We all get caught up by the creative juggernaut of the two giants of the superhero universe: Marvel (the MCU and all the non-MCU series) and DC and its lineup of movies and TV series. But, plenty of great movies and shows have come out in the past few years from smaller comic book and graphic novel publishers. So, let’s take a look at some of the coolest comic book/superhero movies and series from outside the Big 2.
Heroes
Who doesn’t remember “Save the cheerleader, save the world”? NBC was early to the high-quality superhero series way back in 2006 when it debuted Heroes. While fans and reviewers gave mixed reviewed to subsequent seasons, Heroes delivered for 4 seasons on NBC and helped bring superheroes to the small screen in a very fan-friendly way.
Viewers followed that indestructible cheerleader and a bunch of other people who suddenly discovered that they had super powers, all working to either prevent or bring about a variety of catastrophes. While not based on any comic or graphic novel, it brought out many of the themes we would see in future superhero shows, like secret organizations designed to monitor or control super-beings, the daily lives of people who also happen to be superheroes, and how the world might react to these people.
The Boys
Based on the comic of the same name, Amazon’s The Boys is probably the most ‘adult’ take on superheroes we’ve seen to date. Disclaimer - technically The Boys was a DC Comics property originally, before moving to a smaller comic publisher. But, we’re including it because it bears little relation and no connection to the DC universe.
The premise is that while superheroes exist, they may not always be actual heroes. It is an attempt at a real take on the idea of superheroes and how they might really fit into our world. We have the shadowy organization that we learn actually created superheroes, whose aims are not necessarily the good of the world. The show is hyper-violent and absolutely not a kid’s show. There are two seasons currently available on Amazon Prime Video and Season 3 is already in the works.
Watchmen
The famed graphic novel from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (which resides on numerous top 100 novels of all time lists) is the basis for the current series on HBO Max. It follows the events of The Watchmen film from 2009, jumping 34 years into the future from the film timeline.
This is another gritty take on superheroes in the ‘real’world. The one-season series (no plans exist for further seasons) delve into racial issues and social upheaval, and the impacts of vigilantism on society. This is another show for the grown-ups.
The Tick
You can pick between a fun animated series from the 1990s or the live-action version, on Amazon Prime Video. The animated series is definitely more in the ‘for kids’ section, while the live-action series will appeal more toward adults - but isn’t overly violent or gory.
The show takes place in our world, where there are superheroes and villains. Into this world comes The Tick, a big blue-suited, slow-witted, over-powered superhero with no idea of where he came from. He befriends (against his will in some ways) Arthur, a mild-mannered accountant with no powers, until he latches on to a super-suit that gives him the power to fly among other things. The show is at times goofy, low-budget, and generally just a fun ride. There are already two seasons and at the moment it seems that plans for a third season are not in the cards.
The Umbrella Academy
Netfilx gets in on the action with The Umbrella Academy, adapted from the comic book series of the same name. The 2 season series introduces us to a group of super-powered kids who were all adopted by a strange billionaire who he raised to be superheroes. It’s another more adult take on the superhero genre, where we see how this group of kids who (a bit like child movie stars) goes a bit off the rails as they grow up. But, they are forced to come back together to hopefully stop the end of the world.
The story focuses as much on their personal struggles as their powers or the fight to save the world from impending doom and time-traveling agents of a shadowy organization. It’s a pretty wild romp, a little gritty at times, but eventually pretty entertaining. Netflix has plans for a third season, so stay tuned.
