A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : SEE YOU IN THE COMICS : Aliens. Brain Transplants. Gigantic Concrete Man. Yep, Looks Like a Winner

Let’s face it, the world of comic books has always been fertile ground for the movies. “Batman” is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and this summer’s sequel is eagerly anticipated. And let’s not forget Superman, who was successful many times over on the big screen.

So what is it about comic books that appeals to studio executives? For one thing, they’re a lot easier to sell. “All you have to do is walk in with a comic book and show it to a studio executive,” says one producer. “It makes it a lot easier when the person doesn’t have to use much imagination to know what he’s going to get.”

With the success of comic-book movies, it’s not surprising that Larry Gordon and his 20th Century Fox-based Largo Entertainment decided to strike a deal with Dark Horse Comics, one of the fastest-growing comic-book publishers in the country. “We’re always looking for good stories,” says Lloyd Levin, Largo’s president of production, “and comic books are a tremendous source of ideas.”

Founded in the mid-1980s by Mike Richardson, who ran a string of successful comic book stores in the Pacific Northwest, Dark Horse Comics has become the country’s third biggest publisher of comic books, only behind such established institutions as DC and Marvel.

One of the early ways that the company got involved in the film industry was by turning hit movies into comic books. Some of the titles included “Big,” “The Abyss,” “Aliens,” “The Predator,” “Star Wars” and “RoboCop.” But these weren’t just the films converted frame for frame into splashy comic books. “We’re not just interested in doing adaptations of existing movies,” says Richardson. “We’ve taken them and tried to do the next movie.” Dark Horse also developed hybrid comics from the movies, combining two-well known film titles into one. For instance, their “Aliens vs. Predator” comic was released in 1990 and has sold more than 400,000 copies, making it one of the biggest-selling comics of all-time.

Richardson says his Dark Horse Entertainment, which is also headquartered at Fox, is a natural evolution for his company. “One of my goals was to set up a relationship with a film company,” he says. “I always felt that we had a number of creators and properties that would work very well as motion pictures.”

One of the properties that will probably make it to the big screen, is “Concrete,” one of Dark Horse’s biggest-selling comic books. The film version will mark the directorial debut of screenwriter Larry Wilson (“The Addams Family,” “Beetlejuice”), who’s writing the script with partner Caroline Thompson and the creator of “Concrete,” Paul Chadwick. According to Wilson it’s a project he’s wanted to do for quite some time.

“I’ve been a big fan of the comics for years,” says Wilson. “If I had a dream project, it would be this one.”

“Concrete” is the story of a senatorial speechwriter who is captured by aliens that transplant his brain into a huge, monolithic rock-like body. He manages to escape, but he is forced to live inside the stone body. And who will play “Concrete”? “We’ve had discussions with Bill Murray about it, but there’s nothing signed,” says Wilson, who compares the role to that of Charles Fleischer’s voice-over performance in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” “It won’t be a well-known actor in a two-ton suit.”

Another Dark Horse comic that will probably hit the big screen is “Time Cop,” which Sam Raimi (“Darkman”) will produce with Richardson. Raimi is also writing a comic book for Dark Horse based on his soon-to-be released film, “Army of Darkness.” Like Richardson, Raimi thinks there is a close connection between comic books and the movies. “Movies and comic books are cousins in that they’re both tales told through visuals and words,” he says. “Comic books are very similar to the plans you make, with a storyboard, when you are going to make a movie.”

And Raimi isn’t the only director with an interest in the world of comic books. Director-screenwriter Walter Hill (“48 HRS.”) is currently writing “Hood,” a gangster comic book, for Dark Horse.”

“One thing that I have found is that everybody in the comic-book business has always wanted to get into the movies,” says Richardson. “And everybody who does movies wants to do comics.”