By ANDREW A. SMITH
Scripps Howard News Service
Tuesday, November 27, 2007

One of the remarkable aspects of today's comic-book industry is how many properties are adapted from other media. This month features at least three such, ranging from highbrow literature to online shenanigans:

-- "World of Warcraft," for those living in caves, is an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game), meaning that lots of ordinary folks can pretend to be various extraordinary characters in an elaborate fictional world, playing with or against each via the magic of the Internet.

"Warcraft" (or "WoW") is probably the most famous MMORPG, and undoubtedly the most successful, with 19 million copies sold and more than 7.5 million subscribers worldwide. That's a lot of us ordinary schlumps going on quests and fighting monsters, while pretending to be other kinds of humans, or blood elves, dwarves, draenei, gnomes, night elves, orcs, tauren, trolls or undead.

Gosh, sounds like a great comic book, doesn't it? Well, DC Comics obviously thinks so, with "World of Warcraft" No. 1 ($2.99) on sale now. This ongoing series, by fan-favorite writer Walt Simonson ("Thor," "Orion") and artist Ludo Lullabi, stars an amnesiac human found on the shores of Kalimdor and enslaved by the Orc Shaman Reghar Earthfury. Just like in the game, he must go on a quest -- battling both Alliance and Horde characters, making alliances where he may, all the while struggling to discover his own past.

So confident is DC in this book -- and with Simonson writing, that's probably justified -- it has already released the first wave in a projected series of "WoW" action figures. To take a look at Blood Elf Rogue, Orc Shaman, Undead Warlock, Dwarven Warrior, Draenei Paladin or Illidan Stormrage, go to www.dccomics.com/dcunlimited/wow.

And if none of this sounds familiar: Dude, pick up a mouse sometime! The world of Azeroth awaits!

-- It's 2011, the Iraq War is worse than ever, terror acts on U.S. soil are a commonplace, President McCain is depressed over his missing soldier son and an amateur liberal video blogger is hired by a ratings-hungry television news network to cover the conflict live.

That's the plot of "Shooting War," a Web comic that began serialization in May 2006, quickly garnered 100,000 regular readers and has now been collected in a dead-tree, hardcover graphic novel ($21.99, Grand Central Publishing). Written by Anthony Lappe and illustrated in a multimedia style by Dan Goldman, "Shooting War" manages to skewer all sides of the conflict (and both ends of the political spectrum) -- and tell a horrific story, too.

That's not exactly new territory for comics, as Vertigo's "DMZ" and "America @ Love" have been plowing that field for some time. And, truth be told, those are better comic books -- they were designed to be read as comic books, with panels and pages drawn and arranged for maximum story flow.

"Shooting War" was designed to be read online, one (large) panel at a time, and stringing those panels together on a page is almost distracting for veteran comics readers, who subconsciously attempt to find cohesion and contextual juxtaposition where none exists. Plus, the resolution is sharper and the colors are brighter online; some of Goldman's F/X don't translate well to ink on paper.

Which is not to say I didn't like "Shooting War." But I do think it works better online, where it's still available (http://shootingwar.com/index.php).

-- It's unlikely that "Remembrance of Things Past" author Marcel Proust (1871-1922) could even imagine a comic book, much less that his masterpiece would be adapted to one. Come to think of it, it's still pretty hard to imagine today.

But writer-artist Stehane Heuet is doing just that. His latest book in the multivolume adaptation, "Part Three: Swann In Love, Vol. I (of II)" has been released by NBM Publishing ($16.99), and it's just as delightful as its predecessors. The writing is faithful, taking its time with the dialogue and story progression. And the art, which owes a lot to early-20th-century comic strips (think "Little Nemo" or "Gasoline Alley"), is perfectly suited -- being both modern (in being comics at all) and nostalgic (in evoking a bygone era).

I have to admit, part of what impresses me is that Heuet is attempting this at all. I can think of few novels that suggest themselves for comics adaptation less. Yet he pulls it off, adding texture to Proust's immortal prose.

Comics: They're not just for Spandex anymore!

(Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us.)