Thor and Kamandi

It's been a while since I did an all-Kirby cover and I can't believe I missed one of the most obvious pairings yet!  These two guys look like they could be related, and indeed, that's what I based my concept around. I am glad that the Marvel movies are bringing new attention to some of Kirby's characters, as his world of imagination deserves to be introduced to a new generation of fans.  Hopefully we will see more of his work translated to the big screen - a live action Kamandi or New Gods film would be epic, and not such a crazy idea as they might have seemed 10-15 years ago.

Justice League of America and Madman

I always got a kick out of "initiation issues" in team comics.  Like comic book weddings, bringing a new member on board a team never seemed to go without a hitch. It was interesting to see how the existing members would react to the new addition.  Usually, the new teammate would have to step up and prove their worth by issue's end by overcoming impossible odds or their own personal demons.  When I was a kid growing up and trying to fit in with various groups, it was nice to see that even superheroes  could struggle to find their place and  be accepted.

The Human Torch and Green Lantern

I realize that comic companies always like to look forward and latch on to the latest hot fads and styles, but there is definitely something to be said for looking to the past as well.  I love superheroes and I love period pieces, so superhero comics set in the past have always had an appeal to me.  I miss comics like All-Star Squadron or The Invaders, that were set during WWII.  It's great to see the heroes operating in the time frame that they were actually created in, and it takes me back to reading those classic Golden Age reprints of their original adventures.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for a kid to read those wartime comics fresh off of the stands.

Batman and Moon Knight in "Knight Moves"

This is a tale that I could actually see happening if these two characters ever actually got together.  Batman likes the costume-swap-to-confuse-your-enemies maneuver, he and Superman used to use it all the time.  Marc Spector has always had difficulty managing multiple personalities, though - so it's a plan that is bound to backfire when he gets involved.  Will Bruce Wayne be able to knock some sense back into him?  The answer is only 60 cents away!

Captain Kirk Vs. The Guardians of the Universe

I guess that the Guardians of the Universe (self-appointed title by the way) meant well at the beginning, but they seem to have caused as much trouble in the universe as they have prevented.  I think a run in with James T. Kirk would be just the kick in the pants that they need to straighten up their act.  They may or may not follow his advice, but it would certainly be fun to watch them butt heads with the Captain of The Enterprise.

Zatanna and Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange seems to be one of the characters next on the horizon for Marvel's movie universe, and it is going to be interesting to see where they go with the property.  I have been pretty impressed with their casting so far, and I'm trying to think of what direction they will be going with as far as who will be portraying Stephen Strange.  Viggo Mortenson would be a cool choice, if they don't mind casting a bit older as they did with Iron Man.  Whoever they cast is going to have to be able to make Strange's mystical incantations sound cool, and he did well with the Tolkein dialogue he was give as Aragorn.

Doctor Light and Photon

Here are two great character that we don't see enough of.  Monica Rambeau has been known as Captain marvel, Pulsar and Photon, and has served time in The Avengers and Nextwave.  With all the Avengers titles floating around these days, hopefully she will find a permanent home on one of the teams and get her chance to shine again.  I was a big fan of the new female Doctor Light when she was introduced in Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I really thought she was going to be a bigger star.  Sadly, other than a blink-and-you-miss-it stint on The Justice League, DC hasn't really seemed to know what to do with her since then.  I still think that she has a lot of potential, so hopefully she will get another chance in the New 52.

Black Canary and Conan

Well, if Green Arrow is going to have a wandering eye, you can't really blame Black Canary for having a little fun on the side as well.

Dinah Lance can be currently be seen Laurel Lance on the series Arrow, but she doesn't bear much resemblance to the fishnet-sporting super-heroine just yet.  Still, they have established that she is somewhat adept at martial arts, so the seeds have been planted for her to develop into the character we know from the comics.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has made his return to movies, and one of his upcoming projects is going to be a new Conan film.  It seems like a crazy idea at his age, but maybe with a good script and some time in the gym, the producers and director can actually make it work.  It will be interesting to see what becomes of the project.

Green Arrow and Red Sonja

Green Arrow has been known to be quite the ladies' man, so I wanted to create a cover where that trait might be backfiring against him.  I think any man would reconsider their "love'em and leave 'em" ways after attempting to jilt the she-devil with a sword!  I could have told him that redheads had fiery tempers!  At any rate, the events of this issue will have repercussions, as you will see in part two tomorrow...

The Avengers Vs. The Secret Society of Super-Villains

The latest news on the Justice League film is that the script has been scrapped and the producers are going back to the drawing board.  This is not a bad thing to me, as it seemed that the film was being rushed into production to capitalize on the success of The Avengers.  The script had the JLA facing off against Darkseid, which sounded a little too close to the alien invasion and plot from Marvel's film, not to mention the visual similarities to Thanos.  The JLA needs to stake out its own territory, so what could be cooler than an all out JLA vs. The Secret Society movie?  Yeah it would be a lot of characters, but the writers on the Justice League animated series did it more than once and made it work. It might even be cool to see an adaptation of Justice, the great mini-series by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Doug Braithwaite. It would also remind older viewers of the Challenge of the Super-Friends cartoons from their youth, which would add in a nostalgia factor.  I would still prefer solo films for Flash and Wonder Woman at least before a JLA movie, but if they just want to dive right in, it might be fun to see them go crazy with a big concept like a battle with the Society.

Alfred and Jarvis

This pairing has been one of my most frequent requests.  I can understand why, because I have always enjoyed both characters and the unique perspective they bring to the comic book worlds that they inhabit.  I've actually lost track of Jarvis in the past several years.  Did he survive the Brian Michael Bendis era?  Has Marvel tried to transform him into just a computer program, to more closely reflect the movies?  I hope he has received better treatment than that!  Alfred just survived another close call with The Joker, but I am sure he`ll be sticking around.  He looks to have a large role to play in the upcoming Beware the Batman animated series and it's only a matter of time before we see him in a rebooted Batman film franchise. Let's hope the next actor to play him will be sporting a mustache for once!

Iron Man Vs. The Iron Giant

C'mon, you can't really blame The Iron Giant here.  All brightly colored and metallic, Tony Stark must look like a nice piece of candy to him.  I imagine that he would realize his error before things went too far and by the end of the story, both characters would receive an upgrade in their hardware by combining their technology.

The Flash and Northstar

The flash has one of the greatest costume designs in comics.  Carmine Infantino came up with a simple, sleek uniform that looks great in motion, and it has deservedly stood the test of time.  When Wally West took over the mantle of The Flash, a few tweaks were made.  The material was shinier and the eyes where whited out, but it was still close enough to the classic design for me.  The latest revamp with the New 52 reboot was less successful in my eyes.  I don't see what adding a chin strap and a whole bunch of unnecessary seams does besides make the suit look busy.  The artists like to have the seams glow and crackle with energy when he uses his powers, but to me that usually looks messy and more like his abilities are based on electricity rather than speed.

You could tell that John Byrne was going for that sleek Silver Age type of designs with his uniforms for the members of Alpha Flight.  Their cool, simple looks were very effective and have for the most part remained unaltered over three decades later.

Ambush Bug and The Hulk

It's a good thing that Ambush Bug can teleport because it is a skill that would come in handy if he were to ever join up with The Hulk for an adventure.  Their color scheme is about the only thing that they have in common, and I think that their differences in style would make for a fun romp.  I really hope that Keith Giffen brings Ambush Bug into the New 52, because I would love to see what he has to say about the changed landscape.

Harley Quinn and The Punisher

I thought I would put together a new romance for Valentine's Day.  There aren't a lot of characters that would give Harley Quinn the same thrill to be with that she gets from The Joker, but Frank Castle might just fit the bill.  Of course, he may not always reciprocate her feelings, but since when has that stopped Harley?  Whatever the result of this match made in Arkham, it would certainly be fun to read about.

The Creeper and Spider-Man in: "Creeper Vs. Crawler - Round 2!"

This was the very first pairing that I featured in my Super-Team Family covers, and I wanted to see them together again, this time with more of a Bronze Age feel.  I'm not sure what the status of The Creeper is these days, but he is one of my favorite Ditko creations, so I hope he doesn't stay off of DC's table for too long.  I was excited to see The Creeper's alter ego, Jack Ryder, show up in the excellent Arkham City video game, but alas he did not appear in costume.  Maybe next time!

The Question and Rorschach

As most comics fans know, Alan Moore was originally going to use the Charlton characters for the his Watchmen series.  I think that he and DC ultimately made the right decision in creating all-new characters for the story instead, but part of me has always been curious as to what the final result would have looked like if he had gone with The Question, Blue Beetle, Nightshade and the rest, rather than Rorschach, Nite-Owl, Silk Spectre and the other cast members of Watchmen.  How much would the use of the Charlton gang have affected mainstream DC continuity down the line?  Would the comic have still reached its legendary status, spawning prequels and a movie?  It's interesting to speculate on, but I am glad we have two sets of cool characters instead of just one.

The Spectre and Ghost Rider

The 90's were a crazy time for comics.  Poplarity and speculation were at an all time high and comic companies were doing whatever they could to keep up with the demand.  The Spectre and Ghost Rider were two characters that benefited from the influx of new titles.  Once a C-Lister, the Ghost Rider got a second chance and hit a chord with readers, going on to support multiple titles and becoming one of Marvel's star players for a while.  The 1990's Spectre series by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake was one of the best (and most overlooked) titles from the decade.  It's an almost perfect 60-issue run and it's a shame that more people dod not get a chance to catch it.  Hopefully now that Jim Corrigan has been reinstated as The Spectre in the New 52, DC will consider reprinting the series in trade paperback form..

Man-Thing in Dagobah

Like most Star Wars fans, I am looking forward to the new films and having old favorites like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker back up one the big screen.  I know that decades have passed and age is a factor, but I still would prefer a script set around the original characters than one where new characters dominate the action.  Fortunately, the non-Human characters like Chewbacca and the Droids are much easier to bring back, so I hope that means we can count on them getting a lot of screen time.  Sure, they may have to add some wisps of grey to Chewie's coat and explain how a couple of robots built with 60 year old technology would still be able to keep up, but that's no reason for them not to have their moment in the spotlight again!

The Beast and Metamorpho

Here are two of my absolute favorite characters in all of comics.  Unfortunately, I can't say that I am thrilled to see the way they have been treated lately.  I was very glad to hear that The Beast would finally be losing the cat-like appearance that he has had since the Grant Morrison run on the X-Men titles, as that look never worked for me.  But instead of reverting back to his classic look from the 80's, his new redesign is even less appealing.  In an interview, new writer Brian Michael Bendis said that they didn't even consider going back to his classic look because it would have been "too nostalgic".  What?  What's wrong with being nostalgic once in a while, and besides - isn't Bendis the one who brought back the original first class in their classic looks in the very same title?  His reasoning doesn't make much sense to me.

Still, at least Hank McCoy is still around!  Rex Mason is nowhere to be found, and has been replaced in the New 52 with Element Woman.  She's like Metamorpho... but she's sexy!  is that any way to treat Bob Haney's greatest creation?

J. Jonah Jameson Vs. Perry White

One of the main things missing for me in the latest Spider-Man film was J. Jonah Jameson and the Daily Bugle.  Of course, J.K. Simmons did such a great job in the role, it is understandable that the producers would be hesitant include the character.  Still, he's too big a part of the Spider-Man mythos to ignore, so I imagine they will include him the next time out.  Whoever they cast has some big shoes to fill.

Lawrence Fishburne will be the latest actor to portray Perry White, and boy does that make me feel old!  Martin Sheen and Lawrence Fishburne, two skinny kids from Apocalypse Now, are now starring as Uncle Ben and Perry White.  What happened to the time?

Justice League of America Vs. The Avengers (And More!)

I wanted to do something special for an anniversary issue, so I figured what better than a 100-Page Giant?  I used to absolutely devour those when I was growing up.  In addition to the main feature, they would include reprints of classic tales as well.   Those served as my introduction to many characters and creators that I had been previously unaware of, and really opened a whole new world for me.  Add in the special features like puzzle pages and text stories, and a single issue would keep me entertained for an entire evening.  Those were the days!

Black Beauties

All-female teams were once a rarity, but we are seeing more and more of them these days.  DC has done a great job of showcasing some of their lesser known characters with their various Birds of Prey series.  Marvel now has The Fearless Defenders, to serve that purpose as well.  Even their latest Uncanny X-Men line-up is featuring an all female cast - goodness knows there are enough mutants to fill it with.  Then you have Danger Girl and The Powerpuff Girls,  a couple of trios that have been kicking butt for over a decade now. Heck, this won't even be my last all-female team on the blog.  The day of the damsel in distress is over!

Green Lantern and The X-Men

X-Men: Days of Future Past is shaping up to be a very interesting, if crowded, film.  Brian Singer will be uniting the cast from his X-Men films with that of X-Men: First Class in a film that promises sentinels and time travel.  I hope that the film ends with something closer to the comic book timeline, as the series has played fast and loose with the continuity thus far.

The word is still out on which Green Lantern will be showing up in the Justice League film, and I doubt that we will hear much concrete information until Man of Steel hits the theaters.  While I would like to see Hal Jordan get a Hulk in The Avengers type of rehabilitation, I wouldn't mind seeing John Stewart in the film.  I have always liked the character and he worked well in the animated series.

Jimmy Olsen and Mr. Fantastic

I consider this a sequel to the Thing/Jimmy Olsen cover I did back during the MTIO run, in which Jimmy got up to a lot of trouble messing around in Reed Richard's lab.  It seems only fitting that Jimmy would atone by helping Reed out with a few science projects. I shouldn't be so hard on the poor kid though, he's had a rough couple of weeks.  The latest rumor is that he has been jettisoned in the upcoming Man of Steel film and replaced with "Jenny Olsen".  He just can't get a break.

The Super-Skrull Joins The Superman Family

The Superman titles of my youth may seem kind of hokey by today's standards, but they were endlessly creative.  This was a time when you couldn't spend six months on one plotline, each issue was its own epic, so the editors and writers were constantly coming up with wild  new conflicts and concepts for our hero to face.  Add in great artwork by by the likes of Curt Swan or Jim Mooney, and you had stories that I just devoured for all the crazy ideas contained within.  Grant Morrison is about the only current writer to tap into that side of Superman for his stories, and it's no wonder his work with the character has been so well received.

Hellboy and Daredevil

It's funny, I work so far ahead with these covers that sometimes some of the ideas on them come to pass before I have gotten a chance to post them.  Some of my Marvel/Star Wars mashups don't seem so crazy anymore now that Diseny owns both companies.  I have some upcoming covers featuring characters like Vibe and Amethyst that I created before it was announced that they were being revived and given their own titles.  This story has Hellboy trapped in Hell and indeed Mike Mignola's crimson hero has died in the comics and now his adventures continue in the pages of Hellboy in Hell.  This is a cool chapter in the Hellboy saga, and I look forward to seeing where Mignola takes him next.

Tarzan and Ka-Zar

Talk about a couple of overachievers!  As if living in the jungle and fending off attacks from lions, tigers and crocodiles in only a loincloth didn't make them tough enough, they both regularly seemed to be going toe to toe with dinosaurs as well!  It's a good thing they have their trusty knives on them at all times (how do you think that they always keep their faces so clean shaven?)