These days a movie based on a comic might be an effects blockbuster or it might be a quirky art flick, as shown in adaptations from the Spider-Man movies to American Splendor and Ghost World. (Sure, it also might be a piece of crap -- see Four, Fantastic.) Looking at the pile of comic movies on the slate for the next couple of summers, it'd be easy to say, "Enough!" But there are some amazing comics still out there that would make great translations to the screen.

The Nocturnals
Writer and artist Dan Brereton paints every panel of this dark, weird comic, which makes it instantly recognizable. Doc Horror, a scientist from a parallel world, leads a group of serious misfits: his young daughter, who carries a pumpkin-head full of possessed toys; a ghost; a woman who's half-human, half-starfish; a firestarter; a mutant man-raccoon; and the Gunwitch, a mute zombie scarecrow with, well, guns.

Equal parts noir, science fiction, and Lovecraftian dread, this one could make a great transition to the big screen, like Mike Mignola's Hellboy did; darker than your average superheroes, but complicated and charismatic. Tim Burton, please back away from the musical. A comic book is here, and it would like to talk to you. Sir, keep your hands where I can see them. Mr. Burton, if you keep that up, I'm going to have to cuff you.

Wonder Woman
This one may be obvious, but why exactly doesn't Diana Prince have her own movie? Sure, Lynda Carter's boots are shiny, red, and tough to fill, but it's not for a lack of trying. A script was commissioned in 2001, and after going through a long list of screenwriters, in 2005 Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Joss Whedon was named as writer and director. By 2007 he'd dropped out too, and just last month yet another screenwriter was announced. Wonder Woman was supposed to see screen time in the Justice League movie, but apparently that's been shelved too. She's a classic character, one of the comics' best, but as far as the big screen, the word cursed comes to mind.

Love and Rockets
The epic tales of Los Bros. Hernandez follow, more or less, the ongoing relationships in two towns, Jaime's Hoppers (a stand-in for Oxnard, CA) and Gilbert's Palomar, a small town in Latin America. It would be impossible to tell the whole story in a single film, but with its deep characters and amazing weirdness -- Mexican wrestlers, punk rock, strippers, stigmata, and, of course, rockets all make appearances -- it would be like nothing you've ever seen.

A lot of fans will disagree with me on this. How do you distill 25 years of stories down to 90 minutes? And like Alan Moore, who watched Hollywood ruin From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hellblazer, and V for Vendetta, it's easy to argue that it was never meant to be anything other than a comic. Still, if they could just do it right...

The Dark Knight Returns
The latest Batman movie may have snaked the name, but it doesn't have anything to do with Frank Miller's groundbreaking 1986 miniseries. The Dark Knight Returns portrays a near-future 10 years after the last Batman sighting, when Robin's murder pushed him into retirement. Society has devolved into violence and shallowness, dominated by television and roving street gangs. (Where do these writers get their ideas?) When Batman comes out of retirement he's branded a criminal, and ends up fighting Two Face, the Joker, the gangs, and the cops too. He's always been a complicated character, but here he really gives in to the bloodlust and violence that's been simmering under there since 1939. Things get crazy -- like Batman-attacking-Superman-with-a-tank crazy -- but the mayhem is never totally gratuitous; you feel the anger under there, and an old man who's just really good at killing, and his desire to go out with the guns and the glory and the vengeance blazing. (It's no surprise Miller went on to write Sin City.)

Fine, this would be a tough sell. Are people ready for a Batman who's really dark, not just, you know, "dark?" But it's great storytelling, and you wouldn't have to worry about nipples on his uniform. Blood, maybe.

Are we done already? My list is just getting started! Get to a comic shop while there still are a few, you'll be surprised at what's out there. There's a reason Hollywood keeps knocking.

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