream consumer). But more importantly, it's a pretty damn good movie. It's well cast, with a few exceptions (why did no one think of Liev Schrieber back in 2000?), it's got an interesting story, and the effects are good. But most of what makes that movie great, because it does change some things I don't get (swapping in Rogue for Kitty, for example, when Anna Paquin could have played a perfectly good Kitty), is the fact that 95% of the roles were cast perfectly, including the three most important ones: Magneto, Xavier, and Wolverine. These people are the characters. Wow. The first time we saw Hugh Jackman (and let's be honest, how many of us had actually seen Hugh Jackman before?) leaning against that cage, smoking a cigar... sent shivers up my spine. That movie set the bar. Let comic fans make comic movies and you'll get a well-cast (mostly), well-written, well-shot movie. It's too bad that his Superman Returns wasn't as good.

2) Batman: The Animated Series (1992). Where to start. First off, another great title sequence that really pulled in the dark-deco-noir atmosphere of Gotham:



This show created a whole universe of its own, giving us both Harley Quinn and Renee Montoya, who made the transition (very successfully) into the comics. It developed an animated universe full of superheroes and led to its own sequel, Batman Beyond. It made Bruce interesting, it made its villains interesting (Mark Hamil is still the best Joker, period), and it was the first time I ever really looked forward to getting back to Gotham. This did for kids and adolescents what Burton's movie did for teenagers and adults.

And it was fun. It was good. I enjoyed pretty much every single episode, and I still think of it when I think of Batman. To me, this show is Batman. This is the Bruce Wayne I want wearing the cowl. This is the world of Gotham I want to see. Darker than Metropolis, but not as dark as the comic version of Gotham. It really can't rain all the time, guys.


1) Wonder Woman (1975). Ah, the height of the second wave of feminism and we finally got the most well-known female comic hero onto television. Please note that we still have yet to have a female comic lead for a movie, other than the much-lambasted (unfairly!) Supergirl from 1984 and the did-anyone-else-see-it Tank Girl (both in my top ten, btw). And that there have been precious few female-led comic shows since the 70s (Birds of Prey, which I enjoyed, Model by Day, which was awful but I enjoyed because of Famke Jansen but it was just a TV movie, so... and maybe the argument for Generation X, but that was more of an ensemble). Okay, there's one exception, but I'm saving that for my Grand Prize.

Anyway. Here we are 35 years later and the Black Widow has been relegated to Tony Stark's secretary, there will be no female Avengers in the forthcoming movie, and if they ever make a Wonder Woman movie... yeah, exactly.

But besides all of that, I loved this show because of Lynda Carter. Man. She's still Wonder Woman as far as I'm concerned. She made the character interesting, strong, smart, sassy, vulnerable... human. While still being Diana Prince of the Amazons. And she did all of this in an outfit no man would have been caught dead in until 300. This. Is. Themyscira.

Grand Prize: Lois & Clark (1993). Best. Lois. Ever. I remember the big to-do when they announced that it would be Lois' name up front. And now it seems so obvious. Teri Hatcher's Lois was absolutely perfect for the time, and as a 12 year old girl watching this show, there was nothing I wanted more than to grow up and be like Lois Lane (except maybe to grow up and marry Lois Lane, but that came a couple of years later). The leads and amazing chemistry, Dean Cain was a great Superman and Clark (in the more modern, less bumbling sense), and John Shea was a perfectly cast as the evil, strangely noble version of Lex Luthor.

Yeah, this show jumped the shark. But it took awhile. We got a lot of good episodes out of it. But more importantly, we got a pop-culture phenomenon. And us girls got someone to look up to that was just a regular woman, living in a super world with a superhero.

It was sharp, stylized, and witty. Teri Hatcher carried that show (not that Dean Cain wasn't great, and not that I don't give props to Margot Kidder, for being the best part of the modernization of Superman that started with Donner's movie). It was fun and exciting and bright and it got people talking about Superman again. And I loved every minute of it, even after the shark jumping.

So there we go. I cheated a little because I couldn't narrow it down.

What are your favorite adaptations?

18 comments:

  1. First, your list:
    1. Yay to Tank Girl's mention. I forced my daughter to watch it. I feel proud.
    2. BTAS and Wonder Woman absolutely make my top ten.
    3. I agree on X-Men though I prefer the second (because Jean Grey is my favorite X, not counting Lorna who will never be in a movie even though she should be and I have the script ready to go -- Hi Marvel Studios!). Rogue -- or Rogue's powers -- are actually pivotal to the plot of the movie so, while I don't necessarily agree with the switch-up, I see why it was done. My favorite comic-to-screen-X has to be Mystique. She is AMAZING and has the best lines which she delivers perfectly. Ian McKellen is the runner up -- and he and Rebecca offscreen are the cutest Will&Grace ever.

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  2. @Stewart - Greatest TV show from 1990 where a man wore a foam suit!

    @Magnet Girl - Yeah, I understand the plot reasons they used Rogue, but it's not like they couldn't just change the plot a little. (I also liked X2 better, despite the stupid teenaged Bobby and Pyro, but since X1 was really the first adaptation, that's what I went with.)

    I'm sort of sad I didn't do a full thing for Tank Girl. I loved Tank Girl. Still do. I rewatch it all the time.

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  3. Second, my list:
    HM: Tank Girl, BTAS, V for Vendetta, Judge Dredd (shut up, I love that movie), Sailor Moon. It was totally a manga first and though hardly the best anime it is probably my favorite. Moon Prism Power!
    5. Wonder Woman. What you said!
    4. X2. What you said plus Jean is Phoenixy!
    3. Batman Begins. This is my kind of Batman -- realistic. And the cast is excellent, especially Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. (I do prefer Maggie to Katie.)
    2. Teen Titans. Talk about best theme songs! This show is CRACK and also ADORABLE -- but then it goes to amazing dark places. TERRA <3
    1. Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. is a genius and this movie is brilliant.
    Grand Prize: (This should be obvious) Justice League/Justice League Unlimited. A lot of thought went into this series (I consider it one show with two titles) and you can tell because it is intelligent, pretty and true to source while having its own identity. Both the main female characters are strong role models and fully fleshed out (Shayera is my girl) and the supporting ones all have great moments. In short it is not just my favorite adaptation. It is one of my favorite tv series EVER.

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  4. @Magnet Girl - I like your list. I don't like the animation style of Teen Titans, which put me off from getting into it (also... WHERE ARE BART AND KON?) but I love Terra, so maybe I'll give it a shot. :P

    I agree with you about Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, and also Liam Neeson as Ra's. But I'm not into Christian Bale's Batman. His Bruce is fine, but as Batman he really doesn't do it for me. And as much as I enjoy the realistic take on Batman, I think it loses some things in the translation. Which isn't to say it's not a good movie (it is), just that that's why it's not in my top ten. ;)

    And you've officially sold me on JL/JLI. Is it out on DVD? I'll throw it on my Netflix queue, if so.

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  5. @Sam The Terra arc is amazing. Raven's is good, too, but Terra(&Slade!) is really riveting. (I think you mean WHERE IS WALLY? :P)

    I am that one girl who thinks Bruce > Batman so, there you go.

    It is, yes!!

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  6. Good list. I haven't seen any of the animated shows - when i was last watching telly none of this was airing on terrestial channels.
    I did use to love Lois and Clark but have no feel for it either way now.
    I ahve nevr see the Lynda Carter WW show.

    As for my list, with the best coming first:
    1) Donner's Superman. Favourite film ever. This film had such a profound effetc on me and still does. So much so that I like all the sequels including 4 with nuclear man.
    2) Tank Girl. So I'd never read tank girl comic before I saw it. now i've read tank girl comics, and yea, the film is very different. but it's still shit hot.
    3) X-Men 2 X1 didn't really do it for me, whereas X2 is packed full of fun stuff.
    4) Spiderman, from the recent set of 3. Rollicking good fun.
    5) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. It made me realise that Batman can be good. It made me like Batman. I was gripped.

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  7. Oooh, Nice list!!

    First off, Tank Girl is one of my favorite movies ever, *and* favorite soundtracks. Jet Girl RULES.

    Second, my favorite adaptations:

    Honorable mention: V for Vendetta, Tank Girl, BTAS, Batman Returns (omg CATWOMAN,) Josie and the Pussycats, Mystery Men, Sin City, Spiderman 2, Watchmen, Men in Black, Daredevil (Director's cut.)

    5. I love Dark Knight. I love the grimness, I love the evilness, and I love the fact that the citizens of Gotham play such a crucial role.

    4. I *love* Iron Man -- best superhero movie I've seen, so far.

    3. X-Men Evolution is my favorite X-Men cartoon -- I liked the take on them all as *kids*, and I loved the inclusion of the Scarlet Witch. Loved it.

    2. Justice League Unlimited. I don't actually *read* the JLA comics, yet I love this cartoon. Great characters, *great* voice acting, great guest stars that make me write RPF in my head.

    1. X2 is my favorite X-Men movie, hands down. Love Jean, love Rogue, LOVE Magneto and Mystique.

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  8. @sigridellis - Thanks!

    Yes, I love Tank Girl. AND the soundtrack. I bought it as soon as it came out, lost it, then got all the MP3s. And it introduced me to Naomi Watts, so there's that. ;)

    I like your list, too. I'm definitely checking out JLU, it's already on my netflix queue.

    I'm also glad to see someone else that likes V for Vendetta and Watchmen, since they get mixed reviews usually. :)

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  9. Man, Lois & Clark. That takes me back. Someone once said John Shea reminded her of me, which I didn't know whether to take as an insult or a compliment. You weren't the only one with a crush on Teri Hatcher growing up. Oh, and that first episode with Tempus and H.G. Wells! Still one of my favorites.

    Honorable Mentions: Ghost World, Sin City, The Crow, Mystery Men, Men In Black.

    5. Spider-Man 1&2 - The first two movies were just terrific adaptations of the character I grew up with, even if the 3rd one was massively disappointingly. I'd also include the Spider-Man video games. Silly as it sounds, actually "web-spinning" in the game made me all giddy inside.

    4. X2 - Just the pitch-perfect X-Men movie. So much good stuff, I hardly know where to start. Loved, loved, loved Nightcrawler.

    3. The Dark Knight - Silly Batman-voice aside, the movie just grabbed me by the throat. I loved it.

    2. The Middleman - Everything fun about comics in a cheerfully goofy half-hour.

    Grand Prize: The Dini-verse - which for me, includes not only the exemplary B:TAS, but the fun Superman animated series, Batman Beyond and also the delightful Justice League cartoon. Some of Batman's best moments come in that series and the other characters are a delight as well. Flash, The Question and Hawkgirl are particularly awesome.

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  10. @K.D. - Another great list. I'm sure I'd get more into Spider-Man if I liked the title character. I agree that they were good adaptations, but, eh. But I COMPLETELY agree with you on the video games. I got the first one for my Game Cube and couldn't put it down. I think I played for about 6 hours straight, just swinging through the city. It was awesome.

    See, for me X2 was dragged down by them co-opting Iceman and Pyro for a stupid love triangle (which they then extended onto Kitty in X3) slash teen-angst plot line. Iceman/Bobby Drake is my favorite X-Man from the comics, so that really killed it for me. But Jean was cooler in X2, and I love her, and Nightcrawler was definitely awesome. I mainly go with X1, like I said, 'cause it started the whole thing.

    Ah, the Dini-verse. Can I co-opt that? I like it better than saying "Animated Universe", especially since Dini's not only writing comics now, but his characters are part of the comic canon. I never really got into the Superman animated series, but maybe I'll give it another shot. JLA and JLI are on next on my to-view list, though.

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  11. Oh, man, yeah. Those Spider-Man games rocked. Bruce Campbell doing the tutuorial voice-over was just the cherry on top of the sundae. I am loving the good comic book games coming out lately. Have you played Batman: Arkham Asylum yet? Damn fun game.

    My favorite X-folks are Emma Frost, Deadpool and Rogue, so I feel your pain (the last 30 minutes of Wolverine: Origins = UGH). I'm not a fan of the love triangle thing either (or Teen Rogue or Teen Bobby) but I felt like X2 just had the strongest storyline and most nifty cast of characters. Watching the new Wolverine & The X-Men cartoon is kind of weird because they seem to have combined the movieverse, X-Men Evolution and Astonishing X-Men into a kooky hybrid, complete with Teen Iceman and Teen Rogue. Still, surprisingly decent show with good moments.

    "Ah, the Dini-verse. Can I co-opt that?"

    By all means! The Superman series just wasn't as good as the Batman series, plain and simple, but it still had flashes of brilliance. Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor livened up every episode he was in, Mr. Myxzptlk and Titano were a hoot and now and again you'd get a really good episode like the one where Clark Kent was "murdered". In any case, the JLU/JLI all range from good to terrific (they get better with each passing season), even without Tim Daly's voice as Superman (they've still got Clancy Brown and Kevin "I am Batman!" Conroy on board, so I can settle).

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  12. Oh, man, yeah. Those Spider-Man games rocked. Bruce Campbell doing the tutuorial voice-over was just the cherry on top of the sundae. I am loving the good comic book games coming out lately. Have you played Batman: Arkham Asylum yet? Damn fun game.

    My favorite X-folks are Emma Frost, Deadpool and Rogue, so I feel your pain (the last 30 minutes of Wolverine: Origins = UGH). I'm not a fan of the love triangle thing either (or Teen Rogue or Teen Bobby) but I felt like X2 just had the strongest storyline and most nifty cast of characters. Watching the new Wolverine & The X-Men cartoon is kind of weird because they seem to have combined the movieverse, X-Men Evolution and Astonishing X-Men into a kooky hybrid, complete with Teen Iceman and Teen Rogue. Still, surprisingly decent show with good moments.

    "Ah, the Dini-verse. Can I co-opt that?"

    By all means! The Superman series just wasn't as good as the Batman series, plain and simple, but it still had flashes of brilliance. Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor livened up every episode he was in, Mr. Myxzptlk and Titano were a hoot and now and again you'd get a really good episode like the one where Clark Kent was "murdered". In any case, the JLU/JLI all range from good to terrific (they get better with each passing season), even without Tim Daly's voice as Superman (they've still got Clancy Brown and Kevin "I am Batman!" Conroy on board, so I can settle).

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  13. Oooh, Nice list!!

    First off, Tank Girl is one of my favorite movies ever, *and* favorite soundtracks. Jet Girl RULES.

    Second, my favorite adaptations:

    Honorable mention: V for Vendetta, Tank Girl, BTAS, Batman Returns (omg CATWOMAN,) Josie and the Pussycats, Mystery Men, Sin City, Spiderman 2, Watchmen, Men in Black, Daredevil (Director's cut.)

    5. I love Dark Knight. I love the grimness, I love the evilness, and I love the fact that the citizens of Gotham play such a crucial role.

    4. I *love* Iron Man -- best superhero movie I've seen, so far.

    3. X-Men Evolution is my favorite X-Men cartoon -- I liked the take on them all as *kids*, and I loved the inclusion of the Scarlet Witch. Loved it.

    2. Justice League Unlimited. I don't actually *read* the JLA comics, yet I love this cartoon. Great characters, *great* voice acting, great guest stars that make me write RPF in my head.

    1. X2 is my favorite X-Men movie, hands down. Love Jean, love Rogue, LOVE Magneto and Mystique.

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  14. Good list. I haven't seen any of the animated shows - when i was last watching telly none of this was airing on terrestial channels.
    I did use to love Lois and Clark but have no feel for it either way now.
    I ahve nevr see the Lynda Carter WW show.

    As for my list, with the best coming first:
    1) Donner's Superman. Favourite film ever. This film had such a profound effetc on me and still does. So much so that I like all the sequels including 4 with nuclear man.
    2) Tank Girl. So I'd never read tank girl comic before I saw it. now i've read tank girl comics, and yea, the film is very different. but it's still shit hot.
    3) X-Men 2 X1 didn't really do it for me, whereas X2 is packed full of fun stuff.
    4) Spiderman, from the recent set of 3. Rollicking good fun.
    5) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. It made me realise that Batman can be good. It made me like Batman. I was gripped.

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  15. @Magnet Girl - I like your list. I don't like the animation style of Teen Titans, which put me off from getting into it (also... WHERE ARE BART AND KON?) but I love Terra, so maybe I'll give it a shot. :P

    I agree with you about Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, and also Liam Neeson as Ra's. But I'm not into Christian Bale's Batman. His Bruce is fine, but as Batman he really doesn't do it for me. And as much as I enjoy the realistic take on Batman, I think it loses some things in the translation. Which isn't to say it's not a good movie (it is), just that that's why it's not in my top ten. ;)

    And you've officially sold me on JL/JLI. Is it out on DVD? I'll throw it on my Netflix queue, if so.

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  16. Second, my list:
    HM: Tank Girl, BTAS, V for Vendetta, Judge Dredd (shut up, I love that movie), Sailor Moon. It was totally a manga first and though hardly the best anime it is probably my favorite. Moon Prism Power!
    5. Wonder Woman. What you said!
    4. X2. What you said plus Jean is Phoenixy!
    3. Batman Begins. This is my kind of Batman -- realistic. And the cast is excellent, especially Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. (I do prefer Maggie to Katie.)
    2. Teen Titans. Talk about best theme songs! This show is CRACK and also ADORABLE -- but then it goes to amazing dark places. TERRA <3
    1. Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. is a genius and this movie is brilliant.
    Grand Prize: (This should be obvious) Justice League/Justice League Unlimited. A lot of thought went into this series (I consider it one show with two titles) and you can tell because it is intelligent, pretty and true to source while having its own identity. Both the main female characters are strong role models and fully fleshed out (Shayera is my girl) and the supporting ones all have great moments. In short it is not just my favorite adaptation. It is one of my favorite tv series EVER.

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  17. @Stewart - Greatest TV show from 1990 where a man wore a foam suit!

    @Magnet Girl - Yeah, I understand the plot reasons they used Rogue, but it's not like they couldn't just change the plot a little. (I also liked X2 better, despite the stupid teenaged Bobby and Pyro, but since X1 was really the first adaptation, that's what I went with.)

    I'm sort of sad I didn't do a full thing for Tank Girl. I loved Tank Girl. Still do. I rewatch it all the time.

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