Swamp Thing and Spider-Man

I was glad to use the art of Bernie Wrightson and Frank Cho for this cover. Interestingly enough, the Spider-Man here is by Wrightson and the Swamp Thing is by Cho, instead of the other way around - which I what I would usually expect with these two artists.  That speaks to the strength of these illustrators, that they can transistion between genres.  They can go from horror to funny animals to superheroes and  maintain a high standard of quality with each style.

Superman Vs. Iron Man

I've been watching The Tudors lately and I have to say that now that I have gotten the chance to watch him act, I really like the choice of Henry Cavill for Superman in the upcoming Man of Steel.  Facially, he looks perfect for the role as well.  He resembles a Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez illustrated Superman.

Iron Man 3 seems to be shaping up nicely with the addition of Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.  He was always my choice to play Hugo Strange in a Batman sequel, but it will still be cool seeing him wreak havoc in the Marvel movieverse instead.

Batman and The Outsiders and The Transformers

I was hoping that there would be a place for The Outsiders in DC's New 52, but I don't know if that is going to happen.  Metamorpho has been replaced with by Element Woman, Black Lightning is hanging out with Blue Devil, Katana is about to join the JLA, and Geo-Force & Halo are nowhere to be found.  I'm sure that I am not the only fan of the team, though, so perhaps there is still a chance that we will still see them together sometime in the future.

Wildcat and The Black Panther

Wildcat is another victim of the New 52 DC Reboot.  Oh, I'm sure that James Robinson's Earth 2 series will feature some kind of take on Ted Grant, but from what we've seen thus far, I don't know if we can count on this new incarnation to resemble the Wildcat that we knew before.

With all of the Marvel movie news of late, I am surprised that we haven't heard anything new from the long-rumored Black Panther film.  A superhero who is also the king of a technologically advanced society in the jungles of Africa could make for a cool and unique film.  Marvel seems to want to have characters to add to its Avengers movie roster and T'Challa would be the perfect candidate, so hopefully we will hear some movement on a solo film soon.

The Damned

This cover originally was going to be Hellboy Vs. Fin Fang Foom, but I kept stumbling on more Mike Mignola images and I decided to make a complete team out of it.  This is a pretty powerful grouping so I imagine that there would have to be some pretty catastrophic events leading up to their assembling together...  and drama like that always makes for a fun comic.  I doubt that you would see this group hanging out with one another any longer than is necessary, so they would waste no time in getting right down to business. Each one has a curse of some sort upon them that they would like to lift, so that could add a personal stake for the members as well.

Han Solo and Captain Kirk

Forget Aliens Vs. Predator, this is the sci-fi team-up movie I would really like to see.  The  question is: Could movie screens contain the combined attitude and swagger of these two loose cannons?  I'm not sure but it would be fun to watch them interact.  Alas, short of a full on CGI film, this isn't likely to happen... but it's fun to speculate.

Superman and The Avengers

It's images like this that remind me why Superman needs an "S" shield on his cape.  For some reason or other, designers want to keep it off the costume and I feel that it just makes him look a little more generic.  It started with Superman: The Animated Series and on into Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.  OK, those shows got just about everything else right, so I can give them a pass and accept the reasoning that it was too hard to animate (although somehow they managed it on Super Friends, decades earlier).  But then the live action movies decided to drop it - first on Superman Returns and now on Man of Steel.  I just don't get how in this era of CGI that it would be a problem and again, it works so well design-wise to keep the shield.  The worst cut was in DC New 52 costume redesigns, where now it is gone even in the comics!  I can understand the reasoning behind losing the red trunks but this omission I just don't get.  Add in the fact that they changed the color of his belt to red, and you now have hardly any yellow on the costume at all.  The overall result is that the uniform just looks like it's missing something.

Hawk & Dove and Daredevil

It's too bad that Hawk and Dove was one of the first titles to be cancelled from DC New 52 line, but the characters and concepts are strong enough that I am hopeful that they will be given another shot sometime down the line.  Daredevil, on the other hand, seems to be in great shape lately.  The comic has been featuring fun tales with art from masters like Mike Allred and Marcos Martin., and now the movie rights have moved back to Marvel Studios.  The Joe Carnahan-proposed 70's take on the character sounded kind of cool, but I am really interested in what path Marvel will take.  I'm hoping for a TV series.

Firestorm and Power Man and Iron Fist

It looks like DC is re-thinking their most recent Firestorm comic series by getting it back to the "traditional one hero with two identities" concept and a costume closer to the classic look.  I have confidence in the talents of Dan Jurgens and definitely think this is a good move.  It will be interesting to see where Luke Cage and Danny Rand wind up once the Marvel Now initiative begins.  They have been hanging with the Avengers and Defenders for a while now, but with Marvel apparently wanting to look closer to their movie counterparts, I'm not sure if that will still be the case.

I liked the idea behind this cover but must confess that I didn't consider the ramifications when I first created it.  What would the merged hero be called?  Iron Man is already taken, so that would leave us with... Power Fist?  That just doesn't sound right.

Adam Strange and The Rocketeer

I am a fan of  movie serials from the 40's and 50's.  The budgets on these cliffhangers may have been low but there was never any shortage of action, plot twists, and daring escapes.  I of course gravitated towards the comic character starring serials, and it's a kick to see such early incarnations of Captain Marvel, Captain America or Batman and Robin in glorious black and white.  Probably my favorite serial is King of the Rocket Men, which was not based on a comic book hero - but certainly inspired a few.  The flying scenes are quite cool for the time and it must have been great to be a kid back then and see all of the great aerial action.  The Rocketeer would have been right at home in one of those old cliffhangers.  Adam Strange would have been another good choice, combining elements of King of the Rocket Men and Flash Gordon in one package.

Hawkman and Tor

I originally had another cover scheduled to go for today, but I felt that I should do something in tribute to my all-time favorite artist, Joe Kubert.  Kubert will be greatly missed, his nearly seven-decade career is filled with a body of work that amazingly got better and better with each year.  His painterly style showed a confidence that can only be gained by a constant commitment to the craft.  He was a master of the human form, as well as facial expressions and the effects of light and shadow.  Not only did he provide comic fans with tons of amazing work, his teachings at The Kubert School have passed along valuable lessons to countless other artists (not to mention his sons, Adam and Andy).  I count myself very lucky that I was able to meet Joe Kubert at a convention a few years back.  He couldn't have been more gracious in front of all of my fawning and when I shook his hand, he had a grip of iron - no doubt from clutching pens and pencils since the Golden Age.  Kubert was working right up to the present, with solicitations for Joe Kubert Presents just now appearing... and I can't wait to check out one more work from the master. RIP, Joe - you did it better than anyone else, and with style and class.

The Atom and The Hulk

Just a simple cover today, but I really liked how the images went together.  These two characters seem like an unlikely pair at first glance, but I don't think a tale featuring the two of them would be all that far fetched.  I can see Ray Palmer and Bruce Banner collaborating on some scientific venture when calamity breaks out and gamma and atomic hi-jinks ensue.  Or perhaps  they would run into each other in one of the microscopic societies that they like to visit. Either way, it would be a fun issue to read.

Wonder Woman and Captain America: Lost in Paradise!

When last we saw Cap and WW together, we learned they were engaged.  Well, this is comics and superhero marriages never seem to go without a hitch...

The more I hear about Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the more fun it sounds.  Not only will we see the present day Bucky, but The Falcon will also be appearing.  Anthony Mackie is a great choice for the role, I have enjoyed his work in The Hurt Locker and Million Dollar Baby among other films.  I was a little worried about the directorial change for this movie, but the new guys seem to be a fan of the same comics as I am.  Lets hope they tweak Cap's costume again and get the cowl closer to the classic look.

Superman and Marvelman

I was really hoping that when Marvel acquired the Marvelman rights that we would finally see his Miracleman adventures reprinted.  Alas, that still has not happened so I suppose I will have to be a bit more patient while whatever legalities that still need addressing are worked out.

I am hoping for good things with the upcoming Man of Steel.  The teaser trailer definitely gave the vibe that it will be different from any other Superman movies - which is a good thing as Superman Returns suffered from being too reverential to the Reeve films, which gave it a "been there, done that" feeling.  I loved the quick glimpse of Superman flying and I hope we get lots of in-costume action, as opposed to him only suiting up in the final scenes.  We should see a full trailer soon enough, which will give us a better idea of what to expect.

Power Girl and Spider-Woman

It was interesting looking at the solicits for Marvel's upcoming Avengers Assemble series the line-up of the teem seems to mirror that of the movie Avengers, with one addition: Spider-Woman.  Could this mean that marvel is grooming the character to join the live-action team?  Since Spider-Man is controlled by another studio and off-limits, could this be a way for Marvel to get some of their own spider-action up on the big screen?  If so, it may be a packed movie because Ant-Man and The Falcon are set to be introduced prior to the sequel as well.  It's all conjecture at this point but that's part of the fun.

Blue Beetle & Booster Gold Join The Defenders

I can't imagine a team featuring this group would last that long, but is sure would be fun to watch.  I was always surprised that with all of the spin-offs to Giffen/DeMatteis and Maguire's 80's Justice League, that DC never put out a Blue and Gold series.  They were one of the best buddy teams in comics and I'm sure it could have been a fun romp.  Alas, Ted Kord was killed off, so chances are slim we will ever see such a series.  Nobody ever stays dead forever in comics though, so there's always hope.

Adam Strange and Space Ghost (Part Two)

I had to make this one a two-parter because I really like how these heroes go together. Between the similar color schemes, settings and menaces that they battle, they seem to be characters that would be a natural fit with one another.  Space Ghost was probably the first non-DC or Marvel superhero that I really became a fan of, due to his appearances on Hanna-Barbera's World of Super-Adventure from my youth.  For some reason, when I think back on those shows, the element that stands out in my mind the most is the sound effects.  Those cool spaceship, monster, and wrist blast sounds, coupled with the fun character design, made up for the simplistic animation that was used.  Still, I would love to see an updated Space Ghost cartoon, done straight in today's style.  The Batman: The Brave and the Bold  appearance was fun, but I want more!

Adam Strange and Space Ghost (Part One)

I haven't seen Adam Strange popping up in the new DCU, and that's too bad because DC had been doing a good job of featuring him prior to the relaunch.  Hopefully when he returns, he will not have strayed too far from the elements that made him great - a man of two worlds who uses science, courage and  ingenuity to battle outlandish menaces.

One great Alex Toth design deserves another, so I thought I would throw Igoo in here as well as Space Ghost.

Justice League of America and Power Man & Iron Fist

Seth Rogen's Green Hornet may have turned studios off to the concept of a buddy comedy superhero movie, but I still think that Marvel should give Power Man and Iron Fist a try.  I'd love to see a period piece set in the 70's which fully embraces their classic looks - high collar, chain belt and all.  Of course, that's not the only route.  A modern day setting which includes elements of Brian Michael Bendis and Matt Fraction's  takes on the characters could be cool as well.  I have heard of solo films for both of them mentioned, but I think they work best together... perhaps Marvel is more interested in starting solo and building to the team up film, though, given their success with The Avengers.

Judge Dredd Vs. The Hulk

Judge Dredd is coming back to theaters soon with Dredd, and it looks like it will be a better adaptation than the original Sylvester Stallone-starring attempt.  There seems to be no wacky sidekicks this time around, and Dredd keeps his helmet on the entire movie.  I've seen a trailer and an extended scene, and it has a very stylized look to the action and violence that reminds me of comic book imagery.  I originally thought the helmet looked too big on Karl Urban in still photos, but I have to admit it looks better in action.  It's been a pretty decent year for comic book films, and this doesn't look to break the streak.

The Joker and Godzilla

I'm still waiting for a great Godzilla movie.  I can watch all the classic man-in-suit Toho films for their kitsch factor, but they are hardly very convincing.  I remember being very excited when I heard the folks behind Independence Day would be updating the franchise, but then the design of the monster, cartoonish characters and silly Godzilla-babies side plot ultimately undermined it for me.  Really, the closest I have seen to cool Godzilla action is the film Cloverfield.  Reading reports of the latest Comicon, it seems like the teaser for the new Godzilla film took everyone by surprise and was one of the big hits of the convention.  This has me cautiously optimistic, and I hope that footage is available on the web soon, because I am dying to see it.

Sgt. Rock and Nick Fury

One of the more exciting solicitations I have seen from DC lately is for Joe Kubert Presents.  A six issue series that gives my all time favorite artist an opportunity to do whatever he wants?  I'm in.  Kubert plans to include some of the characters he is famous for, like Hawkman and Sgt. Rock, as well as other features.  Kubert's multi-decade career is amazing and he incredibly still seems to be getting better!

The Phantom Stranger and Doctor Strange

I was glad to see that The Phantom Stranger is set to receive his own ongoing series in the next phase of DC's New 52.  He has spent the last couple of decades as a guest star or cameo in other characters' titles, and I think that he has a lot more to offer.  I still fondly remember his original series, mainly due to the excellent artwork by Jim Aparo.  That series has some of my favorite covers ever.