Historical Impact of Film in Graphic Novels
The relationship between film and graphic novels has a rich and intricate history, with both mediums exerting significant influence on one another. Early silent films inspired the creation of comic book characters like Batman, whose design was influenced by films such as *The Mark of Zorro* and *The Bat*. This interplay continued as comic books began to draw from cinematic styles, with characters and narratives reflecting popular films of the time. The 1970s marked a turning point, as graphic novels began to be adapted into successful films, leading to a surge in Hollywood’s interest in sourcing material from sequential art. Notable adaptations include iconic franchises such as *Superman*, *Spider-Man*, and *The Dark Knight*, which have achieved critical acclaim and box office success. Additionally, the crossover between film creators and graphic novel artists has led to unique collaborations, with writers like Frank Miller transitioning between both fields. Overall, the dynamic exchange between film and graphic novels continues to shape contemporary storytelling, showcasing how these forms of media can complement and enhance each other. As adaptations remain prevalent in the entertainment landscape, the future promises further collaboration and innovation in both industries.
Historical Impact of Film in Graphic Novels
Definition
From the beginnings of the comic book industry to the Modern Age, films and graphic novels have exerted mutual influence on each other. Silent films of the 1920s have inspired comicssuch as Batmanand later movies based on sequential art and comic book characters have been critically acclaimed and successful at the box office.
Introduction
The relationship between films, comics, and graphic novelscollectively understood as "sequential art"has a long and complex history. For example, Batman co-creator Bob Kane credits films such as The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Bat (1926), and the latter's sound remake, The Whispers (1930), as inspiration for Batman. The dark and brooding cityscapes of The Bat are recognizable models for Gotham City. The Bat in the eponymous film is a criminalnonetheless, Kane saw value in using the bat motif to scare criminals. Batman's main nemesis, the Joker, was inspired by Conrad Veidt's performance as Gwynplaine in The Man Who Laughs (1928).
Film adaptations of graphic novels have become critical and box-office successes; these include Superman (1978), Spider-Man (2002), and The Dark Knight (2008). By the early twenty-first century, works of sequential art were being adapted into films in record numbers as Hollywood film studios strove to option as many graphic novels as they could, and some of the resulting adaptations have received mainstream critical attention. In 2010, the film version of Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's graphic novel Red (2009) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical category. Sequential art has significantly influenced the film industry, but the inverse is also true: Films have enormously influenced comics and graphic novels.
The Early Influence of Film
Film slightly predates the advent of modern paneled comic strips, and the film medium has had a long, mutually influential relationship with sequential art. The influence of film on comics dates at least to the 1928 publication of the hardback collection Texas History Movies. Originally published in the Dallas Morning News as a comic strip, Texas History Movies was illustrated by Jack Patton and written by John Rosenfield, Jr. The series presents Texas history through a sequence of illustrated panels reminiscent of frames from a film. Comics were sometimes considered "printed movies" because a sequence of individual panels resembled strips of individual celluloid frames. During the silent film era, movies and comics told stories using pictures and text.
Characters and stories from films have influenced comics since the industry's infancy in the mid-1930s. Will Eisner's "Muss' Em Up Donovan," published late in the decade, features characters directly influenced by filmic portrayals by actors such as James Cagney in the gangster and crime pictures of the era. Pulp heroes of the 1930's such as Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers, appeared in both comics and films, and silver-screen cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers also found their adventures being told in four-color print. When crime comics grew in popularity in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the boundaries between film noirs such as The Maltese Falcon (1941) and comics such as the Dashiell Hammett-penned Secret Agent X-9 (1945) became unclear.
Graphic Adaptations of Television Shows and Films
During the 1950s and 1960s, many television shows spawned their comic book counterparts, including Have Gun Will Travel (1957-1963), Lassie (1954-1974), Car 54, Where Are You? (1961-1963), 77 Sunset Strip (1958–1964), The Lone Ranger (1949–1957), and Star Trek (1966-1969). Perhaps the earliest long-form paperback publications issued concurrently with a television series were the 1959 Steve Canyon books by Milton Caniff. The publication of comics and graphic novels based on television shows is a practice that has continued into comics in the Modern Age, with graphic novels related to shows such as Fringe (2008-2013), The X-Files (1993-2002), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), and True Blood (2008-2014) proving commercially successful.
Feature films began to impact graphic novels in the 1970s significantly. The success of Marvel Comics' paperback graphic novel adaptation of Star Wars (1977) by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin showed a market for graphic novel tie-ins to feature films. Other graphic novel adaptations followed, including adaptations of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Dragonslayer (1981), and Dune (1984). Even the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (1981) was adapted into a graphic novel published by Marvel. These relatively early graphic novels highlight the beginning of the market for sequential art adaptations of feature films.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, many comics publishers produced comics and graphic novels based on films and film series, particularly science-fiction and horror franchises. The best-known example is the Aliens vs. Predator crossover series (beginning in 1989), which combines elements from the films Alien (1979) and Predator (1987) and the associated franchises; the series later inspired two film adaptations of its own. Dark Horse Comics also published graphic novels based on such properties as The Terminator (1984) and Planet of the Apes (2001).
A cottage industry has developed for graphic novels based on famous film franchises based on literary properties. For example, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series (2005-2008) has been adapted into a series of blockbuster films. In turn, the movie's success influenced the creation of a series of graphic novel adaptations.
Directors
The relationship between comics and film has also influenced graphic novel writers and artists to direct films, particularly those based on their works. Renowned writer and artist Frank Miller co-directed Sin City (2005)based on his series of graphic novelswith filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Miller went on to direct the feature film The Spirit (2008), based on the influential work of comics artist, early graphic novelist, and sequential-art theorist Eisner. Artist Dave McKean directed MirrorMask (2005), a film written by comics writer, novelist, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman, and Gaiman himself directed A Short Film About John Bolton (2003), a fictionalized film about the titular comics artist.
Conversely, filmmakers such as J. Michael Straczynskicreator of Babylon 5and Joss Whedoncreator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Fireflyave written comics and graphic novels. Straczynski had a long run on Amazing Spider-Man, and Whedon wrote more than twenty issues of Astonishing X-Men. Several individuals have worked in both film and comics and established successful careers. As Hollywood directors and studios increasingly use graphic novels as source material and film and graphic novels become more entwined, this creative overlap will likely significantly affect both industries.
According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) in 2024, several of the more recent and notable film adaptations that originated from graphic novels include the space-themed The Incal (2024), the action-adventure The Electric State (2024), and the futuristic Robot Dreams (2023)—in 2024, the New York Times published its list of its favorite contemporary graphic novels. These included titles such as The Wendy Award by Walter Scott, Search and Destroy by Atushi Kaneko, and Ghost Lights by the team of Matt Fraction and Terry and Rachel Dodson. If history repeats, these graphic novels or other current standouts may be the subject material for future movie productions.
Impact
Although the U.S. film industry took to adapting graphic novel properties at a breakneck pace during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, film and sequential art have long had reciprocal influence. Graphic novel adaptations of movies and television series have demonstrated how such media have directly influenced graphic novels and comics production. Likewise, graphic novels provide a never-ending source of story material and ideas from which filmmakers can draw. In the mid-1970s, artist Jack Kirby quipped that comic book and graphic novel properties “will be where all of Hollywood will come every year to look for the idea for next year’s movies.” Kirby may have been off by a few decades, but his statement has proved prophetic.
Bibliography
Booker, M. Keith. May Contain Graphic Material: Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Film. Westport, Praeger, 2007.
Gordon, Ian, Mark Jancovich, and Matthew P. McAllister, eds. Film and Comic Books. Jackson, University Press of Mississippi, 2007.
Flaherty, Taryn. "The Best Graphic Novel Adaptations." MovieWeb, 6 July 2023, movieweb.com/best-graphic-novel-movie-adaptations/. Accessed 18 July 2024.
"Graphic Novel Adaptations," IMDb, June 2024, www.imdb.com/list/ls005377599/. Accessed 18 July 2024.
Hughes, David. Comic Book Movies. London, Virgin Books, 2003.
Thielman, Sam. "Pulp Homage and Art-School Laughs Brighten July’s Graphic Novels." The New York Times, 17 July 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/books/review/new-graphic-novels.html. Accessed 18 July 2024.