10 Franchises Kept Alive By Comic Books
1. Star Wars
Though the franchise is now once again in full swing, during the gaps in-between the original films and the prequels and later the prequels and the sequels.
Unfortunately, the majority of the books published during the thirty-eight year period between the release of A New Hope and The Force Awakens are now no longer canon, now being under the 'Legends' banner, done so in order to make room for the current run of movies. Anyhow, despite no longer being canon, these comics did manage to keep that galaxy far far away, that we all know and love, keep breathing.
If you're looking for something more recent, then the Star Wars tales of late are also rather wonderful, with the writers and artists at Marvel taking the helm of the franchise's panel appearances.