Comic book movies are big business. A look over box office receipts from the past decade or so reveals smash hit after smash hit, with superheroes handily taking spots in the top 10 earners of any given year.
But just because a film is a comic book movie, that doesn’t mean it’s a superhero movie. It’s not like all comic books have to offer are tales of superpowered beings in colorful costumes who like to get into fistfights. Indeed, there are innumerable comic books out there without a cape, mask or superpower in sight.
Comic books are not a genre but a medium, and any story can be told with said medium. One probably does not need to bring up Maus, Fun Home, or Scott McCloud’s textbooks to the knowing comic book enthusiast as examples of what the format can do. We may, however, need to remind ourselves — in this age that is deeply-saturated with superhero movies — that comic book movies sans superheroes are still worth a look and, indeed, there are plenty to choose from. As such, let’s take a look at the 25 best comic book movies without superheroes.