Contrary to popular belief, not every comic book tells the story of superheroes saving the day. Over time, in fact, there have been a handful of comic book adaptations that tell stories of comedy, family, romance, and more. One of which is Netflix’s newest young adult romance, Hearstopper, a coming-of-age TV show that got its start as a graphic novel by Alice Osemon. In addition to the many comic-based television programs, there have also been a great deal of movies that were once told in graphic novel format.

What were once animated comic strips, books, or web stories may become feature-length motion pictures as soon as big-time movie studios get a hold of them. Where some soon-to-be adapted works of fiction leave the imagery up to its readers, the illustrations of these comic books have given fans the opportunity to see their favorite characters nearly exactly how they imagined, but to the fullest of their potential in movie format. With the endless amount of book-to-screen adaptations on the way, more comic books will surely one day make this list, but until then, here are 12 movies that are based on comics that aren't Marvel or DC, in order of release.

Update January 10, 2024: This article has been updated by Valerie Parker to include even more comic book adaptations not from Marvel or DC, as well as organizing them in order of release.

Annie (1982)

When most people think of Annie, they think of the musical with the two iconic songs, "Tomorrow" and "It's a Hard Knock Life", but the franchise actually originated as a comic strip. Little Orphan Annie was a comic strip that debuted in 1924 and ran until 2010. Created by Harold Gray, the comic got its name from the 1885 poem titled “Little Orphant Annie.” It centered on the life of Annie, her dog Sandy, and her benefactor Oliver Warbucks, the richest man in the world. In 1997, the story was expanded and brought to the Broadway stage, where it ran for six years before being revived repeatedly for US and UK tours.

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In 1982, it was adapted as a theatrical film that quickly became a classic. The Wonderful World of Disney took the same story and created a TV movie in 1999, and the most recent Annie movie was released in 2014. But even then, it wasn’t the end of the Annie cinematic universe: a live show premiered on NBC during Christmas 2021. Annie might be one of the biggest properties most people don't know originated as a comic. Rent on Prime Video.

The Addams Family (1993)

A few notes from a harpsichord followed by two snaps set the familiar tune that is The Addams Family theme song. The 1991 Addams Family movie follows the creepy and kooky, mysterious, and spooky clan of seven as they deal with a dubious con shark who attempts to off a man as the long-lost Uncle Fester. The Addams Family began as a comic strip created by Charles Addams in 1938.

In addition to its live-action 1991 movie and 1993 sequel, The Addams Family has been adapted into more than one cartoon series, a Broadway musical, and a CGI-animated duology in 2019 and 2021. Its newest variation, Tim Burton's Netflix series Wednesday, focuses on the well-known, dark, creepy pigtailed little girl, played by Jenna Ortega. Stream on Netflix and Paramount+.

Ghost World (2001)

Enid and Rebecca are two best friends who have just graduated high school and don't know what to do with their lives beyond wandering their small American town criticizing the people they encounter and recent pop culture. Ghost World is a dark comedy that was originally published as a serialized story from 1993 to 1997, becoming a cult classic film in 2001. Though the film had little box office impact, it was well-regarded by critics and audiences alike and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also was an early role for Scarlett Johannson, who would star in many comic book adaptations, from The Spirit to the role of Black Widow in the MCU. Stream on Hoopla or Tubi.

From Hell (2001)

From Hell is loosely based on a serialized comic by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. Drawing its title from the 1888 "From Hell" letter, believed to be a legitimate letter from the Whitechapel Murderer colloquially known as Jack the Ripper, the story adapts a disproven theory that the infamous murders of five London prostitutes were committed in order to cover up an illegitimate royal baby. In 2001, a film loosely based on the graphic novel starred Johnny Depp and Heather Graham. Though the performances were widely praised, the screenplay was largely panned for the liberties taken with the source material. Rent on Prime Video and AppleTV.

300 (2007)

2007 was the year of Zack Snyder’s historical action movie 300. It began as a limited comic book series of the same name written and illustrated by Frank Miller, with the help of Lynn Varley. The story is a fictional retelling of the events of the Battle of Thermopylae and was inspired by the 1962 movie The 300 Spartans. Its series was released solely in 1998 as a five-issue comic book series from Dark Horse Comics.

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The movie was a box office hit, earning $70 million in its opening weekend, and launched Snyder as a highly anticipated director of comic book adaptation. It would be the first in many of his comic book adaptations, following it up with Watchmen and then his DCEU slate of Man of Steel, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. 300 would also get a sequel/prequel film in 2014, 300: Rise of an Empire. Rent on AppleTV+ or Prime Video.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was published by Oni Press as a series of comic books published between 2004 and 2010, by Canadian author Bryan Lee O'Malley. The story centers on Scott, a slacker and part-time musician who has to battle the seven evil exes of his new paramour, Rebecca Flowers. After the series picked up a faithful cult following, the story was adapted for film by writer, producer, and director Edgar Wright, with a video game released at the same time.

Though the film was critically acclaimed, it was a box office failure, failing to earn enough to cover its $85 million dollar budget. However, following in the footsteps of the comic series that preceded it, the film developed a cult following that years later led to an animated series developed by Netflix, reuniting the original cast, produced by Wright and written by O'Malley. Stream on Netflix.

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Based on the comic series of the same name, The Adventures of Tintin was the work of Belgium writer and artist Hergé. Considered one of the most successful European comic strips of the 20th century, the 24 Tintin stories were published between 1929-1976, have been translated into over 200 languages, and have featured adaptations for radio, TV, theatre, and film. Tintin is a Belgian reporter who constantly finds himself in dangerous situations where he must take heroic actions to save the day.

The 2011 film was directed by Steven Spielberg, co-produced by Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy, and co-written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish. The film was a critical and commercial hit, but a second film due to be directed by Jackson has since stalled, with the last update from Spielberg in 2018 promising that the project was not dead. Any fans of the Indiana Jones movie should certainly check out The Adventures of Tintin. Stream on Paramount+.

The Peanuts Movie (2015)

Charles M. Schultz began writing the Peanuts comic strip in 1950, and it ran until the year 2000 before continuing in reruns. Peanuts is one of the most popular comic strips in history, having nearly 18,000 pieces of work in over 2,000 newspapers, throughout 75 countries and translated into 21 languages. The first Peanuts adaptation to be broadcast was A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 and from there, multiple holiday-themed television specials followed, with the first feature-length film titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown having been released in 1969.

In 2015, 20th Century Fox distributed the first and only computer-animated Peanuts film, simply called The Peanuts Movie, which followed Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang as the bald, yellow-shirt-wearing lovable loser falls in love with a little red-haired girl. The film perfectly captured the spirit and tone of the comics and is the best film from Blue Sky Animation Studios. Stream on Disney+.

Death Note (2017)

Netflix released its interpretation of Death Note in 2017, and the movie was met with mixed but mostly negative reviews for its alleged whitewashing and infidelity to the source material. Nat Wolff starred as Light Turner, a teenager who discovers a magical notebook that has the power to kill anyone whose name he writes in it.

The story was originally written as a Japanese Manga series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Before becoming a US film, the Japanese produced a TV show ran for 37 episodes and three live-action movies. The manga ran from 2003 to 2006, with a total of 108 chapters that have sold over 30 million copies. Stream on Netflix.

Marry Me (2022)

The 2022 romantic comedy Marry Me starred the rom-com extraordinaire Jennifer Lopez and award-winning actor Owen Wilson. Wilson’s character Charlie gets dragged to a Kat Valdez concert, the same night she was supposed to marry her fiancé onstage in front of millions. Unluckily for her, however, he cheated on her just before they could tie the knot. When Kat sees Charlie’s “Marry Me” poster in the crowd, she impulsively agrees to wed the concertgoer, despite not knowing him.

The story, according to WTMX, was originally written by Bobby Crosby in 2001, after he had seen a televised concert and noticed fans would hold up signs proposing marriage to the singer on stage. The graphic novel debuted Valentine’s Day 2007 and, at the same time, Crosby said he knew it had movie potential. Stream on Starz.

Love and Leashesr (2022)

6.9 million viewers tuned in to read the Webtoon original comic, Love and Leashes, written by an author by the name of Winter. Love and Leashes tells the story of Ji-hoo and his coworker Ji-woo who one day mistakenly stumbles upon his fetishes. The two then arrange a contract that blooms into a kinky romance as they embark on a slave/master fantasy. The South Korean romantic comedy was brought to Netflix on Valentine's Day 2022 (the same weekend as Marry Me funny enough) and was met with positive reviews, earning an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. It goes to show that not all comic book adaptations have to be action films, and that the medium has plenty of great romances. Stream on Netflix.

The Killer (2023)

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The recent film by David Fincher starring Michael Fassbender, The Killer, found its roots in a French comic series published between 1998 and 2014. Fassbender stars as an unnamed male assassin who undertakes an international vendetta when a hit goes wrong. Fincher was originally attached to the project in 2007 for Paramount Pictures, and the project remained in development hell for nearly 15 years before it moved to Netflix in 2021.

The film premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2023, before premiering on Netflix on November 10, 2023. The Killer received positive reviews from critics, and in a year where mainstream superhero movies like Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and The Marvels struggled with critics and audiences. It was nice to show that at least comic book adaptations were still going strong. Stream on Netflix.