A Modest Proposal--More TV Comics!!

A house ad from Mission: Impossible #5 (1969):

Man, Dell was kinda the IDW of its day, wasn't it?

But instead of just doing licensed comics about toys that were popular with nerds in the 1990s, the were all over the map, covering all aspects of pop culture.

For example, instead of My Little Pony vs. Transformers or G.I. Joe Meets Ninja Turtles, Dell was bringing the youth of the late 60s such gems as:

Admit it: you want to read this comic!

Or this, arguably the second greatest cover in comic book history:

Not to mention...

OK, maybe in retrospect, not such a good idea.

How about this, then?

Holy crap, that's awesome.

But it wasn't just comedies and lighter fare. Dell actuall published comics starring Barbara Stanwyck!

And let's not forget that there was once this title:

How can there NOT be a Mission: Impossible comic right now? How is that, well, possible? What could possibly go wrong with a modern comic book version of the franchise?

AIEEEEEEEE, MY EYES!!!!!!

Slightly more seriously, though--there is room for licensed comic books...but do they all have to be "nerd" or "toy" franchises? Can't we get a few comic adaptations of comedies, or dramas, or straight adventure series? I would read the hell out of a The Good Wife comic. A Hannibal comic? I mean EEEWWWW, but still, why not? Given all the heat right now, why not an Empire comic (the Fox series, not Mark Waid's joint...we'll let the lawyers figure out the trademarks)? Scandal or NCIS? DO IT!!

Seriously, IDW (and others)--licensed comics don't have to be just limited to thinks a twelve year old thought were cool in 1995. Instead of continually going after the same dwindling fan base, broaden it out a bit. Instead of another Star Trek crossover series (Star Trek/Green Lantern? Really?), how about a CSI/The Blacklist comic??