A Comic That'll "Be There For You" (ClapClap-clap-clap)

It's been 398 days since Friends started streaming on Netflix. This month, Funco Pop! releases Friends vinyl figures. One of the most gripping news headlines right now is the FRIENDS reunion to salute james burrows on directing his 1,000 episode. The story is actually that all of the sitcoms that Burrows has directed are gathering to salute the director, including the cast of Friends - minus Matthew Perry, who might pre-record a message for the event. He's in England (London, baby!) appearing in a play.

There is a devoted audience clamoring for a reunion. That audience probably would want the series to continue forever.

And, why not?

I think I understand comics a little - from a fan's point of view. Comic book racks are dominated by super-hero comics. Dom. E. Nated. Other comics that do well are action and drama centered. I don't know sales figures, but I guess concepts like 24, the three different CSI's, X-Files, The Twilight Zone do pretty well.

Star Wars is proving that sci-fi is durable and popular. Star Trek, Firefly, Serenity, and Battlestar Galactica are just a few that have endured over the years. Doctor Who has done pretty well at IDW and perhaps is enjoying renewed interest at Titan.

Comics are action driven. I get that. Sitcoms don't really translate well to comic books. Classic shows like Get Smart, My Favorite Martian and Welcome Back, Kotter didn't even last a year.

The reality is that most television series tie-in comic books just don't last. The Batman Adventures was probably the most successful. Because it was Batman. The Simpsons and Futurama probably have a cult following.

So, how successful could a Friends comic book be? The emphasis would be on could.

That's really the gamble. But then, comic books are really just a gamble. DC and Marvel have been gambling for years, seemingly just throwing things at the wall to see what would stick with fans. They pretty much just run things up the flagpole to see who salutes. Those gambles have paid off at times. Other times not so much.

I believe that if there is such a die hard Friends fanbase and audience, a comic book could work. With the number of television series tie-in comics that there have been over the years, I'm surprised that a Friends comic hasn't seen the light of day. I'm sure someone thought of it and it was maybe passed on.

What would make a Fiends comic book work is a writer like Jeff Parker. Someone like Parker that gets how television and comics work, to blend the two. Maybe someone like Sholly Fisch, because a mature, adult sitcom about relationships and sex needs to be re-imagined for a comic book audience. I see Friends as an extension of Archie. Archie has done pretty well lately staying relevant and in touch with current pop culture, fads and trends.

Friends could fit in that Scooby-Doo, Archie audience. It could fit into the X-Men, Titans, Young Justice, Runaways audience. Or it could aim for the whole Love and Rockets audience.

One of my favorite comic books from the '80's was 'Mazing Man. It's a shame that book didn't catch on.

The fact that the show has been off network television for ten years and on Netflix for over a year, and fans are still asking for a reunion tells me that there are still fans. Comic book buying fans? Y'never know.

What do you think? I challenge you to think of how a Friends tie-in comic book could work. Instead of just commenting, "It'll never work, here's why..." leave a suggestion or two - snark free - on what would appeal to you as a comic book reader. Or to other, Friends die hard fans.

I am not really a big Friends fan. Never really got into the show, but I thought it was alright for a sitcom. I bet I know a few die hard fans that would buy the comic though.

@invain:

Here's what I've been wondering since I posted this: Ross is a paleontologist. Maybe he was inspired by Indiana Jones. What popped into my head was Carolina Gellar; then Ginny Gellar. Joey's an actor. What of one of his auditions was like John Ritter's from Hero at Large. What if there was a slight shift to open things up to add some fantasy and action to the sitcom premise? Like 'Mazing Man meets Calvin and Hobbes. A little Walter Mitty...

Not saying I wouldn't buy the first couple of issues, but I think translating what made Friends so good into comic form would be extremely difficult. A big part of my enjoying that sitcom was the actors themselves and how they fleshed out the characters they portrayed. Those tiny bits of physical cues and nuance would be almost impossible to get across in sequential form, at least, not in a neat 22 page format. Maybe a short lived series or a graphic novel?

Hated the show as a kid. 0/10, will not buy or read.

@thepreface: Savage!

@thepreface: Okay. Fair enough. But comic books is all about sales. Selling books. Getting bodies into the local comic book store. Reaching out to a new audience. The current business model may need invigorating. What's going to get new feet and new bodies buying comics?

@ms-lola: Yes! Graphic novel or six issue mini series. Gauge response... I don't think it would outsell Deadpool or Batman ;) but as maybe a novelty. I mean, there's an Angry Birds comic book...

@airdave817: Celebrities who read comic books admitting they read comic books. And I'm not talking about for a movie role. Trust me there are a lot.

Also push digital. Collectors love the real deal. I have a few story arcs and gns laying around, but in 2016 the average person doesn't want crates of comics laying around when you can download an action comics issue on your phone in less than 2 minutes. Follow the newspapers' example and ride the media convergence wave.

Or do that thing where you buy a DC/Marvel movie you get a voucher where download a digital copy free through an app. But along with the digital movies you give out free comics. Bam, there you go. New readers.

@thepreface: Bam!

@airdave817: You know, the fact there is a comics for Angry Birds negates anyone thinking anything can't be made into one. A comic, that is. There's a movie coming out too, which the sentiment carries over to.

too many white people

@sprior93: Ha! Too true!

@ms-lola: I would think that since most sitcoms that have been worked as a comic don't last more than a few issues - My Favorite Martian was eight or nine and Welcome Back, Kotter was ten... there's already a limited audience for a sitcom comic book. Outside of a Mad magazine parody...