Vertigo In Other Media

2013 has been a decent year for creator owned comic titles making it into other media. This year alone we've had an action blockbuster, Red 2 from Vertigo and Tell Tales narrative, episodic point and click noir mystery game The Wolf Among Us (based on Vertigo's Fables series), as well as a confirmed Sandman movie. It's all a step in the right direction, especially when it comes to changing the broad and narrow association of comics simply being equated to super heroes.

This is an issue that stems in part from poor marketing of creator owned content and imprints. I certainly have a personal bias but I've always seen Vertigo as one of those crowned imprints when it comes to advancing the boundaries of art and storytelling in comics. With so much to be mined and creators so willing to have their titles adapted, it makes me wonder: why have we not seen more?

I can't say I have an answer as it seems to defy the very basic process of corporate logic. But I'll touch on that in a moment. In an age where networks like Showtime, HBO, and AMC dominate our televisions, it surprises me that Warner Brothers as owners of DC and hence Vertigo wouldn't want to rake in money from an audience that clearly is consuming more "mature" content than any other time in our history. If America can embrace shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, why Warner's doesn't embrace the idea of producing existing IP's like 100 Bullets and American Vampire for television or screen completely confounds me.

Especially since WB isn't producing content to match what these networks already produce anyways. And with fictional worlds so brilliantly crafted and creators so eager, it's one of the most wasted opportunities in recent memory. The same goes for gaming. While it's true that WB's Arkham franchise has been an absolutely massive success, it's been the audience that's driven the medium to the more mature and thought provoking titles of the last few years such as Heavy Rain and The Last of Us. And with The Wolf Among Us receiving critical acclaim, It makes you wonder if Warner's is just beginning to open the floodgate to a veritable  trove of Vertigo content or if they’re still too timid to stray away from DC's tried and true mainstream money making adaptations. Maybe they’re simply lacking the faith to branch out from something other than Superman and Batman. There's irony that a publishing company that prides itself on diversity of titles in art, tone and writing can't say the same for what it puts on our screens.

But alas, we've barely cracked open the new year so who knows what's to be announced in 2014. Lets just hope that it's a bit more than the standard Superman/Batman.