We’ve all seen this story before, right? A young British kid finds out he’s destined to be a great sorcerer and gets tutored in the magical arts in order for him to reach his potential and navigate the dangerous new world he’s been plunged into. The Harry Potter mega-franchise is the most obvious example of this story but its certainly not the first and far from the best. While Neil Gaiman’s Books of Magic is also by no means the first to tackle this age-old trope, it did come out a few years before The Boy Who Lived set foot in Hogwarts. The jury’s still out on if it’s the best pass at a boy-wizard facing his destiny, but it’s at least in the running. (more…)
Archive for the ‘The Unadapted’ Category
THE UNADAPTED: The Books of Magic
Posted: May 11, 2019 in The UnadaptedTags: Books of Magic, Constantine, DC, Swamp Thing, Vertigo
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THE UNADAPTED: Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark
Posted: February 16, 2016 in The UnadaptedTags: Image, Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark, The Unadapted
**It’s been a while since we’ve looked at a property that needs adapting here at Comic Book Media. However, with the recent release of Deadpool and the massive success it garnered, we’re guessing that Hollywood is going to be looking for another humorous and violent book to turn into an R-rated feature. So, here’s Brian Sea Baer with a look at a wildly off-kilter comic that would make for one hell of a fun movie.**
2010 saw the release of Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark, an absurd and absurdly funny one-shot from Image Comics. The double-sized issue was split in half: the first half tells a tale of revenge, cyborgs, Dr. Moreau-style animal hybrids, and a murderous aquatic bear; and in the second, a shark flies through a forest and devours the oblivious people who accidentally cut themselves, since everyone knows a shark can smell blood from a hundred miles away. It makes perfect sense.
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THE UNADAPTED: Moon Knight
Posted: May 8, 2015 in Baer, Daredevil, Marvel, Moon Knight, The Unadapted**This edition of The unadapted was written by Brian Baer, frequent collaborator and author of the upcoming Bad Publicity from Portfolio Press. Be sure to check it out. But first, read his thoughts on why Marvel’s Batman should be brought to life.**
The problem with Moon Knight has never been that he was unknown. The character has been the star of several comics series, many with high-profile creators and respectable lifespans. He’s even been ranked as one of the greatest comics characters by Wizard and IGN.
The problem with Moon Knight is that most people know him, but only as a Batman rip-off.
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THE UNADAPTED: Criminal Macabre
Posted: December 6, 2014 in Andrew, Cal McDonald, Constantine, Criminal Macabre, Dark Horse, Guest Column, Hellblazer, IDW, The Unadapted**This edition of The Unadapted was written by novelist Andrew Prenger. He’s covering my ass for being late with my post on Justice League: Mortal Part 2. Enjoy his look at Criminal Macabre, a comic I literally know nothing about.**
The most surprising thing about this title is that it technically started in 1990. So that means the main character, Cal McDonald, has been around for over 24 years. Yet most comic book readers would be at a loss to know anything about it. Were it on Jeopardyit would be the awkward question everyone quietly stared at their feet for until time ran out and Alex Trebek read the answer off his cue card.
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THE UNADAPTED: Shang-Chi
Posted: October 7, 2014 in The UnadaptedTags: Agents of SHIELD, Baer, Guest Column, Iron Fist, Marvel, Shang-Chi
Guest Writer Extraordinaire Brian Baer provided this look at a Marvel character who has had a whopping zeroo appearances in expanded media. Where’s the Kung Fu love, Marvel?
Writing about Marvel, especially characters who haven’t been adapted yet, isn’t easy. Pre-Iron Man, movies and other media based on Marvel’s characters were as hit-or-miss as DC’s. Since then it’s become a different story. Not only are audiences being treated to high quality films, the Cinematic Universe’s scope is almost too comprehensive to allow Monday Morning Quarterbacking. But this is the internet, after all. So, I’ll give it a shot.
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THE UNADAPTED: X-Factor
Posted: August 12, 2014 in Havok, Madrox, Marvel, Peter David, The Unadapted, X-Factor, X-MenThe “X-Men” sub-genre of books within the Marvel Universe tend to be very different from one another. There are various teams, agencies and allegiances and too many characters to name here. Within so many of those X-books the idea of change remains a fitting constant. All of these titles have seen massive shifts in tone, characters and concept. This edition of The Unadapted will look at one of those teams that’s had relatively little in the way of exposure outside of the page.
THE UNADAPTED: Starman
Posted: August 2, 2014 in Arrow, DC, Flash, Smallville, Starman, The Unadapted |
| Promotional ad for Starman #0 |
Starman is a character that dates back to the Golden Age of Comics. For those who didn’t bother with the link, the Golden Age was a time from about 1938 to 1950 when superhero comic books were churned out like crazy and comic publishing became a big business. Many of DC’s sizeable stable of characters were created in this period. Among them was Ted Knight AKA Starman, a science-hero from the 1940’s who had a baton that enabled him to fly and shoot energy beams. It was powered by star-light, hence the name. The character was a member of JSA and All Star Squadron where he was often overshadowed by his teammates and rarely got a chance to shine (Ha! Puns). The character languished until he was revived in a post-Zero Hour series in the mid-90’s created by James Robinson and Tony Harris.
THE UNADAPTED: Kid Eternity
Posted: July 24, 2014 in Captain Marvel, DC, Kid Eternity, The UnadaptedTags: Captain Marvel, DC, Kid Eternity, The Unadapted
**This is a new column where I (or other writers) take a look at comic book characters who either haven’t been adapted to other media or haven’t been adapted respectfully.**
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| The Kid and Mr. Keeper |
I’ll start things off with an oft forgotten character who, to date, has been referenced a whopping ZERO times in any form of expanded media: Kid Eternity. The Kid was created by Quality Comics in 1942 for a series called Hit Comics and made frequent appearances before getting his own ongoing series. Originally, the character was not given a proper name. He was only ever referred to as Kid, most likely as a way of creating a cypher that young readers could identify with and more easily imagine themselves in his sneakers.
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