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Television’s Rising Star: Comic Books!

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Whether you’re into the old school “floppy” comics or the new school graphic novel anthologies, we can all agree, 2019 is already becoming a great year to be a comic book fan. From Marvel & DC movies galore to Netflix picking up original series for the docket, we’ve got A LOT of binge-watching to do!

Here are 5 of our top faves that you can watch online or on TV to get your super (or not so super) hero fix!

Luke Cage by Archie Goodwin
A wrongfully charged inmate in Seagate Prison named Carl Lucas undergoes a scientific experiment. When a racist prison guard tampers with the machine, Lucas develops some supernatural side-effects! Namely, enhanced strength and bulletproof skin, Luke Cage is born. Netflix uses a surprising amount from the OG source while throwing in changes that are good to keep track of if you’re a MCU fanatic. The show also seems to stray away from the originals more commercial-minded roots and instead shows Luke as a man of the people and fights for the people.
Book to Netflix Rating 7.5/10

Lucifer by Mike Carey
Cast out of Heaven, Lucifer Morningstar has resigned his throne in Hell for Los Angeles. Emerging from the pages of The Sandman, the former Lord of Hell is enjoying retirement as the proprietor of L.A.’s most elite piano bar when an assignment from the Creator Himself threatens to change all that. While the setup and setting are the same, die-hard comic fans may find themselves disappointed by the loose adaptation in the show. You’ll find many of the supporting characters from the comics but the biggest change is Lucifer helping the LAPD solve mysteries with the help of an original character, Chloe Decker and her uptight ex-husband, Dan Decker. This addition almost makes the series feel like the Devil is playing Sherlock Holmes! While the show and comics may be totally different beasts, the show really captures the essence of Lucifer’s character and the themes within his lore.
Book to Netflix Rating 7/10

The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way
In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who’d previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, “To save the world.” These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. The show took more time to develop and play with the characters of this comic and while the plot is still the same some of the changes really brought out deeper meanings and a slightly shifted ending that leaves watchers on the edge of their seat!
Book to Netflix Rating 8/10

Daredevil by Frank Miller
The origin of Daredevil, Matt Murdock is blinded but gains super power abilities he uses to patrol Hell’s Kitchen. Netflix’s take on The Man Without Fear really manages to capture the essence of the comic earning it critical acclaim! It has been hailed by many fans as “the best adaptation of a Marvel Comic yet” as well as having three successful seasons. Unfortunately to many fans disappointment, Netflix rejected the offer of a fourth season, but you can still watch it or enjoy it in its original comic glory!
Book to Netflix Rating 10/10 

Jessica Jones by Brian Michael Bendis
After a decade, Jessica Jones is back in her own solo series! A lot has changed in the Marvel Universe and there are many secrets hiding in the shadows – secrets only a special woman like Jessica Jones can hope to uncover. Alias Investigations is open for business, and of all the many mysteries to discover, her new case may be the most dangerous one! This blistering new series is filled with haunting revelations from Jessica’s past, and answers to some of the biggest questions about the new Marvel NOW! universe! While Jessica Jones borrows the set-up from Alias, much changed on the road to Netflix. The comic’s climactic arc became the show’s first season. Characters were radically changed, while others were dropped altogether. The show on it’s own has wonderfully round characters but they way they fit into the storyline drops off in many ways.
Book to Netflix Rating 6/10

Happy reading and watching!

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Binge Worthy Book to Netflix Adaptations!

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Series by Jenny Han
This YA series turned Netflix movie tells the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters. Fans of the book series will be excited for the accuracy of casting and enjoy the subtle moments they were able to translate from book to screen. 
Book to Netflix Rating: 7/10

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
An unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. This episodic adaptation just finished it’s third and final season which was overwhelmingly a success. The showrunners translated the wit of Lemony Snicket almost perfectly and the episodes were funny, exciting, and just a little bit macabre!
Book to Netflix Rating: 9/10

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person’s consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or “sleeve”) making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen. Season two is slated to premiere sometime this year and we can only hope it will be as fantastic as the first season!
Book to Netflix Rating: 8.5/10

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. While the book and Netflix series create a discussion about mental health/suicide I’ve found the series does a lackluster job in bringing up suicide prevention and understanding warning signs. Jay Asher’s is a little more versed on the subject but unfortunately it’s one of those stories that’s started to become obsolete under newer and more educated stories about the same topic. 
Book to Netflix Rating: 4/10 (I’d also like to add a Trigger Warning for suicidal ideation and mentions of self-harm, depression, and suicide.)

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
#GIRLBOSS” proves that being successful isn’t about how popular you were in high school or where you went to college (if you went to college). Rather, success is about trusting your instincts and following your gut, knowing which rules to follow and which to break. The Netflix adaptation is wickedly funny if not a little over the top at points. Sophia is quirky and abrasive but as the show progresses you see her true personality shine through!
Book to Netflix Rating: 7.5/10

Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Last but not least is the huge hit Bird Box! In a post-apocalyptic world, Malorie Hayes advises two young, unnamed children that they will be going downstream on a river in a boat. She strictly instructs them to not remove their blindfolds, or else they will die. Interweaving past and present, this story is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page or scene.  Netflix reported that Bird Box had the biggest seven-day viewership for any of its original films to date, with over 45 million accounts, with views defined by the company as the film streaming for over 70 percent of its time! From page to screen the adaptation if decently faithful even though the story type has been done to death. The ratings are lower than you would expect for the amount of hype it attracted.
Book to Netflix Rating: 6.5/10

Happy Reading and Watching!