Are we living in the “Golden Age” of Comicbook TV?

Posted on February 17, 2015 in TV

I don’t think I can remember a better time for being a comicbook fan than this. The books, the movies, the games and, most excitingly for me, the television shows. Right now we have, Arrow, Constantine, The Flash, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Gotham and The Walking Dead, most of which are critically successful.

But that’s not all; there even more shows on the horizon with Marvel’s four upcoming Netflix exclusive shows shows, not to mention two more from DC, but I can’t help but worry if the market going to rapidly become over saturated (assuming we haven’t reached that point already). I personally don’t think it can, as there will always be material to work from and – unlike the movies – they don’t kill the villains (well, except the first season of Arrow…but they learned quick).

TV also gives DC a more level playing field on which to complete. Marvel without a doubt owns the comic movie world right now, and by the time DC catches up Marvel will probably have rebooted their universe again. However, in the TV world DC to my eyes is actually above Marvel, Arrow (from season two onward, at least) has been great, and tying it into The Flash has set them up for a great shared universe that is looking more and more like a Justice Society. Would you rather watch a movie about The Atom, Green Arrow, Flash and Black Canary or have a regular weekly dose? Then we have Gotham and Constantine, both equally good shows, albeit ones which attract their fair share of (sometimes justified) criticism.

Marvel’s first real venture, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., suffered its its criticism when it first came out, and most loyal fans will tell you that it takes a long time to get really gripping, knuckling under and overcoming its early flaws. Meanwhile, Agent Carter definitely has legs but is yet to really find its feet. The new additions with Netflix starting April should hopefully level things out. Personally, I think this competition and rivalry will make these two companies strive to make great TV shows to ‘one-up’ each other – something that can only be good news for us, the fans.

Its not just the “big two” that are seeing the success, however. The Walking Dead is easily one of the most talked about shows in the world every week. They have taken liberties with the source material that many say keeps even the comic fans happy (not me, however – in my opinion was nothing wrong with the comic so why change it?!).

Okay, so I’m kinda rambling a bit so I will get to the point again by asking a simple questions – do you think this is the golden age for comic book TV shows, and what do you think is the best out there right now?

The writer of this piece was: Greg Watt
Article: Top 5 (Prev: Casting Couch)