TV Celebrities Movies
Last News
From Weekend Update to Kingpin: SNL’s Colin Jost Trades Punchlines for a Turn as a Peacock Drug Lord
Ryan Gosling Walks Away From the Everything Everywhere Duo’s New Sci-Fi Action Epic
Donald Glover Confirms the Community Movie Is Finally Moving Forward
Psycho Killer Digital Release: Date, Platforms, and How to Watch First
Tom Hanks' Most Overlooked Masterclass Is in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can
About us Privacy Policy Contact us
  1. Cinecorner
    2.  /  TV
  2. Netflix Adapts Cult-Favorite Superhero Comic Powers Into A Gritty Adult Animated Series
TV

Netflix Adapts Cult-Favorite Superhero Comic Powers Into A Gritty Adult Animated Series

written by Craig Ellison
Netflix Adapts Cult-Favorite Superhero Comic Powers Into A Gritty Adult Animated Series
Image credit: Legion-Media

Netflix fires back at Invincible’s popularity with an animated Powers adaptation.

Back in 2015, Sony's PlayStation Network had a go at original TV by launching a show called 'Powers,' long before Amazon's 'The Boys' made R-rated superheroes mainstream. To be blunt, it was ambitious, kind of stylish, but never really blew up—probably because no one knew PlayStation was doing TV, and the budget felt like it topped out at some loose change. Not surprisingly, 'Powers' only lasted two seasons before quietly disappearing.

Well, here’s a twist: Netflix is taking another shot at the same comic series, but this time as a grown-up animated show. And unlike the first round, the people who actually created 'Powers' (comic book legends Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming) are running the show. So if you always thought the PlayStation version was a missed opportunity, this could be the big do-over fans already gave up hoping for.

What Netflix Is Doing Differently

  • Bendis, who co-created 'Powers', is writing the pilot episode himself. Translation: this won’t be somebody else’s take—it’ll be as close as you get to the comics, for real this time.
  • Michael Avon Oeming, the brains behind the original art, is in charge of developing the visuals for the show. So expect the new series to actually look and feel like the source material, not just vaguely inspired by it.
  • They’re going animated (and, you guessed it, adult-oriented), which seems to be Netflix’s specialty lately—think 'Invincible'-style violence and tone, but with Bendis doing the script.

Powers: The Basics, For the Uninitiated

If you missed the first TV version (and statistically, you absolutely did), here’s the gist: 'Powers' is a crime story set in a world where superpowered folks exist and get into all kinds of trouble, and there’s a special police unit trying—and usually failing—to keep them in line. So, it’s part detective drama, part superhero deconstruction, heavy on the mayhem.

Quote Worth Remembering

"Fans of the long-running series are probably going to get exactly what they’ve always wanted, with the original creators back in the driver’s seat."

What’s Next?

There’s no casting news or release date yet (come on, it’s Netflix—they love making announcements before they've drawn a single frame). But at this stage, Bendis and Oeming are full speed ahead writing and developing the look of the show, which already puts it miles ahead of the rocky PlayStation launch.

Bottom line: 'Powers' is coming back, but this time, it might actually stand a chance. More as it develops—maybe this one finally gives the comics the TV home they deserved all along.