Excited by the trailer for "Watchmen"? It's probably because you thought Alan Moore's groundbreaking graphic novel might have been -- how did they put it? -- "unfilmable." Several thought the work too dense, too self-referential, too much about comics. But with the little we've seen so far, that seems to be proven otherwise. So what else could Hollywood be wrong about? For starters:
Alan Moore's "Lost Girls" -- It's a wild tale, even by Moore's standards. Alice from "Alice in Wonderland," Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" and Wendy from "Peter Pan" meet up and realize that their stories are actually metaphors for sexual awakening, and go for some girl-on-girl action while they're at it. Very erotic. Or, as Moore prefers to think of it, very pornographic. Either go for an unrated version like "The Dreamers" and be true to the text -- or keep the sex less explicit.
Steven T. Seagle's "It's A Bird" -- It's a story about coming up with a story for Superman, told by a writer who's struggling to understand why we need superheroes at all. It's semi-autobiographical, deeply interior, and like "Watchmen," about comics themselves. Superman appears, sure, but he's more like a mythic idea, so no need to pay Brandon Routh the big bucks. Keep the protagonist talking -- thinking out loud, interacting with other people -- and the ideas will translate.
Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" -- You thought "Watchmen" was dense? Try this career-launching series by his best bud. It's got something better than superheroes -- the Endless, who determine just what their names suggest in all of us: Destiny, Death, Dream, Desire, Destruction, Delirium (who used to be Delight), and Despair. Gaiman's been working on directing a spinoff story about Death, the cool oldest sister of the bunch, but what about a movie about Morpheus himself? Focus on his attempt to regain control of his kingdom, after being imprisoned, from "Preludes and Nocturnes," and you'll not only have recognizable characters like John Constantine and Scarecrow, but you'll also have a manageable story arc. Dare we dream?
Which comics would you like to see adapted for the big or small screen? Which ones do you think are still unfilmable?