43 New And Upcoming Comic-Book TV Shows: Which Will Triumph?

42. Scalped

Pitch: Dashiell "Dash" Bad Horse ran away from an impoverished, hopeless life on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation. Now he's back to find things worse than he left: the benefits of "the Rez's" new casino can't erase the scourge of drugs and organized crime. But no one knows if he's returned to right some wrongs or just to get his cut. Latest News: It's been 17 months since this was announced as in development for WGN America. How long can the silence go on before a series has to be pronounced dead, or at least in development hell? Odds Of Success: Slim. Modern audiences are hungry for diversity and stories of corruption, and the Scalped comic helped make Jason Aaron a well-recognized writer in the business, but this adaptation looks increasingly unlikely to happen at all.

41. DMZ

Pitch: The second American civil war is under way. Caught between the territories occupied by the United States of America and the Free States of America, Manhattan is a demilitarized zone, but not a peaceful one. A photojournalist goes in to report the truth of what's in there, no matter who tries to stop him. Latest News: This series was in development for SyFy from DC Entertainment, but little has been said about it since pilot production began in May... 2014. Odds Of Success: Looking unlikely. DMZ was a solid series that lasted 72 issues and still speaks to modern America, but it has a lot of mythology to absorb.

40. DC's Hero Project

Pitch: Eight contestants will compete to develop a live-action short video based on Starman. Well-known guest judges will include Geoff Johns. Latest News: This series is in development by DC and Machinma for digital release. No updates since May. Odds Of Success: Poor. Starman was a great series in its day, but you wouldn't know that from this contest, which seems to imply it's such a low-grade property that DC's film and television divisions can't be bothered to do anything with it. Reality TV is a fading trend and when it works, it's either because there's a raw, independent honesty to it, which DC's participation makes impossible, or contestants are vying for a very big spotlight, which is not likely to be found on this digital channel. Investing in new talent is all well and good, but that's what Project Greenlight is for.

39. Letter 44

Pitch: What if George W. Bush had a reason for everything he did in his presidency that we didn't know about? What if the War on Terror was merely a feint, an excuse to pump money into defense so that we would be ready for an alien invasion? Letter 44 sees the (fictional) 44th president opening a letter from his predecessor to that effect, and deciding what to do next. You've never seen a West Wing story like this one. Latest News: This is in development as a full series for SyFy, but has been quiet since, yep, early May 2014. Odds Of Success: Mediocre to poor. The hook is excellent, but the comics series doesn't show the firm West Wing-like grasp of American or global politics that it would really need to succeed, and with every month that passes, SyFy's commitment looks a little shakier. It would also be a very expensive show to make, even today.