Movies and comic books
Usually, I won't watch a movie based on a comic book unless I've read the comic already. The only reason I'm thinking of this is because there's a Watchmen movie coming out next year, and I haven't really read Watchmen. (Much to the disapproval of Jessie who loaned me Watchmen and I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet.)

But then it occurred to me that this isn't always the case. I watched Hellboy and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen without ever having read the comics. After that, I bought graphic novels for both. The League comic is totally different. Honestly, the only thing the movie shares with the comic is the name and general concept.

Alan Moore wrote League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. (He also did Watchmen... God, I hope his work is better translated in the Watchmen movie.) Alan Moore had a guest appearnce on The Simpsons a few months ago. He was at a new comic book store doing an autograph session along with Art Spiegelman (creator of Maus) and Dan Clowes. There was an interesting conversation he had with Milhouse that went about like this:

Milhouse: I love your work, Mr. Moore! Will you sign my copy of Watchmen Babies?

He was holding up a copy of "Watchmen Babies in V for Vacation" (obviously a play on another Moore creation, V for Vendetta.) It had all the Watchmen characters drawn as children on what appeared to be a surf board.

At this point, Moore goes off on a rant about how the big companies destroy his work and use it however they want. I wonder if this was a jab at the way they handled League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? (And, for that matter, possibly the V for Vendetta movie, which I've never seen. I do know Alan Moore refused to give input or even so much as watch the film. I know he did NOT want the movie made because of how they handled League and From Hell.) I know he isn't optimistic about the Watchmen film and doesn't want his name on it. He's even giving up royalties for it. He has also said he won't watch it. (He has also never watched the V for Vendetta movie.)

In general, comic movies have a history of not sticking to the source material very well. The sole exception, of course, being Sin City. It came out a few years ago and the director (whose name I'm unsure of) was absolutely adamant the movie had to be recreated panel by panel, word for word from the comic source. No dialogue added, no dialogue taken out. It was made this way with one single change from the comic: They put pants on a guy who didn't wear any to avoid an NC-17 rating. I've never seen it (nor read the source), but I understand this is about the only movie where fans of the comic don't have reason to complain about bad adaptation.

And this has become sort of pointless, so I will end it here... but not before I mention I've also seen 300, but not read the 300 comic. In fact, I tend to forget 300 was ever a comic.