TV shows such as ‘Buffy’ spin off as new comic books

While the relationship between comics and movies makes all the headlines, comics and television are more than kissing cousins, too. Here are some of the more interesting leaps from the small screen to the printed page:

“Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen”: If you’re a fan of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” then you already know that Tek Jansen is the arrogant, oversexed, over-the-top sci-fi parody from Colbert’s (fictional) unpublished novel. Since we haven’t seen the novel (and never will), we know this from the occasional Tek Jansen cartoons on the show.

And what you see in those cartoons is exactly what you get in this five-issue mini-series by Oni Press – only not animated, you know, since it’s a comic book. And with the addition of what appears to be an actual (albeit silly) plot, since a story line has to continue for five issues.

But basically, if you like Tek Jansen on “The Colbert Report,” you’ll probably like him here.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”: As all Buffy fans must know by now, this Dark Horse comic book is written by series creator Joss Whedon and acts as season eight for the seven-season TV show.

Which means it follows from the final TV episode “Chosen,” in which (spoiler alert) Sunnydale and the Hellmouth were destroyed, and all the potential Slayers in the world were “activated.” So Dark Horse’s “Buffy” No. 1 (it’s now up to issue No. 5) opens with 2,000 Slayers extant, with the remnants of the Scoobie gang holed up in a Scottish castle directing worldwide evil-fighting operations, as an old enemy rears its head. Oh, and Dawn’s a giant.

So there have been some changes made. But the dialogue and situations are classic Whedon, or so I’m told. Not having followed the TV show very closely, I’ve become a Whedon fan mainly through his comic-book work (especially “Astonishing X-Men”). But the Buffy fans I know are deliriously happy with this book, so I’m comfortable recommending it to other Buffy fans.

“Who Wants To Be A Superhero?”: This is the long-promised Dark Horse comic book that stars the winner of the first season of the Sci Fi channel’s “WWTBAS?” series, a fellow named Matthew “Feedback” Atherton.

It’s a typical origin story, lifting a little from Atherton’s real background and adding superhero touches like real superpowers and an arch-enemy. And there are some cute bits, like Atherton’s real-life wife (Sarah Blevins) as the love interest. Plus, the back of the book is all the covers ginned up for all the contestants who didn’t win, like Monkey Woman and Fat Momma, which is kinda fun.

But the main story is mostly standard superhero boilerplate. It’s by Stan Lee, so I won’t say it’s bad, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. However, it does explain where Feedback got all the fancy-schmancy superpowers he demonstrated on the first episode of the second season of “Who Wants To Be A Superhero?,” which began a couple of weeks ago on Sci Fi.

You are watching it, right?

“Tales From the Crypt”: Talk about a long, strange trip. “Tales” began as a comic book (EC Comics, 1950-55), before becoming a TV show (HBO, 1989-1996), before becoming, once again, a comic book (NBM/Papercutz).

By way of review, let’s go ahead and address the gorilla in the room: There is no way a modern “Tales” can compete in quality and nostalgia with the original. EC Comics was blessed with such an incredibly talented staff – Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, Reed Crandall, etc. – that it will probably never be equaled. And those ’50s books have become so legendary that a new version really shouldn’t try to compete head to head.

Which NBM doesn’t. The first bi-monthly issue gives us the requisite “ghoulunatic” hosts (Crypt-Keeper, Vault-Keeper, Old Witch), complete with the awful puns. And certainly the patented EC twist endings are in evidence in the two stories. But other than that, NBM’s version is much lighter fare than you’d expect (aimed, we’re told, at ages 10 and up). The art, in particular, is nothing like its dark and gory predecessor, going for a more cartoonish/manga feel.

Which, I have to say, works just fine. If you want the original “Tales,” Gemstone Publishing is reprinting them in high-quality hardbacks. But if you can put aside preconceptions, you might give the new kids a try.