Migrating to Comics

For all the great comic book characters we have these days, there are some characters who didn't even appear in the comic to begin with. If an original character is interesting enough, they might find themselves written into the ink-splattered pages! Let's meet this class of characters.

One of the earliest original characters to be invented outside the comics was Jimmy Olson, Superman's best pal! Jimmy is a long standing Superman supporting character, being both an ally to The Man of Steel and to mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent. Jimmy's first appearance was on the 1940's "Adventures of Superman" radio show, the same radio show that helped take down The KKK, if you loyal readers remember. Jimmy was invented by the show's writers so Superman could have a character to talk to, the same way Robin was created in the comics so Batman had someone to talk to. In 1941, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster wrote Jimmy into the Superman comics and he's been a part of the Superman mythos ever since. Another Superman character created outside the comics was Lex Luthor's personal assistant, Mercy Graves. Created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini is the 1996 cartoon "Superman: The Animated Series", Mercy was depicted as the leader of a street gang in Metropolis, she stole from Luthor and was captured, but Luthor was so impressed by her ruthlessness and wit he offered her a job. He cleaned her up and turned Mercy into the perfect bodyguard. After that animated series, she'd appear in the comics as Luthor's Amazonian bodyguard as well as temporary member of Infinity Inc under the guise of "Vanilla". She also appeared in the "Young Justice" animated series where she was yet again Luthor's silent assistant. Only that time she had a cybernetic arm cannon! Speaking of non-comic Superman elements, Superman was originally unable to fly in the classic comics. He could only "leap tall buildings in a single bound", his power to fly was created in the 1940's Fleischer cartoons because drawing him flying was easier than fully animating him jumping around or running. Now let's talk about Harley Quinn. Because everybody loves Harley Quinn. But how many of you knew she didn't start out as a comic book character? Harley Quinn was created to be a comedic henchwoman to The Joker in 1993's "Batman: The Animated Series". She was so well received, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini kept bringing her back into various shows and in 1999 she got her first comic mini-series "Batman: Harley Quinn #1". Thanks to her animated popularity and appearances in "The Arkham Series" Harley Quinn has earned her own solo series and a live action portrayal in the upcoming film, "Suicide Squad".
Another character who started on a Batman cartoon was Batman, or more accurately, Batman Beyond. Batman Beyond was a show created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini after the previously mentioned Batman cartoon became a success. Warner Bros asked the men if they could retool the show to feature a teenaged Batman instead and rather than mussy up their universe, they added on it by setting Batman Beyond fifty years in the future. In this future, Old Man Wayne mentors a former street punk named Terry McGinnis into being The Batman of New Gotham. This show was so well acclaimed it worked its way into the comics, video games and other animated series. Why, Batman Beyond was almost the next Batman movie after "Batman & Robin" before Nolan brought Batman back onto the movie screen.

Outside of cartoons, characters from live action adaptations have also stuck around, for better or worse. Felicity Smoke and John Diggle briefly appeared in the Green Arrow comics after their debut on CW's "Arrow" television show. Ironically, the comic's writer at that time was also a writer for the show. Hmm, must be a coincidence. On to a better live action character, Agent Phil Coulson! Coulson first appeared in "Iron Man" as an uncredited agent of The Strategic Homeland Interv-Shield, okay? He was a nameless agent of Shield. I'm not playing your stupid alliteration game, Fury. Anyway he must have made a good impression because Clark Gregg portrayed Phil Coulson in "Iron Man 2", "Thor", "Avengers", "The Consultant", "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer", and "Agents of Shield". Oh, and he voiced his character on "Ultimate Spider-Man", but he, Stan Lee, Drake Bell and J.K. Simmons are more imprisoned than featured. Coulson and his fellow TV agents starred in their own Marvel Comic's series, Shield.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for good superhero shows. Any character written well enough to fit into a comic universe deserves a chance to be part of one. Odds are I'd probably prefer Fish Mooney in a comic book rather than a TV show. I don't like "Gotham", you guys. But the characters I've mentioned have a place in comic book history, a reminder that characters aren't defined by where they come from, they're defined by their actions and their importance to the overall story. Thanks for reading!
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