Top 5 Adaptations I would like to See
Yesterday’s post got me thinking about what books I would like to see adapted into graphic novels. Here’s my Top 5!
1. Stephen King’s It. Tell me you wouldn’t want to see Pennywise realized in full color, maybe drawn by Ben Templesmith? So creepy! The large dialogue chunks and cinematic feel make King novels great for adapting but their length means the movie version are have to cut a lot. Another good King novel to adapt would be Duma Key, especially since it’s about art.
2. The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi. This Japanese mystery is about tattoos, lovers and murder – the graphic novel trifecta. I would tap CLAMP to provide the artwork for this one.
3. The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Junko Mizuno has done some amazing fairytale adaptations and I would love to see what she would make of my favorite one.
4. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. Vampires are anything but sexy in this story of a deadly parasitic infection and the notes on actual parasites would be pretty gross! I think the angular artwork of Kevin Dart would be perfect.
5. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction and usually true crime turns my stomach but this is a truly unique book about a serial killer lurking in the shadows of one of Chicago’s greatest triumphs. I’m not sure what type of artwork would work but incorporating actual photographs would be interesting.
WE3 Live Action Film
Ok, I’m going to talk about Thomas the Train for a minute but I swear this has a point, so bear with me. In 2000, Thomas came to the silver screen in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. In 2009, my son discovered that he loved Thomas (all trains really) more than anything. He watched the dvd and had some kind of freak out when the trains left the screen. Unfortunately for him, there’s not really a ton of train action in the movie. It’s filled up with stupid people.
Which brings me to this:
‘We3’ Lands ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Director John Stevenson
A live action WE3 film? Interesting…interesting. I like how the article is quick to point out that it will be R rated. Duh. How could it not be?
WE3 is a thin masterpiece (in my opinion) that turns three animals into weapons. Once these fluffy killers escape the lab they try to find their way back home, using their instincts which are now attached to guns. The result is bloody and heartbreaking. Each animal has it’s own personality, not based so much on emotion but those qualities which make them what they are. For example, the dog is a needy creature, bred to please it’s master.
As the animals pretty much plow their way through the city, there is very little human interaction in the book. There doesn’t need to be. It’s a catastrophe of human hubris as seen through the eyes of the weapons.
So, my concern for the movie would be, like Thomas, that in order to flesh out a small book they add more human characters. They turn the doctors into central characters. I hope not. I can’t wait to see a preview.
Elliot Stabler is the Green Lantern!
The New Green Initiative | Graphic Novel Reporter - New Green Lantern cartoon movie coming to DVD!
The above article includes an interview with Chris Meloni, or as I like to call him angry Elliot Stabler. You may also recognize his name from Harold and Kumar go to White Castle - yes, that was him!!
He sounds all excited about the prospect of voicing a superhero, “You become a kid again. I’m doing what my five-year-old son does in his bedroom. Only I get paid for it. That makes it even more fun.”
I think Meloni is a great choice. He’s got a strong voice but it isn’t too deep (think Batman) or too unsure (think Superman) or too high (think Spiderman).
Green Lantern is certainly getting a lot of attention. I read the beautifully illustrated and mythos heavy Sinestro Corps War. I was confused, it’s true, but enjoyed it none the less.
