From Books into the Screen: Five Adaptations

Adaptations are all the rage today especially on TV. What surprises me is what they’re adapting. I’ve been a geek for pretty much all my life, but it’s only until very recently where being a geek has become a good thing. I’m used to adaptations of classic books that I had to study in school, people that have transcended pop culture like Stephen King, and so forth. Yet in all that time, did they rarely adapt anything in my “geek culture.” And when they did it was usually crap.

But that was then, and this is now.

I’m here to talk about five shows that have been adapted from that geeky world and thrust into the mainstream one. I’d list it as my Top 5, but honestly, I don’t like some of them.

5. THE WALKING DEAD

If you’ve been a reader of this blog for any length of time, or a follower of mine, you’d know that I love horror and I love comics. And I had been reading The Walking Dead for a couple of years when it came out. At first, I thought this was a good adaptation. It captured the feeling of the comic and a good horror movie. However, as the seasons went by it got worse. Coincidentally, I stopped reading the comics because it kept having the same problems, mainly in being repetitive. This Gutters strip sums it up nicely.

I didn’t even mind the changes they made or the new characters they introduced like Daryl. One of the show’s strengths is that it does a far more better job at capturing the feel of a horror movie. Plus, you get some excellent acting from time to time. Yet the show is starting to fall into the same traps as the comics. Luckily, unlike the comic, the show will have an ending in mind.

4. IZOMBIE

Whereas The Walking Dead was a mostly faithful adaptation of the comic, iZombie had very little to do with the comic. Might have been why I quit watching it after only two episodes.

iZombie is yet another police procedural, but this time the main character eats brains to survive. Not only that, but when she does, she gets their memories and abilities!

The comic was about a zombie who gains the memories of the brains she eats. But she also had a ghost for a best friend, a gay werewolf friend, there were vampires and an organization who hunted monsters. I have no idea how they turned all of that into what’s on TV. In fact, the comic was more akin to another of CW’s shows, Supernatural. I would love for Supernatural to end and have iZombie take its place. None of that is happening.

3. LUCIFER

Speaking of police procedurals, there’s Lucifer. Now much like iZombie, Lucifer is nothing like the comic. Yet unlike iZombie, I thoroughly enjoy Lucifer. The main lead is really charming and he carries the show. That and I love the interaction between him and Trixie.

Why does this show not bother me as some of the others despite being a HUGE departure from the source material? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen so many different interpretations of Lucifer that one more doesn’t bother me? Or maybe I just realized that I’m in for a fun ride.

2. PREACHER

This show probably angers me the most out of all of them. That might have to do with the fact that I’m a big Preacher fan, but I also think it’s because it half asses it. It’s one of those things that kind of feels like the source material as most of the characters look the same, but it’s hollow as they don’t act or feel the same.

I can get behind an adaptation that has the same spirit of the source material but do things differently and in it’s own way. Like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory vs. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But everything about this show feels so wrong. Tulip’s a murdering psycho, Jesse’s a “bad man,” and Cassidy…well, he’s almost the same but for some reason he can fight and doesn’t wear his sunglasses all the time. Plus, everyone is in Annville. It’s like one of those sitcoms where everyone knows each other but that doesn’t happen until years later. Here, it happens in episode one. I quit after episode two, but I’m pretty sure both Starr and Gran’ma live there too.

Makes me wonder what the hell Seth Rogen was smoking when he read Preacher because he sure didn’t take away the same things I did.

1. A GAME OF THRONES

This is an interesting one especially since season six just wrapped up. It’s probably closer to The Walking Dead in that it has some things from the source material but then also strays from it.

This last season has been excellent unlike the crappy season five. I think it has to do with the fact that it’s no longer bound by the books and can go at a much faster pace with complete television arcs. I’m sure I will read the books…whenever they come out, but I kind of don’t want to. I know they won’t be as good. The show has done a much better job at giving me characters I actually care about, whereas in the books I only cared about a handful and only three of them are left.

There are a few things the books will do better. Arya’s training, actually having direwolves, Lady Stoneheart…and I think that’s it. The show has made me care about Jorah, actually know the Red Viper, and has made me hate Ramsey Snow.

I honestly think one of two things will happen. The most likely thing is George RR Martin will die before completing his works and someone else will finish it. Though they might not need to with the show. The second thing is I see GRRM changing things to actually fit with the show. Whether he’ll admit that is another thing.

Those are the adaptations I’ve watched within the last year. Are there any I’ve missed or who’s source material is vastly superior/inferior to what they showed on screen?

Marc Johnson