Amazon may have found itsnext big comic book adaptationwithStillwater, theImage Comics/Skybound Entertainment series from acclaimed writer Chip Zdarsky, and the author is positively “thrilled” to have the story brought to a wider audience via the screen;Zdarsky even went so far as to jokingly assure that he’s all-but-certain to get an Emmy nod when the TV version of his series hits the screen.
In a Substack post, Zdarsky wrote that Amazon’s announcement of theStillwaterseries “is pretty wild.” The comic, which is about the eponymous town, where people do not age, or die, ran for eighteen issues, telling a story that could be spread over multiple seasons, or possibly covered in the span of one, leaving room for the series to build out its own narrative from there.
However theStillwaterTV show turns out, it seems clear that its creators believe it has the potential to reachWalking DeadorInvinciblelevels of mainstream appeal.
The Writer Behind The Amazon Comic Adaptation “Stillwater” Hypes The Upcoming Series
Stillwater #1-18; Written By Chip Zdarsky; Art By Ramón Pérez; Color By Mike Spicer; Lettering By Rus Wooten
Stillwaterexplores the horrifying side effects of immortality, in a way that makes it one of the most thrilling comic book stories of the past several years. Throughout its eighteen-issue run, the series takes full advantage of the comic book medium to deliver a tale that is as visually arresting as it is emotionally gripping, but at the same time, it alsocomes off as highly adaptable, making it a natural fit for Amazon, as the company tries to replicate its success withThe BoysandInvincible, while expanding into more genres of comicsthan superheroes.
Writing about the news on Substack,Stillwatercreator Chip Zdarskywas silly with excitement, referring to himself as “Hollywood Chip,” and imagining the future accolades that will come along with the success of the TV adaptation. According to Zdarsky:
I think I can safely speak for Ramon and I when I say we’re pretty thrilled about this news. STLLWATER is a special series for us and it was incredibly satisfying getting to tell the whole story with the support of Skybound and Image. The idea that this town is going to be brought to (eternal) life is pretty wild. And the fact that I’m probably going to be nominated for an Emmy™ for my portrayal of the sensitive yet devious and disheveled Canadian comic book writer Zack Darsky is just icing on that wild cake. First Cole North and now this?? Is there no stopping Hollywood Chip??
Nothing can stop Hollywood Chip!!!! Now crack open that box of rosé!!!! For all of you who maybe missed out on STILLWATER the first time, you should check out the first trade so you may say to your friends that you “read the book” even though comics aren’t really books (everyone knows this).
Zdarsky’s giddiness at the project is evident from his tongue-in-cheek humor, but to his credit, it would not be entirely outside the realm of possibility forStillwaterto garner some Emmy nominations, should the show match the quality of the comic.
“Stillwater” Just Entered Production, But It Should Already Be On TV Fans' Radar
The Series Has Massive Potential
Another thing that makesStillwaterappealing, from an adaptation perspective, is that it tells a complete story, while still offering up a great deal of opportunity for a TV series to expand on the lore of that story in different ways. The show can expand on the history of the town, as just one prominent example, and it can also approach the plot arc of the comic from different perspectives than on the page. Further, there is the chance for the series to extend the story of the comic beyond its conclusion in Chip Zdarsky’s original comic.
Stillwater has the potential…to become the next household name in television to have started out as an Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment series.
Perhaps the most analagous examplewould be HBO’sThe Leftovers, which covered the story of its source material, Tom Perotta’s novel, in its first season, but is almost universally considered by fans and critics to have reached its pinnacle in the second season, when it remained in the world of the story beyond the scope of the novel, and found inventive new ways to explore the speculative premise of the world.Stillwaterhas the potential to do the same, and to become the next household name in televisionto have started out as anImage Comics/Skybound Entertainment series.
