Neat article. Allow me to add some characters and series I'd like to see on film (but never will). In no particular order:
>Cloak & Dagger
Background: Two runaway teenagers, Tyronne Johnson and Tandy Bowen, are used against their will as subjects for an experimental narcotic, a process which endows them with the powers of darkness and light respectively. They wage a seemingly hopeless war against drug dealers in order to prevent other people being exploited in the same way as themselves.
Why it would make a good movie: It involves teenagers and drugs, which (unfortunately) is an always-contemporary issue. The two characters have a special chemistry, being more than friends but not intimate. They form a balanced group whose juxtaposition is nicely done in lots of ways - appearance, powers, even movement.
>Strikeforce: Morituri
Background: In the not-distant future, Earth is under attack by a technologically superior and extremely savage alien force known as the Horde. Humanity places its hopes on an experimental procedure called the Morituri Process, which can produce super-humans to fight the invaders. The process is compatible with very few humans and even the proper candidates may not survive it. The people that do survive it gain some form of super-human ability which they have to discover and master. However, the human physiology gradually rejects the process, resulting in the subject's death within one year.
Why it would make a good movie: The central theme is duty and self-sacrifice, and for once it can be done without involving the seemingly-ubiquitous US Army. Due to the nature of the Morituri process, the series had no "standard" main roles, so it would lend itself to sequels in a more natural way than most others.
>Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Background: During the 1930's, young Jessica suffers radiation poisoning. To save her life, her scientist father injects her with an experimental serum based on spiders and puts her in stasis. When she emerges, decades later, the serum has cured her and also given her mutant powers.
Why it would make a good movie: Jessica is a young woman who lives in the modern world but was born more than half a century earlier. Because of that, she often feels out of place and misunderstood, which are feelings most people can empathize with. She's more than a female version of Spider-Man and her series would have good potential as a movie. Furthermore, there have been several other Spider-Women later on (Julia Carpenter - later Arachne, Mattie Franklin) so there would be potential for sequels as well.
>Rom
Background: The people of the planet Galador are attacked by an evil alien race known as the Dire Wraiths, who have the ability to change forms. To defend their world, 1000 Galadorians sacrifice their humanity to become cyborg-like warriors called Spaceknights. They defeat the attacking Wraiths, who flee to the far reaches of the universe. The greatest Spaceknight, Rom, vows to hunt them down before they can regroup and attack Galador or other worlds. His journey eventually brings him to contemporary Earth, where the Wraiths have infiltrated all levels of society disguised as humans. Rom can see their real form using his Analyzer and kill them with his Neutralizer. Since people witness Rom killing humans apparently at random, they soon turn against him, save for a handful who believe him and help him.
Why it would make a good movie: Although the character is actually based on a (sort of crappy) toy action-figure, the story itself is very interesting. The plot is heavy with conspiracy theory, which always helps fuel interest. Rom comes across as a tragic hero, someone who does what he does reluctantly out of a sense of duty, all the while opposed by the same people he is trying to save. Robotic special effects have come a long way lately (as seen in the Transformers and Iron Man movies) so Rom and his fellow Spaceknights could be made to look impressive.
Neat article. Allow me to add some characters and series I'd like to see on film (but never will). In no particular order:
>Cloak & Dagger
Background: Two runaway teenagers, Tyronne Johnson and Tandy Bowen, are used against their will as subjects for an experimental narcotic, a process which endows them with the powers of darkness and light respectively. They wage a seemingly hopeless war against drug dealers in order to prevent other people being exploited in the same way as themselves.
Why it would make a good movie: It involves teenagers and drugs, which (unfortunately) is an always-contemporary issue. The two characters have a special chemistry, being more than friends but not intimate. They form a balanced group whose juxtaposition is nicely done in lots of ways - appearance, powers, even movement.
>Strikeforce: Morituri
Background: In the not-distant future, Earth is under attack by a technologically superior and extremely savage alien force known as the Horde. Humanity places its hopes on an experimental procedure called the Morituri Process, which can produce super-humans to fight the invaders. The process is compatible with very few humans and even the proper candidates may not survive it. The people that do survive it gain some form of super-human ability which they have to discover and master. However, the human physiology gradually rejects the process, resulting in the subject's death within one year.
Why it would make a good movie: The central theme is duty and self-sacrifice, and for once it can be done without involving the seemingly-ubiquitous US Army. Due to the nature of the Morituri process, the series had no "standard" main roles, so it would lend itself to sequels in a more natural way than most others.
>Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Background: During the 1930's, young Jessica suffers radiation poisoning. To save her life, her scientist father injects her with an experimental serum based on spiders and puts her in stasis. When she emerges, decades later, the serum has cured her and also given her mutant powers.
Why it would make a good movie: Jessica is a young woman who lives in the modern world but was born more than half a century earlier. Because of that, she often feels out of place and misunderstood, which are feelings most people can empathize with. She's more than a female version of Spider-Man and her series would have good potential as a movie. Furthermore, there have been several other Spider-Women later on (Julia Carpenter - later Arachne, Mattie Franklin) so there would be potential for sequels as well.
>Rom
Background: The people of the planet Galador are attacked by an evil alien race known as the Dire Wraiths, who have the ability to change forms. To defend their world, 1000 Galadorians sacrifice their humanity to become cyborg-like warriors called Spaceknights. They defeat the attacking Wraiths, who flee to the far reaches of the universe. The greatest Spaceknight, Rom, vows to hunt them down before they can regroup and attack Galador or other worlds. His journey eventually brings him to contemporary Earth, where the Wraiths have infiltrated all levels of society disguised as humans. Rom can see their real form using his Analyzer and kill them with his Neutralizer. Since people witness Rom killing humans apparently at random, they soon turn against him, save for a handful who believe him and help him.
Why it would make a good movie: Although the character is actually based on a (sort of crappy) toy action-figure, the story itself is very interesting. The plot is heavy with conspiracy theory, which always helps fuel interest. Rom comes across as a tragic hero, someone who does what he does reluctantly out of a sense of duty, all the while opposed by the same people he is trying to save. Robotic special effects have come a long way lately (as seen in the Transformers and Iron Man movies) so Rom and his fellow Spaceknights could be made to look impressive.