Superheroes and comic books have long held a stigma for being ‘nerdy’ or ‘geeky’ but thanks to franchises such as the Batman trilogy, X-Men and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they have become more mainstream than ever.

Despite a growing billion dollar popularity, there are some people who still shy away from the genre, perhaps believing that comic book movies are about nothing more than costumed heroes and caped crusaders but there is more to it than that and this post is a celebration of films that are based on comic books or graphic novels.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Based on the Secret Service graphic novel by Mark Millar, Kingsman tells the story of Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin as he is recruited into a gentlemen spy agency and sets about investigating billionaire philanthropist Valentine as he executes a deadly and violent plan to save the planet from climate change.

Starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Strong, Kingsman is an action film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is full of humour, heart and action.

Polar (2019)

Inspired Victor Santos’ graphic novel ‘Polar: Came From The Cold’, Polar tells the story of Duncan Vizla aka The Black Kaiser, the world’s deadliest assassin who is on the cusp of retirement and a very generous pension pot but his company doesn’t want to pay out and puts a price on Vizla’s head. On the unfamiliar end of an assassination contract, The Black Kaiser must go toe to toe with the other assassins determined to take him out before he gets to retirement age.

Read my full review here.

A History of Violence (2005)

Starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Ed Harris the 2005 film A History of Violence is based on the graphic novel of the same name, written by John Wagner and illustrated by Vince Locke. It tells the story of Tom Stall, a mild mannered husband and father who becomes a town hero when he foils an attempted robbery of his business. As the news celebrates his heroics it attracts the attention of some unsavoury characters who believe that Tom was a former hitman but is it a case of mistaken identity or is there more than meets the eye?

Wanted (2008)

Another graphic novel written by Mark Millar, ‘Wanted’ inspired the 2008 film of the same name starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. It tells the story of Wesley Gibson, a frustrated office worker who’s life is turned upside down when he finds out his long lost father was a professional assassin and had been murdered. Wesley is recruited into his father’s old organisation and seeks to avenge his father’s death.

Although it got slated by critics, I personally really enjoyed this film and the graphic novel was the first one Mark ever made me read, so it does hold something of a special place in my heart.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

Based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is set in Victorian Britain at the turn of the twentieth century and follows renowned adventurer Allan Quatermain as he leads a team of extraordinary people pulled straight from the pages of literature including; Dorian Grey, Dr. Jekyll and the Invisible Man.

V for Vendetta (2005)

Based on another Alan Moore graphic novel, V for Vendetta follows a revolutionary anarchist known only as ‘V’ as he plots to overthrow a tyrannical fascist government with the help of Evey Hammond, an average citizen who works for the state-run British Television Network.

Dredd (2012)

Writer John Wagner makes his way on to the list again with his novel series ‘Judge Dredd’ which was first adapted into a feature film starring Sylvester Stallone in 1995, although I can’t comment on whether that film was any good or not. However, the 2012 film starring Karl Urban is definitely worth a watch.

Set in a dystopian future where Judges keep the peace possessing the powers of judge, jury and executioner, Dredd is one of the best. He is assigned to assess and evaluate Cassandra Anderson, a rookie with psychic abilities, but when their presence threatens the business of drug lord Ma-Ma, she seals the building trapping them inside and orders her clan to take the Judges down.

300 (2006)

Based on the comic book from Frank Miller, 300 is a fictional retelling of King Leonidas of Sparta and a small group of Spartan and Thespian soldiers who sacrifice themselves for the good of Greece, and hold back thousands of Persian warriors on the narrow passage to Thermopylae for three days.

Sin City (2005)

Okay, I know this one is a bit of a stretch and probably an insult to the intelligence of the average movie-goer considering that the cinematic style of Sin City is pretty much lifted straight from the page but the 2005 film is based on the graphic novel collection by Frank Miller and centres around four tales of crime in the dark and twisted Basin City.

30 Days of Night (2007)

The horror comic book series ’30 Days of Night’ is the inspiration for the Josh Hartnett film of the same name which tells the story of a small isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for one month each year. When the light fades the town is attacked by bloodthirsty vampires and a small group of people need to find a way to survive until the next sunrise.

So hands up, how many of these did you know were inspired by comic books and graphic novels…?