Fans of weird-ass comics rejoice! Dark Horse Comics, in partnership with Universal Cable Productions, will be bringing several of their most off-the-wall, high-concept comics to television, including one of Dark Horse’s very first titles, Concrete, and the amazingly weird The Umbrella Academy.
The one I’m most excited about is The Umbrella Academy. If you’ve ever read this book, you know that it’s batshit in the very best way, and completely unlike any other superhero book out there. Here’s the synopsis of the TV show, according to /Film:
Nine years after parting ways, the estranged members of the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers, must figure out how to work together to save the world. Created by Gerard Way (lead singer of “My Chemical Romance,” and writer of “The True Lies of the Fabulous Killjoys”) and Gabriel Ba (Daytripper); Bluegrass films is also attached to executive produce.
Next up is Concrete, a comic inspired by the idea, “What if The Thing led a non-superhero life?” I’d actually never heard of this comic before, but Paul Chadwick’s Concrete seems like a really sweet story!
After his subconscious is transplanted into a hulking stone body, Ronald Lithgow must come to terms with his new form and try to live a normal life.
I haven’t read Harrow County yet, because it’s brand-spanking-new! Issue #2 came out last month (and there’s already a TV deal? Dang!). For those who want to get acquainted with the comic (which seems very Wytches in its vibe), here’s the low-down:
Emmy has always known that the deep, dark woods surrounding her home crawled with ghosts, goblins, and the restless dead. On the eve of her 18th birthday, she learns that she is connected to these creatures and to the land itself in a way she never imagined, for she is the reincarnation of a powerful witch who was put to death on the very day Emmy was born. For this reason, the townsfolk mean to kill her too. In order to survive, Emmy must embrace the unusual powers at her command. This project is based on the brand new book written by Cullen Bunn (“The Damned,” “The Sixth Gun”) and illustrated by Tyler Crook (“Bad Blood”).
And the last TV show announced on the Dark Horse/UCP slate isn’t based on a comic at all! Rather, it’s based on a sci-fi feature film script by writer Tom Vaughn, and is called Back Up. Here are the deets:
In the near future, a new technology allows people to be backed up the same way we now back up our computers—but instead of protecting against drive failure, these backups protect against death. This project is based on a feature script by Tom Vaughn. Kenny Golde is set to write and executive produce, Brad Anderson (“Zoo”, “Almost Human”) is in negotiations to direct. Jim Wedaa is also attached to executive produce.
Looks like Dark Horse is the next comics publisher entering the television ring, and this first slate looks really promising – though I do wonder about the budget for a dude made out of stone, or a superhero with a human head and a gorilla body… Never mind. Point is, I’m excited. Here’s to more quality genre television!
What do you all think about this new slate of TV shows?
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Published: Jul 8, 2015 01:50 pm