If the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe didn’t make it incredibly obvious, Hollywood loves adapting comic books into movies to make significant profits. However, the adaptation of characters and stories to other mediums goes both ways. Dozens of beloved movie franchises have had their stories and worlds expanded thanks to comic book companies like Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, and even Marvel Comics. These types of comics range from prequel and sequel stories to fully realized alternate continuities. Comics have given many movie franchises new life beyond the screen and provided fans with vast amounts of original content that’s exciting and sometimes even better than what Hollywood produced.
From sci-fi adventures to horror, the comic book industry has adapted and expanded upon numerous hit movie franchises. Many of them also had awesome crossovers with other major properties.
The original Ridley Scott Alien film forever changed sci-fi horror, and its sequel Aliens became an iconic and epic action movie. The stories of desperate humans trying to survive the ravenous and lethal Xenomorphs were continued in both Dark Horse and Marvel Comics. And unlike movies like Alien: Resurrection or Alien: Covenant, the expansions these comics gave to the Alien franchise and universe were good. Many of these stories are non-canon. Aliens: Outbreak followed a grown-up Newt, while Aliens: Labyrinth delved into the Xenomorph hive structure. Like the film franchise itself, these comics can range from stories of chilling psychological horror to those of intense action with great success. And as the Alien vs. Predator movies have shown, Xenomorphs are always ready for an epic crossover. One of the best is Aliens vs. Avengers, which has the Marvel Universe trying to survive a Xenomorph apocalypse. While they don’t talk, the Xenomorph’s haunting designs and abilities make them perfect for comics.
Everyone can agree that while the original Indiana Jones trilogy is fun and exciting, the sequels that followed are anything but stellar. Luckily, Dark Horse and Marvel were there to pick up the slack. The comics successfully manage to recapture the pulp-adventure aesthetic of both the original trilogy and Golden Age comics. As one can imagine, the comics follow archeologist Indiana Jones as he continues to travel around the world to discover ancient treasures while fighting Nazis. In fact, many of the comics leaned even more heavily into the supernatural aspects of Indiana’s escapades. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis saw the titular hero trying to survive deadly sea monsters. Meanwhile, Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix had him seeking the mystical Philosopher Stone. Other comics delved more into Indiana’s time before and in-between the films as well, offering more insight into his character and how he became the iconic archeologist who we all treasure.
Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise was among the most iconic and trailblazing horror film series of all time, with different films ranging from grotesque body horror to action-packed gallows humor. The most famous character in the franchise is Ash Williams, who uses his chainsaw hand and boomstick to face off against the terrifying and sadistic spirits called Deadites. After the original trilogy concluded with Army of Darkness, fans got to read more about Ash’s harrowing adventures under Dynamite Entertainment. The comics keep the original film’s dark humor as Ash battles Deadites and other monsters across time and space. Ash has also been featured in countless crossovers where he’s fought the likes of Xena the Warrior Princess, Darkman, the Re-Animator, Dracula, and Marvel Zombies. Easily Ash’s most iconic crossover was when he battled two other of horror’s greatest characters: Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. It’s safe to say that the Army of Darkness comics are groovy.
The original Robocop film was an iconic and bloody sci-fi action movie that followed police officer Alex Murphy, who is rebuilt to be the ultimate cyborg law enforcer. After the success of the first movie, Marvel Comics expanded the universe with numerous comics. And while the films were mostly grounded aside from the existence of cyborgs and robots, Marvel went all-out in exploring this grim dystopian world. Robocop fought flying motorcycle gangs, killer trash robots, and even literal dinosaurs. BOOM! Studios would also expand upon Robocop’s story with the help of acclaimed writer and artist Frank Miller. One of the best comics Miller worked on with the property was Robocop vs. Terminator, which saw the cybernetic lawman trying to protect an apocalyptic world ruled by the evil AI Skynet. And while these comics are certainly more action-packed and outlandish than the original films, they still manage to retain the gripping sense of body horror and existentialism that made the movies so great.
Since the Xenomorphs received multiple comic runs, it’s only fair that their archenemies, the Predators, got their own comics as well. The iconic sci-fi horror-action Predator film series predominantly follows various humans as they find themselves targeted by members of the Yautja, a species of technologically advanced aliens that hunt for sport. Whether under Dark Horse or Marvel, the universe of the Predator franchise has expanded drastically by revealing more about Yautja culture and their many hunting trips on Earth. Like more recent Predator films like Prey and Killer of Killers, many of these comics take place in different periods of human history. Some of the best examples include Predator: Nemesis, set in Victorian London, and Predator: Cold War, taking place in 1990s Siberia. Predators have also had many crossovers where they deemed iconic comic book characters as worthy prey. Some of the most notable targets of Predators include Batman, Judge Dredd, the Avengers, and even Archie Andrews.
Ever since he first terrorized Tokyo in 1954, Godzilla has been a worldwide pop culture phenomenon and a haunting metaphor for the threat of nuclear weapons. And even with over 35 movies under his belt, Godzilla has continued to grow as a brand through TV shows, video games, and, of course, comics. The King of the Monsters has rampaged his way through Marvel, IDW, and Dark Horse Comics, facing off against all manner of foes. Some of the best comics include Godzilla: The Half-Century War, which focused on one man’s 50-year-long obsession with destroying the giant atomic kaiju. Another great story is Godzilla In Hell, which centered on the King of the Monsters battling demons. When Warner Bros began the Monsterverse, they would also make canon-compliant prequel and sequel comics that expanded upon the stories of Godzilla and the other Titans. And of course, Godzilla has been at the center of his fair share of bizarre crossovers that had him meet everyone from the heroes of DC and Marvel to Romeo and Juliet.
There are few franchises in modern history more iconic, intricate, and influential than Star Wars. From the release of A New Hope in 1977, Star Wars began weaving a vast tapestry of expanded lore in comics that has produced some of the best stories of the franchise. Published by Dark Horse and Marvel, Star Wars has thousands of comics that chronicle events that took place thousands of years before and after the films. Practically every character, no matter how small an impact they had in the films, was given the chance to become legendary in the comics. And of course, heroes and villains like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader were given additional adventures. In fact, many characters who originated in the comics, such as Quinlan Vos, Aayla Secura, and Black Krrsantan, would go on to become so popular that they would appear in the movies and shows. Even when Disney bought Star Wars and erased the original extended universe, the comics still play an integral part in expanding the new canon.
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