This feature-style article looks back at DC's Vertigo imprint, launched in 1993 under editor Karen Berger, which became known for mature, creator-owned comics that broke away from the mainstream Comics Code Authority. Vertigo's willingness to explore dark, morally complex and genre-bending storytelling produced characters and narratives that later proved highly adaptable for screen, and the article highlights this legacy by rounding up six Vertigo comics that were turned into notable television series.

Vertigo, revived earlier in 2026 with a new ten-title slate after being shuttered during a DC consolidation, spawned film adaptations such as Constantine, A History of Violence and V for Vendetta, but the piece focuses on its television legacy instead. It opens with Doom Patrol, based on Grant Morrison's surreal run, which aired first on DC Universe and then HBO Max with a cast including Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, April Bowlby, Jovian Wade and Diane Guerrero, and goes on to reference Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's Preacher, a 66-issue series adapted for television, among further examples of Vertigo titles that made the transition to the small screen.