There are plenty of movies based on comic books (and many more on the way). And there are plenty of TV shows, especially animated series, based on comic books. But what about comic books based on TV shows? Turns out there are quite a few. And they all kind of suck. Not as bad as Heidi and Spencer suck, but still. We dug in our parents’ attic and found the 28 Strangest Comic Books Based On TV Shows. If you think TV is terrible, wait’ll you see the illustrated version.
28. The A-Team
We can only hope the big-screen remake also pits B.A. Baracus against a sumo wrestler. Best Picture guaranteed. If only comic books could win Oscars. Or Nobel Prizes.
27. Saved By The Bell
Keep pleading for that Saved By The Bell reunion, Jimmy Fallon. We don’t need it. The gang lives on, forever young, forever poorly-drawn, thanks to this 1992 Harvey Comics series.
26. ALF
“ALF” ran for fifty issues, so it may be the most successful As Seen On TV Comic in this entire list. We really only have one question: What in the hell is Alf doing to this seal?
25. Chuck
Soon to be distributed nationwide by Subway Comics. Look for the next issue wrapped around your Chicken Teriyaki Footlong.
24. Fraggle Rock
Isn’t the point of puppets on TV, I dunno, to be amazed by the puppetry? Watch some puppetry in action? These are just drawings of puppets. That’s like drawing a blanket with a face and giving it a series. (Quick aside: look for our self-published issue number one of “Face Blanket”, coming as soon as we get back from Kinko’s.)
23. Gentle Ben
Imagined conversation between creators of Gentle Ben:
“I’m glad the show is a hit, but I still don’t think we’re reaching enough children with our message that it’s okay to play with bears.”
“What if we did a comic book version? That way even nerdy kids will know it’s okay to play with bears.”
“Sounds great! Just so long as more kids know it’s okay to play with bears.”
22. Sgt. Bilko
If only more comic books featured pudgy, balding middle-aged men in glasses.
21. Dobie Gillis
Man, ripping off Archie Comics for TV is one thing, but then to invade Archie’s turf with a comic based on the TV show that rips off Archie? That’s pretty ballsy. Why do you hate Archie so much, Creators Of Dobie Gillis? (Hint: Dobie Gillis was produced by The Weatherbee/Grundy Company.)
20. Beauty and The Beast
Why bore people in just one medium?
19. Space: 1999
Safe to say this is Martin Landau’s only comics appearance. (Prove us wrong in the comments, nerds!)
18. Bonanza
The comic book industry has produced many fine, even classic, western comics. This series, featuring three middle-aged men who still live at home and have daddy issues, isn’t one of them.
17. I Love Lucy
We still think Fred and Ethel should get divorced. Looks like their loveless marriage spread even to the world of comics, like a cancer, a cancer made of mutual hatred and separate bedrooms.
16. Lancelot Link
Not to harp on this, but again, the magic of a talking monkey on TV is, you know, “Look at that monkey talkin’!” This is just a drawing of a monkey, which is easy to make talk, because you just point the word balloon at his monkey mouth. We like drawings of monkeys, BELIEVE. US., but still, this seems to be missing some of the sense of wonder that usually accompanied Lancelot Link.
15. VIP
Pamela Anderson may be striking on the small screen, but in the world of comic books, which is filled with super-heroines of amazing and improbable anatomy, she may as well be Big Ethel.
14. Married… With Children
Maybe the reason so many of these comics have photo covers is so the characters will be recognizable. Does this look like the Bundys at all? Does this look readable at all? Al Bundy wouldn’t even deign to carry this along into the bathroom.
13. Quantum Leap
Did every issue feature a creepy, predatory, cross-dressing Sam? Because that would be awesome.
12. Happy Days
Ayyy! We still think Fonzie is one of TV’s grossest characters who manage to get laid constantly. Maybe not the best idea on which to base a comic book series, but who are we to argue with Gold Key or Western or whatever they were calling themselves then? We only hope they managed to fully capture Ron Howard’s combover.
11. Bugaloos
This may be a rare success in the history of As Seen On TV Comics. This comic book actually looks as trippy as the Bugaloos TV show. Hopefully this was sold packaged with free tabs of acid.
10. Welcome Back, Kotter
We could look at caricatures of Robert Hegyes all day.
9. Sledge Hammer!
We loved Sledge Hammer! when we were kids. We still get excited when star David Rasche pops up in something (which isn’t often enough… eff you, Hollywood.) Did we love this Marvel adaptation? Not so much. Marvel asked us to trust them, but they, unfortunately, did not know what they were doing.
8. The Man From Atlantis
We don’t remember this either, but it starred Patrick Duffy. Maybe this is where he met his buddy, the giant crab.
7. Battlestar Galactica
Not the good one, but that has a series of comic books too. No, this is the lame one, from the late seventies. First Bonanza, then Battlestar Galactica– how many comic book series does Lorne Greene need to star in?
6. Ewoks
“Ewoks” was a comic based on the Saturday morning cartoon of the same name. Which is a little like having a comic based on a cartoon starring Jar Jar Binks today. In other words, a slap in the face to God.
Speaking of slaps in the face to God:
5. Ghost Whisperer
This is comics, where there are no budgetary restraints on the storytelling. They can blow the world up every issue if they want, without cutting checks to CGI guys. The creators are challenged only by their imagination. So why not lose Jennifer Love Hewitt and just draw a giant pair of breasts who can talk to ghosts? Can’t we cut out the middleman here? Let’s use the strengths of the medium, people.
4. Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.
Gomer loves that giant gun. Don’t ask, don’t tell, giant gun.
3. Krofft Supershow
We couldn’t find a Land Of The Lost comic (again: prove us wrong, nerds!) or even a Far Out Space Nuts comic. So how does this Krofft show, which has exactly two fans (A Mr. Sid Krofft and a Mr. Marty Krofft, both of Beverly Hills, CA) land its own book? Were the newsstands and spinner racks really crying out for an illustrated Magic Mongo?
2. Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos
Chuck Norris vs. ninjas. Monthly. How was this cancelled?
Furthermore, how was this cancelled?
1. Jonathan Frakes – The Unauthorized Biography
Okay, this comic is based on an actor more than a TV show. Still. Seriously. Still.
Still list hungry? Grab you a plate. A plate of lists.
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