It’s a well-known fact that a large percentage of pop culture’s superheroes fall into one of two categories: Marvel or DC. While the die-hard fans of one or the other will forever argue which universe is better, there is a third party in this equation that is often overlooked by the mainstream: independent comics. “Independent” meaning a stand-alone, small publisher. In the case of comics, that pretty much means everyone except for the Big Two and their creator-owned imprints.
And though the spirit of independent comics has mostly been to drive alternative stories (non-capes) and promote creator-owned work, they do indeed have their own superheroes, some that are more beloved by fans than even corporately owned characters. Spawn, the TMNT, Invincible, the Tick, the Rocketeer and more are all derived from independent works. Some have had successful multimedia projects in the past, and some have not. Yet despite the massive upswing in cinematic superhero adaptations in the last decade, most of the independent superheroes have failed to make a jump onto the big screen in recent years.
New movie, plz.
That’s not to say alternative comics themselves haven’t made it – movies like 30 Days of Night, Wanted, American Splendor and Surrogates all spring to mind – but for superheroes, only Hellboy has made a go of it (we're using the term "superhero" loosely here). And, before you point it out, Kick-Ass is indeed creator-owned, but it’s not independent – Icon is a branch of Marvel Comics. We’ve got Dredd coming soon, but it remains to be seen if 2000AD’s figurehead will make a splash. And with the new TMNT movie and The Crow reboot (though I would argue that they’ve transcended their own comics anyway) still in flux, who knows when they’ll actually make it back on the big screen.
I’m not disavowing the Marvel movies – not in the least – or Man of Steel or anything else DC might have planned. I’m simply saying that, just as their comic book counterparts have to maintain a certain status quo, so too do the films. The Marvel movie universe is massive, and it’s only going to get bigger. That said, if one link in the chain falters, it could do serious damage to the rest of the line. And as for DC, well, they’re still playing catch up, but all signs point to them trying to replicate Marvel’s success (why that’s a bad idea altogether is another column entirely).
The fact is, it feels as though there’s a certain formula. While Guardians of the Galaxy will certainly expand on what the Marvel movie-verse has been to this point, it’s still tied to the larger whole and will have to reflect that. To a certain degree, Marvel movies can rely on a certain amount of fan service. I mean, come on, seeing Rocket Raccoon on screen is going to be fantastic even if the movie bombs. But there’s a necessary conformity to keep the franchise afloat. In the case of an independent superhero, that conformity can be broken. That’s not to say they won’t be turned into franchises in and of themselves, but they’re not beholden to the mainstream perception.
The average movie-goer walks into a Spider-Man movie expecting certain things. Even if they don’t read comics, the character is an icon across all media. You know to expect web slingin’, one-liners, punches thrown, and some spectacular action. But toss them into unfamiliar territory, and we can not only introduce them to something new, but maybe – just maybe – we can show them that comics are a whole lot more than just Batman and Spidey, while also reinvigorating the creativity in a genre that, as David Cronenberg so eloquently put, is “adolescent to its core.” (He’s wrong)
In all seriousness, just as independent comics open the floodgates to absolute freedom and creativity, hopefully the movie counterparts would not only adapt the stories of those books, but the spirit in which they were created as well.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.
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