Famous TV Shows That Continued As Comic Books
It is devastating when a popular TV show gets canceled unexpectedly, especially when so many fans are attached to it. It is tough letting the characters go. TV networks can be cruel at times and cancel any shows if they do not get the desired numbers and neither the revenue is up to the desired mark.
They do not prioritize the fans since they have to please the shareholders. But when the show is canceled, fans deserve to see the rest of the story, as to what really happened next. And thanks to comic books, fans can witness the journeys of their favorite characters. Here are a few TV shows that continued as comic books!
1. Batman Beyond
The amazing thing about Batman Beyond is that it was an animated series that was actually adapted from the comic books. And then adapted into comics. Batman Beyond was loved by fans and the critics likewise, but sadly, the show didn’t hit the mark and was canceled sooner than anticipated.
So the comics came into the picture and continued the stories about this version of the Dark Knight. The original animated series had bridged the gap between animated series and comic books. And just the same way, the comic books did the same by bridging the gap between comic books and animated series. It was so well done that at a point they felt the same.
2. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit the Televisions back in 1997 and instantly became a cult phenomenon. This made Sarah Michelle Geller a genuine star and even gave a boost to Joss Whedon’s career as showrunner after being a screenwriter for years. The show ran for seven seasons and around 144 episodes, and even though that is a lot of material, the fans wanted more!
The comic book continuation of the series went on to become one of the most popular series in recent years. And Joss Whedon’s experience with comics has played a major role in the same. Many fans believe that the gang is better suited to a comic book than a TV series.
3. Smallville
As Smallville was airing on, 11 comic books were already issues to tie in with the show. The continuity became a problem and the series was canceled since the production of comics was overlapping with the show’s production.
But when it came to comics, Smallville became more successful after the TV series ended. The series also dealt with the aftermath of Darkseid’s attack (from the series) and Clark Kent dropped the Blur moniker and went by the superhero alter ego aka Superman.
4. Invader Zim
The comic book series of The Invader Zim has been running successfully for years and is appreciated by the fans of the original show. Jhonen Vasquez spoke on the decision of bringing back the series in comic book form. He said that he is always confused when people say how terribly they miss the show, as according to Jhonen, the show never stopped running in his head, and he realized not everyone is in his head. Thus came the comic books.
The books have dark humor along with mind-blowing science fiction concepts!
5. Dollhouse
Dollhouse ran for just two seasons and fans wanted more. Joss Whedon along with Maurissa Tancharoen released a limited comic series. Dollhouse: Epitaphs was released and is set during the apocalypse and goes into many details about the characters from the show.
It was followed by a five-part miniseries which is set in a future Los Angeles that was ruined by the Dollhouse technology. The comic delivered an appropriate and much-needed closure to the fans
