Last week Paste posted a list of five DC characters who deserve their own show. For the most part, I found it lacking. Some sounded almost interesting, but for the most part they were pretty big name characters and pretty predictable.
I think we can do better.
Granted, I’ve written about DC properties that would fit well on the small screen. I randomly wrote about The Ray and Hawk & Dove. I also thought Chase should get a shot. I even foresaw the coming of a Constantine tv show. So, this is well worn territory for me.
Swamp Thing
We’ll start with the biggest name. Swamp Thing is a character that’s been the focus on a movie and a tv show. And I think it’s time to try it out again.
My pitch for Swamp Thing would be about a biochemist college student Alec Holland. He get caught up with a militant eco-activist group because of a girl (possibly one Pam Isley?). There’s a plot to steal a compound from the campus lab, which results in Holland getting doused and thus gaining powers, (but not going full “Swamp Thing” maybe he’s just got some vines on his chest and upper arms.)
Maybe the first half of the season is about Holland understanding that he’s got a connection to plants with the second half seeing him take on an ecological threat on campus, which finds him on the run for season two.
It’s like the old Incredible Hulk show, only more green. You can even introduce other parts of the Swamp Thing mythos as the series progresses, like the Parliament of Trees and whatnot. But yeah, I think Swampy would make a good fit, provided you keep him relatively human.
Static
Another decent sized name, Static starred in his own cartoon which was relatively popular. I think Static works best if it hews pretty close to the source material. A high school kid gets powers and deals with post aspects of his life.
I know that “the Big Bang” is kind of a controversial plot point, but I think it worked then and would work fine in the show. The pilot would start with peeks at Virgil’s home and school life before the Big Bang happens. Then you see Virgil getting used to his powers.
Static would work best as a lighthearted show. It wouldn’t need to be grim and gritty or overly dramatic. I guess it could be like a Veronica Mars, only with a bit more humor and super powers. And since Virgil is just getting used to his powers, perhaps he doesn’t fly yet, to keep the budget down.
Vext
Speaking of lighthearted shows, Vext is up next and here’s a shocker; I could see Vext as a half-hour sitcom.
For those not in the know, Vext was about a god of bad luck, whose pantheon is no longer worshiped and he ends up banished on Earth. As part of his banishment, he can’t become a hero or a villain or generally mess with the course of human history. So Vext tries to deal with pretending to be a normal person.
Basically, instead of a normal person dealing with superhuman powers, it’s about a minor deity who has to try to deal with normal life. I think it’d be a hit.
Trigger
Everyone like an Orwellian future right? Well, Trigger has that and then some. The shortlived Vertigo book by Jason Hall and John Watkiss centered on Carter Lennox, a crime writer and Deirdre Myers and investigative reporter, oh and Ethhicorp the corporation that basically runs society.
The title comes from the Ethicon agents who deal with people who violate the morals imposed by Ethicon, whose motto is “we get the bad out.” What happens with the crime fiction that Lennox writes comes true? And who does he turn to when he wakes up covered in someone else’s blood?
Trigger is a dark conspiratorial thriller. It would fit right in with the current climate.
Anarky
Speaking of the current climate, Anarky seems like a natural for television adaptation. With the Occupy movement and people growing more and more distrustful of corporations and the widening of the gap between the classes, Anarky could really speak to multiple themes with one series.
Anarky would work really well if, for the first season, we don’t know who’s behind the mask. Anarky is striking at various targets, making himself a target for law enforcement who don’t care for vigilantes, especially those trying to disrupt the status quo. But which of the four leads on the show is actually Anarky?
I could totally see Anarky pulling Fight Club/Project Mayhem style acts across whatever city he’s set in (I’d suggest Bludhaven). Think about how Oliver had an agenda during Arrow’s first season, that’d be what Anarky would have, only the viewers would have to piece the mystery together along with the cops.
So that’s my take on five DC properties that should be television shows. Like I said, I wanted to dig a little deeper than the predictable names. I’m definitely looking forward to your comments and seeing which characters you think would make good tv shows.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday; go out and buy yourself from fresh new comics from your local comic shop.
