Green Lantern and Nova in "Pirates of Ganymede!"

Generally I don't like too many versions of a character running around, as I think it tends to dilute the original.  Green Lantern and Nova are exceptions since they each come from a Corps of characters, and it makes sense to have more than one hero assuming the titles.  Even though I am a big fan of Hal Jordan and Richard Rider, Kyle Rayner and Sam Alexander have proven themselves to be interesting character in their own right.

The Fantastic Four and Transformers

The latest Transformers film is out, and for me it is hard to get excited about it after the second two installments in the franchise, which I found to be noisy messes with juvenile humor.  The addition of Mark Wahlberg and the Dinobots originally had me a bit interested, but the movie's reported 2 hour 20 minute run time and lackluster reviews have convinced me that it will be a rental at most.  I'm sure the film will make boatloads of money though, so I don't think Michael Bay is too worried about my  lack of support.

Spider-Man and He-Man

I'd love to see Spidey mix it up with the inhabitants of the Masters of the Universe world, if only to see his reactions to the various characters within.  I remember getting a kick out of a lot of the names and designs.  The one villain that always killed me was Stinkor, a skunk-man whose power was that he smelled really bad!  I'm sure the Web-Slinger would have a one-liner or two for that guy!

Doctor Mid-Nite and Daredevil in "Second Sight!"

This "Blind Justice" team was one of my first, so I thought it was high time I gave them a revisit.  Casting for the Daredevil Netflix series continues to impress, with Rosario Dawson coming on board in an unnamed role.  Some have speculated that she will be playing Elektra, but my first thought was Misty Knight - a character that could continue into Iron Fist, Luke Cage and the other Netflix/Marvel shows.

Hellboy and The Hulk

Ron Perlman has been quoted as saying that he would be up for a third installment of Hellboy, and I hope that he finds a way to make it happen.  Between the lack of blockbuster-type box office numbers of the second film and Guillermo Del Toro's busy schedule, I figured that we would not be seeing the end of the Hellboy trilogy.  Here's to Ron Perlman and company proving me wrong!

The Atom and Elfquest

I wasn't near any shops that sold Elfquest when it began, but I remember really appreciating the art from the series that I saw in The Comics Buyer's Guide and other publications.  Wendy and Richard Pini created a whole fantasy world that was epic in scope and lavishly illustrated.  I had read for years about the desire to translate Elfquest to animation or live action, but nothing ever seemed to materialize with that.  That surprises me, it seems like a natural property to adapt.

Dr. Doom Conquers The Doom Patrol

I have been reading the original appearances of The Doom Patrol lately and I am reminded of how that team was ahead of its time.  I can see why some consider it to be more suited to Marvel because their stories read like a comic that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby might have produced, with the crazy villains and concepts, as well as the interesting personalities of the heroes.  Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani really created a gem.

The Lost Issues in Back Issue!

I am thrilled to get a very nice mention in the editorial of this month's Back Issue magazine!  Thanks to Michael Eury for the kind words and awesome plug!  This is especially cool for me as I consider Back Issue to be the best comics mag around.  You can get a copy of this issue (or any of TwoMorrow's Publishing's great magazines and books) here:

http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1128

X-Men and The Marvel Family

Shazam finally seems to be coming to the movies, after more than a decade of rumors, in Nikki Finke's leaked list of upcoming DC Comics films is to be believed.  I think that if handled correctly, it could be a ton of fun.  Hopefully it will be a contrast from all of the grim superhero films we have seen and include a sense of whimsy along with the heroics,  just as the best Marvel Family comics used to have.

Justice League of America Vs. The Vision & The Scarlet Witch (And More!)

Magical comic characters are coming to the big and small screen, and it will be interesting to see how they are handled.  Scarlet Witch is of course among the the new Avengers slated to appear in the upcoming sequel.  Hopefully her powers will be clearly defined, as they can be a bit murky in the comics at times.  Doctor Strange has found a director in Scott Derrickson, and we should hear about casting soon.  On TV, I saw a trailer for Constantine that included Doctor Fate's helmet, so it seems that show will be a way to introduce more of the magical corners of the DCU.  I'm a fan of all of these heroes on the printed page, and I hope their live action counterparts are just as enjoyable.

Concrete and Tarzan

Joe Kubert's Tarzan and Paul Chadwick's Concrete have some of the most beautifully illustrated scenery in comics.  The lush backgrounds help to reinforce the respect that their title characters have for their  environment.  That's just one of the reasons that those comics are so enjoyable to reread time after time.

Skip Tracers

For this team, I wanted to come up with a group of guys that someone in hiding really would not on their trail.  I can only imagine the types of bad guys that would get this group to join forces, as most of them prefer to work alone... but that's part of what appealed to me about the concept - sort of like a comic book version of the Expendables.

Man-Bat and Scooby-Doo!

Scooby-Doo is the latest film franchise to have a reboot announced.  Warner Brothers has tasked The Newsroom's Randall Green with bringing the members of Mystery Incorporated back to the big screen.  I'm not sure what will be different about this new take, as the earlier films were pretty close translations of the cartoon.  Hopefully the new Scooby will be a little less creepy looking - the CGI they used for him in the first two films wasn't completely effective for me, giving the character kind of a creepy vibe.

The Thing Vs. Amazo

Amazo has always been one of my favorite Justice League villains.  Being a one-man JLA himself, he was one of the few bad guys that could go solo up against the whole team.  The animated Justice League Unlimited  gave hum somewhat of a bland re-design, but I like what they did with then character, and how he evolved from appearance to appearance.  He would be a cool character to appear in a Justice League film... provided Marvel doesn't get the Super-Adaptoid on screen first!

Brainiac Conquers The Marvel Universe

I am usually not a fan of character redesigns that completely overhaul what has gone before.  One exception was with Brainiac.  When the "new" Brainiac was revealed in the 80's, I was a big fan of the robotic look.  Sure it was a huge change from the green-skinned, pink-shirt wearing villain I had come to know, but I thought it was much more imposing and made sense for the character.  Later incarnations veered back closer to the original design, but there must still be a lot of fans of the 80's look, as it continues to show up in Brainiac's skull ship and robotic minions.

The Legion of Super-Pets and Rocket Raccoon

Back in 1978, audiences were promised, "You will believe a man can fly", and with the release of Superman: The Movie they saw that promise fulfilled. Now over three decades later, the new promise is, "You will believe a raccoon can operate a machine gun!"  Guardians of the Galaxy looks to be a lot of fun, and I hope that audiences respond to it, so that some more of comics' far-out concepts will be considered for film adaptations.

Nightcrawler and Blue Devil (Vs. Nebiros)

With X-Men: Days of Future Past resetting the decks for the X-Men franchise, I hope the door is now open for Nightcrawler to return.  His powers looked great on screen and it would be cool to see him back in action with the team again.  Alan Cumming has said that the long make-up sessions made him not want to return to the role, but perhaps a new actor would not have such qualms.

Aquaman and The Sea-Monkeys

Here's another cover that came from a suggestion by Back Issue's Editor-In-Chief, Michael Eury.  This was a pairing that I never had considered, but once I heard it, I had to give it a shot!  I remember my older sister Diahne  actually getting some Sea-Monkeys when I was a kid.  Let me tell you, those brine shrimp were nowhere near as interesting as their ads implied!

The New Teen Titans Vs. Thanos

You have to hand it to Marvel, they really know how to cast their films.  The latest announcement is Josh Brolin as Thanos.  Once again it is a case of someone that I would not have though of (I figured they would go CGI), but when I look at Brolin's face, I can really see it!  The other recent announcement was Vincent D'Onofrio as the Kingpin, and I think that is spot on as well.

Captain America and The Guardian in "Showdown With The Shield Slingers!"

I paired these two guys together in a previous cover, but given jack Kirby's connection to both characters, I thought that a revisit was due, this time utilizing artwork by The King.  I am hoping that Cadmus Labs becomes a part of the world of TV's Arrow or The Flash, so that we might one day see a live action version of The Guardian.

The Teen Titans and The X-Men in "Freefall!"

X-Men and The New Teen Titans was a great crossover, I must have reread it ten times.  Still, I would have loved to have seen a meeting of the two teams in their original incarnations. There was something about the founding rosters of each team that always appealed to me, and it would have been cool to see them interact just as they were all starting out.

Spider-Man Vs. Deathstroke The Terminator

I think that this would be a very fun match-up - not only because their power sets would make for a battle in which either could conceivably win, but because of their disparate personalities.  The no-nonsense Slade Wilson would have no patience for Spidey's one-liners, and I am betting that Spidey would have a lot to say if they faced off.

STF: The Lost Issues on Hollywood Babble-On!

I was happy to discover that my Cheech and Chong / Jay & Silent Bob cover from a while back got a nice mention during Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman's latest Hollywood Babble-On podcast.  You can check it out at the 30 minute mark here:

http://smodcast.com/episodes/june-6-2014/

Iron Man and James Bond in "From HYDRA With Love"

Marvel has done a great job of using Hydra as a great connective thread throughout their cinematic universe.  I loved the revelation of certain evil double agents in Captain America: The Winter Soldier that make me look at scenes from earlier films in an entirely different light now.  The use of the criminal organization and its far reaching implications also gave a much needed boost in the arm to Agents of Shield, I felt that the episodes following the big Hydra revelation were the strongest of the series so far.

Captain America and Wildcat

I love that Ted Grant had found a new purpose in the DCU as a trainer of heroes.  It's a unique part of the character that was successfully carried over into his animated appearances on Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.  I don't know what Wildcat's status is in the New 52 line of comics, but I hope that if and when he does return, his coaching side is still emphasized.

Swamp Thing and Daredevil

Charlie Cox has been named as the new Daredevil for the upcoming Netflix series.  I must confess that I am not familiar with this actor, so I don't know what to make of this development.  Apparently he has made an impression from his performance on Boardwalk Empire, a show I have yet to sample.  He looks like he could make for a convincing Matt Murdock at least. Marvel's casting decisions have been pretty smart so far, and I am going to trust them on this one.

Batman Vs. Dexter

Netflix finally added the remaining seasons of Dexter so I was at last able to watch the entire series.  I would have to say that the show lost its way a bit in the last couple of seasons, but I still enjoyed the series as a whole.  A couple of seasons are standouts due to the guest stars that appeared.  John Lithgow was great and creepy and Jimmy Smits makes any series better - and this was no exception.  The season featuring Smits is easily the high point of the show for me.

Robotman & Red Tornado Vs. Ultron

There are few villains that I have wanted to see on the big screen more than Ultron, so I was very happy when I heard them name of the Avengers sequel.  The casting of James Spader was inspired, and the behind-the-scenes footage revealing at least part of his robotic design has me feeling optimistic.  Still, I will have to be patient, knowing that his scenes will likely include a lot of CGI, It will probably still be quite a while before we see any actual footage of Ultron in action.

Dick Tracy and Rorschach

I can't imagine that a by-the-books cop like Dick Tracy would have much patience for the likes of Rorschach, but that's just the kind of conflict that would make for an enjoyable tale.  Even if the were forced to work together, I am guessing that the story would not end with them gaining a grudging respect for one another.

She-Hulk and Doctor Light

The new Doctor Light, who first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths has never been given a proper chance, in my opinion.  Her appearances since her debut have been sporadic at best, and when she has appeared, she hasn't stuck around for very long.  I think that the character has a ton of potential, and I hope she finds a regular home in the DCU sometime soon.

Xena and Buffy

By the time I had heard all the good reviews for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series was well into its run, so I never bothered to start watching, figuring I had missed too much to appreciate it.  I finally got the chance to watch the full run of the show on Netflix, and I am glad that I waited for the chance to see it from the beginning.  the strength of the show for me was how the characters were allowed to change and grow in different directions, and even when it ended, I still wanted to know what would happen next.

Superman and Power Pack

Power Pack was unique in a couple of ways that has always made them interesting to me.  First, that it was a team of kids - I had of course seen teen teams, but this one featured heroes even younger, and that lent an interesting perspective.  Then there was the fact that they were all members of the same family.  I have four brothers and two sisters of my own, so I always liked stories that dealt with the relationships between siblings.  I could definitely see Power Pack being successfully translated to live action if they paid attention to these aspects when adapting the property..