Top Ten Vertigo Series Most Ripe for TV or Movie Treatment

I know superhero comic book movies are all the rage now, but with so many streaming services looking to develop original material, I figure there's no time like the present to mine the glory of Vertigo's primo series that defy the superhero tropes and gimmicks. So, here is my list of the top ten Vertigo series that should become TV series or movies.  

Transmetropolitan

This mind-warping series from Warren Ellis broke brains all over the reading public with its prophetic look at the role renegade journalism needs to play in standing up to the powers that be. Information as currency. Narratives as truth. Facts as malleable. It's scary how prescient Ellis was with this one. 

Punk Rock Jesus

What if scientists cloned Jesus Christ and created a reality show around the idea? What if the new Jesus wanted to be more than a patsy or symbol for his corporate owners? What if he really identified with the punk aesthetic?

The Invisibles

Everything is a conspiracy. Grant Morrison perfectly captured the post-postmodern zeitgeist in this one. 

American Virgin

A beautifully irreverent story of how belief can be a problem, a solution, and something that changes as humans grow into better people. 

Coffin Hill

Cops and horror. A classic combination. Throw in some Gothic family secrets and this one could be the next season of Hill House or Bly Manor... easily. 

The Crusades

This one totally deconstructs the idea of a costumed antihero by putting an actual armored knight in the urban blight and having him dish out Batman and Punisher style justice. But is he crazy?

Death: The High Cost of Living

There's really nothing more that can be said about this one. Death takes the day off to appreciate the joys of life. Neil Gaiman's magnum opus, this one. 

House of Secrets

Perhaps my favorite work by Steve Seagle. I love how this series updated the old horror anthology book by exploring the idea of secrets and how they affect the intrinsic sense of justice and our own ideas about justice. And can even the ultimate judges be biased? Plus it has one of the coolest art styles I've ever seen. 

Angeltown

Black detective drama (both racially and tonally) that pretends to be hard-boiled but comes off far more noir than at first glance. Some of Gary Phillips finest work. 

Effigy

A former child star is disgraced over a sex tape. She becomes a cop, but her past won't stop following her. Then people start to die and it looks like it ties into the series she starred in all those years ago. 

Gary Phillips -- The Pulpster Soul of Angeltown

I should have known Gary Phillips and his work for a lot longer. I really, really should have. After all, I've been a fan of both noir and the Vertigo imprint for years, and Gary blended the two seamlessly in his neo-classic comic book series Angeltown. But alas, I came late to the party. In an effort to keep you from the same fate, here's Gary to introduce his work to you. 

Tell us a bit about your latest work. 

I’m very happy with my latest, a collection of six original short stories featuring Nate Hollis, a modern day, rough and tumble private eye in the big, bad City of Angels, Los Angeles.  He began in comics a few years back for a DC/Vertigo miniseries, Angeltown.  In fact that sequential effort was collected under one volume brought out by Moonstone.

But this new prose anthology from our friends at Pro Se, Hollis, P.I., has two new stories by me, one of them featuring not Nate but his sometimes rival, the bounty hunter Irma Ducett, aka Irma Deuce.  But my buddy, New York Times bestseller Juliet Blackwell (the Witchcraft Mystery series) wrote a Hollis story, as did acclaimed young crime writer Aaron Philip Clark (A Healthy Fear of Man) and new pulp heavyweights Bobby Nash (Domino Lady: Money Shot) and Derrick Ferguson (Four Bullets for Dillon).

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

I think genre and so-called mainstream writers wrestle with themes of redemption and sacrifice, selfishness and obsessions.  That all of us are capable of both good and bad, that there are days we might engage in both in big or small way and though writing fiction we capture the big acts in our characters.

What would be your dream project?

Writing the short story, novel, graphic novel, radio script and screenplay, each chronicling a part of the overall adventure of one of my characters – one big story arc across those various mediums.

 If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do? 


If I could do a reboot of my first novel, Violent Spring, which introduced my other private eye character, Ivan Monk, back in the ‘90s, that’s the one I’d like to write over.  Since I wrote that book I think I’ve gotten a better handle on how a mystery should flow, unfold, and sharper dialogue.


What inspires you to write? 


Writing is therapy.  If I can’t write or think about what I want to write, I’d go nuts.  I guess then keeping what passes for my mental health keeps me writing.

What writers have influenced your style and technique? 


The one that always come to mind are Dashiell Hammett, Richard Wright, Ross Macdonald and Jack Kirby – I mean, the King did write but it was his visuals that inspired me to want to write and draw comics that set me on the road to prose.

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

That’s an interesting question.  I teach in a MFA writing program part-time.  As I’m the genre guy, I get those who either write that stuff or want to try their hand at it from writing the supposed mainstream work.  As Raymond Chandler advised long ago, there are only something like 8 or 9 plots when you boil it all down.  Then you figure the human factor; greed, lust, guilt, and so on.  We know too a mystery or crime novel or pulp demands certain convention yet you also know you have to make it fresh, somehow different enough so the reader comes away entertained and dare I say, possibly even think about the work afterward..  Now with the aforementioned in mind, since I have to take apart my student’s work and explain what works and what doesn’t, it has forced me to be more critical of what I write.

Part of that can be broken down into an equation, x amount of action versus introspection, how much narrative versus dialogue.  But each story is its own thing, so we also know conventions are made to be broken and should be routinely in writing.  The story’s pace and flow emerges and takes us along and that’s the trick, that’s the art; doe sit feel like it works the way you’ve written the tale?

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?

I have a short story, “Bulletville” in the, wait for it, 50 Shades of a Gray Fedora anthology out in e-book initially this February from the newly formed Dagger imprint of Riverdale Avenue Books to capitalize of the infamous 50 Shades movie version also debuting in February.  In March, will have out Day of the Destroyers.  This is a linked anthology I edited featuring Jimmie Flint, Secret Agent X-11 as he battles coup plotters out to overthrow FDR.  The Green Lama,. the Phantom Detective and the Black Bat guest star.  In hardback and trade paperback from Moonstone.

And since I’m plugging, for more of my work, folks can check out my website at: www.gdphillips.com.

The Best Graphic Novels Ever #9 -- V for Vendetta

9. V for Vendetta
by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Published by Vertigo Comics

Yes, it's yet another Alan Moore book on the list. And while I don't think of myself as a huge Alan Moore fan, I do seem to have several of his books on this group of "the best ever," don't I? Oh well. Talent will out itself, I suppose.

I have to come clean and admit that I liked the movie too. And not just because a bald Natalie Portman was way cuter than I expected. Nope. It was V.

Regardless, the book runs circles around the movie. Period.

Subversive, this is another of Alan's works that plays fast and loose with what it means to be a hero in a world gone mad. What does a hero do when injustice masquerades as justice and anarchy is the best rule to follow? 

The Best Graphic Novels Ever #14 -- The Crusades

14. The Crusades
by Steve Seagle and Kelley Jones
Published by Vertigo Comics

In The Crusades, Seagle and Jones build a better Batman.

No, seriously.

Take a generic dark knight, make him an actual knight -- on a horse, with the lance, the whole nine yards -- and set him loose in a dark and depraved city much like Gotham. Then make the poor deluded fool think he's actually a time-weary knight of the round table (or maybe he is?!). Then add a Bettie Page look-alike reporter assigned to the story. Mix and pour.

There you have it, one of the bleakest and coolest adult vigilante fantasies ever. Toss in a few sprinkles of Jones odd (in a good way) and creepy art, and Seagle's ear for offbeat dialog and unexpected story curves, and this one is truly one of the best comic book series collections ever.

The Best Graphic Novels Ever #16 -- Fables: Legends in Exile

16. Fables: Legends in Exile
by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina
Published by Vertigo Comics

Yes, this is technically the opening arc of Bill Willingham's amazing Fables series and not a true graphic novel. However, published as a stand-alone volume, I believe it fits all the criteria needed (as much as any episodic novel written by Dickens qualifies as a novel) to function as a true graphic novel independent of any other issues or trades in the series.

So, with that established, what we have here is perhaps the best re-imagining of fairy tales (and yes, that includes the more titillating Grimm's Fairy Tales) ever to grace the pages of comics. This opening volley from Willingham and Medina hits fast and hard with a noir-ish feel that makes a reader realize it's as much about the Fables as it isn't about the definition you've come to accept as a fairy tale.

Bigby (Big B) Wolf investigates the murder of Rose Red while subtly trying to woo Snow White. Yes, it sounds like the fodder of bad fan fiction, but filtered through Willingham's pen, it not only works -- it dazzles. This is one trade collection I can't recommend highly enough.

The Best Graphic Novels Ever #20 -- Punk Rock Jesus

20. Punk Rock Jesus
by Sean Murphy
Published by Vertigo Comics

Okay. We're finally breaching the top 20. Yep. Finally here. 

Yes. I know I'm cheating with this one. Because, no, it hasn't been collected yet into a single volume. But it was conceived and written as a single story with a beginning, middle, and end and NOT part of an ongoing, endless graphically told serial. And, for the record, the trade is coming out shortly. So there.

What can I say about this amazing book that hasn't already been said by people way smarter and better connected than me? Not a lot. It's a fantastic story about faith and faithlessness, and how even faithlessness is itself a way to faith (clear as mud, right?). It's a tale of falling and being redeemed. It's a tale of being a son of man and a son of God. It's all that and more. With violence. And with foul language. It's kind of like going to a church re-envisioned by Quentin Tarantino. In a good way.

Sure, the idea of making a clone from the Shroud of Turin is old hat and derivative. But it's what you do with the idea of a story to make it something real, something out of this world, and what Sean Murphy does with that overly trite clone idea is just that -- something real and amazing. The characters are fully rounded, from the bit player to the starring roles, and with one or two minor exceptions, the voices are spot on. It's really hard to find anything not to like about this one, at least in my book.

The Best Graphic Novels Ever #24 -- The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes

24. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
by Neil Gaiman and Sam Keith
Published by DC Comics

Finding just one arc from Neil Gaiman's game-changing Sandman series for this list of best graphic novels would be impossible, so I didn't. You'll see another volume listed in the posts ahead.

But for the matter at hand, what Gaiman did with this stand-alone volume not only changed the kind of things an author could do with a super-hero character (the Sandman superhero character only appears in a single panel in the book, I believe), but also the kind of story a writer could tell with the graphic storytelling medium, and the way the published package could be treated by the publishing industry.

A hit all around, both critically and from fans, Gaiman took old superhero tropes, modified them, and made readers of superhero fans, fantasy fans, and horror fans alike. This is one of the best books of the genre that tied (and still ties) fandoms together.

For the "rules" I'm using for graphic novel, check the original post.

PRO SE ANNOUNCES LICENSING DEAL WITH NOTED CRIME AUTHOR

Pro Se Productions, a Publisher specializing in Heroic Fiction, New Pulp and multiple genres, announces today the licensing of a modern hard boiled PI Character originally appearing in a DC Vertigo mini series and created by one of the leading writers of modern Crime Pulp Fiction.

“Pulp is associated with many genres,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se stated. “None, though, probably as much as the Crime/Mystery field, particularly the PI tale.   That’s why Pro Se is proud to announce that Nate Hollis, a character created by Gary Phillips for the 2005 Vertigo miniseries ANGELTOWN is now a part of Pro Se’s future prose lineup.”

Angeltown

The Nate Hollis Investigations

Moonstone 2011

A noted crime and mystery writer, Gary Phillips is the creative mind behind the Ivan Monk series as well as books featuring Las Vegas’ showgirl-turned- courier, Martha Chaney.  Phillips has also contributed to multiple collections, including one of Moonstone’s AVENGER CHRONICLES, and is one of the two driving forces, along with Hancock, behind Pro Se’s upcoming major release BLACK PULP.

“ANGELTOWN,” said Hancock, “introduced the world to Nate Hollis, as hard boiled and two fisted as any detective that came before him.  Not only does Nate have all the classic attributes of a Pulp PI, but he’s set squarely in the modern era and is also enhanced by all that comes with that.   Pro Se is excited about the future of Nate Hollis, including new anthologies and even novels written by the best authors in New Pulp, including Gary himself.”

Hollis’ creator, Gary Phillips added, “I’m jazzed that Tommy and the fine folks at Pro Se Press have taken on producing the further outings of Nate Hollis and the other characters in his orbit.  Tough customers such as shotgun-wielding female bounty hunter Irma Ducett aka Irma Deuce, and Nate’s ex-pro football playing granddad, Obadiah "Clutch" Hollis, current owner of a neighborhood dive frequented by the squares and the strange.  Certainly I’m looking forward to seeing how other writers will devise cases for Nate and, of course, I’ll be penning some new stories too.  It’s going to be a blast.”

Nate Hollis Creator

Gary Phillips

Hancock stated that announcements would be forthcoming concerning publication of the first Nate Hollis book from Pro Se, fully expecting a book to be published in the first half of 2013.

Nate Hollis originally debuted in Angeltown, a five-part miniseries from DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint, January-May 2005.  The strip was then collected and reprinted in hardcover graphic novel form as Angeltown: The Nate Hollis Investigations, with two new prose short stories added, by Moonstone Books in 2011. 

For more information concerning Nate Hollis and Pro Se, email Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net.

Gary Phillips – www.gdphillips.com

Pro Se Productions- www.prosepulp.com

                                 www.pulpmachine.blogspot.com

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#176) -- Best New Comics

What are some of the best new current comic books that 

are flying under the radar that readers shouldn't miss?

It's easy to skip over books like these in your rush to pick up Justice League and Avengers vs. X-Men, but you owe it to yourself to grab them and give them a read. 

Resident Alien (Dark Horse) -- A stranded alien ends up playing "Quincy" when he's drafted into serving a small rural town as the town doctor.

Dancer (Image) -- A burned spy and his ballet diva girlfriend are on the run from a highly unlikely assassin. To say more would ruin the big reveal in issue #1.

Saucer Country (Vertigo) -- The governor of New Mexico is running for president to save us from the aliens who abducted her for experimentation, but that's not the easiest platform on which to get elected, especially with a marriage that falling apart, and a political consultant who wants to hang her husband out to dry as the bad guy to garner sympathy votes. 

Thief of Thieves (Image) -- An ace burglar wants out of the business so he can  become the man he never was able to before. But surely he didn't think it's going to be easy, does he? Nah.

 Rachel Rising (Abstract Studios) -- She's not a zombie per se, but she's definitely not alive, nor is she happy with the turn her life/death has taken. Oh, and it seems someone's out to get her.

Trio (IDW) -- John Byrne does traditional superheroes again, this time based on the old game of rock, paper, scissors. More fun than just about any tights and costumes book on the stands at the moment.

Night of 1,000 Wolves (IDW) -- What's worse than one pissed-off werewolf? How 'bout a forest full of them? And they all want to eat your family. Want to see D&D style stories that can rip your face off and laugh about it? This is it.

The New Deadwardians (Vertigo) -- Upstairs, Downstairs with low-class zombies, uppercrust vampires, and norms in the middle ground as the servant class. Great fun and a great detective story to boot.

Saga (Image) -- It's got the same "on the run" vibe as his Y the Last Man book, but with a more space fantasy setting and some of the cutest and yet most disturbing images I've ever seen, particularly in this more recent issue.

If you're not reading these indies, you're missing out on some really amazing stuff. Trust me. It's worth skipping an extra Cap, Wolverine, Spider-Man, or Batman title to try something new and different.