Board Games Make It To Comics

by Unkie Dev

Movie nerds are well aware of the upcoming deluge of summer blockbusters based on board games. To the rest of you I can only say “Yes, seriously, board games. ” Ridley Scott has an alternate reality flick based around Monopoly in the works. Films have been optioned off of Battleship, Risk and Kerplunk. Uh-huh.

It might not be such a bad idea, really. The 80’s “Clue” movie is still the benchmark for a smartly written ensemble cast comedy, though conversely that forgettable film based off of the game Mousetrap from the 90’s staring Nathan Lane and that OTHER guy from Home Alone was NOT so stellar. NO, not Joe Pesci, the OTHER other guy. There was also that cool movie “The Dark Crystal” based off of the board game Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal the board game… or was that the other way around? Finally, no board game to film run-down would be complete without mentioning the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” which was a remake of the board game Chutes and Ladders. Doesn’t the ending make more sense now?

BRACE YOURSELVES

I mention this because IDW has announced they’ve secured the comic book rights to a slew of these future board game films…or rather the comic book rights to the board games themselves. Yep! Starting in August we shall see the release of Sorry! written by IDW Stalwart Chris Ryall and illustrated by Ashley Woods, as well as Stratego from Devon Greyson and Chris Bachalo, Guess Who? from Steve Nile and Richard Corben and ALSO Hi-Ho-Cherry-Oh the comic book by some anonymous IDW hacks.

Not to be outdone, Image is launching their own board game title, a big budget comic book based on Hungry Hungry Hippos. This last title will be written by the most appropriate talents: Chew’s own John Layman and the artist of Hip Flask featuring the Elephantmen, Moriat.

CROSS DRESSING

I’m really looking forward to the Comic book Board Game cross overs! The characters from Risk go to the Stratego universe where they don’t know to ask people their rank before a battle and subsequently get whipped out by a Scout, or the Monopoly/Game of Life mash up where the pewter Top Hat piece has 6 children and finds a priceless work of art before losing it all on the stock market!

Inevitably these cross overs will not be able to stave off the biggest opponents in comic books AND board games: boredom, repetition and that that stale feeling of the redundant. New flavors will need to be interjected to keep the fledgling market afloat. Never fear. Industry, UNKIEDEV is here!

FIVE WAYS TO KEEP BOARD GAME COMICS FRESH:

5. Deadpool on every cover! Works for Marvel!

4. A “Hot chick” with impossible anatomy on every cover! Works for Aspen, Wildstorm, Image, DC and most other publishers!

3. ZOMBIE Board Games! Undead teachers from “Go to the Head of the Class” instead RIP OFF the heads of the class to get at the delicious BRAINS! Operation the board game the comic book gets to be a lot more interesting when the patient is a shambling, oozing corpse!

2. Include a die with each comic book. Roll the dice to determine which page of the comic book to read first!

1. A big summer event combining zombies and cross overs! Blackest Night meets Candyland! HOT diggity Hot Dogs!

THE END

By the way, if you were looking to Unkiedev’s Amazing Stuff for a recommendation on this week’s comics? Dark Horse’s collection of cartoonist Graham Annable’s  Grickle entitled The Book of Gricle. FLAT OUT amazingly funny cartoons from one of the funniest guy working today. Ciao.