Guardian and The Guardians of the Universe

 

Mac Hudson sure had a cool costume.  Maybe he'll get a new lease on life if the MCU ever gets around to Alpha Flight.  

This is another cover that required a bit of clean up and rebuilding before I could add The Guardian in.  Here's a look behind the scenes:

How to Train Your Savage Dragon

 

I have been meaning to use characters from How to Train Your Dragon on a cover.  When Ian Harac, a Patron of this Blog, suggested pairing Toothless and Hiccup up with The Savage Dragon, it struck me as a fun idea.  Thanks, Ian!

Gargoyle and Swamp Thing in: "Midnight Snack!"

 

Swamp Thing and Gargoyle first met back in STF #1223... definitely a pair that seems to go well together, so I thought that I would revisit the alliance.

This cover required a bit of background extension and de-cluttering prior to adding in an image of Isaac Christians. Here's a peek behind the scenes:

Black Manta and Doctor Doom

 

Time for a good old fashioned super-villain team up.  Sometimes it was hard for me to get into villain-centric tales as a kid - I wanted to have someone to root for.  When the villains were battling other villains, however, it was a different story.  Then it was easier to pick a side and cheer on a bad guy.

The Thing on The Planet of the Apes

 

This is a crossover that I am surprised I never got to back in my Marvel Two-In-One: The Lost Issues days.  So I am happy to finally include it on the blog.  I'm also happy to combine the amazing painted art work of Daniel Acuna and Earl Norem.

Shang-Chi and Plastic Man

 

I enjoyed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, so when I saw that director  Destin Daniel Cretton was involved with American Born Chinese, another comic-based property on Disney+, I decided to check it out.  I'm halfway through the series and I am really enjoying it.  It has an interesting story, engaging characters, and fun supporting roles by recent Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Key Huy Quan. 

This is another cover in which I had a bit of de-cluttering to do before I added in any new elements.  Here a look at the behind the scenes process: 

Fantastic Four and Green Lantern in: "Judgment From Korugar!"

 

Time for another all-John Byrne cover.  Let's hope the upcoming MCU versions look at least half as cool as when Byrne illustrated them.

GL and The FF have met on the blog before  - the last time GL was under an evil control... before that, it was the FF that were possessed... but at least they were working together during their first meeting.

Conan and Arak

 

I wasn't really into Conan comics when I was a kid, I gravitated towards more superhero-related fare.  Still, I found myself checking out issues from time to time just because of the gorgeous artwork.  How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way turned me into a big fan of John Buscema, and seeing his pencils grace a story was always a treat.  

Thank you to Brian C., a Patron of this blog, for suggesting this pairing!

Seven Soldiers of Victory and The Vision

 

The original Vision from Timely Comics always seemed really cool to me, and I have been meaning to include him for a while.  When I was a kid, I didn't realize that the Avenger's resident Sythezoid had a Golden Age counterpart.  They are quite different characters, but that unique cape design is unmistakable.

Wonder Woman Vs. The Super Skrull

 

The trailers for the upcoming Secret Invasion Disney+ show definitely show Skrulls with abilities beyond impersonation.  Will any of them be Kl'rt, the Super Skrull?  It would be odd to introduce him before the Fantastic Four are introduced, since it is their power set that he adopts.  Still, perhaps he will show up before he reaches his final form once the FF arrive.  The show is only a noth or so away, so we will find out soon enough.

Captain Marvel and Doctor Light

 

This cover required a little bit of clean-up work before I could change the wielder of the energy blast.  here's a peek behind the scenes:

Iron Man and Magnus: Robot Fighter

 

I wonder if these two would get along or not.  Sure, they are both heroes with an interest in technology and robots, but I still sense there might be some friction.  Tony Stark is all about creating mechanical wonders and Magnus' specialty is destroying them, after all.

Ms. Marvel and Halo

 

In a move that surprised many, Marvel has killed off Kamala Khan in the comics.  At first I wondered why because despite the fact that her comics have never been huge sellers, the character is about to make her big screen debut in The Marvels.  My hunch is that like most comic book deaths, this one will be reversed rather soon and the reintroduced Kamala will no longer be an Inhuman but a mutant, to more closely tie her to the MCU version.

Hawkman and The Destroyer

 

Here's a cover combining the early work of two comic book greats - Joe Kubert and Jack Kirby.  Even though they were still honing their signature styles, you can still see the raw talent they had even as young artists. Of course, they were just getting started - they would both go on to become absolute legends in the industry.

Zatanna and The Spirit

 

When Warner Bros. brought on JJ Abrams to revamp the DCU, he seemed to have big plans for Zatanna.  I heard rumors of her leading up a Justice League Dark team or even being featured in a solo movie of her own.  Nothing much came of the Abrams partnership, and now James Gunn and Peter Safran are heading up the DCU.  I haven't seen him mention Zatanna in his plans yet, but I hope she is in the mix.

Starman Vs. Kang

 

I finally checked out Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and while it was cool to see Kang as the villain, I was hoping for some more time-related shenanigans.  I guess Marvel is saving that for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.  Who knows what effects an ongoing criminal investigation and writers strike will have on that upcoming event, however.  He did look really cool, which is more than I can say for M.O.D.O.K.

Black Goliath and The Justice League of America

 

Ever since Laurence Fishburne was introduced in the MCU as Bill Foster, I have been hoping that we would get a flashback scene of his superheroic days. It seems that I may get my wish - sort of.  Recent interviews have hinted that we will indeed see a giant-sized Bill Foster in the future, but in animated form.  The next season of What If? is supposed to feature just such a scenario.  Of course, with most of Marvel's upcoming projects having their release dates pushed back, who knows when it will actually hit the airwaves?

Katana and Captain America

 

This is another good example of a cover in which I had to de-clutter and extend the background before adding in any new elements.  Here's a peek at the behind the scenes process:

Captain Kirk and Superman

 

The first two Superman and Star Trek movies along with 2001: A Space Odyssey made huge impressions on me as a kid. Seeing them combined into one mega-epic  would probably have melted my young mind - but I would have gone out with a smile on my face.

The Beast and The Demon

 

Jack Kirby's time on the X-Men was before Hank got all blue and furry, so It was always a treat to see him illustrate the eloquent mutant in that form.  Kirby excelled at inhuman-looking characters after all, which is why Etrigan is one of my favorite DC characters that he worked on.