When Graphic Novels & Comics are Adapted: Does the art get lost?

I didn’t know where to start with this topic but I think I got it nailed now. But here is the first big question: are you a fan of comics or graphic novels? If so, which ones and why are they your favorite?

I ask this because today’s topic is about graphic novels and comics, horror specifically (I mean, I also put it in the title) and what happens when said piece of art is transformed into another piece of art and if said new art becomes great or if it fails. And I think it’ll be a good conversation and thought piece over what happens when let’s say, a cult favorite manga gets turned into a live action adaptation and it’s awful. It loses the essence of what it was and this post will be about why and how that can happen and which ones succeed with taking big swings, being dedicated to the source material, etc.

Let’s talk about what happens when graphics novels and comics are adapted, does the art get lost?

 

Now, personally, I don’t own a lot of comics or graphic novels but I do have a very small collection and I do mean small. If you check Instagram (shotsofhorror), you’ll see what I have but I have Werewolf by Night, Marvel Zombies, Alien, The Walking Dead, an X-Men comic, The Silver Eyes Trilogy from Five Nights at Freddy’s, Tokyo Ghoul, etc. But because this is more about horror, the majority of mine fall in that genre. But outside of that, a lot of my favorite horror anime are adapted from manga, favorite horror films come from comics or graphic novels and what is it about that?

I remembered watching Tales from the Crypt (1972) and as a fan of the television series and aware of the comic book and EC Comics (even inspired Creepshow), I had never seen the film. I had fun with it, especially the segment “And All Through the House,” and I believe I’ve reviewed this film here on the blog but imagine my surprise when I watched the sequel (unknowingly) The Vault of Horror (1973) and got a bit of a whiplash when I saw “based on the EC Comics” and I was shocked. I feel like I knew that previously but I really didn’t connect the two until then and again, I had fun with this anthology.

But back to the Tales from the Crypt specifically, if this movie was titled something else, would we give this movie the time? Especially when we think of the Crypt Keeper, we think of the voice of John Kassir and the animatronic puppet that had charisma and charm and punny jokes, not some white guy in a suit when in the comics depiction, he looks decrepit. In the book Horrors: From Screen to Scream (by Ed Naha), this is how the film is described; “An all star cast puts on a show and a half in this highly touted juvenile epic based on the infamously horror comics of the fifties. As told by the Crypt Keeper (Sir Ralph Richardson) to a captive audience, the tales resemble old Twilight Zone episodes minus the charm (damn). Joan Collins murders her husband on Christmas Eve only to be caught by an escaped lunatic dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. Ian Hendry unwittingly becomes a two timing corpse. Peter Cushing shines as a local putterer who loves childrens and animals but is driven to suicide by a local bigwig in order to improve the elitist neighborhood. Peter pops up a year later to seek poetic justice on Valentine’s Day. Richard Green reveals in a rewrite of The Monkey’s Paw and Nigel Patrick is a dictatorish administrator in a home for the blind who meets revenge in a big way by the inmates of the home, led by Patrick Magee. Directed by Freddie Francis based on stories by William (Mad Magazine) Gaines. Produced by Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky.”

WOW.

And there is also a summary section for The Vault of Horror and it kind of comes off as condescending or maybe that’s the tone of how I’m reading it in my head but looking at both films, there is something missing and Naha kind of throws that out of it feeling like the Twilight Zone and I think the two films missed the mark. That magic that is missing, shows up in the show. And I think what it is is yes, time and special effects evolution but also the lack of censorship that provided the television series to thrive. There was a lack of gore and blood and insane effects, perhaps creative decisions were made and it feels like an inspired film from the source material and not a true adaptation.

With that, let’s look at Tales from the Crypt, the television series. It did lose some steam by the end of the series but within that series, being on HBO did provide it with a way to bring the source material to life (violence, gore, nudity, profanity) and bringing a new energy that hadn’t been seen on television. And because the show and comics are horror, there’s a plethora of options.

Now I’m thinking about other adaptations with the same kind of mentality.

Hellsing: I think it is a great anime (one of my favorites, I named a stuffy vampire Alucard) from the manga and because the art style didn’t change, the creative liberties were there and it seems like everything was expanded upon to the series and later Ultimate and even with Castlevania. To continue with the vampire theme, 30 Days of Night is one of my favorite vampire films and I have read one of the graphic novels in the past and wow, the film is the graphic novel.

Comics like The Walking Dead, Spawn, Blade and even Constantine, there feels like an intent of keeping true to the source material, being inspired. The Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows. I remember watching it in October for the series premiere and fell in love with Rick Grimes. And because of that interest, I saw comic book panels and behind the scenes work and wow, the casting for the show is pretty spot on, like one to one and that’s what I’m such a huge fan of. That’s where the magic starts. The creators or important people are involved, everyone understands what this is or what it can be and have the artistic vision of wanting to bring what is on the page to life.

And it is a shame when it doesn’t work out in the way that it could have or should have. And yes, there are factors against it, but perhaps the failures can lead to success. Like earlier, I think more people know of the television series Tales from the Crypt and less of the film because of the lack of staying power. They went in a different direction (nothing wrong with that) but I don’t remember much about that film. I could tell you a lot of the Crypt Keeper’s puns though.

In conclusion, do I think that graphic novels and comics adaptations can lose their art? Definitely. But out of that, comes a different point of view who takes the chance at making sure that people aren’t disappointed, the original source material is given the best it can be.

Some other honorable mentions I want to share are Vampire Hunter D, Swamp Thing, iZombie, The Crow, Darkman (does that count?), Sabrina the Teenage Witch/Chilling Adventures, The Addams Family, Ichi the Killer, From Hell, Lucifer, Akira and I’m sure there are some others but my brain has become mush at this point.

What are your favorites? Or least favorites? Or the ones that you question why they made certain decisions? Leave a comment below and share the blog post if you can.

Peace, love, chicken grease… and I’ll see you guys soon!