If the Internet was the universe, then at least one galaxy would be devoted to the discussion of what comics should be adapted into movies, by which director and with what cast. (Ten times that amount would be devoted to complaints about adaptations that do occur.) But what if it went the other way around? What if cartoonists adapted movies into comics or graphic novels? Not as a tie-in, or as work-for-hire on a licensed property, but as a genuine adaptation or reinterpretation, where they could put their own cartooning style and sensibilities into it. (I'm thinking more The Magnificent Seven as to The Seven Samurai than Pyscho (1998) as to Psycho (1960)).[1] As an exercise (more properly, fanwank) it's considerably harder to conceptualize. The following are my five fantasy film-to-comics projects[2]:
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
dir: Brian De PalmaPlot: De Palma's satirical rock-opera reinterpretation of the Phantom of the Opera, substituting Phoenix for Christine (Jessica Harper) and Winslow for the Phantom (William Finley). Paul Williams, real-life composer of treacly-yet-effective tunes such as The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun," plays Swan, a Faustian producer-turned-Mephistopheles. The first director I thought of was De Palma, probably, as a coworker pointed out, because as a director his strength is in his visuals. Although I toyed around with other movies and other cartoonists, I thought of Swan, who, in this film, resembles a hobbit who's had electrolysis, and I immediately thought that his cherubic face — one that conceals all manner of wicked dissipations — resembles (and could easily be) one of Kim Deitch's characters. Phantom of the Paradise would have to be done as a period piece[3] because it parodies the American musical landscape just at the moment it was to be permanently altered by punk rock[4]. Although his area of interest usually lies in earlier eras than that of Phantom of the Paradise, no one does a well-researched period piece as distinctively as Deitch: he's also very skillful at narratively and visually weaving music and lyrics into his comics.
Showgirls (1995)
dir. Paul VerhoevenPlot: Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) hoofs, claws and sleeps her way to the top, taking out diva Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon) in the process — only to reform enough to use her sharpened manicure and chorine kick for VENGEANCE. This comic would be the place where Paul Verhoeven parodying the Frank Millers of the world and Frank Miller cartooning like a parody of himself à la All-Star Batman and Robin would meet, I think.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
dir. Nicholas RayPlot: When a "chickie race" goes awry, Jim Stark (James Dean) and new friends Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo) attempt to hide out from the authorities. I'm copping out on this one, because Darwyn Cooke and colorist Dave Stewart would clearly be the go-to guys for this; Rebel Without a Cause had to have been a source, both visually and narratively, for The New Frontier (especially that sequence in which the Challengers of the Unknown reunite in the mountains).[5] Stewart could be trusted to capture the saturated red of Jim's jacket as well as the grain of the film stock, and Cooke knows his way around a page layout influenced by CinemaScope. Plus: who wouldn't want to see Cooke's straight-up rendering of Judy/Natalie Wood?
3 Women (1977) dir. Robert Altman
Plot: Pinky (Sissy Spacek) finds work at a desert spa for seniors. She meets Millie (Shelley Duvall), whose attempts at glamorous popularity fall sadly short, and the pregnant Willie (Janice Rule), whose paintings of savage, myth-like humanoid creatures haunt the proceedings.[6] The tagline for this film — "1 woman became 2/2 women became 3/3 women became 1" — sounds like one of Lost Girls' sexual permeations, but in this surreal, organic work, which lacks a conventional plot, or indeed, conventional morality, Altman gave the female leads free rein to create their characters and their characters' transformations.[7] It would be rich material for Melinda Gebbie. Again, I can visualize the characters in Gebbie's style: with her control of body language and costuming, she would be capable of capturing the meaningful glances of Willie, the volatility of Pinky and the usurpation of Millie. (However, Gebbie would have to adapt her vibrant palette for the sun-faded murals and desperately cheerful yellows of Millie's apartment.) Of course, the film as a source might be ultimately too sexist for Gebbie's tastes: identity theft is a theme in it, so not only is the term "role model" loaded, but none of the male characters even come close to qualifying.
Clue (1985)
dir. Jonathan Lynn (although the story was by Jonathan Landis)
Plot: Houseguests, familiar from the board game (Professor Plum, etc.) arrive at Hill House, only to have their host fall prey to murder. Wadsworth, the butler, played by Tim Curry, and the guests, now suspects, attempt to solve the mystery: multiple endings ensue. Blue Monday's Chynna Clugston's cartooning has the kinetic energy that this film, with its manic "let-me-show-you-how-it-was-all-done" sequence, needs; and she has the comedy chops to convey the one-liners tossed off so quickly by the film's sterling character-actor ensemble: Madeline Kahn (as Mrs. White), Michael McKean (as Mr. Green), Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd (Professor Plum), Martin Mull (Colonel Mustard) … Clugston also has a flair for period costuming, which is important for a piece in which clothes are meant to quickly signify character traits.[8] Clue's multiple-ending gimmick seems like it would be too clunky for theaters, was a pain on VHS and didn't even translate well onto the DVD (most of the time, the endings are just run subsequently), but this could easily solved in the print, as Encyclopedia Brown and Choose Your Own Adventure books proved lo these many moons ago. (It could probably be easily solved on the 'Net too, for that matter, but since this is my imaginary project here, into print it goes.)
Notes:
[1] Not that it's never been done, but it's pretty rare (unsurprisingly: I doubt such things would make any money, and movie rights are something of a nightmare): usually, you see homages, like Ellen Forney's cartoon about a women-in-prison movie, or Rick Trembles' reviews of movies in comics form.
[2] Many of these cartoonists have been published by Fantagraphics. Since this isn't publicity or a review of their work, I don't think this is a conflict of interest, but just in case, here's my full disclosure statement.
[3] … although the film is slated for a 2010 remake.
[4] The unfortunate Winslow, who becomes the Phantom, begins the film as a broader version of a Williamsesque tunesmith: by the end of film, it's clear that, whatever else is at stake, the era of the "Old Fashioned Love Song" (penned by Williams) is over.
[5] Red Ryan on the motorcycle does rather evoke Marlon Brando and The Wild One, but the boyish intimacy of the Challengers, and their sense of doom (the Challengers survived when they shouldn't have; Jim, Judy and Plato know that they're hiding out on borrowed time) is more in line with Rebel.
[6] Bodhi Wind did the paintings.
[7] This is Shelley Duvall's finest performance: she provided the tragically clueless Millie not only with voice-over diary entries, but even recipes.
[8] Miss Scarlet's (Lesley Ann Warren) skin-tight teal satin number (with that rust-colored, standing hood) is one of my favorite movie costumes of all time.
Art credits:
Deitch: From "No Midgets in Midgetville!" in Stuff of Dreams #3. [©2005 Kim Deitch]
Miller: From Sin City [©1992 Frank Miller]
Rebel: From Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier Vol. 1. [©2004 DC Comics]
Clugston: From Blue Monday: Dead Man's Party. [©2002 Chynna Clugston-Major]
Clue: From the DVD's back cover. [©™2000 Paramount Pictures]
Kristy Valenti currently works for The Comics Journal and Fantagraphics Books, Inc.
Uncharted Territory is © Kristy Valenti, 2008
