Legion of Super-Heroes and Guardians of the Galaxy

The first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy has been released, and while it doesn't reveal much in the way of plot, it looks like a lot of fun.  I really liked the designs of all the characters, Nebula looked especially cool in the quick cuts that were shown of her.  Of course, what I was really curious about was how Rocket Raccoon and Groot would be handled, and I was not disappointed.  What a blast to see Rocket scurrying around Groot's back, firing a machine gun!  The humor seems front and center here, hopefully the film will have it's share of action as well.  I thought that too much wacky humor was a detriment to the latest Iron Man and Thor films, but it looks like it might just work with this movie.

Dick Tracy and Batwoman

There's something about the original Batwoman that I always got a kick out of.  Maybe it was the the way she flustered Batman and Robin by involving herself in their adventures, or maybe it was just her cool looking costume, complete with Bat-Purse, that you could never get away with today.  It might have been fun to see her mix it up with Dick Tracy the way she would with the caped crusaders.  They both looked great in yellow!

Superman and Zot!

Zot! was a comic by Scott McCloud that was published from 1984 to 1990, just as comics were getting into the grim and gritty phase, so its bright visuals and upbeat attitude really stood out.  McCloud later went on to write and illustrate the great Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics, must reads for any fan of the genre.

Batman and Moon Knight in "Winner Takes the Cave!"

It would be interesting to see Marvel put Moon Knight up on the big screen and present to the viewers their version of a Batman-type film.  Moon Knight's costume would be a huge challenge, I think.  It looks great in the comics, but I don't know how they could make a white uniform give off the cool shadows that it does on the page.  Then there's the mask, which completely obscures the character's face, and we know how Hollywood hates that.  Despite these hurdles, I'd love to see an attempt to bring him to live action, either in the movies or on Netflix with the other street level Marvel shows.

Iceman and Robin

Iceman was a fun character to play as when I was a young kid.  My ankles never handled ice skates too well, but I didn't mind because I could slide along the ice just like Bobby Drake... not to mention create and hurl snowballs!  The New England winters gave me all the props I needed.

Spider-Man and Sgt. Rock

When I stumbled onto this Joe Kubert Spider-Man from a printing company's promotional comic, I had to team him up with one of the characters that Kubert was famous for illustrating.  It's a shame that we didn't see Joe Kubert do more work at Marvel, I would have loved to have seen a his art on an issue of Thor or The Hulk.  At least we got to see his sons, Andy and Adam, work on a lot of Marvel characters over the years.

Darkseid Vs. Thanos

One of the frustrating things about DC dragging their feet in getting their characters up on the big screen is that they look like copycats even when their concepts may have come first.  A JLA fim is being planned, but there will have been two Avengers movies by the time it hits theaters.  The Flash is sure to be included, but Quicksilver will already have had his moment to shine.  DC waited too long to feature Brainiac in a Superman movie, and when they ultimately do, he may come off as an Ultron rip off, since that robotic Despot  received a starring role first.  Then of course there is Darkseid, DC's big villain.... who is going to look pretty similar to Thanos of the Marvel movies.  C'mon, DC - it doesn't matter if you have great characters if you keep getting beaten to the punch!

Marvel Zombies are The Walking Dead

I continue to enjoy AMC's The Walking Dead, even though I tend to watch half of the episodes with my hands covering my eyes - I'm not a big fan of the gore.  Still, I love the tension that is built up over the course of the seasons and the core cast of characters give solid performances.  I've read of plans to spin off the show, and I don't know how wise of an idea that is.  They have good thing going now, and I wouldn't want to see it diluted.

The Flash and Quicksilver in "Fast Track to Hollywood!"

Quicksilver will be featured in not one but two upcoming movies.  It will be interesting to see the two competing versions of the character that directors Joss Whedon (Avengers: The Age of Ultron) and Bryan Singer (X-Men: Days of Future Past) put forth.  We haven't seen anything from Aaron-Taylor Johnson's version, but there have been a few photos released of the X-Men's Pietro... wearing a garish silver jacket.  I don't think Whedon has much to worry about.

Zatanna and Doctor Strange in "The Penance of Zatatra!"

One of the first times I really saw how DC's superhero comics were all interconnected was my introduction to Zatanna.  Gardener Fox wrote a series of stories where she guest starred in various comics - Detective, The Atom, Hawkman and Green Lantern - searching for her missing father.  It was very cool when I discovered that all these adventures spanning various titles were linked, and I was dying to find more connections between the heroes I loved.  These early Zatanna appearances are collected in the TPB JLA: Zatanna's Search, well worth seeking out (gorgeous artwork too).

Batman and Powers

Brian Michael Bendis is well known for his Marvel work, but my favorite stories of his are from before he joined the mainstream superhero world.  I enjoyed Jinx and Torso, and especially Powers.  He and artist Michael Avon Oeming told cool stories of cops in a world of superheroes, filled with mystery, plot twists, and great dialogue.  A TV series was recently attempted, but never made it to air.  It's too bad, it would make a cool live action show.

The Demon Vs. Ghost Rider

I think it would be cool to see these two in a story together.  They both have strong ties to the underworld and  while they fight on the side of justice, you wouldn't want to get too close to either one of them.  Plus, they just look cool side by side.

The Greatest American Hero meets The Thing and The Hulk

We are in a time now where superhero fans have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to TV and movies.  Sure, we can argue about the quality of the productions and the fidelity to the characters we read about, but there is no denying that there is plenty to choose from.  Back in the day, this simply was not the case, so I was very happy for the rare TV series that featured super-heroics.  They may seem hokey by today's standards, but shows like The Incredible Hulk and The Greatest American Hero were appointment television for me in my youth.

Cyborg and Colossus

I recently watched the animated Justice League :War, based on the New 52 version of the team.  I had only read the first issue of the new run so I was not sure what to expect.  While there were some good action sequences, I would have to rate it as one of DC's less enjoyable animated movies, definitely the weakest of their JLA efforts.  What killed it for me was all the odd decisions - the weird characterizations of Superman, Wonder Woman and especially Green Lantern made them unlikable to me.  Wonder Woman's costume redesign was just ugly.  The use of adult language seemed out of place and arbitrary as well.  It was my first exposure to Cyborg as a member of the group, and I didn't mind him there.  Still, I miss his relationships with his fellow new Teen Titans members, and I hope that aspect of the character isn't gone for good.

Supergirl and Colossus

I was glad to see that Colossus is among the characters returning for X-Men: Days of Future Past.  His brief moment in X2: X-Men United was fun and I was hoping to see more of him in the third film.  He was in there, but again did not have much to do.  With such a huge cast for the newest film, I am not expecting much more screen time for him, but hopefully they will have fine tuned the armored up look by now.  We've seen enough films with fully CGI characters to know that having Colossus in his full metal glory for more than a few quick shots is more than doable.

Hitman and Hellboy

DC Comics Bloodlines crossover event from 1993 was meant to introduce a bunch of new characters to their comics line, but only one wound up striking a chord with readers and sticking around.  At first I just saw Hitman as a Punisher rip off, and gave his series a pass.  I picked up a TBP of his first few issues a few years later and was glad I gave it another shot.  I found the stories to be funny and action filled and I loved the attitude of the main character, Tommy Monaghan.  I wound up picking up the rest of the series soon after. Sometimes I think Garth Ennis-penned stories can get a bit too violent and mean spirited, but with Hitman he hit just the right balance.

Martian Manhunter Vs. The Super Skrull

I have already featured a couple of covers where J'onn J'onzz has gotten in trouble by being mistaken for a Skrull, so I thought it was about time that he confronted the villain behind the deception.  Who says this isn't the swinging STF age of resolving dangling plot lines? 'Nuff said!

The Avengers and Batman in "Deleting the Detective!"

The Avengers sequel is getting more and more crowded.  The Vision has been added to a cast that already includes Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Maria Hill and Ultron.  I figured that given the Ultron plot, The Vision might be hinted at or show up right at the end, but from the announcement That Paul Bettany will be playing the role, it seems like he will have a somewhat larger part.  Yeah, the movie will indeed be crowded - but so what, so were most of my favorite Avengers comics!

Spider-Man and Doc Savage

One the cooler stories from Marvel Two-In-One was when The Thing teamed with Doc Savage.  I knew Marvel had publishing rights to the character at the time, but it was still unexpected to see the Man of Bronze cross into the mainstream Marvel universe.  I had hoped that there would be a similar appearance with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up, but it never came to be.

Iron Man and James Bond

This feels like a natural pairing to me.  These guys both look great in a tux, have a weakness for the ladies, are quick with a one-liner, have a habit of ignoring orders from their government contacts and are constantly upgrading their high-tech gadgets - I think that they would have a lot to talk about, and it would be fun to see them share an adventure.

Ash Vs. Leatherface

Well, it's issue #666, so I figured I would have to come up with something suitably evil.  I actually enjoyed horror comics more than horror movies growing up, as the violence was more suggested rather than right in my face.  Some of my all-time favorite comic images are the creepy covers from horror titles like Unexpected, House of Mystery and The Witching Hour.

Adam Strange Vs. Galactus / Guardian Vs. Guardian

With all the snowstorms this season, it's been a good time to hole up inside and watch some double features.  In that spirit, this cover features a couple of tales that I think would make for a fun one-two punch of a comic.

Static and Storm

I was a fan of Static in the comics and thought that his animated series was a lot of fun.  DC made a big deal about integrating him and the rest of the Milestone heroes into the mainstream universe, but they haven't done a whole lot with them since.  Hopefully that will change, as that imprint had a lot of great ideas and characters.

Snoopy Vs. Enemy Ace

One of the great things about Snoopy was the way Charles Schulz let readers in on his imagination.  We went along for the ride as he envisioned himself as Joe Cool, a prize-winning author, or a crack fighter pilot.  I'm sure that aspect of the Peanuts comic strip was one of the many things that served as an inspiration for future cartoonists like Bill Watterson.

Wonder Woman and Captain America in "Far From The Tree!"

Well, that Superbowl was a big dud, but at least we got to see some cool commercials for upcoming comic book movies.   The one that made the most impression on me is Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  With Black Widow, Nick fury and now the Falcon joining Cap for the adventure, it looks to be more of a follow up to The Avengers than the latest sequel to Iron Man and Thor.  Basing the story on the great Ed Brubaker story line was a wise move, as the film looks to be filled with all the action and intrigue of his comic book run.

Hawk and Dove and Cloak and Dagger

These crime-fighting pairs may have never broken through to the A-list, but I have always been a big fan of both of them.  Hawk and Dove have had several incarnations in the DC Universe and my favorite is still the original Steve Ditko team - I love the idea of brothers who work together despite their differing views and styles.  Cloak and Dagger have such a cool back story and visual that I am surprised that Marvel hasn't announced plans for some sort of live action translation - I think they would be perfect for it, and there's a ton of potential there.

Another Hawk and Dove team met Cloak and Dagger in STF #479...

Green Lantern Vs. The Green Goblin

I was excited at the casting of Chris Cooper, one of my favorite actors, in the role of Norman Osborne for the Amazing Spider-Man franchise.  From what I can tell though, we will have to wait until at least the third installment before he undergoes the transformation into The Green Goblin.  They do seem to have Harry Osborne showing up as some sort of proto-Goblin character, but the few images that have been released make him look pretty ridiculous.  WIllbem Dafoe and James Franco were fine as the Osbornes, but their costumes never looked right either.  Spider-Man's arch-foe shouldn't be so hard to translate to the big screen, and I wonder why the filmmakers always seem to have such trouble.

Green Arrow and Ghost Rider

I'm glad I stuck with Arrow on the CW.  Sure, it's still kind of crazy how everyone in the show has model good looks, as happens on most of the shows from that network, but the series has really grown since it began.  The action scenes are great, and Stephen Amell makes a convincing and likable Green Arrow.  Oliver Queen is progressing towards being the full fledged hero from the comics, interacting with lots of characters from the DC Universe.  The last episode had Amanda Waller recruiting The Bronze Tiger for the Suicide Squad, so that has me really looking forward to the future.  I can't wait for The Flash to come on the air to see how the two series will interact.