It’s more obvious that a film has been adapted from a comic book when it features main characters from the Marvel and DC universe. However, there are a number of movies based on comics that you might not even know originated in comic books or graphic novels.
While yes, true fans of each of the comics listed below know the movie adaptation came from the comics, but fringe fans or fans less in the know might not realize where these films came from. This list of 10 films based on comics is the first of a couple lists we will make on the subject. Enjoy the first 10 and keep an eye out for 10 more in the near future.
A History of Violence
In this suspenseful noir crime story, Tom McKenna is a simple family man who instantly becomes a media celebrity when he takes down a couple of wanted murderers who attempt to rob his diner. But his newfound fame draws the attention of a group of merciless mobsters who have been looking to settle a score with McKenna for over 20 years. Now as the killers descend upon his small town in Middle America, the Brooklyn native must face the actions of his youth and relive his past history of violence as he attempts to salvage the life he has built.
The graphic novel was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Vince Locke and released in 1997 by Paradox Press and later by Vertigo Comics, both imprints of DC Comics, while the feature film adaptation was released on September 23, 2005. The film was directed by David Cronenberg and stars Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, and Ed Harris.
2 Guns
Trench has targeted a local bank to rob, and asked Steadman in on the job. Trench figures it’s a great way to score – considering it’s a cover for mob money. They’ll be thieves ripping off thieves. But what Steadman doesn’t know is that Trench is a DEA agent. And what Trench doesn’t know is that Steadman’s a Naval Intelligence officer. They’re both cops! And neither one knows that they’re not robbing the mob, they’ve been set up to steal $50 million from the CIA!
The comic series, written by Steven Grant and illustrated by Mateus Santolouco, was first released in April 2007 by BOOM! Studios before being adapted into the Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington film directed by Baltasar Kormákur.
The Bad Guys
They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys . . . and they even smell like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that…Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys’ first good mission. They are going to break two hundred dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr. Snake please stop swallowing Mr. Piranha?!
The graphic novel series was written and illustrated by Aaron Blabey and released by Scholastic in July 2015. The film, released on April 22, 2022, was directed by Pierre Perifel and starred Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, and Craig Robinson.
Barb Wire
Hard as nails and hot as hell, badass bounty hunter Barb Wire rides the meanest streets of America’s toughest town: Steel Harbor, USA. Barb tracks gangsters who can punch through walls and crush cars like beer cans, but it’s a living.
The Barb Wire character was created by Team CGW (Mike Richardson, Randy Stradley, Barbara Kesel, Jerry Prosser, and Chris Warner) at Dark Horse in 1993. The first solo issue of Barb Wire released in April 1994. The film adaptation hit theaters on May 3, 1996 and was directed by David Hogan while starring Pamela Anderson Lee in the title role.
Cowboys & Aliens
When an extra-terrestrial armada lands in the Wild West, they find themselves in a showdown with one tough posse of rough-and-ready heroes—and the Cowboys and Aliens graphic novel gives you the thrilling comic book stories that started it all off!
Compiling every issue of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s electrifying comic book series, this gorgeous, full-color graphic novel features the dynamic creative talents of Fred Van Lente, Andrew Foley, and Luciano Lima—as well as all-new tie-in art from the spectacular motion picture. Whether you’re rooting for the gunslingers or the little green men, don’t bring your guns to town without reading a copy of the Cowboys and Aliens graphic novel!
The Platinum Studios graphic novel was created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, with art by Dennis Calero and Luciano Lima. Jon Favearu directed the film adaptation which starred Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell and released on July 29, 2011.
Extraction / Ciudad
She was kidnapped and taken to the worst place on earth. He was hired to get her out. Now, they’re both trapped in a city that wants them both dead, and their hopes of getting out are fading fast. From the bloodthirsty criminals, to the corrupt police, to the kid hiding a Glock under his sweatshirt on the corner, everyone wants Tyler Rake and Eva Roche dead. Set in the real world locale of Ciudad del Este, Ciudad explodes with breathtaking action and hyper violence.
The comic, Ciudad, was written by Ande Parks, Joe & Anthony Russo, and illustrated by Fernando Leon Gonzalez for Oni Press. The comic was adapted for for Netflix and directed by Sam Hargrave. The film starring Chris Hemsworth and Rudhraksh Jaiswal first streamed on April 24, 2020.
From Hell
From the squalid alleys of the East End to the Houses of Parliament, from church naves to dens of the occult, all of London feels the uniquely irresistable blend of fascination, revulsion, and panic that the Ripper offers. The city teeters on the brink of the twentieth century, and only the slightest prodding is necessary to plunge it into a modern age of terror.
A gripping, hallucinatory piece of crime fiction about Jack the Ripper. Detailing the events that led up to the Whitechapel murders and the cover-up that followed, From Hell is a modern masterpiece of crime noir and historical fiction.
The comic was created by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell and originally published in serial form from 1989-1998. The film, loosely based on the series, was made by the Hughes Brothers in 2001, starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, and Ian Holm.
Hercules (2014)
Nearly 3,200 years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth as neither man nor god: Hercules, powerful son of the god-king Zeus, and for this he received nothing but suffering. After 12 arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding solace only in bloody battle. Over the years, he warmed to the company of six similar souls, bonded by their love of fighting and the presence of death ― never questioning where they go or who they fight, just how much they will be paid.
Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to turn his men into the greatest army of all time, which means training them to be as bloodthirsty and ruthless as their own reputation. It is time for this band of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen ― and the narrow, perilous path to their own redemption.
The 2014 film starring Dwayne Johnson and directed by Brett Ratner was based on the graphic novel written by Steve Moore with Cris Bolsin as the artist.
The Kitchen
In Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s, married women have their place—and it isn’t out on the streets collecting loan shark payments for the Irish mob. But when their gangster husbands get sent up the river, prison widows Kath, Raven and Angie can’t see any other way to make a living—and, as it turns out, they’re pretty damned good at the job.
So good, in fact, that they start attracting attention from the big leagues. As the trio expands their operation and consolidates their grip on Manhattan’s west side, a sit-down with the mafia higher-ups is inevitable. If they play their cards right, the city could be their oyster—as long as all the bodies they’ve left in their wake stay buried.
The Vertigo comic series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle was originally released in 2015 while the film adaptation hit theaters on August 9, 2019 and starred Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss.
The Losers
The Losers, formerly an elite U.S. Special Forces unit that served as the covert bloody hand of America until they stumbled across a C.I.A. secret they couldn’t ignore. The C.I.A. tried to kill them, but they’re about to learn that it takes more than one try to eliminate The Losers.
The Losers comic was first published by Vertigo in August 2003 by writer Andy Diggle and illustrator by Jock. The film adaptation was released in April 2010 (celebrating 15 years this year) and was directed by Sylvain White and starred Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, and Idris Elba (funny enough, all these actors also starred in other comic book movies).
