PSYCHOTRONIC NETFLIX VOL. 43

Welcome to another edition of PSYCHOTRONIC NETFLIX! This week we’re looking at ten flicks based on comic books and strips, and don’t worry, we’re not going to use the “comics aren’t just for kids” cliche. Except for now, when we did.

10. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010)

Barely released to theaters and promptly ignored by audiences, this adaptation of the Dylan Dog comic strip starring Brandon Routh as a paranormal detective isn’t stellar, but it’s a lot more entertaining than its obscurity suggests.

9. Batman: Year One (2011)

Marvel may have a near lock on their cinematic live-action superheroes, but DC has the better animated universe, and this adaptation of Frank Miller’s story arc about the first year on the job of the Batman, told mostly from the point of view of Jim Gordon, is one of the best.

8. Spysmasher Returns (1942/1966)

Released in 1966 to cash in on the current “Batman” craze, this is a television re-edit of a fun serial based on the Fawcett Comics gadgeteer character directed by William Witney.

7. Friday Foster (1975)

You know we’re not going to pass up a chance to pick a Pam Grier flick, and this 1975 flick is based on a (mostly forgotten) comic strip about a fashion model who encounters a world of intrigue. In the flick, Friday gets involved with a pair of dueling fashion designers and a cast that includes Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Godfrey Cambridge, Scatman Crothers and Carl Weathers.

6. The Tick (2001)

It’s not as good as the comic or animated series, but I couldn’t imagine anyone other than Patrick Warburton in a live-action version of the comically oblivious and ridiculously powerful superhero who battles crime with his sidekick in essentially a superhero version of “Don Quixote.”

5. Barb Wire (1996)

Say what you will, but this futuristic remake of CASABLANCA is Pamela Anderson’s finest hour. Plus, Udo Kier! He’s never been in a bad movie!

4. Hellboy (2004)

Sure, it’s well-known, but Guillermo del Toro’s flick starring Ron Perlman as the paranormal-fighting demonic beast is among the best comics-to-film adaptations, as del Toro really knows his source material. The sequel is good as well.

3. Tatsumi (2011)

Manga master Yoshihiro Tatsumi, known as the inventor of the “gekiga” style of manga, is profiled in this animated film which, while it may not capture the darkness of Tatsumi’s work, is still beautifully made.

2. Spider-Man (1967)

Is love for Ralph Bakshi’s animated webslinger more based in nostalgia than anything else? Sure, but it’s still got a great theme song and some insanely bizarre animation, especially when the budgets got cut in the later seasons.

1. Batman (1966)

Three words: Bat shark repellant.