10 Franchises Kept Alive By Comic Books
9. G.I. Joe
Though the awful films may be long dead by this point, the long-running comic book incarnation of the Joes is most certainly still kicking.
Ever since the original G.I Joe comic strip found in the World War 2, US Military magazine Yank, the series has had a presence in the medium. The series' license has bounced between many different publishers (including Marvel and DC), meaning there are hundreds upon hundreds of issues based around the Hasbro characters.
The current run, published by IDW, actually follows on from Marvel's 155-issue series, with one of the writers of that, Larry Hama, helming the ongoing storyline.
Along with the main book, the franchise has enjoyed several crossovers with other characters like Transformers and the Six Million Dollar Man, further extending the longevity and relevancy of the universe.