10 Comic Book Movies That Aren't Based On Comic Books

1. Darkman

Liam Neeson got an early starring role as a phantom crimefighter in Sam Raimi's homage to '30s pulp fiction from 1990. After getting his face melted by acid at the hands of a ruthless gang pursuing an incriminating document, Dr Peyton Westlake became his own test subject, plastering himself in the synthetic skin he hoped would save the world's burns victims. Kitting himself out in trenchcoat and fedora, Westlake took on the identity of Darkman. Raimi intended the film to reflect the classic Universal Horror stable, however the spectre of '89's Batman loomed large, both in the dark urban setting and the use of the same composer (Danny Elfman), who turned in a bombastic score reminiscent of Tim Burton's multi-milion dollar moolah-sponge. The project wouldn't even have taken off had Raimi been able to secure rights to the Dark Knight in the first place. The production was reportedly an unhappy one but it resulted in a legacy of comics (through Marvel and Dynamite Entertainment) and two straight-to-video instalments with Arnold Vosloo. Darkman is that rare example of an original comic book-style idea that had legs, albeit ones maintained by copious skin grafts. What do you make of this list? Are there any non-comic book comic book movies you feel should have been included? Let us know in the comments section.