The 25 Best Graphic Novel Adaptations Of All Time

Image via Complex Original

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Frank Miller

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Dominic West​

All of the characters in 300 take the events that unfold very seriously. To enjoy this movie, you should do the exact opposite. Director Zack Snyder faithfully replicates the original comic series written by da gawd Frank Miller by stuffing his film with a bunch of contrast-laden special effects that prioritize muscles and bloodshed over things movies typically care about—like plot and character development. The story traces the Spartan legend of King Leonidas (Butler) and his 300 best soldiers and their suicidally brave stand against thousands and thousands of Persians led by the “God-King” Xerxes. Essentially, Snyder just sends waves and waves of soldiers (some riding very large elephants) to be butchered by the Spartans, who deploy very cunning strategy to make up for their limited numbers. But all the bravery in the world can’t withstand a hailstorm of arrows. Still the squadron of Leonidas don’t die in vain, it rallies Greece and blah, blah, blah. It doesn’t really matter. 300 exists as a glamorization of a very violent and primal form of masculinity for dudes that wear fedoras with shorts to live vicariously through. If you want to see comic panels move, then it’s a visual treat. It doesn’t offer much else.—John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Alan Moore

Director: James McTeigue 

Stars: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving

The critically acclaimed dystopian thriller V for Vendetta is such a smart, detailed, and fascinating film, it had to come from the world of comics. Based on the 1988 DC/Vertigo Comics series of the same name, the V for Vendetta comic along with the movie had such vast influence on popular culture that even Occupy Wall Street protestors to Egyptian youth during the Arab Spring wore the infamous Guy Fawkes mask during their protests. 

Director James McTeigue along with the Wachowski Sisters (for writing) helmed the Hollywood remake and ultimately did the comic book justice. Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving gave extraordinary performances as the film’s leading characters, V and Evey, and although the film changes some major elements from the comic series, the film still succeeds in depicting the main, revolutionary message of standing against widespread political injustices and totalitarian regimes. —Helen Owolabi

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Mike Richardson

Director: Chuck Russell 

Stars: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert 

Although this 1994 box office hit was based on a comic book series of the same name (The Mask created by Mike Richardson), the feature film really only drew from one main concept or crucial symbol of the comic book—the transformative powers of a special mask. Jim Carrey’s character is first introduced to viewers as a meek bank teller, Stanley Ipkiss, who stumbles upon a mysterious mask after an especially depressing night. But after he tries the mask on, the timid Ipkiss turns into a semi-Hulk, steroid-fueled version of himself. It’s these bizarro, high-energy antics of Carrey’s version of “the masked” Stanley Ipkiss—when Carrey’s physical comedy chops and some impressive CGI for the time are at high speed—that make the entire movie worth a watch. Frequent appearances from a young and obvi stunning Cameron Diaz (this was her film debut) make it a bonafide hit. —Helen Owolabi 

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Alan Moore

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley​, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Watchmen ranks among the greatest printed creations novels of the 21st century. Its chief contributions come from weaving multiple stories together and applying adult, morally grey themes to an alternate timeline where masked vigilantes profoundly influence the course of modern events. With the exception of Dr. Manhattan, all of the other heroes, Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Specter, Ozymandias and the Comedian don’t have superpowers, but instead possess the human flaws and motivations that lead to Nixon (in his third term) passing a ban on masked vigilantism. When this happens, most retire, others become government agents and Rorschach continues to operate outside of the law. But when the Comedian dies in an opening scene, Rorschach begins to believe someone is targeting their kind. It ends up being one of their own in a flawed gambit for world peace that rests on the galactic-scale powers of Dr. Manhattan. Like The Dark Knight, Watchmen wrangles with the nobility of tranquility gained through lies. The film can’t match the complexity and richness of its source material (and makes a couple questionable changes), but Snyder whips up sumptuous visuals centered around a fascinating, tweaked history and a rather bleak moral about humanity’s irresistible tendency to just keep fucking things up over and over and over again.—John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Antony Johnson and Sam Hart (OG Title: The Coldest City)

Director: David Leitch

Stars: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Sofia Boutella, John Goodman

Atomic Blonde is a film that leaves you looking for a fight. 

Set in 1989 Berlin on the cusp of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the movie starts with a bang (well, a gun shot) and never eases up. With double-crossings and triple-agents throughout, the plot is at times overly complicated, but the first-rate action prevents the film from falling apart. Charlize Theron brings the main character of Lorraine to life in such vivid color with her flawless outfits and perfect blonde hair that you forget the graphic novel was in black and white. What the book lacked in fighting (only one fight scene exists) the movie thrives on, as Theron’s physicality and stunt work are at the heart of the film. Changing the original plot felt sudden but left room for a sequel, which we altogether welcome. Let's see Charlize kick more ass!—Madison Hartman

Writer Of Graphic Novel: James O'Barr

Director: Alex Proyas

Stars: Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott

A rock star, Eric Draven (Lee) comes back from the dead one year after the brutal murder of himself and his fiancee. Led by a crow with connections to the underworld, he exacts revenge on the grungy scum that ruined then ended his life. The angular, brooding Brandon Lee provides a style of superhero that lands between Batman and the Joker. In the dark, rainy city in which he lives, evil seeps from every crevice and he executes the local tormentors with the subdued glee of a cursed soul finishing its unfinished mortal business. There’s not much in the way of character development. And the plot essentially follows Draven as climbs the ladder of baddies until he vanquishes the kingpin by telepathically funneling the 30 hours of pain his fiancee experienced before she died—all at once. The sets and fight scenes feel visceral and Lee’s performance signals that he could have been a singular action star if his life hadn’t been tragically cut short by a bullet wound endured on set, a tragic fate that mirrors the too-soon end of his legendary father, Bruce.​—John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Mark Millar

Director: Timur Bekmambetov

Stars: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman​

Penned by the legendary comic book writer Mark Millar, the Wanted comic series is about a secret society of evil, villainous assassins and a normal guy protagonist who finds out in his mid-20s that his father was part of this super-villain fraternity but was recently killed, so now he needs to take his father’s place. The movie remake takes on this similar backstory but instead of supervillains they are badass assassins, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman included. With Jolie, being the badass superwoman that she is, she was practically made for the role of “Fox” the mysterious, gun-slinging assassin who recruits and trains the film’s protagonist, James McAvoy's Wesley Gibson. The comic book writer, Mark Millar, was involved in the making of this film, and after a very solid box office run (earning around $341 million worldwide) Millar hinted at a possible sequel that would dive into the world of supervillians that the comic books focuses on. Sadly, the spinoff never came into fruition, but in spinoff happy Hollywood, for once, sticking to one film was probably best for Wanted. —Helen Owolabi

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin

Director: Rachel Talalay

Stars: Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, Ice-T

Easily the best movie to heavily feature human-kangaroo hybrid super soldiers, Tank Girl is a totally bonkers adaptation of a (similarly insane) British comic named for its maladjusted and gleefully misandrist central character, Tank Girl (Lori Petty). Set in a post-apocalyptic near future ruined by power hungry men (relevant!), the initial reception for Tank Girl was absolute trash, but the B-movie reputation it’s earned in the years since it's release is only partially fair. 

What Tank Girl lacks in narrative acumen it makes up in style: future Twilight magnate Catherine Hardwicke helped build the mod-slash-steampunk aesthetic and Tank Girl’s insane wardrobe (who manages to make 27 outfit changes in the movie’s 104 minutes). It’s about as weird as any mainstream movie gets, but for those who thought Wonder Woman was the first good female superhero movie, I’d advise you to take a look at this one. (As long as you can forget about the whole bestiality thing. It’s a long story.) – Aubrey Page

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Julie Maroh

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Stars: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos

Blue is the Warmest Color is a 2010 French graphic novel that tells a story of love and heartbreak between two young women. The 2013 film adaption won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the first graphic novel adaptation ever to do so. 

The first two thirds of the film follow the general progression of the graphic novel, but the end, diverges from the tragedy of the source material. Lead actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux performances are explosive, and despite the film’s problematic sex scenes, it is a critically acclaimed three hour movie explicitly about young women. Blue’s two incarnations, a graphic novel created by a woman, and a film directed by a man, remind us a story’s medium does not determine its impact. In both graphic novel and film form, the story remains the same: a heart wrenching love story between two young women that will devastate and dazzle audiences.—Madison Hartman

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Warren Ellis, Cully Hamner

Director: Robert Schwentke

Stars: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren

The source material for this action-comedy comes from a very dark series about a retired secret agent, Frank Moses with a kill list so long and gruesome a government official decides he should be taken out—a not so easy task. By the end, Moses admits himself to be a monster and goes down in a hail of bullets. There’s a Red 2, so clearly, that’s not what happens in this movie. Instead, Frank (Willis) teams up with some old spy buddies played by a typically cool Morgan Freeman, a suitably wacked-out John Malkovich and an appropriately regal and lethal, Helen Mirren. Although retired, the pleasingly type-casted ensemble must dust off their guns to defend themselves against the corrupt federal forces sent by a Vice President that massacred a village during his war days. Scored by a bunch of classic rock licks and peppered with old-man jokes, Red profits from the ample charisma of its stars and stellar action scenes that culminate in a story that—like Frank Moses—doesn’t get over-serious, plays to its strengths and gets the job done.​—John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Harvey Pekar

Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Stars: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander

Harvey Pekar noticed all graphic novels got written about supermen fighting world-threatening evils and none about guys like him, a file clerk in Cleveland dealing with the no less significant joys and (far more numerous) struggles of mundane life. Like the singular comic series of the same name, American Splendor stands alone for its ability to not only capture the nuances of Pekar’s life, but to reveal the little bits of ourselves that exist within his brutally frank pages. Alongside Harvey (Giamatti), there’s his over-enunciating nerd-pal Toby, who Judah Friedlander plays in a fashion that seems like over-acting until the directors bring out the real Toby and you realize they’re dead-ringers. Major plot points involve Harvey falling in love and discovering a lump on testicle, which forces him to resist his most negative existential inclinations. The directors blend past and present, fact and fiction, narrative and documentary to create a moving tribute to this exceptionally ordinary man. —John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Frank Miller

Director: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Devon Aoki, Josh Hartnett

The moody, neo-noir crime anthology Sin City, starring a list of who’s who from Hollywood in 2005, was a smash hit, garnering both critical and commercial success. Drawing from mainly the first, third, and fourth books of director Frank Miller’s own comic series of the same name, both Miller and his co-director, Robert Rodriguez, did a phenomenal job of literally bringing this comic to the big screen. Filmed in a unique, mostly black-and-white, high-contrast style, the movie looks and feels truly like the gritty, crime-ridden city of the comics. But perhaps, this is also one of the main problems with the Sin City remake, as The New York Times writer, Manohla Dargis brought up in her review back in 2005. This highly stylized, visual rendering of the comic is a major focus of the film and distracts from any human elements of the movie; it’s hard to get emotionally vested into any of the characters, but everyone at least looks cool. —Helen Owolabi

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Mike Mignola

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Stars: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt

Hellboy: Seed of Destruction was an expertly crafted graphic novel, penned and illustrated by Mike Mignola, in which a demonic beast turned superhero, aka Hellboy, secretly works with a government agency known as the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, to keep the world safe from otherworldly paranormal threats which span the gamut from the Egyptian God Anubis (sweet) to everyone’s least favorite historical figure, Adolf Hitler (deadass). Mignola’s comics became so well revered that fans even dubbed his world the “Mignola-verse,” so it only seems fitting that the series would spin off into a movie franchise. 

In perhaps one of the greatest casting decisions ever, the titular character of Hellboy would go on to be played by Sons of Anarchy star and Delroy Edwards papa (L.I.E.S. represent!), Ron Perlman. Perlman’s gritty action star meets existential tongue in cheek portrayal of Hellboy introduced the graphic novel to general audiences, and is sure to live on forever in digital cable syndication purgatory. But will his epic portrayal grant him enough of a platform to run for office in 2020? I really really want to say no, but I guess only time will tell. —Mike Sheffield

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Marjane Satrapi

Director: Marjane Satrapi

Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve

Chances are if you went to high school in the aughts, some in-the-know teacher probably slid the gorgeous cover of Persepolis towards you in class: the graphic novel suggesting fun, the sweeping, existential autobiography inside suggesting something much more serious. It was the literary equivalent of hiding vegetables under an inviting layer of cheese. But Persepolis, despite its grand implications, is still a stirring, impressive narrative: a perfect, moving adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel (written and directed by Satrapi herself) that purports to tell the story of one young girl growing up under fascism, and ultimately tells a touching, generational story with lingering resonance no matter your background. It’s beautiful and deep without ever been too self-serious, Persepolis is perhaps the truest adaptation on this list, and for good reason: it’s pretty impossible to improve on perfection. –Aubrey Page

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Jacques Lob, Jean-Marc Rochette

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Stars: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer

In an increasingly likely vision of an alternative future, Earth has been thrust into an ice age by climate change and the remaining humans have been herded into a train divided by class: the posh elite occupying lush quarters at the front and the oppressed proletariat scrabbling by with meager conditions in the rear. Eventually, Curtis (Evans), inspired by his mentor, Gilliam, grows tired of his second-class citizenry (and gelatinous insect-protein bars) and leads a revolt against the established order ruled with an iron fist by the wickedly cruel Minister Mason, played by Tilda Swinton who cultivates a mish-mash of every psycho despot ever. Eventually, after sustaining heavy casualties, Curtis makes it to the front of the train where he find Wilford, the owner and inventor of the perpetual motion engine that powers the train, who informs him of the ugly truth at the heart of his revolution. Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell and Song Kang-Ho turn in inspired performances and Chris Evans showcases the nuance that’s lurking underneath his Ken doll exterior. Bong Joon-ho crafts a funhouse mirror satire that whip-snaps between sweet and craven instantaneously and asserts that sometimes, when a system is irreparably fucked up, it’s best just to derail the whole thing.—John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: John Wagner

Director: David Cronenberg

Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed O’Neill

Tom (Mortensen) runs a Middle-America greasy spoon when, one evening, two men come in and start pointing guns. Tom declines to open the register and instead drops both baddies with a level of speed and precision that indicates he hasn’t been putting together patty melts his whole life. And indeed, he hasn’t. When his act of bravery hits the national news, some revenge-seeking mobsters roll into town, as Tom is actually Joey Cusack a man with...you guessed it...a history of violence. The film deviates from the graphic novel here to streamline the storytelling, but the gist remains the same: Tom/Joey kill all the people who come for him and his family. Eventually, things culminate with a showdown between Tom/Joey and his brother who remained in the criminal underworld. Just one look into Viggo Mortensen’s steely eyes ought to let you know how that ended up. The film brings the best out of Mortenson as a principled man of bloody action and meditates on whether an individual (and our species) can keep a vicious past out of the present and future.—John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Mark Millar

Director: Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) / Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2)

Stars: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz

Mark Millar's genius Kick-Ass series, which was about a comic book-loving kid who decides to become an IRL superhero (and the insanity that ensues) was fine on its own; somehow, the Kick-Ass movies found a way to hone in on Millar's voice (and John Romita Jr.'s distinct art) and create a madcap world that's both grounded in reality and also over-the-top. Chloë Grace Moretz in particular shined in both films as the ultra-badass little Hit-Girl, and while the second film married the storylines of both the Kick-Ass 2 and Hit-Girl series, you almost wish they'd ante'd up and given her her own vehicle. Whatever the case may be, these films felt like the kind of adaptation diehard fans dream of.​—khal

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Max Allan Collins

Director: Sam Mendes

Stars: Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig

A 12 year-old boy stows away in the backseat and watches his hitman father, Michael Sullivan (Hanks) do his job for a ruthless mob boss, John Rooney (Newman). Fearing the kid will squeal, the boss’s actual son, Connor (Craig), tries to whack the boy, but instead kills his brother and mother, sending the betrayed Sullivans on the road for revenge. They rob some banks, become the target of another hitman (Law) who photographs his victims and find that Connor has been stealing from John for years. The film revolves around the sins of fathers passing to sons, and whether a chain of evil can be broken. But for its great cast, handful of gripping scenes and semi-satisfying ending, everything feels so cold and inaccessible. It could use just a little more warmth.—John Flynn

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Phoebe Gloeckner

Director: Marielle Heller

Stars: Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig, Alexander Skaarsgard

Based on a book that’s not so much a graphic novel as it is a freeform amalgam of doodles, diary entries and traditional panels, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is feminized teen angst in movie form. Set in the evocative, smoky ‘70s in northern California, Diary follows Minnie, a 15 year old girl decoding her own sexuality in stops and starts—all the while drawn in by her mother’s brooding boyfriend. The film, which uses all of the novel’s original stylistic flourishes to assemble a messy, hormonal, and hard to watch coming of age story, is about as perfect as directorial debuts come. This one is for all the girls when they have grown.—Aubrey Page

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Hiroshi Sakurazaka (OG Title: All You Need Is Kill)

Director: Doug Liman

Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt

There’s almost no reason that Edge of Tomorrow should work quite as well as it does. A repetitive, Groundhog’s Day-remix of a sci-fi war movie, Tom Cruise spends a disproportionate amount of the film’s running time dying (and then coming back to life) in varied, messy ways. But for all the cyclical constriction of Edge of Tomorrow’s narrative, the movie (and its corresponding novel) never gets stale. The war sequences are stunning and sprawling, and Emily Blunt’s preternaturally gifted fighter is a satisfying inversion of the hardened war genera. Just don’t talk to me if you think Live, Die, Repeat is a better title. That’s just crazy talk. – Aubrey Page

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Garon Tsuchiya 

Director: Park Chan-wook

Stars: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang

An expert adaptation of the synonymous Japanese manga, Oldboy is a violent, neo-noir thriller that illustrates the extreme lengths one will take to earn sweet, satisfying revenge. South Korean director Park Chan-wook brings the acclaimed manga to life with exceptional cinematography and a skilled cast of actors. Drawing from the likes of Quentin Tarantino or David Fincher, Oldboy is worth the sometimes agonizing watch, especially for its visual feats of filmmaking. Take protagonist Oh Dae-su’s epic fight scene when he finds the secret place he’s been imprisoned in for the past 15 years and takes a dozen guards down throughout a narrow corridor, all filmed in one continuous take—not even halting when a knife is thrown into Oh Dae-su’s back. The ultimate, twisted reason as to why the main character was in a private prison for all that time is finally revealed at the end of this thrilling, cinematic masterpiece, and proves why director Chan-wook took home the coveted Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. —Helen Owolabi

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Masamune Shirow

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Stars: Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, Iemasa Kayumi

Sorry, ScarJo, but the only Ghost In The Shell we acknowledge is the 1995 animated film, which is the cyberpunk anime masterpiece that's turned into quite the influential piece of cinema. While the original Ghost In The Shell manga series was popular in its own right, the 1995 film took things to another level. Utilizing both CGI and cel animation to achieve visually stunning animation, the film truly transcends the source material, and should be required viewing for anyone who calls themselves a connoisseur of anime, manga, or quality film making in general.​—khal

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Daniel Clowes

Director: Terry Zwigoff

Stars: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi

​It's rare that an adaptation can enhance its source material but holy shit does Ghost World do just that. Daniel Clowes's graphic novel about two angsty teens, Enid and Rebecca, who wander around complaining about their hometown shortly after graduating from high school too realistically depicts the dissolution of a friendship. Zwigoff's adaptation of the film doubles down on that while getting more in depth with Enid (Birch) and Rebecca (Johansson) individually. This includes a devastating subplot including the one and only Steve Buscemi. If you were ever a teenager, or if you've ever felt alienated, Ghost World (in both of its excellent formats) is a must.—Kerensa Cadenas

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Katsuhiro Otomo

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo

Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama

The 1988 classic anime Akira is one of the defining moments in Japanese animation. Hell, it's quite possibly one of the greatest science fiction—and animated—films of all time. It's hard to call yourself a fan of anime and not look to Akira as the GOAT, whether its appreciating the level of violence it achieves or how it became influential in everything from The Matrix to Dragon Ball Z. It also helps that Otomo both wrote the manga and wrote and directed Akira. It's rare that you can have a creator so on-board with the cinematic version, and to have such an impactful piece of work turned into such a thing of beauty.—khal

Writer Of Graphic Novel: Bryan Lee O'Malley

Director: Edgar Wright

Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza

Somehow both the greatest video game movie and graphic novel adaptation in recent memory, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a kinetic, adderall-laced confection of pop culture references and early 20s ennui based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel of the same name. A product of the aughts in its very DNA (despite being released in 2010), it’s a love letter to indie rock, Nintendo games, manic pixie dreamgirls and very skinny jeans. And while all of that sounds dangerously close to veering into insufferable, it’s Edgar Wright’s ever-snarky script and frantic direction (along with a perfect cast in Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza and Kieran Culkin) that keeps any of the movie’s kitschier elements from getting old. Visually ingenious and with a fervent respect for comics’ tendency towards magical realism, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is an all-timer of an adaptation and a stunning reminder of the possibilities of the movies. (BONUS – it’s got the best nerdy visual gag this side of The Simpsons.) – Aubrey Page