10 Best Netflix Shows Based On Comics, Ranked

HBO Max and Disney+ aren't the only streamers sitting on a goldmine when it comes to comic book adaptations. Netflix is also home to a number of excellent shows that draw inspiration from your favorite colorful, dynamic panels.

Indeed, Netflix has proven to have a keen eye for adapting comic material, from the worlds of Marvel and DC and beyond. Today, we're looking at the best comic-based Netflix shows, with a few caveats. We won't be including the Defenders series (such as "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones") because while they were initially released by Netflix, they're now only available on Disney+. We're also only featuring Netflix originals or shows that Netflix exclusively distributes in the United States, so don't fret if you notice "Riverdale" missing from the list.

With those qualifications out of the way, let's dive into our ranking of the 10 best Netflix shows based on comics. Feel free to comment below with a list of your favorites.

It took a decade for Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez's comic book series "Locke & Key" to reach the screen, and Netflix's 2020 series is a charming adaptation of the story. We begin with the tragic murder of Rendell Locke (Bill Heck) in Seattle. In the wake of his death, his family, which includes mom Nina (Darby Stanchfield) and kids Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott), moves to Massachusetts to live in Rendell's family home — an imposing gothic mansion. As they investigate their mysterious new home, the Locke children discover a set of magical keys that grant extraordinary powers, though adults generally have trouble remembering the magic.

"Locke & Key" balances the characters' grounded, real-life concerns, like the grief of losing a parent and fitting in at a new school, with the magical, and the production design is one of the show's most impressive elements. At times, the first season struggles to maintain momentum, but the plotting improves as the series continues, concluding with a satisfying third and final season. All of the young actors do great work here, and the youngest Locke, played by Jackson Robert Scott of "It," is especially impressive. The show also features a compelling villain played by Laysla De Oliveira of "Lioness," whose demonic Dodge is as terrifying as she is alluring.

"The Umbrella Academy" is an oddball superhero story that deconstructs many of the tropes of the genre. Based on a comic by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, the series premiered on Netflix in 2019. The show follows a group of superpowered children adopted and raised by eccentric billionaire Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore). Now adults, the group reunites after Reginald's death and learns they may be the only ones able to prevent an apocalypse. Their efforts to stop the end of the world have catastrophic consequences, leading to multiple alternate timelines.

"The Umbrella Academy" is delightfully weird, featuring frequent time travel, a goth-tinged, off-kilter style, and a killer soundtrack. To give an example of the show's wonderful strangeness, Season 3 opens with a dreamy dance sequence set to the theme song of "Footloose." These would-be heroes are incredibly maladjusted, and their dysfunctional family makes for a wonderfully chaotic take on the genre. Unfortunately, the show's fourth and final season was a major disappointment, and allegations of toxic behavior against showrunner Steve Blackman have sullied the show's reputation somewhat.

"Parasyte: The Grey" is adapted from the manga series "Parasyte," though it features an original story within that universe. Directed and co-written by Yeon Sang-ho, the filmmaker behind "Train to Busan," the Netflix series follows the invasion of a species of parasitic aliens. Our protagonist is Jeong Su-in (Jeon So-nee), a young woman with a traumatic past whose life is saved by one of these aliens. Unlike the other human hosts, the parasite doesn't fully take over Su-in, instead living within her in a Jekyll and Hyde scenario. Elsewhere, an elite task force known as the Grey Team, led by the fearsome Choi Jun-kyung (Lee Jung-hyun), is hell-bent on destroying these creatures.

The CGI in "Parasyte: The Grey" is phenomenal, and it's a thrill each time one of the parasites bursts out of a human form. All of the parasites look slightly different, and though they work together, they seem to have distinct personalities and behaviors that make them intriguing villains. Su-in's status as a human-parasite hybrid allows us to see the parasites in a different light, as her parasite, which she calls Heidi, will do anything to protect their shared body. Grey Team leader Jun-kyung is a lot of fun to watch, and her vendetta against the parasites probably has something to do with a massive scar on her face. The series features gorgeous, horrific imagery that honors the original manga, and its take on body horror is bold and effective.

Though it doesn't resemble any superhero story we've come to expect from the company, "The Sandman" was actually adapted from a DC comic first published in 1989. The story centers on Dream (Tom Sturridge), also known as Morpheus or the Sandman, a primordial being who rules over the realm of the Dreaming. After a century of imprisonment, Dream returns to his realm to restore order to the world and takes in the havoc wreaked in his absence. The series features a fascinating group of characters such as occult detective Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman), the psychopathic John Dee (David Thewlis), and supernatural figures such as Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) and Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste).

The series does an impressive job adapting the sprawling, complex source material, though some episodes are more compelling than others. The fifth episode of the first season, which takes place almost entirely in a diner, is a highlight and follows John as he uses Dream's ruby to manipulate the patrons into revealing their darkest truths, with horrifying consequences. The cast of "Sandman" is incredible, and many of the characters are, frankly, more interesting than the mopey Dream. The show doesn't skimp on scope or production value, both of which are remarkable.

Of course, it's now impossible to discuss the show without mentioning the terrible allegations against Neil Gaiman, the creator of the comics and an executive producer on the series. After Gaiman was accused of sexual assault by multiple women, the EP of "Sandman" told us that his involvement in Season 2 was limited.

Based on a comic book series by Ben Dunn, "Warrior Nun" is one of the best action shows streaming on Netflix. Alba Baptista plays Ava, a quadriplegic orphan who dies at the age of 19 — but not for long. She's revived after a powerful artifact known as the Halo is implanted in her back, and she also magically regains the use of her limbs. She's thrilled by her newfound freedom, but less enthused when she discovers the order of warrior nuns behind her resurrection. Our girl has a rather traumatic history with the Catholic Church.

What follows is a push and pull between Ava's desire to be young, wild, and free, and her sudden status as a mythical Chosen One, à la "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The latter plotline is much more interesting, and thankfully, Season 2 focuses more heavily on Ava's relationship with her fellow warrior nuns than the young troublemakers she meets in the first season. Indeed, the show's theological lore and all of the action sequences involving the nuns are its strongest elements, and the nuns are all dynamic characters with a lot to offer.

Though the second season is a marked improvement over the first, it's also the final season of the show thanks to Netflix's penchant for cancelling shows too soon. "Warrior Nun" was meant to continue as a movie trilogy, but it's been years since we've heard an update on that project.

Netflix's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is based on an Archie Comics series and shares connections with the meta, genre-bending "Riverdale," including its setting within the same fictional world. A great example of the dark academia genre, the show follows Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), a half-witch, half-mortal living in the spooky town of Greendale. On the eve of her 16th birthday, Sabrina must choose between living as a human and living fully as a witch — a choice she refuses to make, attempting to balance two parts of her life in a supernatural take on the classic "High School Musical" dilemma.

There is an appealing self-awareness to "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," as the show plays with witchy teen tropes and allows the characters to make tongue-in-cheek references to their on-the-nose circumstances. It expertly balances teen drama with the supernatural, and also features some legitimately horrifying sequences befitting of its title.

The cast is what really makes "Sabrina" sing. We were first introduced to Shipka via her amazing work on "Mad Men," and she's just as impressive here, managing the show's many tonal shifts with a deft hand. She has a youthful vitality to her, yet also the maturity necessary to face her (literal) demons. Her supporting cast are just as charming. Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis play Sabrina's aunts, Zelda and Hilda, and their zany dynamic is a lot of fun. Michelle Gomez is excellent as a possessed teacher, and Chance Perdomo is delightful as Sabrina's BFF.

"Lucifer" takes a lot of big swings when it comes to tone and general outlandishness, but when it works, it really works. Based on the DC Comics character introduced by Neil Gaiman and later developed in his own comic series by Mike Carey, the show originally aired on Fox before moving to Netflix. It follows Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), aka the Devil himself. Bored of life in hell, Lucifer absconds to Los Angeles, where he opens a nightclub and delights in his three favorite vices: music, sex, and drink. His hedonistic lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of Chloe Decker (Lauren German), an LAPD detective who appears on his doorstep to investigate a murder.

"Lucifer" is a cheeky crime procedural, an epic will-they-won't-they love story, a supernatural tale, and a little bit of a musical, all wrapped in one handsome package. Lucifer is immediately attracted to Chloe because she seems quite literally immune to his devilish charms, which usually allow him to draw out people's deepest desires. As he joins her as a consultant on cases, he learns more about what it means to be a good person, and less of a devil. Oh, and he's also in therapy with the ever-patient Dr. Linda (Rachael Harris).

Ellis is an utter delight as the titular character, and his performance goes beyond his obvious good looks and charm. In fact, all of the characters are fantastic, and our affection for them outweighs any of our eye-rolls over the show's more absurd plotlines.

Based on a comic series by Jeff Lemire, "Sweet Tooth" presents a unique post-apocalyptic tale for all ages. The show is set in the aftermath of a global pandemic that has decimated much of the world's population, coinciding with the mysterious emergence of children born as human-animal hybrids. Gus (Christian Convery) is a 10-year-old boy who's also part deer. He's been raised in isolation by his father (Will Forte) because hybrids like him are hunted, but when his father dies, he's forced to venture out into the world on his own in search of a mother he never knew.

Gus finds an ally in the form of Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), a former football player and hybrid hunter who becomes Gus's unwitting protector. This clever post-apocalyptic story also serves as a compelling coming-of-age tale and an uncompromising look at the cost of hatred and prejudice. It's able to balance the danger of the world Gus was born into without getting too dark or horrifying, making it accessible to kids and adults alike. Adult viewers will be pleased to know the series never becomes overly twee or cutesy, though Gus's youthful naivete and bravery give the show a necessarily optimistic bent. One of the most underrated fantasy shows ever, "Sweet Tooth" is a gorgeous, heartfelt series that stands out from the pack.

Adapted from a comic series by Charles Forsman, "The End of the F***ing World" originally aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. before Netflix distributed it internationally. A pitch-black comedy, the show follows James (Alex Lawther), a teenager who believes that he's a psychopath. Despite his palpable misanthropy, James' classmate, Alyssa (Jessica Barden), takes an interest in him, and James decides she is the perfect candidate for his first murder victim.

Alyssa is keen to escape her unsatisfying home life, so she and James embark on a crime-filled road trip. As the pair get to know each other, James finds that he actually likes Alyssa, and his self-professed killer instincts wane significantly. In the first season, a pair of detectives (Wunmi Mosaku and Gemma Whelan) are hot on their tail, while the second season, which expands beyond the comic's source material, introduces Naomi Ackie as a different kind of pursuer.

Though the concept of a would-be teenage murderer sounds tired, "The End of the F***ing World" gradually reveals a fascinating look at the psychology of both its lead characters, uncovering the hidden traumas and repressed emotions that cause them to act the way they do. Despite the disturbing subject matter, the show is oddly sweet at times (and harrowing at others), depicting a pair of outsiders who find solace in each other's darkness. It's a brilliant show that revels in the idiosyncrasies of its characters.

"Heartstopper" is practically designed to give you the warm fuzzies, which is why it's one of our favorite feel-good shows on Netflix. Based on the webcomic and graphic novel series by Alice Oseman, who also wrote the TV adaptation, "Heartstopper" follows Charlie (Joe Locke), a gay teen who's been bullied at school and struggles with his self-esteem. He falls in love with Nick (Kit Connor), a popular rugby player in the year above him, and their relationship inspires him to come out of his shell. "Heartstopper" also follows the lives of Charlie's friends at school, who embark on their own romances and coming-of-age experiences.

The show has an ooey-gooey, glitter-filled heart, though it manages to avoid cloying sentimentality by remaining grounded in the journeys and struggles of its characters. "Heartstopper" touches on loads of issues facing young people today, including homophobia, transphobia, eating disorders, and mental health concerns, but it never feels like an after-school special. The show is fundamentally earnest, and the openhearted performances of the actors make it impossible not to root for these enthusiastic young people.

"Heartstopper" imagines a world where people make mistakes, yes, but everyone does their best to be a good person. It's a lovely world to settle into, and Oseman's desire to make fans feel seen, accepted, and ultimately hopeful about the future comes through loud and clear.