This summer, Moving Panels is exploring a different side of comic book storytelling.

When most people think of comic book movies, they think of direct adaptations. But every episode of Moving Panels begins with the phrase “based on, inspired by, and adapted from the world of comics” for a reason. Comic books have influenced storytelling far beyond the pages of Marvel and DC.

In this special Moving Panels: One Shot, Laramy Wells introduces this year’s Summer Series and explores what it really means for a movie to be “inspired by” comics. From action franchises and science fiction epics to mythology, folklore, and beyond, this episode examines how stories evolve, influence one another, and share a common storytelling language across different mediums.

Join us as we kick off a summer of movies that may not be based on comics—but absolutely carry comic book DNA.