10 Non-Superhero Comics That Deserve Movie Adaptations

Dream Cast: Andrew Garfield as Adam Chamberlain, Emma Stone as Cyndi Chamberlain
Dream Director: Sam Mendes
American Virgin is about a young Christian preacher, named Adam Chamberlain, who decides to wait until marriage to lose his virginity to his girlfriend, Cassie. But after Cassie, who works for the Peace Corps, is raped and beheaded by terrorists, Adam’s world begins to crumble as he searches for her killers. In a world where simple religious differences can spark wars, American Virgin provides the type of intelligent satire thats forces the reader to actually use their brain in between each off-color joke.

The book, written by Steven T. Seagle, perfectly blends humor, social commentary, and some ludicrous plot points into one original package. Religion is often a taboo subject for movies, but American Virgin doesn’t condemn or condone either way, instead providing a thoughtful criticism for all sides of the argument.

It’s satirical and relatable, yet completely nihilistic. The book’s focus on story and character is a welcome change of pace from the modern comic movie genre's focus on accurate costumes and Easter eggs that only hardcore fans ever notice, anyway.

Dream Cast: Ryan Gosling as Zack Overkill
Dream Director: David Fincher
It’s not often that Marvel strays from the superhero genre, but with its independently focused Icon imprint, the company has expanded its stories to be about more than just capes and tights. One of the most successful, and filmable, books over at Icon is Ed Brubaker’s Incognito.

The story revolves around a former career supervillain named Zack Overkill who's currently in Witness Protection due to his testimony against his former boss, the Black Death. After years of boredom, Overkill starts experimenting with illegal drugs in order to feel some excitement again, but he quickly learns that the drugs give him back the superpowers that the government stripped from him.

Don’t let the super powers fool you, though—this book is as far removed from the likes of Spider-Man and Batman as possible. Brubaker has a knack for writing pulp crime stories, and his work on Incognito is more akin to the classic noir stories from the '20s and '30s, as opposed to the superhero stories of today. It’s violent, foul mouthed, and morally ambiguous; under a director with some visual flare, Incognito could be a gritty treat for fans of crime dramas.

Dream Cast: Bradley Cooper as Jon Moore, Bryan Cranston as Jake Ellis
Dream Director: Duncan Jones
Over the past five years, Image Comics has overtaken Marvel and DC as the most consistently entertaining and daring comic company in the U.S. Featuring books like Chew and The Walking Dead, the company is a model for creativity, and 2011’s Who is Jake Ellis? continues the company’s genre-defying momentum.

The story follows a globetrotting spy/criminal named Jon Moore and his ghostly protector/guardian angel, Jake Ellis. But the strange thing is that Ellis can only be seen and heard by Moore, leaving him to wonder if he even truly exists. Sort of like Dexter's father.

Nathan Edmondson’s writing elevates the cliché ridden spy genre into a more psychological direction and, in turn, crafts a fresh comic that seems destined to hit the big screen. The writing is coupled by some beautiful art by Tonci Zonjic that would be a perfect blueprint for the movie's action scenes. With the potential to feel like a hybrid of The Bourne Identity and Fight Club, a Who is Jake Ellis? film could be a globetrotting, head-scratching flick that would leave people guessing even after the closing credits.

Dream Cast: Joel Courtney (Super 8) as Gus, Sam Elliot as Jepperd
Dream Director: John Hillcoat
Even though Sweet Tooth hasn’t been around all that long, it has quickly accumulated critical acclaim and easily takes the mantle once held by Sandman and Preacher as the best book at Vertigo Comics.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a new generation of humans are being born as animal hybrids, Sweet Tooth focuses on a young deer/boy named Gus as he attempts to navigate the dangerous wastelands of America. Along the way, he befriends various others that share his same affliction, as well as malicious hunters who are trying to track down these hybrids and sell them into slavery.

Written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth would make for a perfectly grim fantasy that has the ability to both break viewers' hearts and leave them with some hope. It may not be the most upbeat comic available, but a talented director would be able to make the more depressing story beats seem less overbearing. Look at a movie like 2009’s The Road, directed by John Hillcoat, as a perfect example of how, sometimes, even the most somber material can be portrayed beautifully.

Dream Cast: Jamie Bell as Yorick Brown
Dream Director: Marc Forster
Set in a world where nearly everyone with a Y chromosome has been wiped out thanks to a mysterious plague, Y: The Last Man focuses on the exploits of the last surviving dude, Yorick Brown, and his pet chimpanzee, Ampersand. While there are many drawn out post-apocalyptic comics available, Y: The Last Man is definitely the most organized as writer Brian K. Vaughan provides a logical beginning, middle, and ending for the series over the span of 60 issues.

A movie version wouldn’t be similar to the disease ridden horror of, say, The Walking Dead, nor would it be as depressing as Sweet Tooth's take on the world's end. Instead, Y: The Last Man would feature humor and heart, all while critiquing modern society and the role of the sexes. We're still betting that being the last man on a planet solely populated by women would be just as scary as a couple thousand zombies lumbering after you.

However, because the comic ran for 60 issues, any movie adaptation would have to be either severely truncated or reworked. But the material is so strong and innovative that to completely ignore its cinematic potential would be a crime.

Dream Cast: Natalie Portman as Snow White, Michael Fassbender as Bigby Wolf
Dream Director: Guillermo del Toro
In 2002, Bill Willingham unleashed Fables onto the world of comics, and since then it has been one of the most consistently entertaining and mind-blowing books on shelves. Set in a world where all of the characters from timeless fairytales secretly live amongst us, Fables blends classic literature with humor and action to create a vastly interesting amalgamation of modern storytelling tropes.

Fables include a number of strange characters, so it would need a ton of CGI to create the bizarre world. But movies like Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth (both written and directed by Guilermo del Toro) have taught us that even the most over-the-top elements can work under the right direction. The basic story of the residents of Fabletown hiding from humanity and learning to govern themselves is so grounded in reality that special effects and whimsical makeup would act as window-dressing for an otherwise relatable tale.

For Warner Bros., Fables could be a potential successor to the Harry Potter throne, and, if treated with respect, it could wind up becoming a modern fantasy epic/sprawling multi-part saga.

Dream Cast: Guy Pearce as Jesse Custer, Colin Farrell as Cassidy, Elizabeth Banks as Tulip O’Hare
Dream Director: Robert Rodriquez
Preacher, Garth Ennis’ ultra-violent mockery of organized religion, is deeply disturbing and hilariously twisted. After a bedraggled southern man of the lord, named Jesse Custer, gets possessed by an entity known as Genesis, he goes on a cross country odyssey to find God. It turns out that Genesis is the lovechild of an angel and the devil, which makes Custer's nemeis the ultimate force of good and evil all at once.

Ennis litters the comic with high levels of gore and overall sleaziness, but also provides a sophisticated level of depth when he delves into heavier subjects. With a supporting cast that would include a hard-drinking Irish vampire and a character simply named “Arseface,” it’s hard to imagine Preacher not earning an R-rating. And that's just a tough sell for studios.

An adaptation of Preacher has been stuck in development hell for a decade now, but, unfortunately, recent rumors have attached I Am Number Four director DJ Caruso to the flick, along with Shia LeBeouf for the role of Custer. If that ever happens, every ticket for that monstrosity should come with an Asprin the size of a car battery.

Dream Cast: John Cho as Tony Chu
Dream Director: Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland)
Tony Chu is a detective working for the FDA who has the unnatural ability to get a psychic reading off of whatever he eats. As you can probably tell, this gift makes him a fantastic detective, although it does force him to solve grisly murders by taking a bite out of a corpse or two.

Having only been in print for two years, Chew is fairly new, but it has been so impressive during its brief run that fans everywhere are already salivating at the thought of it being turned into a movie. With his light tone and dependence on humor, writer John Layman hasn't been afraid to challenge the conventional thought that modern comics should only be grim and gritty.

Chew’s manic tone would have to be perfectly captured by a director that isn’t afraid of going a little bit over the top with his/her visuals. There's a cartoonish quality to the book as it never takes itself seriously at all. This won’t be a nuanced, arthouse masterpiece by any means; rather, Chew would appeal to anyone who enjoys a heaping dose of grossout humor and ridiculous plots.

Dream Cast: Tim Roth as Spider Jerusalem, Steve Carrell as Gary Callahan
Dream Director: Sam Raimi
Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan is a post-cyberpunk orgy of political satire and raunchy humor. Focusing on the X-rated exploits of star newspaper columnist Spider Jerusalem, Ellis' main character makes Hunter S. Thompson look like a Baptist Minister. Rarely is Jerusalem seen without a bottle of prescription drugs and seldom does he wear pants. Transmetropolitan's nihilism would give these cookie cutter comic book films a much needed dose of cynicism.

Featuring everything from a chain-smoking two-headed cat to a kitchen appliance that spends its days getting high, Jerusalem’s world is a dilapidated mess. It would take a hard R-rating and some testicular fortitude on the part of studio executives to actually get the material right.

If comic books themselves have gone to great pains in order to prove that they aren’t only for kids, then movies have to do the same thing by introducing a little gratuitous sex and foul language. And if it's sex and violence that the people want, then there isn't a better person than Spider Jerusalem to bring those sordid pleasures to the masses.

Dream Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Morpheus, Mila Kunis as Death
Dream Director: Alfonso Cuaran
Neil Gaiman’s sprawling, nightmarish epic, released through DC/Vertigo in the '80s and '90s, is arguably the best ongoing comic book in the medium's history. Gaiman deftly blended myth, fairytales, and horror into one sophisticated and moody title. With a stable of beautiful artists and memorable characters, Sandman remains a must-read for anyone who even thinks that they like comics.

Revolving around the god of dreams, Morpheus, and his dysfunctional siblings (most notably his sister, Death), Sandman could be truly unique, though quite expensive, comic book film. The nuanced characters and complicated conflicts would be a welcome change of pace from recent stagnant forays into the genre, and the potential for gorgeous sets and imagery could very well outdo the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter franchises in terms of epic grandeur.

The book’s first story arc, Preludes and Nocturnes, is best the tale to adapt for the first film. Spanning generations and taking Morpheus straight into Hell, the story serves as a great introduction into Gaiman's twisted world, and it wouldn't throw too much at the audience too quickly.

With a visionary director and a screenwriter not afraid to introduce some intelligence to a summer tentpole, Sandman is a potential blockbuster just waiting to happen.