Thanos and Parallax

Even though I was very glad to get the heroic Hal Jordan back after his Parallax phase, I have to admit that I really liked his look then and there were some decent stories told during that time.  DC kind of lost me when they merged him with The Spectre, though.  Combining two of my favorite heroes did not result in a character that I liked twice as much!

Dial "H" For Hulk

I was getting interested in the potential casting of Alison Brie as She-Hulk in the upcoming Disney+ Series, but since the global pandemic has shifted all of Hollywood's schedules, we won't be seeing it hit screens until 2022 (along with Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight).  I'm guessing it will be a while before we hear any more news on the show in that case.  I had also read that Mark Ruffalo's Hulk would be appearing in the show.  I wonder if he will show up anywhere else in the MCU before then.

Warlock Vs. Brainiac

I always loved the design that Bill Sienkiewicz gave to Warlock of the New Mutants.  It truly evoked a feeling of an alien technology that is constantly in flux.  I've seen other artists try to tackle the character, but none have been able to present him as effectively as Sienkiewicz (Art Adams came the closest in my opinion).

Hercules Vs. Captain Marvel

This seems like it would be an obvious bone of contention should these two heroes ever meet.  I imagine it would be a fun issue, as both characters are known as much for their cheerful personalities as they are for their incredible powers. 

Batman & Robin meet Giant-Man & The Wasp

What's better than a crime fighting superhero?  A crime fighting superhero partnership, of course!  I thought that it was high time that these two heroic duos got together.

Batman and Giant-Man met on the blog twice before, once in 2010 and again in 2011... Batman first met The Wasp in  2010 and then shared another adventure in 2014...

Zatanna and Blade

Today marks the Tenth Anniversary of this blog!  When I made my first post on April 4, 2010, I figured I would set a goal for myself to make 500 covers.  Well, here we are a decade later and there's 3,424 covers on the blog with more to come! I truly appreciate all of the enthusiasm from visitors  and support from Patrons - you have helped to keep this daily project going!

We know Marvel has found a great new cinematic Blade in Mahershala Ali, but who will play Zatanna when JJ Abrams gets his Justice League Dark-based DC movies going for Warner Brothers?  I imagine that will be a very desirable role with plenty of actresses interested in portraying the magician.

Enemy Ace Vs. Sub-Mariner

When we finally see Namor join the MCU, I wonder if the above look or something close will be used.  The green speedo is more iconic, and I am sure it will make an appearance, but I don't imagine they will want to keep an actor wearing just that for most of the movie (and especially if someone signs a 10-year contract).  I always thought that this back up design was cool, and will be happy if the live action Sub-Mariner wears it.

Nick Fury and Aquaman

I remember watching the much-maligned Waterworld with Kevin Costner, and thinking about the possibilities.  Not about the movie itself, it made very little sense - If land and soil was such a are commodity, why was everyone so dirty all the time?  There were, however some impressive swimming sequences, especially when Costner's character would come swooping out of the water.  It was the first time that I thought perhaps a live-action Aquaman would be doable.  It took a few more decades, but Hollywood finally caught up!

G.I. Robot and The Human Torch

I am a fan of robotic characters, and I especially like it when they look unmistakably like robots.  I prefer when Red Tornado has a more mechanical look than when he just looks like a human colored red.  G.I. Robot has a great design, there's no mistaking that he is a machine.  Jim Hammond can pass for human, but when he flames on, he loses all of his facial features, which gives him more of an air of danger and unpredictability than Johnny Storm.

Hawkman and The Phantom in: "Craven Crimes of the Crocodile Men!"

I am really curious as to how Hawkman will look when he makes his big screen debut in Black Adam.  The helmet, bare chest & arms and wings are a tough look to pull off, as we have seen in some underwhelming TV attempts.  They will need to find an actor with a big enough physique to no only pull off Hawkman's look, but also be able to not look scrawny next to Dwayne Johnson!  The wings have to be huge as well - The Maleficent movies succeeded there.  If done right, Hawkman could be one of the most visually interesting heroes on the big screen yet.

Hawkman and The Phantom first met way back in STF #122...

Elongated Man and Moon Knight (Vs. Eclipso)

I've had a few requests for Moon Knight to face off against Eclipso, including Blog Patron Bob Greenwade, and I figured that I'd throw that conflict into the middle of STF's greatest fighting team.  I imagine that the events of this issue will have repercussions down the line.

This is the Fifth appearance of the MK/EM team - They faced an angry underworld in STF #2831,  Psycho Pirate turned them against each other in STF #2732, Ralph came to the rescue in STF #2518, and they first started working together in STF #2169...

Dr. Doom Vs. Harley Quinn

It looks like Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey is the latest film to get an early streaming release in these movie theater-free days.  I guess I will have to check it out despite the less than stellar reviews I read for it, and hope it surpasses lowered expectations.  I had heard much more enthusiastic reviews for the Harley Quinn animated show, but I watched the first episode of that and the cursing and over the top violence was a turn off.  Harley Quinn isn't Deadpool, and the same kind of humor isn't always interchangeable with them, in my opinion.

Spider-Man and Captain Atom

It's nice to get the chance to do an all-Steve Ditko cover.  Looking at the Spidey pose that he did here showcases two of Ditko's talents - He was a master of depicting the Web-Slinger's physicality and the costume design he gave the hero looks great from any angle.

The Atom and Cloak and Dagger

The CW made a big deal out of introducing Ryan Choi in the Crisis on Infinite Earths event.  I thought that was so that they could have Ray Palmer pass on the mantle of The Atom to him, just as happened in the comics.  However, Brandon Routh's final appearance on DC's Legends of Tomorrow has come and gone, with no sign of Choi.  It seems like a lot of set up for a character that they haven't used again.  Oh well, it's not like I'd expect him to get in costume or use shrinking powers much on that show anyway - Palmer barely did, after all!

The Punisher Vs. Deadman

I can understand why artists have moved away from The Punisher's original outfit - the white gloves and boots don't really make sense for a stealthy assassin type and the whole ensemble seems a bit flashy for Frank Castle's personality.  That said, I really like it!  Even if it may not make much narrative sense, it just really looks cool to me and pops off the page.  I'm willing to suspend my disbelief because I like seeing him in his classic costume.

Alpha Flight and Booster Gold

Ah,the death of Guardian from Alpha Flight #12 - it was truly a shocking moment.  In those pre-internet days it was a secret kept from me until I actually read the issue.  I remember seeing the ads for the issue with gun sights over images of the entire team, warning readers that one will die... bu I never expected it to be the team leader, James MacDonald Hudson!It's great that we have such bigger and faster means of communications these days, but that's made it harder and harder to maintain surprises in comics, TV and movies.

Stargirl and Jolt Vs. Electro

I'm looking forward to the new Stargirl series.  From the quick glimpses that we have seen so far, the character designs are faithful to the comics, which is a good sign.  I hope for plenty of JSA action, but they may only be used in limited flashback scenes, so I'm not getting my hopes up too much for that just yet.  I'd love to see Jack Knight introduced at some point.  Hopefully, the episodes will balance personal drama and super-heroics well.  Stargirl herself and S.T.R.I.P.E. look great I can't wait to see them in action.

Batman and Super Goof

I've been enjoying watching some classic cartoons on Disney+.  Some I have never seen before, and some bring me right back to my childhood.  Among those are the Goofy shorts, where he explains aspects of every day life.  I remember seeing them as a kid watching The Wonderful World of Disney, and they have been a joy to revisit.

The Legion of Super-Heroes Vs. The Avengers

I thought I would present one giant story for this Anniversary Issue.  I previously featured these two teams meeting in STF #1300, but I wanted to revisit the concept in a bigger way.  So, you see the match-ups presented here - who do you think comes out on top when these super-groups clash?

Godzilla Joins The Green Lantern Corps

Presenting the conclusion to our Three-Part Epic! Looks like helping out the GLC is going to be more than a one-time gig for the big guy!

I was thinking the Green Lantern ring tease for John Diggle on the last episode of Arrow might indicate David Ramsay's involvement in the Green Lantern Corps HBO Max series.  Then, they made a point of him saying that he was relocating to Metropolis - so now it seems he'll be a part of the upcoming Superman and Lois CW show.  Hopefully he'll be on one of the two, I like the actor in the role.

Coming tomorrow: STF #2900!