Five Graphic Novels Every Movie Fan Should Own - Page 2

Monday, January 8, 2007 | 12:00 AM

Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel Comics, $19.95)

Written and illustrated by Jim Steranko, with Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Jack Kirby, et. al.

Genre: Spy action

For Fans Of: "The Incredibles," "Austin Powers"

A collection of stories from the 1960s about super-spy Nick Fury and his band of intrepid spies battling evil terrorists with a variety of guns, gizmos and gadgets.

Movie Fans Will Particularly Appreciate: The fact that, like a lot of action movies, the dialogue is hokey and the situations predictable but the visuals are absolutely stunning. Auteurists will appreciate the fact that Steranko, creator of some of the most highly regarded and best remembered comics of the 1960s, was one of the first creators to both write and draw a monthly book.

Cinematic Connections: Arnold Schwarzenegger's boss in "True Lies," played by Charleton Heston, wears an eyepatch in honor of Nick Fury's signature headgear. And like James Bond, Fury also gets his gadgets from a chap named Boothroyd.

Further Reading: Turn-of-the-century series "Spyboy" from Dark Horse Comics, an underappreciated twist on the run-of-the-mill espionage series.

The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye (Image Comics, $9.99)

Written by Robert Kirkman; illustrated by Tony Moore

Genre: Survival horror

For Fans Of: "The Crazies," "Slither"

After getting shot on the job, police officer Rick Grimes wakes up in an abandoned hospital to find the entire world overrun by flesh-chomping zombies.

Movie Fans Will Particularly Appreciate: Kirkman and Moore's faithful yet innovative approach to genre. "Days Gone Bye" is as much about the interpersonal relations amongst a small group of survivors as it is about killing zombies. Horror fans will get exactly what they want in a way they have never seen before.

Cinematic Connections: One of the first people Rick meets after leaving the hospital is a child named Duane Jones, an homage to the lead actor in George Romero's original "Night of the Living Dead."

Further Reading: "For me the worst part of every zombie movie is the end. I always want to know what happens next," writes Kirkman in his introduction. "'The Walking Dead' will be the zombie movie that never ends." Good to his word, there are already four more "Dead" collections" and new issues come out almost every month.

Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days (DC/Wildstorm, $9.99)

Written by Brian K. Vaughn; Illustrated by Tony Harris with Tom Feister

Genre: Super-heroic and political intrigue

For Fans Of: "Three Days of the Condor," "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"

Engineer Mitchell Hundred stumbles on a mysterious device and is granted the power to control any machine by speaking to it. Years later, after retiring from super-heroism, Hundred uses his fame as "The Great Machine" to become the mayor of New York City.

Movie Fans Will Particularly Appreciate: Ideas and characters more dynamic than even the best Hollywood movies of the last couple years, and a specificity about New York City rare in comics (the novel's key subplot involves an art controversy not unlike one Mayor Giuliani faced a few years ago).

Cinematic Connections: There aren't any specific ones, but Vaughn's complex storytelling structure is worthy of a great screenwriter.

Further Reading: Vaughn's other signature title is an addictive ongoing series called "Y: The Last Man," an apocalyptic sci-fi story about a world where an unknown plague killed every man on the planet except one lucky escape artist named Yorick Brown. It could easily be an inspiration for Alfonso Cuarón's "Children of Men."

[Photos: "Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", Marvel Comics, 2001; "The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye," Image Comics, 2006; "Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days," DC/Wildstorm, 2005]

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