10 Unusual Graphic Novels That Should Be Adapted

Every year, the number of movies and TV series released based on graphic novels is only increasing, and major studios have started to show more and more interest in unusual and quirky works. Graphic novels seamlessly combine the best qualities of books and comics. This symbiosis allows them to become unique creations: Sin City, V for Vendettaand Happy! These are the most famous examples that were later adapted to the cinema.

Each of the following ten graphic novels is different in its own way, from horror to suspense, comedy to drama, and from a sense of hopelessness to outright madness. These works are far from popular; in fact, you probably haven’t heard of most of them. However, a film adaptation or TV series format would allow viewers to see previously unknown stories and experiences, opening up this genre to a wider audience.

Related: The 10 Best Mystery Novels That Deserve A Film Adaptation

10 Through the Woods (Emily Carroll)

In Through the forest, five stories are subtly linked together. Each one is focused on a horror, which we do not see but surrounds us. It is a horror that is hidden from us in every possible way. The forest is what ties the stories together, serving as a conduit for horror and suspense. Different characters fill the narrative, including three sisters who stay in a small cabin in the woods while her father goes hunting, a young woman who is forced to get married, or the dark story of a creepy beast. The main feature of these stories is scary things that suddenly happen when you don’t expect them, which scares us the most.

The format of the different subtly connected stories would be perfect for a TV miniseries, each episode filled with its own atmosphere, its own storytelling pace, but somewhere more mysterious and sinister.^[1]

9 Harrow County (Cullen Bunn)

It’s rare to find good horror movies these days. TO Harrow County adaptation could fix that situation, and here’s why.

The focus of this novel is a teenager, Emmy, who discovers a terrible truth about her home county of Harrow. At one point, the young woman’s life changes drastically. She is suddenly plunged into the horrors of her hometown, spooky places filled with hideous monsters, like a Civil War graveyard filled with burning skeletons. Emmy constantly struggles with her horrible imagination and her crazy reality, so it’s not uncommon for her to stumble upon an ordinary box in the dark and see a nearly dead child on the floor. An everyday object can suddenly turn into something creepy and crazy.

The entire work is created in the best traditions of Southern Gothic. It connects the reader with the characteristics of magical realism, where the line between good and evil blurs, and what you thought was ordinary is ready to kill you. A touch of the ordinary that becomes crazy. His 32-issue run would work well for a streaming service series.^[2]

8 Conscious (Jeff Lemire)

Earth has been destroyed by humanity, and a small group of survivors tries to find a new planet to call home. On their way to their goal, they must figure out how to do it without dying because space is full of dangers and surprises. Fortunately, the humans have a ship full of sophisticated technology and unique artificial intelligence that suddenly gained consciousness. Unfortunately, the long journey is also a great challenge for psychological health, complex moral experiences, and nervous breakdowns. Perhaps that is what will be more dangerous than space.

This is a classic rocket science thriller, made in the best traditions of the genre, but it has some unique features. This mainly includes its high level of realism when it comes to violence because this work sometimes feels like it has stepped into the horror genre. This synergy could only really be revealed in a movie, something like passengers—only in a darker style.^[3]

7 Air (G. Willow Wilson)

Blythe, an ordinary flight attendant for a fictional airline, is strangely afraid of heights. Then, when she finds herself in the middle of a fight to control the next Aztec technological innovation, she discovers that she is a “hyperpractice”, one of the few people suited to use the new devices. With him, she can enter a reality where images matter more than tangible objects. Notably, she can move a plane to another area without using fuel.

During the narration, it can feel like an action movie, but after just a few pages, it feels more like a love story. Then later in the story, it reads more like a thriller.

A crazy job that borders on madness and everydayness. This is exactly the kind of thing that modern audiences need, especially those who are tired of the banality of the plot and stereotypical characters that are currently found in movies and TV series.^[4]

6 Fatal (Ed Brubaker)

This is a noir style story that revolves around Josephine, a femme fatale model. Men lose their heads around her. Horrible cultists think that she should be handed over to their divine beings. One of the protagonist’s biggest problems is her amnesia, which constantly interferes with her life, causing her frenzied forgetfulness and a lot of unnecessary problems. The graphic novel spans many years, but the main plot takes place in the present day. As the reader learns, Jo’s life is full of men interested in her, but then they all pay her price for getting involved with her.

The incredible combination of horror and crime is not found in current movies, so an adaptation of this graphic novel would do a great job of correcting this oversight.^[5]

5 The Professional (Garth Ennis)

Pro centers on a woman of easy virtue who suddenly gains superpowers and joins the local superhero team. This amazing lady kicks bad guys’ butt in the morning, picks up her kid from daycare in the afternoon, and sells herself at night. But in a twist, the local superheroes are no good. They will certainly save you if something happens, but if you hurt them they will destroy you, they don’t care about morality because, duh, they have superpowers.

With lots of profanity, violence, lust, and gray morality, this is a crazy parody of the superhero genre. Something like Boysjust a little weirder and a lot more depraved.^[6]

4 5,000 km per second (Manuele Fior)

Piero and Nicola are best friends. But both boys are obsessed with the mysterious girl Lucía, who lives in the same apartment complex. A love triangle is the starting point that unites these characters. The story jumps back in time to reveal that Piero and Lucia are now separated not only by time but also by 5,000 kilometers. Their separate lives, fraught with dire circumstances, briefly merge once more. As a consequence, the thousands of kilometers that separate them only add fuel to the fire.

Admiration and disappointment, love and hate, things that permeate this story from beginning to end in a chaotic order, breaking love stereotypes along the way. An offbeat look at love and romantic attitudes is something we’re missing in movies right now because love in real life is often not how it’s portrayed in the movies.^[7]

3 The Invisibles (1997) (Grant Morrison)

the invisible It’s about a lawless group of people fighting creatures from other universes that have taken over half the world. Jack Frost is the new reincarnation of Buddha, Lord Fanny is a transgender girl, King Mob is the most important guy on the team, and some other extraordinary personalities complete the group. These guys have to find a way to beat the intruders. On the way to their goal, they’ll have to travel through time, learn magic, kill, and oh yeah, smoke weed.

Anarchy and freedom or order and slavery? Such questions will have to be answered by each character, but will they be able to choose the correct answer? Only time will tell.

Absurd satires on society seasoned with quirky characters and crazy settings, these plots would fit right in with the plethora of production options in the media industry today.^[8]

2 Essex County (Jeff Lemire)

This novel tells three related stories set in a small Canadian town. The first story centers on a boy who now lives with his uncle due to the death of his mother. The second story is about two hockey-playing brothers and the difficult relationship between them, and the third story is about a perpetually disgruntled nurse who cares for the sick.

The main feature of this graphic novel is the image of ordinary life covered by the heaviness of life and the oppressive feelings of depression. Trapped in this town like in a cage, the characters are deeply unhappy/ Trying to change their lives, they look for meaning in hockey, in God, in comics, but each time something terrible happens that forces them to plunge into a new wave. of apathy.

This play would make a great strong psychological thriller. You don’t see this kind of genre enough nowadays, but I think it’s worth fixing.^[9]

1 In a ray of sunshine (Tillie Walden)

This graphic novel tells the story of a girl named Mia. The story is introduced in parallel in two time lines, the past and the present. In the present, Mia becomes part of the crew of the spaceship “Aktis”, where her job is to find ruined architectural objects in the depths of space and restore them. Jules, a talkative and obsessive girl, helps her in this complicated task. Due to the vast distances between objects in outer space, the characters grow very close, which risks becoming more than just a friendship. At the same time, the narration of past events is introduced. Mia attends an elite school, where she learns everything she needs in life through her first love, mean classmates, and local sports competitions.

This is a hidden gem of a space adventure with a bit of an offbeat love story. Race, gender and religion are minor things in space; It only matters if you are a good person. These topics are now more relevant than ever and sometimes easier to talk about in the form of art.^[10]