Unless you’re a book junkie, you won’t notice the “based on” graphic as it rolls across the screen. A fair amount of movies are based on literature of some kind, dare I say in the 90% + bracket, and a small chunk of that, very small, is from comic books. There will always be the obvious ones like Batman, Superman, Avengers, you name it, but there are some that you may not know based on comic books. Some are acclaimed films, some are flops,the films on this list are good for the most part.

4. From Hell

Most will know the work of Alan Moore from Watchmen or V for Vendetta, but this film predates them all. It stars Johnny Depp and Heather Graham and centers around the Jack the Ripper murders. While the film doesn’t really hold a candle to the graphic novel, the Hughes Brothers still produce a great movie worthy of it’s 122 minutes. Where the film and graphic novel succeed is in it’s stance of knowing who the killer is. Regardless, both mediums are worth a look at, the graphic novel is actually novel length full of end notes and a bibliography that is impeccable.

3. Men in Black

If you haven’t heard of this comic, I can’t say that I blame you. This independent comic, created by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers had a limited run of six issues in the early 90’s. The series is long overdue for another graphic novel treatment or even another ongoing series, but the 1997 film adaptation and it’s sequels have been huge box office successes. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, the film stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as Men in Black, agents policing alien activity on earth. The part comedy, part sci-fi movies have always been a favorite with me, and with others, enough to spawn sequels, including the new MIB3 released a couple weeks ago.

2. Constantine

The story of John Constantine met with some pretty mixed to negative reviews when it was released back in 2005, but it’s source material is solid. Premiering on the DC comics label, and later on the Vertigo line, Hellblazer is the line’s longest running series, still going today. Thank Alan Moore; his run on Swamp Thing is what inspired the launch of his own comic. John Constantine is an angelic being, who does morally questionable things for the greater good. He’s reliant on magic, and deals with the forces of both heaven and hell. The plot of the film sees Constantine exorcising demons and trying to rectify his past. Given to a better actor, this film could have been far greater.

1. A History of Violence

Easily the most critically acclaimed comic book adaption in existence (and was thus nominated  for a  Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.), was released in 2005 with an all star cast including Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, William Hurt, and Maria Bello. The story of Tom Stall and the past life that caught up with him had great source material from John Wagner and Vincent Locke under Vertigo’s crime line, which includes another well known comic book adaptation, Road to Perdition. To me, this will always be that better written version of Taken, done with a little bit of noir and less international thriller flare, all around a great movie, the best on this list.