Bringin' Em' Back

Once and a while comic books come up with ideas that are never used to their potential, ideas that could spin out into more interesting stories. Since the comic book industry is all about reboots and reinventions, I have a few thoughts of what ideas could make returns. This is The Panel Biter's Top 5 Most Wanted Reboots!

#5. Men In Black

Bet you didn't know MIB was a comic first and a movie second! While the films did a decent job at following the adventures of the shadowy, nameless government figures as they watch over the alien population, I think bringing the comic back could expand on the elements that made the MIB fascinating. New characters, new cases, new looks into the confidential societies living among humans. If a point of view character is really necessary, why not use a young alien immigrant and pair him up with a seasoned agent? The antics of this new MIB could divert away from the comedy we once knew, and bring a fresh sci-fi crime drama instead. If all else fails we'll just reboot the films.

#4. Damage Control

I've talked about Damage Control before, but essentially they're a work force that cleans up messes left behind from superheroes in the Marvel Universe. The Hulk tore down a building? Call Damage Control. Leaning more on the every-day-life side of entertainment, a new Damage Control comic book would revisit a part of the Marvel Universe readers don't often see, the view of the civilians. Maybe some employee gets infected by aliens, or another employee starts a petition against superheroes, maybe the billionaire funding Damage Control is a super villain? Really all I want is a comic exploring the people we don't see, the people who clean after our favorite heroes.

#3. Heroes For Hire

Before they were Avengers, Luke Cage and Iron Fist ran a small business called Heroes For Hire, if you paid the right price you'd get the services of two powerhouse heroes. Body guarding, crime solving, gang busting, you name it and they'll do it. Now these days those two have have bigger problems, so maybe a street level team of nobodies get together and open a new Heroes For Hire to use their otherwise dangerous skills to make some cash, all the while real heroes are berating them for charging people for their heroism. It'd be an interesting and modern balancing of responsibility to one's self and to their fellow man.

#2. Hitman

Hitman was a character in DC Comics who first appeared fighting one my favorite heroes, Etrigan the Demon. Hitman had his own series shortly after where he made a living assassinating heroes and villains. He was kind of like Punisher meets Constantine. A new Hitman series would not only bring a fresh idea to the otherwise traditional DC Universe, but it could also be a way for DC to "clean out" some undesired characters. Can't think of any more Mr Freeze stories? Bang! Want to kill Superman again? Bang! Want to sweep Wildstorm characters under the rug? Bang! Is there anything more confidence boosting than a normal guy killing superheroes? Maybe kittens.

#1. Dial H For Hero

In DC Comics, there exists an old-timey phone dial called The H-Dial. This mysterious device can transform its user into a random superhero. Since the 1980's this Dial has been used for good and evil, by one man and a group of kids, to become new heroes and to become preexisting heroes. Remember Ben 10? It's kind of like that. Now what the 80's series did was take suggestions from readers for superhero ideas and would use the best ideas in their comic, the Dial user would dial a number and become a fan-created hero. Great way to reach out to the fans while also creating interesting stories around one simple tool. This book's protagonist could be reoccurring or change by the issue, as long as the concept of the Dial is used to it's potential.

Hope you enjoyed this Top 5, I was feeling creative today. Really, if comic book companies want to wow us, they'd take some suggestions and try some innovative ideas. "Hero, villain, drama and repeat" becomes rather boring since we've seen it too many times. Regardless, maybe you have ideas of your own or maybe these ideas sound appealing to you. Hopefully there are some thinkers like us inside those concrete comic walls. Thanks for reading!

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