The Punisher Vs. Ambush Bug

I'm looking forward to the watching new (and it would seem, final) season of The Punisher on Netflix.  It's getting good reviews and Jon Bernthal does a great job in the role of Frank Castle.  I hope that they had some kind of heads-up on a cancellation so that the show can come to some sort of conclusion (like Daredevil) and not end on a cliffhanger (like Luke Cage).

Captain America and Buck Rogers

Here's another potential family relation that I am surprised had not occurred to me before.  I think it might be interesting to explore - having such a swashbuckling uncle could be one place that Steve Rogers developed his heroic attitude.  Plus, they clearly share the same love for red buccaneer boots!

Swamp Thing and Black Panther

I liked the upgrades to Black Panther's costume in his solo movie, but I have to admit the technology is a bit far fetched, even with the addition of fictional vibranium into the mix.  So he can tap a small necklace and a whole costume appears around it?  I'm not crazy about Iron Man pulling a similar stunt with his armor in Avengers: Infinity War, either.  Sure, there's some mention of nanites or whatever, but to me it just seems like magic.

Fantastic Four Vs. Composite Superman

The Composite Superman may have a somewhat goofy appearance, but I took him very seriously as a kid.  A giant  with green skin and a split Batman/Superman costume that possessed the combined powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes was an immensely cool concept to me not a villain to be taken lightly!

Power Pack and The Legion of Super-Heroes

Now that Disney owns the Marvel properties, I will be surprised if we don't heard more plans for Power Pack.  A superhero team made up of young brothers and sisters that get caught up in intergalactic shenanigans seems like a natural for the the House of Mickey.  I can imagine a feature film, streaming series or even an animated show coming out of the concept.

The Demon and Spider-Man

We are supposed to be getting a trailer or at least teaser for Spider-Man: Far From Home very soon, maybe even tomorrow.  I'm wondering how Marvel is going to handle it, given the fact that Peter Parker was "dusted" along with half the universe, the last time we saw him.  Will this new adventure be revealed to have happened before the Thanos SNAP or are they just assuming that we all know Spidey is coming back in one way or another anyway?

Black Widow Vs. Deathstroke

Natasha is clearly referring here to the events of STF #2377...

We have seen Deathstroke in live action before,  but my favorite stories of his feature him up against The New Teen Titans, particularly The Judas Contract.  Maybe DC Streaming Service will feature an adaptation of that on Titans if the series continues.  The animated version was OK, but I'd lilk to see something closer to the comics version.

A gift from my brother

I've shared the artwork of my brother Alan Pearsall before on this blog.  I thought you might get a kick out of the birthday present he made for me:

Animal Man, Man-Thing and Concrete (Vs. The A-V-M Man!)

When I first featured this trio together in STF #2425, more than one commenter felt it only natural that they face off against the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, so - here you go!

Today is my 50th Birthday,  and I honestly still feel very young at heart. This blog has been a part of that - reading, collecting and creating comics brought me a lot of happiness as a kid and this project has helped me stay in touch with the good feelings that the hobby brings.

Rocket Raccoon & Groot and Calvin & Hobbes

This was a suggestion by Mike Shirley, a Patron of this Blog, among others. It seems that the third installment of Guardians of the Galaxy has been put off for a while, while the search continues for a new director to replace James Gunn.  Marvel has so many new properties to introduce that maybe a pause wont be a bad thing.  We still have to find out in what shape and how intact the Guardians will be after the events of the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, after all.  Hopefully, though,  we will see them back within five years - with Warlock in the mix!

7 Soldiers of Victory and The Liberty Legion

The Seven Soldiers of Victory were quite a contrast from the Justice Society - in a good way.  The JSA for the most part was made up of incredibly powerful characters that could host a solo comic of their own.  The 7 soldiers mainly consisted of non-powered adventurers that usually appeared in back-up tales.  I liked the difference in roster types, it helped to make each team a little more unique to me.

Colossus and Red Tornado

I have been pleasantly surprised by how well Colossus has been handled in the Deadpool movies.  He looks just about perfect, as if he stepped right off of the comics page, just like Deadpool himself. The main thing I had been worried about was his portrayal, I didn't want the character there just to be mocked by the star of the movies.  While he is there in service to the mostly comedic scripts, he is never the butt of the jokes and has kept his dignity intact.  I wish I could say the same for The Juggernaut, who's been treated as a joke in two different films now.

Iron Beetle and Daredevil

If you are curious about the new heroic identities that these two are using, Jaime Reyes got his new armor in in STF #386, and Matt Murdock received his power ring in STF #1960... Bob Greenwade, a Patron of this blog, suggested I put them together for a story. I've been meaning to put Krakoa on Oa, and this seemed to me to be the perfect place to do so.  Who says this isn't the swingin' STF age of serving up scintillating suggested situations?

Starman and Quasar

I liked the Will Payton Starman, even if that purple and yellow outfit was hard on the eyes (the switch later on to a red and black version of that design was a huge improvement).  Roger Stern is one of the most dependable superhero writers and his Starman series was no exception.  I thought it was very cool that this version was later connected to the Prince Gavyn Starman by writer James Robinson, cementing the legacy aspect of the heroic name.

Mary Marvel and Invisible Girl

I liked this redesign of Susan Storm's outfit by Paul Ryan.  Some other costume changes she has had over the years did not really work for the character, but this one was a nice update that I would have liked to have seen hang around longer.  Mary Marvel's change to a white version of her costume was OK, but I have to say that nothing beats her classic look.

Zatanna and Hellboy

The first trailer for the rebooted Hellboy film has been released and it looks to me like a step down from the Guilllermo del Toro-directed movies.  The make up on David Harbour seems kind of sloppy and the actor comes off as uncomfortable in it.  We were promised that this would be a "darker take" on the character, but you can't tell it from the sitcom-like tone of the trailer.  The first two movies weren't perfect, but I would have much preferred that trilogy be completed than what we are seeing here.

Supergirl and TRON

When I watch older movies with a computer programming or video game element to them like War Games, The Net, The Wizard, or even Superman III, they look very dated.  It's a testament to the writing and art design of TRON to see how well that movie holds up over 35 years later.  I still love the special effects used on the Game Grid.  TRON absolutely amazed me as a kid, and I still like to revisit it every few years.

Mister Terrific and Iron Man in: "Interstellar Gun Run!"

I am trying to not spoil things for myself or get my hopes up too much - but I caught a glimpse of some blurred out images from the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, and they seemed to show what could be Iron Man sporting his classic look gold and yellow armor that he wore throughout the 70's and 80's.  Again, they were blurry so it may just be wishful thinking on my part, but if true it is something that I have been waiting for since Robert Downey Jr. first took on the role.

These two heroes first met back in STF #2152...

The Thing Vs. Batman (in the ring!)

I thought that it was time for another meeting between these two.  Not only they the former "hosts" of this blog, but they are my favorite characters from Marvel and DC respectively.

They have, of course, met before in other Lost Issues -  They last faced a fiery situation in STF #554... They topped off an Anniversary Issue in STF #500... before that, They battled the Riddler/Trapster team... earlier, The Thing discovered the Bat Cave... and was handed control of The Outsiders... not to mention This Whole Blog... and finally first appeared together in one of the earliest covers...

Dr. Doom Vs. Ra's Al Ghul

Reading the comics as a kid, I never quite knew how to pronounce Ra's Al Ghul.  I have to say, that I am still confused - I have seen the character appear on TV and an the movies and heard him discussed in creator interviews, and there still does not seem to be a clear consensus.  I've hard "RAHZ-al-Ghoul" as often as I have heard "RAYSHE-al-ghoul".  Maybe I need to go back and see how his creator Dennis O'Neil says it, that should be considered the official pronunciation.