Top Ten Cancelled Shows That Should Have A Comic Strip

[ethsnafu]

Hi folks,

I have made my feelings very clear about much I would love Millennium to continue in comic form and it still amazes me that this has never been explored to date. The X-Files has received a number of adaptations in other formats and beyond the early novelizations of the early episodes, Millennium has never been explored in this way. A number of series' and films are now finding a new and loyal audience in comic book form and a number of cancelled shows (such as Jericho) are using this format to wrap up their arcs and I did come to think, during the campaign, that this was Millennium's best hope of returning in some form. Maybe not the ideal form but some form. Here's a list of the top ten cancelled series' that should have been made into a comic and I wondered what you guys thought. Would a Millennium Comic do it for you?

Eth

[Guest Coughcool]

I agree. I think Millennium would have made a great comic book. They could have done a mini series and go from there. I think any of things they did with X-Files could have been done with Millennium with success. They did Novelize "The Frenchmen" & "Gehenna". I saw they where going to novelize "Weeds" and a Official Millennium Companion and a Postcard book that was never put out. There are two Volumes of Unofficial Companion that are pretty nice.

[ethsnafu]

Precisely!

You know what is surprising is how quickly the powers that be seem to have nixed the planned merchandise range. There were a number of planned releases (those you mention and others) that were abandoned fairly early on in the first season as I recall. They sure didn't give Millennium much of chance before they decided this was not going to be another X-Files. It turned out, as we all know, that Fox was right about this but I wonder if the early lack of support help that become a self fulfilling prophecy.

I really hope someone will explore the idea of a comic. I may even write to Frank Spotnitz's blog and ask him about the possibility.

Something is better than nothing, right?

Eth

[Earthnut]

Something is better than nothing, right?

Eth

Amen to that ! ! ! Back To Frank Black, somehow, someway.

[Guest Coughcool]

Well Millennium was obviously the step child in all this so to speak.

[Orodromeus]

Agreed -- an original Millennium story in a lavish hardcover graphic novel edition would be an amazing gift! (Also, accompanied by the obligatory Lance audio adaptation/reading )

So many TV series have gone down this road! I hear the Whedon-managed Buffy comic is doing quite well.

Re: the list you linked to, Eth: Wow I thought I had a basic knowledge of TV series, there are at least half the titles there I've never heard of! And no mention of Firefly? As for a Black Adder comic: that's a cunning plan for a failed merchandise! Actors and live dialogue is what made this series.

[Guest Laurent.]

I think that, as far as 1013 shows are concerned, X-Files and Harsh Realm are more suited to the media than Millennium which relied less on action and more on emotional and visual storytelling. I'd also love to see Carnivàle extended with 4 novels to tell the story of the remaining 4 seasons. But Millennium belongs on the screen with Lance Henriksen in front of the camera.

[ethsnafu]

I definitely agree that Harsh Realm would make for a great comic adaptation primarily because it had its origins in a comic book of the same name. It would be a return to its roots (of sorts). But I still think Millennium could work in a comic especially as part of DC's Vertigo line or something akin to it. Ideally of course we want Lance in front of the lens and Millennium up there on the big screen where it belongs but if that fails to materialise I will take whatever they offer as over a decade of nothing has left me eager for anything. Even the virtual seasons are a reason to celebrate in Chez Hayden.

I know Brian Dixon and co. had planned to release a comic at some point and, if I recall correctly, there was even talk of releasing the preliminary plans and artwork when that fell through. I would have loved to have seen it and whether it did, or did not, work on the page as well as on the screen.

Eth

[Guest WaveCrest]

Along with a Millennium movie a comic book/graphic novel series would be one of the other avenues I'd like to see them go down (others being a video game in the style of Red Dead Redemption, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake and LA Noire, and an audiobook series voiced by members of Millennium's main, recurring and guest cast), with variant covers.

[ethsnafu]

I think an audio play would be absolutely superb and if Fox weren't asking for preposterous sums of money for the rights to do just that we would have had one by now. It's such a no-brainer, at least to me, as it negates every sticking-point that can be levelled at the idea of a Millennium Movie. None of the perceived problems with that concept matter jot in an audio adventure.

Doctor Who thrived on these during the wilderness years and BigFinish turned them into a very, very lucrative business but I guess the reason we don't have a comic or a game or an audio-book is for the reasons Chris Carter gave in his interview to John Muir: no-one at Fox these days even knows what Millennium is much less cares about it and that is a crying shame.

Eth