Comics to Television: Why haven't these been picked up yet?

If you haven't heard of Bill Willingham's Fables, I suggest you go to Amazon.com right now and order all the trades of it you can. The basic plot is that due to a horrible conflict in their own world, a legion of Fairy Tale characters have taken up residence in New York City. Basically you have these characters adapting to life in the "real world" filled with intrigue and mystery.
Now, ABC has ordered a pilot based on this series. I will be watching it when it comes out. Because Fables is that awesome. So awesome it hurts. Go buy it. I'm serious. I'm not going to tell you again. >: I
 
But this got me thinking. What other series are begging to be given the small screen treatment? Here's some ideas.
 
Series Title: Academy X/X-men: First Class
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Possible Network: FOX
 
With it's strangle hold on the X-men franchise, you'd think FOX would try to boost it's mutant market by capitalizing on the popularity of teen dramas like The OC, Gossip Girl, etc. Marvel's Academy X is about a group of students at Xavier's Institute, and dealing with being not only a hormonal teenager, but a hormonal teenager with superpowers. 
 
Likewise, X-men: First Class is a retelling of the early years of the OG X-men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, and Beast). Again, teen drama and superpowers are a cash cow. How many seasons has Smallville been on now? Yeah. I thought so.
 
Series Title: The Walking Dead
Publisher: Image Comics
Possible Networks: Showtime, HBO
 
Robert Kirkman's ode to George Romero's classic is one of the best comics out there, zombie fans all over praise the work for it's study of our survival instincts and it's realistic portrayal
 
It is a sprawling drama, about the ultra violent struggle of man vs. the undead, as a rag tag group of survivors fight for their lives against the zombie horde.  This just screams Showtime or HBO, two networks that have simultaneously cornered the markets on both engaging character development and mature themes. 
 
Who wouldn't love watching a hour long zombie drama? I know I would!
 
Series Title: Gotham Central
Publisher: DC Comics
Possible Networks: The CW (Warner Brothers)
 
Ok, here's a concept.  Procedural Cop Dramas have been steadily popular for YEARS. Shows like CSI, NYPD Blue, The Shield, etc have been on the top of the ratings charts for such a long time, you'd think that a comic written by the award winning Ed Brubaker would be easy pickings.
 
Not convinced? What about a Procedural Cop Drama written by Ed Brubaker about being a cop in Gotham City. Yeah, I thought that'd do the trick.  Long story short, it's about being a cop in the shadow of the Batman. A Batman series without Batman. Cool right?
 
In fact, the CW wanted to pick this up a series, but the memory of the dismal Birds of Prey series stuck with them and decided against it.  The characters are well developed and compelling, the rogue's gallery is the MOST colorful/iconic groups of miscreants and malcontents ever put on the page, and Batman is selling like nothing else right now. Seems easy enough of a choice right?
 
Series Title: X-factor
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Possible Networks: FOX
 
Again, since FOX owns the right to the X-men, they would be the ones putting this one out. A team of wonderfully b-list X-men characters operating as private detectives in "Mutant Town", a district of New York City that the X-gene positive have made their own. Mutant Town is a lot like California's Castro district, for those not in the know.
 
You have the lovable Jamie Madrox, a man who's life can best be described as multiple choice (he has the power to create duplicates of himself, each representing an aspect of his personality), his best friend, the muscle bound Guido Carosella (with the tounge-in-cheek- alias of Strong Guy), femme fatale Monet St. Croix (telepathic, super strength, flight, and arrogant as hell), X-men Legacy/Jamie's main squeeze Theresa  Cassidy (Daughter of Banshee, similar powers), Scottish lycanthrope Rahne Sinclair, and depowered Mutant Julio Rictor make up the team. The book itself is amazing, and a show based around them would be fantastic.
 
Series Title: The Question
Publisher: DC Comics
Possible Network: The CW
 
DC's second most notable detective, Victor Sage has already appeared in animated form (see Justice League Unlimited), and has a huge fan following from his comic appearances as well. He's also the main inspiration behind Watchmen's Rorschach,  cool right?
 
"But Kyle, wouldn't a Batman based detective show be better?" You may ask. But Victor isn't from Gotham, he's from Hub City, a urban wasteland with worse crime than Gotham. Victor doesn't have Bruce Wayne's limitless resources or gadgets, just his keen intellect and his own two hands.  
 
How's that for compelling television? 
 
Hard boiled neo-noir would suit him best, with some internal dialogue to narrate the story. I really hope the CW is reading this, because GC and The ?uestion would be so much better than an Aquaman or Robin TV show (both projects they've tried to get off the ground).
 
Series Title: Scalped
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Possible Networks: HBO or Showtime
 
Scalped is best described as a well written mash up of the film noir and western genres, telling the story of Dashiell Bad Horse, who returns to the reservation after fifteen years of absence, celebrating the fact by picking a fight with whomever crosses his path. Chief Lincoln Red Crow local bigwig, notices our hero's enthusiasm for getting his hands dirty and hires him for the tribal police, of which he is the chief as well. Bad Horse's primary duties are the taking out of meth labs - Red Crow is about to open a 97 million dollar casino, the 'Crazy Horse', and needs to clean up the reservation's public image before he can get things into motion.
 
Of course, there's a twist. Bad Horse is an undercover FBI agent, whose immediate superior still means to bring Red Crow to justice for the murder of two FBI agents, thirty years ago.
With "Urban and Gritty" being so common now, something "Rural/Western and Gritty" is goddamn refreshing, and perfect for the premium networks to run with. I also love the fact that Bad Horse is named after a character in the Maltese Falcon. 

All in all, if I were in charge of a television studio, I would BEELINE for these properties. Until that time, when's Fables on?