A John Shaft comic book? Fighting Scarface? How awesome would that have been? I got thinking about all the movies that could have lived on past the final credits that never got adapted into comics.
Unfortunately, I think the idea of these comics is probably more powerful and entertaining than an actual run of movie adaptations. They would probably be done by staff writers with no love for the characters. So I settled on making the covers as a way to fuel your imagination at what might have been, because I believe in your imagination more than work-for-hire. Rock it out!
The classic comic book covers are also a way for me to explore the different approaches to cover design the industry used to rely on before it was all static posed characters looking cool/badass/sexy like the cover of Cosmo or Men’s Fitness. Shaft vs Scarface is what I refer to as the Versus. Two full figure characters locked in combat close to the viewer. (click any image to enlarge)
Cleopatra and Black Belt Jones were a natural combination too. Here I’m trying a composition of characters and items I call Extreme Perspective because of the depth of field.
The Warriors had so many colourful characters and gangs that it’s hard to believe no one made it into a comic. This composition is similar to the last one but I call it Comin’ Atcha, which features a character rushing or being knocked towards the viewer at a dynamic perspective.
The Gate was a horror movie classic filmed in Scarborough, the eastern part of Toronto. Kids played an album backwards to open a gate to hell in their backyard. Local metal artists, Sacrifice, provided the album, which on the actual release features the backwards message forwards. Also: solid metal. Here the composition is a Circle within the rectangle.
Looking back on the 80s cold war paranoia is charmingly hilarious. I can even block out how much propaganda was created to inflate the threat and increase the military industrial complex. Red Dawn was awesome because they were called the Wolverines, which is the same name as the last superhero (besides Spawn) that captured the imaginations of the public. This composition is the Melee, where you have people on multiple levels engaged in a fight.
The Road Warrior, Mad Max, whatever you call him, deserved more story than 3 movies. It was a budget film makers dream. They didn’t need much in the way of specific props beyond a few cars. Everything else was could be scavenged from thrift stores and garage sales. Need some armour? We don’t need a metalsmith. We found some roller blader’s pads and helmet. With some spray paint, duct tape, feathers and beads we’re in business! The punk, who’s shaved the wrong side of his unibrow, is a hair look I came up with a while ago and this seemed like the perfectly ridiculous place to put it. The compoisition here is Framed, where you cut off one of the characters from the other with an element in the setting that creates a natural frame for the characters.
I was the only kid in my neighbourhood who wanted to play Goonies. No one else liked the movie enough. I’m glad since then I’ve discovered a lot of people have love for the kids-on-a-mission story with pirate treasure. I figure if the Goonies had been going for 29 issues they would have added some extra Goonies, which is why there’s a black kid, a brunette and a guy with a swollen eye. The composition is Picture Within Picture, which features an image within another.
Legend, with a young Tom Cruise and a makeupped Tim Curry, was a great fantasy film by Ridley Scott. There was always some sort of noise in front of the camera, whether it was bubbles, pollen, snow, rain, faerie dust or whatever. It gave the movie a unique look. This composition is Many Figures combined with Looming Head, a common combination from classic comics.
The Princess Bride is a pretty fantastic film and part of the inspiration for my Princess Planet comic. I figured the Dread Pirate Roberts got up to plenty more adventures before and after he found Princess Buttercup. For the art I tried channeling a bit of Charles Vess, Michael Kaluta and Quinton Hoover. The composition here is Montage with Looming Head. I find that the Montage is common in movie posters and fantasy art.
Russ Meyer didn’t have a comic? Even one for Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill? You’re pulling my leg. This composition is Comic Panels overlayed with Full Figure (which means a character almost the height of the cover, not that the character has to be voluptuous 
.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s reminded me that all the movies that were adapted into comics seemed to be action and science fiction. Why not Holly Golightly’s romantic adventures? The composition here is Romance Comic, which pretty much always has characters in two or more planes with dialogue and/or thought balloons that lure the readers into the drama of the romance. They’re all so simliar but I still love them so much.
Heathers hit a nerve with a lot of girls and weirdos. Winona Ryder was a high school hero. I like to imagine a sort of Little Lulu version of Heathers, with not quite the bite and murder of the movie. But maybe some murder, if it’s funny. The composition is Visual Gag Comic which emulates the Disney and Looney Tunes comics which usually featured a full character or more with some props to make a joke but on a plain coloured background.
And finally, the one that inspired it all. The Breakfast Club done in the Archie’s style. They could have kept the whole John Hughs universe running in monthly books available on newstands everywhere. But they didn’t. I took a long time to plan out what each of the characters would be eating and my wife helped remind me that Allison loved Captain Crunch with load of sugar. The composition is Archie’s Gag which just means a non-dynamic composition that clearly shows the characters, their fashions and facilitates a verbal joke (in contrast to the Visual Gag Comic).
I hope you enjoyed my trip into the world of what wasn’t but could have been!
