Brutally Honest: Too Many Comics On TV?

"Rest is just one of the many different projects that Top Cow is developing with Russ and Milo at Divide," says moi.  "This deal is great and I'm excited to see NBC really getting behind it.  More to come!"

Awesome but just as long as good acting and stories will be fine.

I would like to think that this is a reflection of general society realizing that the comic medium isn't all juvenile; men in tights fighting evil, monocle wearing villains. That it's just another medium like radio, television, or film. Sure it's dominated by the superhero genre, but that doesn't mean the stories are without depth or value.  
 
What I do believe is that producers are trying to cash in on whatever hype may be around, and are delving into the comic medium for what they consider "new" material. I am enjoying it while it lasts, but know the popularity will die down sooner or later.

I think that more comic books tv shows would be great as long as they have a big budget...I like Smallville but I cringe every time they employ "special" effects....the flying on the show looks horrible and don't even get me started on the Justice Society....the problem is that their eyes are bigger than their stomachs...meaning they're trying to do things that they just can't do effectively yet...so one of two things needs to happen..either networks need to give these shows a bigger budget or special effects need to be cheaper...or they need to find a character or book that doesn't require a huge special effect budget....wait that's three things....oh well

Live action Marvel series on ABC?

these tv shows can sometime spoil a upcoming comic movie

wait..is this a serious article? lol ..Only LIVE comic series shows I see are The Walking Dead and Smallvile...how is that TOO many? I say bring in More...but Dont spoil it to much...I'm loling at this. 
 
also I would Like to point out that Hero's is a fail show..I don't even consider it to be a Comic book or TV series just some wanna be x-men fail crap....sorry just happy it got canned :D

Dont forget Human target! Ha ha
 
I'm a big TV watcher, and if the less the stellar shows like heroes, no ordinary family, smallville and human target has paved way for shows like The walking Dead? then I'm all for it.  especially if it also paves way for a Y the last Man series! I'm excited to see what marvel brings to the table also. Could go either way.
 Simpsons, boardwalk empire, Dexter, east bound and down, board to death and now walking dead? I love sundays!

If not comics it'll be something else... foreign TV (The Office), movies (Parenthood), novels (Bones), past TV (Hawaii Five-O), reality (Jersey Shore), competition (Biggest Loser), genre (Iron Chef), franchises (SG-U), sports (Ultimate Fighter), etc. 
 
Mining media is inevitable and recognizing comics as just another medium with commercially valid concepts should mean more opportunity for everyone.  Saturation is a risk, sure, but better to cut back on productions once started than never have a chance at production at all.

" If not comics it'll be something else... foreign TV (The Office), movies (Parenthood), novels (Bones), past TV (Hawaii Five-O), reality (Jersey Shore), competition (Biggest Loser), genre (Iron Chef), franchises (SG-U), sports (Ultimate Fighter), etc.  Mining media is inevitable and recognizing comics as just another medium with commercially valid concepts should mean more opportunity for everyone.  Saturation is a risk, sure, but better to cut back on productions once started than never have a chance at production at all. "

If More Shows Like This Go On Tv Wouldn't That Just Make People More Interested In Comics
Anyways I Liked Heroes And So Did Alot Of People But They Tried To Over Extend The Show And With Stupid Decisions And I Just Stopped Watching It
As Long As Writers Or Studios Don't Get To Greedy When Can Get Short Great Shows And Introduce People To The World Of Comics

As long as there a variety of shows, rather then simple caped crusaders, it's fine. The walking dead and something like Avengers: Earth's mightiest hero's only have the source medium in common - nothing else.

There's hardly any Comics on TV. Only Smallville, The Walking Dead, and Human Target come to mind. It's actually movies where the comics are proliferation. I've never read TWD but I watched the first episode last week and I found it to be very well done. I can see why Kirkman didn't want to license it as a movie because it does seem better as a serial on cable (so 13 episode seasons, as opposed to network 22-episode seasons).

I saw Cloak and Dagger might be on ABC Family. I'm less worried about them toning it down to be more family-friendly and more worried they're going to add some very ridiculous amounts of angsty drama. 
 
Apart from networks diluting or ignoring the source material however, I think comics are great fit for TV. Both work in episodice formats with relatively short compartmentalized segments that work to create a larger overarching story. I'd rather watch 13 episodes to get a full story than a 2 hour movie that trims everything down so it can fit theatrical time constraints. Plus IMO, TV budgets tend to put more focus on story and character in some cases than movies that can rely solely on spectacle and star power. But since the question is too many, well the answer is yes there is such a thing as TOO much of a good thing. But considering how many comic book shows are actually GOOD, we're not quite to "too much of" yet.

TV has been doing this for years, we had Batman with Adam West, Wonder Woman with Linda Carter, Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby back in the day, then Lois and Clark, Smallville, Birds of Prey, and Human Target.  While some were campy and some have been more grounded its nothing new. 

I think that TV companies and movie developers are looking to comics for ideas because comics are still new and interesting. Comics contain many more original ideas and storylines than most TV shows or movies, and it was only a matter of time before people started using them as a template for TV series and movies

I'll be happy once there's a comic cable station: CTV.  ALL COMICS.  ALL THE TIME.

" I'll be happy once there's a comic cable station: CTV.  ALL COMICS.  ALL THE TIME. "

I think the more comic inspired stuff in the main stream media the better as it supports more comics.

I like this change 
One reason is with all these shows and movies coming out it's easier for me to say I read comics and people won't be weird about it as much 
Also as long as the shows are good I don't mind there being "too much" comics on TV, which I don't think there is yet either

There is enough cake for everyone !!!

Its a great thing that TV is becoming a viable place for comics.  Just because there are comic movies doesn't mean comic tv shows will be too much.
Imagine how much better a story they could tell for X-men, with all their history and mutants, if they did a Buffy style (or Smallville, Angel, Heroes, styled) tv series.
Season one starting with a small group of Xavier, Scott, Hank, Jean, Warren, and Bobby, with season two adding Wolverine, Colossus, Banshee, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde. 
 
Or imagine how great the SHAZAM! tv series could be today, with Smallville level FX and costumes, or the new Wonder Woman tv series.
I am glad that technology is finally getting to the point where comics can be turned into TV shows.
 
I also want to see more cartoons like the Avengers, JLU, Batman/Superman, Venture Brothers stuff.
Imagine an Invincible cartoon show on Adult Swim, where they animate it to the level of the Venture Brothers and are allowed to tell the stories from the comics (I mean not have to tone it down too much for TV.)
 
With TV characters can evolve better, stories have more time to be told, people can get to know a character much better.  Like the character of Cyclops in the movie, we barely got to see him but in a TV show we can get to know him and find out he is so uptight because of his loosing his parents and it being connected to his powers which are incredibly dangerous without constant control.
In a TV series characters have more time in the spotlight as well, an episode or two a season can highlight a character we may never get to see in a movie, like Betty Brant.
 
TV is a better outlet for comics, but the downside is the cost and FX, but hopefully that is getting better.

I read in a video interview with Brian Micheal Bendis over on CBR that a PowersTV series is in the works for FX.
 
 http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/02/nycc-bendis-confirms-powers-tv-series-headed-to-fx/

Non-superheroes are just so much easier to adapt on live properties. It's because you have less worries about the suspension of disbelief with certain special effects. For Walking Dead, all you really need is the zombie makeup.
 
Super heroes appear to adapt better in animated form. So many things work better in animation. The audience more easily steps out of reality to accept more. Also, it's far easier to create more lavish environments and monsters to fight.
 
I'm enjoying Walking Dead so far, because it's more a story about the characters and the zombies are just a trial for the story. The same way with Battlestar Galactica. That was a scifi series, but it was more a war time drama that just happened to be set in space. The characters were human.

" wait..is this a serious article? lol ..Only LIVE comic series shows I see are The Walking Dead and Smallvile...how is that TOO many? I say bring in More...but Dont spoil it to much...I'm loling at this.  also I would Like to point out that Hero's is a fail show..I don't even consider it to be a Comic book or TV series just some wanna be x-men fail crap....sorry just happy it got canned :D "

Say what?  The only comic book shows I can think of are Walking Dead and Smallville, and Walking Dead is a far cry from what you'd expect from a comic book tv show.  And it's not like this is anything new.  What about the Adam West Batman series?  Or the Wonder Woman and Hulk shows in the 70s.  Don't want to forget about the Flash or Lois And Clark shows from the 90s either.  And Smallville has been on the air for an entire decade, it's not some new trend that's just starting.

Of course Warner Bros and Disney are desperately trying to get every property animated because they know that's the best way to groom the next generation of comic book fans. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. It never works much like the movies, you won't see that dramatic spike in the book sales. 
 
What TV live action does is enhance the reading for fan boys alike.

" Its a great thing that TV is becoming a viable place for comics.  Just because there are comic movies doesn't mean comic tv shows will be too much. Imagine how much better a story they could tell for X-men, with all their history and mutants, if they did a Buffy style (or Smallville, Angel, Heroes, styled) tv series. Season one starting with a small group of Xavier, Scott, Hank, Jean, Warren, and Bobby, with season two adding Wolverine, Colossus, Banshee, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde.   Or imagine how great the SHAZAM! tv series could be today, with Smallville level FX and costumes, or the new Wonder Woman tv series. I am glad that technology is finally getting to the point where comics can be turned into TV shows.  I also want to see more cartoons like the Avengers, JLU, Batman/Superman, Venture Brothers stuff. Imagine an Invincible cartoon show on Adult Swim, where they animate it to the level of the Venture Brothers and are allowed to tell the stories from the comics (I mean not have to tone it down too much for TV.)  With TV characters can evolve better, stories have more time to be told, people can get to know a character much better.  Like the character of Cyclops in the movie, we barely got to see him but in a TV show we can get to know him and find out he is so uptight because of his loosing his parents and it being connected to his powers which are incredibly dangerous without constant control. In a TV series characters have more time in the spotlight as well, an episode or two a season can highlight a character we may never get to see in a movie, like Betty Brant.  TV is a better outlet for comics, but the downside is the cost and FX, but hopefully that is getting better. "

I think as long as they follow the material given the tv show or movie will be fine 
also seeing as how a comic isn't (or maybe it would) going to fill the entirety of their 30 min show the director can still throw in his own stuff
What is bad about all the movie and tv show is when they take just tiny aspects about a graphical novel and use them in the movie
Like Wanted i read the Graphic novel and loved it the idea the creativity then i went and saw the movie and i was questioning everything
i didn't know if they even read the book they got their material from, i didn't know if the book was actually related to the movie, i was completely confused.
As long as writers and Directors don't throw comics into the deep end and see if they float like wanted again i don't think anyone will be upset with comics on TV

Nah, but we're getting too many bad ones on film.

I know I just posted a somewhat large response to the idea of comics adaptations on tv, but I feel like there needs to be something said about NETWORK tv. 
 
It won't work. Unless you are talking about saturday morning cartoons (which i'm not sure if they are around), or you count the campy 70s live action shows (which were around before basic cable from what i understand), I practically never works.
 
Heroes didn't work, Birds of Prey didn't work, Human Target doesn't work, Mutant X didn't work, Blade: the series didn't work, Night Man didn't work, The Tick (live action) didn't work (no matter how much I wanted it to), Timecop the TV show didn't work, Witchblade didn't work (although taht was basic cable) Smallville has very little to do with actual storylines from Superman so maybe that is why it has been successful, but I personally don't care for it.  
 
Maybe it's just that they were horribly produced, maybe its that network TV sucks, maybe it's that they were licensing sh*tty serieses in the first place. I'm holding out for comics adaptations on showtime moreso than basic cable (although AMC has done great things with Mad Men and Breaking Bad, so hopefully The Walking Dead will follow the trend of little network interference) or (shudder) network tv 

I miss Heroes :(

Never too many comics on TV!

LOL at that picture with all the Mickey Mouse ears.

I think half of the Marvel shows will be canceled in 1 or 2 seasons or they won't make half of these shows.

When I think of over saturation in the television market, I think of police procedurals. There is not a single night during the week when some kind of police/forensics show is playing. Comic book properties have a long way to go to reach that point. There's also such a wide range of subject matter covered in comics that you could have a number of programs based on adaptations of comic books, & have them all fall into different genres. Smallville is about super heroes. The Walking Dead is a horror show. The Human Target is an action/adventure series. You could have a Western featuring Kid Colt.  A detective show starring Roy Raymond, T.V. Detective.  A police procedural set in Gotham City.  A period war epic with Sgt. Rock. The point is, you could flood the television market with comic book properties & never really seem to be over mining the genre for unique concepts. it doesn't always have to be men in tights.

I think Daredevil & Spidey would make an awesome drama series haha.

...And it's only starting!
We're gonna see a lot more DC or Marvel adaptations in the next years I'm sure! :P

Its a good thing I think. There isnt really any Grade A material out there anymore. I personally think Smallville is doing a really good job though it has its moments when its makes think WHAT THE HELL?

Better than having all these stupid reality television shows on the air... :os

I'm happier with todays TV offerings than when there weren't enough comic material on the screen :) 
Beats anything 'reality' or an over saturation of crappy sitcoms.