If you can believe it, comic book adaptations were once a rare -- and ballsy -- thing in Hollywood. Before we got shared cinematic universes, there was just a handful of non-Marvel or DC comic book movies that, generally, audiences had no idea were based on comics in the first place.

Of all the indie publishers, Dark Horse Comics owned the ‘90s comic book movie landscape. Dark Horse’s relationship with Hollywood dates back to the ‘80s, when the small, Oregon-based publisher began getting licenses to make comics based on existing film franchises, like Alien, Predator, Star Wars, Godzilla, and Conan, among many other titles.

In 1992, Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson sought to reverse the process and bring the company’s original properties to film, thus creating the production arm Dark Horse Entertainment to make it happen. Richardson struck a deal with producer Lawrence Gordon and Largo Entertainment, resulting in an office at the Twentieth Century Fox studio lot, where after three years, a half-dozen films went into development -- including The Mask and Timecop, which debuted at #1 in their respective opening weekends.

So in honour of the medium that spawned them, we’ve selected seven landmark (or in Barb Wire’s case, super weird) ‘90s movies that you may not know were actually based on comics…

Hardware (1990)

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1990’s Hardware is a highly underrated, visually striking movie that impressively offered a focused, character-driven sci-fi story in the landscape of lame Terminator knockoffs. The film stars Dylan McDermott as a post-apocalyptic drifter, who discovers several pieces of a defunct killer-robot in the desert, which he then takes back to his girlfriend (Stacey Travis) for her anti-totalitarian government art. Unfortunately for the couple, the machine starts rebuilding itself, and once again, begins a hunt for human flesh.

While Hardware wasn’t intentionally based on a comic, upon its release, director Richard Stanley was taken to court by comic creators Steve MacManus and Kevin O’Neill, who claimed they had written a very similar story in Judge Dredd Annual 1981, called “SHOK! Walter’s Robo-Tale.” O’Neill and MacManus won the case, forcing the studio to credit them on later releases of the movie, which would then constitute Hardware as the first-ever 2000 AD film adaptation. So technically, Hardware could be set in the Dredd universe…(It’s fun to think about.)

Timecop (1994)



First off, this movie gets one big thing right: They actually address that Jean Claude Van Damme has a French accent. (Something Street Fighter can't say for itself.)

Aside from that, Timecop stands out as a strong dramatic piece for JCVD, in an era where acting wasn't really a top priority for action flicks. A tale of romance, retribution, and of course, time travel, the film follows JCVD as badass officer Max Walker, of the Time Enforcement Commission (TEC), who investigates a politician's shady rise to power by jumping through the time-stream. Despite juggling several different time periods, the film has a strong emotional core, in the midst of your typical JCVD action romp.

Created by Mike Richardson, Timecop made its debut as a three-part story by Mark Verheiden and Phil Hester that ran through Dark Horse Comics (1992) #1-3. Aside from a two-issue adaptation of the film released in 1994, Timecop hasn't been seen in print since the original story. However, Verheiden returned to the property to write a direct-to-video sequel, Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision, which was released in 2003.

The Mask (1994)



The Mask is made for man-children. Released at the height of Jim Carrey’s superstardom -- alongside a young Cameron Diaz at her bombshell-iest -- the dark fantasy-comedy follows Carrey’s Stanley Ipkiss, who comes under the possession of a magical mask that transforms him into the embodiment of a Tex Avery cartoon character. At its core, The Mask is about a man finding his confidence, and learning that what you wear isn’t really what you are.

Directed by A Nightmare On Elm Street 3’s Chuck Russell -- who, in both films, showcases his talent for fun, cartoonish special effects sequences -- and scripted by Mike Werb (Face/Off), The Mask proved to be a critical and commercial hit, spawning a follow-up animated series starring Rob Paulson, and a…questionable sequel with Jamie Kennedy in 2005.

Writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke’s original version of The Mask, which they created at Dark Horse in 1989, was a much darker take on the material. The lead character was referred to as “Big Head,” and was written as a violent nod to The Terminator, along with the heavy Tex Avery influences that ultimately made it into the film version.

Tank Girl (1995)


This insane movie is like Mad Max on Red Bull -- and it’s awesome. Based on an indie British comic by Jamie Hewlitt (who went on to form The Gorillaz) and Alan Martin, the Tank Girl movie is a faithful adaptation of the alt-comics that spawned it, featuring animated sequences with Hewlitt’s art, and a stellar punk soundtrack selected by Courtney Love. Rachel Talalay’s (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare) direction offered a lightning-paced, bonkers live-action take on the cult source material.

Tank Girl also benefitted from having a stacked cast. The 1995 movie stars Lori Petty as the (clearly Gwen Stefani-inspired) mouthy titular character, whose careful performance balances the grit and playfulness of the film’s tone. And she snaps a dude’s neck with her feet -- before Mystique did! Alongside Petty is a young Naomi Watts as Jet Girl, Malcolm McDowell as the awesomely clawed villain Kesslee -- who controls the world’s water supply with his Evil Corporation -- and musicians Ice-T and Iggy Pop as kangaroo mutants called The Rippers. Yup.

Oh, and you can bet The Rippers get a very ‘90s hip-hop dance sequence at one point…



Barb Wire (1996)



Barb Wire stars Pamela Anderson as…Barb Wire. Set in the year 2017, during “The Second American Civil War,” Anderson’s Barb Wire is a stripper/strip club owner with crazy good combat skills.

Taking that into consideration -- and the film’s poster -- here’s the bombshell: This movie is a post-apocalyptic, sexed up rip-off of Casablanca. Even so, the filmmakers managed to have Anderson nude right from the get-go, thanks to an opening title sequence -- suggested by Anderson herself -- where Barb dances topless under a sprinkler. And then shoots a guy. The director gladly accepted the idea for the sequence because of a studio mandate for more nudity in the film.

Despite the movie’s questionable quality, it’s impressive that Anderson managed to do all of her own stunts -- while wearing a corset and heels throughout the entire movie.

The film is based on Chris Warner’s comic of the same name from 1994, which was published under Dark Horse’s now-defunct Comics’ Greatest World imprint. Save for a nine-issue series and a follow-up mini-series released in 1996, the character hadn’t seen print until Dark Horse’s new Barb Wire ongoing series, which just started in July of this year. Warner has returned to write the series, with art from Patrick Olliffe and covers by Adam Hughes.

Men in Black (1997)



Ah, Men in Black -- the thing that made us like Tommy Lee Jones (sorry, Batman Forever) and solidified Will Smith as a bankable action star. The massively successful hit spawned two sequels and an animated series, but the comics remain a mystery as deep as the secrets of Men in Black itself…

“The Men in Black” started out as a black-and-white comic by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers, who released the series through Aircel Comics, an indie publisher that was bought-up by Malibu Comics. The series was a more cynical version of the story we know, featuring agents who investigated extraterrestrials, demons, zombies, legendary creatures, and anything under the supernatural realm. Rather than protecting the world, they sought to reshape it in their own image. Director Barry Sonnenfeld was hired to translate the dark tone of the comics to film, which resulted in an alien-centric comedy about agents trying to protect the world, rather than direct it.

When Marvel bought Malibu in 1994, they got the rights to publish The Men in Black comics. However, because of mysterious legal issues and a contract that requires them to give a portion of the sales to the original creators, Marvel hasn’t reprinted or created new Men in Black comics since the debut of the first film back in 1997.

Mystery Men (1999)



Mystery Men is the lamest superhero team ever, starring one of the greatest comedic ensembles of any comic book movie, including Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofolo, Geoffrey Rush, Eddie Izzard, Greg Kinnear, Paul Reubens, and -- wait for it --Tom Waits. Offering a tale of wannabe heroes who just want to be taken seriously, Mystery Men works as a lighthearted ode to the superhero genre, before it was picked-apart by Kick-Ass years later.

As much as Mystery Men pokes fun at comics, it honours the medium with careful references for diehard comic book fans. Among them is the design for Rush’s character, the villainous Casanova Frankenstein, who wears rings (and a haircut) very similar to that of comics legend Alan Moore. And the main trio of heroes – The Shoveler (Macy), Blue Raja (Azaria) and Mr. Furious (Stiller) – is a nod to DC Comics’ Golden Age Flash, Green Lantern and Wildcat, respectively.

First appearing in the pages of an indie ‘80s comic anthology series called Flaming Carrot Comics, Mystery Men’s Shoveler and Mr. Furious were acquired by Dark Horse when the series was picked up by Dark Horse in 1988. About a decade later, a Mystery Men movie went into production, and the publisher reprinted the original comics in a collected edition. Since then, the characters have remained in limbo.

Hey @ferni I do not know if it's a coincidence or not, but Just saw Hardware (1990) a couple of days ago..Is definitely a must see movie!

@whiteLight I havent see that movie yet out of the list along with Tank Girl. Since you have recommended it I will surely search and watch it.

Off Topic : Does every post have a limit because I was trying to add posters to other movies but was getting an error message.