STF: The Lost Issues on Clobberin' Time - Now on Podcast!

In case you missed it on Tuesday, my interview on Clobberin' Time is now available on podcast - We talked about the blog and comics in general, it was a blast!  You can check it out here:

Ross Pearsall on Clobberin' Time!

Robin and Iron Fist

Netflix' Daredevil seems to be well underway. with a cast and premiere date announced, so hopefully we will start hearing some news on the rest of their upcoming Marvel series.  I'm not sure who I would pick to portray Danny Rand, Iron Fist.  I have read that Zac Ephron has been in the running for a Marvel role, but I just can't see him in the role.  Whoever they choose, I hope they have equal acting and martial arts chops.

Robin and Spider-Man

Stan Lee has often mentioned how he created Spider-Man as an answer to Robin and the other teen superhero sidekicks, figuring that kids wanted to envision themselves as the hero and not just the junior partner.  While there is certainly truth to that, and it was a huge element in Spidey's success, I definitely think the hero/sidekick mentor relationship lends itself to a lot of interesting stories.  That was part of the appeal for me when it came to Tim Drake, I really enjoyed the relationship between his Robin and Batman.  The interaction between the two of them as well as characters like Alfred and Nightwing made for a lot of engaging comics, and I am sorry that he has become somewhat redundant since the introduction of Damian Wayne.

By the way, this story is not over, so stay tuned for Part Two tomorrow!

STF: The Lost Issues! on Clobberin' Time - TONIGHT!

I am pleased to have been asked to appear as a guest tonight on the Clobberin' Time podcast.  It will air at 9:00 PM EST on Blogtalkradio.  I'm looking forward to talking to Mike Alonzo and Matt Fisher about the blog, it should be a lot of fun!  Join us, won't you?

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/grenache/2014/07/30/clobberin-time-special-guest-ross-pearsall-super-team-family-the-lost-issues

Gargoyles and Gargoyle

I avoided Disney's animated Gargoyles series when it first came out, thinking it was meant for very young viewers.  After hearing plenty of positive reviews, I gave the series a shot in reruns and I am glad that I did.  I liked all of the characters and the continuity between episodes made for and engaging saga.

Cat Precinct

Ever since I featured Ace and the Dogs of War, an all-canine team, I have gotten requests for a feline equivalent. It took me a while to come up with something suitable, because let's face it - dogs are a lot more agreeable than cats.  I love the little guys but they certainly have their own agendas.

Captain Kirk on the Planet of the Apes

Once again a fantasy concept from STF: The Lost Issues has turned into reality!  I originally had this cover slated for a couple of weeks from now, but I decided to move it up in the rotation due to the announcement that publishers IDW and Boom Studios are teaming up to present a Star Trek/Planet of The Apes comic.  That sounds very cool, it will be great to see the two worlds collide.

The Apes are really on a roll - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a commercial and critical hit, and deservedly so.  I loved how the film expanded on the set up from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and really turned up the tension.  It did a great job of presenting realistic and believable motivations for all the characters, even the villains.  The special effects were once again top notch and the directing provided a visual feast to go with the thought provoking narrative.  I can't wait for the next installment!

Green Lantern and Thor in "Boy Toy!"

Girlfriends in comics used to have a few standard patterns.  They were there to get captured and rescued, try to discover the hero's  identity, or get disappointed by their boyfriends frequent disappearing acts.  That's why I liked the angle they gave to Carol Ferris - not only was she Hal Jordan's boss, which was a nice spin on the usual comic book relationship, but she eventually became one of his major villains as well. These things gave their stories some originality and set them apart from the comic book couples.  There is also a parallel with the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott - who eventually went on to marry The Harlequin, one of the female members of his rogues gallery.

The Spectre and The Avengers

One of the coolest things about the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron is that we will get to see Cap's Kooky Quartet in action.  Set photos have indeed confirmed that there will be at least one scene with these four fighting side-by-side.  But will anybody actually call them by the nickname Stan Lee provided so many years ago? My hunch is yes, and Tony Stark is my guess to utter the term.

The upcoming Constantine series is said to include a police officer by the name of Jim Corrigan!  Is this just a tease, or will we eventually see the Spectre appear on TV?  I hope so, because I've always felt that the ghost of vengeance has great potential in live action.

Moon Knight and The Badger

These two have each had similar psychological issues, so I think they would find kindred spirits in one another.  Pity the poor hoodlums that get in their way, though!

STF: The Lost Issues on Compton After Dark - Now Available on Podcast!

I had a great time chatting bout the blog with Dean Compton on Compton After Dark this past Sunday.  The Podcast of the episode is now up, which you can listen to here:

http://1wrestlingradio.podomatic.com/entry/2014-07-23T16_53_02-07_00

I call in at the 45-minute mark and we talk for about an hour.  We even had a caller with some questions, it was a lot of fun!

Spider-Woman and Wonder Girl

Both of these characters have had their past rewritten, leaving th em to wonder where they really came from.  What if they came from the same place and their murky past was part of some grand design?  I think that might make for an interesting tale.

Guy Gardner and The Rocketeer

I remember thinking it was odd that DC Guy Gardner was featured in Crisis on Infinite Earths rather than Hal Jordan (famously the only DC hero not to appear in the classic maxi-series).  I liked him in the early days of Justice League, but felt that he turned onto a one-dimensional jerk of a character after a while.  Fortunately, later stories would flesh out his personality, and Guy definitely grew on me. I always liked his uniform as well, he is one of the sharper looking Green Lanterns.

Space Ghost and Nexus

I love the artwork of Steve Rude.  He has the ability to combine an old school sensibility with slick modern inking techniques and a cinematic style of storytelling.   His design for Nexus looks like it would fit right in next to Alex Toth's Space Ghost, and I would love to see them share an adventure together.

STF: The Lost Issues! TONIGHT on Compton After Dark!

I am very honored tonight to be asked to appear as a guest on tonight's episode of Compton After Dark with Dean Compton to discuss Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues!

You can listen live at 11:30PM EDT on www.vocnation.com!

Got a question to ask?  Call in and join the show!  The number is 1-855-VOC-Radio!

The Teen Titans and Ghost Rider

I have spoken before about how Nick Cardy is my favorite DC cover artist.  Even so, while it was great to see his take on so many different characters and genres, I wish that he had done more interior work. I loved what he did on titles like Teen Titans and Aquaman, and I wanted more  I'd have loved to have seen him do a run on Justice League or Legion of Super-Heroes.

The Mighty Mightor Vs. The Mighty Thor

These two have more than a little in common with each other, so I think that a match-up between them could be pretty cool.  I checked out some Mightor episodes and wow did it bring me back!  Early Saturday mornings watching Hanna-Barberra's world of Super Adventure with a big bowl of cereal?  Those were the days!

Captain Marvel and Tintin

Billy Batson and Tintin look like they might belong to the same world, so I think this is a team up that could work.  Out of all of the potential DC movies (hopefully we will find out if the leaked movie film slate is the real deal with Warner Brother's Comicon announcements), Shazam! has me the most curious.  The character has gone in so many directions in the comics, I wonder what the film version will draw its source material from.  I say go straight back to the original stories, and keep the sense of whimsy that sets cap apart from Superman and other heroes.

Flash Gordon and The Flash

I have a nice over-sized book containing Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon work, and it is really something special.  His illustrations are beautiful, full of lush landscapes, futuristic cities and characters that have facial and body types all of their own.  It's no wonder that these cinematic images inspired so many over the decades.  What makes the work even more incredible to me is when it was produced - the early 30's.  I'm used to golden age artwork by and large being somewhat cruder than more modern styles, but Raymond's art can stand up next to any artist that has come since. It must have really made an impact on readers back in the day.

Superman and Colossus

The first official picture of Henry Cavill from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice has been released, and other than some minor tweaks to the wrists and belt, it is pretty much the same costume we saw in Man of Steel.  Cavill's hairstyle has changes, and while it suits the character better, I still would like to see the classic spit curl.  An "S" on the cape would be nice to see as well.  The colors look a bit dark still, but the picture looks like a nighttime scene in Gotham City, so I will hold out judgment on that. It's a little strange to be seeing promotional images for a film two years away.

Plastic Man and Howard the Duck

These two characters each seem to work best when their stories embrace the absurdities of life, so I imagine that a tale featuring them together would be filled with plenty of crazy antics and plot twists.  Comics are getting a bit too grim and serious for my tastes these days, so I hope these guys return soon to bring some of the fun back.

The Flash and The Whizzer in "Fatal Finish Line!"

With characters like Firestorm slated to appear, the upcoming Flash series sounds like it will be fully embracing its comic boot roots, and I think that's a very good thing.  More than any other character, The Flash has always been involved with Earth Two, so I hope that the original Flash, Jay Garrick, will play a part in the series eventually.  Parallel Earths would be a very cool concept to explore in the series.

Batman and the Outsiders Vs. Darth Vader

Darth Vader's character arc seemed to come to an end with his redemption and death in Return of the Jedi, so I assume that Star Wars: Episode VII will feature all-new villains.  Vader will be missed though, he has such a great look and presence onscreen.  I suppose another character could take up the mantle, but that could really misfire if not done carefully.

Batgirl and Daredevil

Batgirl is the latest character to have her self titled comic experience a change in creative teams, and from what I have seen so far, I like the sound of the new direction.  I am not sure how it fits in continuity wise, but Barbara Gordon will be back in graduate school.  Writers Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher have indicated that the title will feature a lighter tone and I think that's a welcome change after all the angst the character has gone through in the last couple of decades.  I also quite like the costume redesign, which you can see here: http://images.gmanews.tv/v3/webpics/v3/2014/07/2014_07_11_21_44_34_01.jpg.

Metamorpho and E-Man

E-Man was another one of those comics that I was aware of through comic magazines, but never seemed to be sold anywhere around me.  I remember liking what I saw though, Nicola Cuti and Joe Staton looked like they were having a blast on the series.  It resurfaced every few years under different publishers, so it certainly had a following.  One of these days I am going to have to catch up with those early issues.

Krazy Kat and The Yellow Kid

I featured these two as a text-only team in one of my early anniversary issues, and the idea has rattled around in my brain ever since.  I figure that these two pioneers of the art form deserved a cover all their own.  Without them, who knows where comics would be today?

Marvel Boy and Captain Marvel Jr.

I have always preferred Freddy Freeman's Captain Marvel costume to Billy Batson's.  The original is a classic, but there's something about the color scheme on Captain Marvel Jr's outfit that really makes the design pop to my eyes. Marvel Boy didn't have quite the same fashion sense, but it has been cool to see how the character and concept have been handled over the years.

Wild Dog and Judge Dredd

I'm guessing that the only way a by-the-books character like Judge Dredd would team up with loose cannon like Wild Dog is if he found himself on the wrong side of the law as well.  It might be fun to watch these two forced to depend on each other while battling a government organization out to take them down.

The Hulk and Magnus, Robot Fighter

Pretty much any time I see an image of Magnus, he is smashing some kind of robot to bits.  Seems to me that he would be just the kind of guy that The Hulk would not mind joining forces with.  No need for any major strategy sessions, just see a robot and pound away!

Iceman and Luke Skywalker

It was great to finally see Bobby Drake fully ice-up and use his ice slides in X-Men: Days of Future Past, even if he did look a little odd with a beard.  Hopefully we will see more from Iceman in future installments of the X-Men film franchise, now that it teems to have been revitalized a bit.

The Empire Strikes The X-Men

Star Wars Episode VII has hit a speed bump with Harrison Ford's on-set injury.  Han Solo is reportedly very heavily featured in the film, so filming around a broken ankle and waiting for it to heal will certainly delay production.  I don't mind if the release date is moved though - I would rather have that than rushed filming or a diminished role for Ford.

The events of this story will lead directly into tomorrow's issue,so be sure to check back!

Stargirl and Captain America in "Freedom Will Ring..."

I haven't checked in with Stargirl since the New 52 reboot, but it seems like she has been getting plenty of exposure in the Justice League titles.  I really liked the legacy aspect of the character, and how she had ties to heroes like Starman, Stripesy and the Star-Spangled Kid.  With the loss of the original Earth Two characters, I wonder how much of that history is still intact in the present continuity.

Cap first met Stargirl in STF #501...

Wonder Woman and Thor in: "The Amazon Queen of Asgard!"

It seems that Loki will be front and center as a villain once more in the third installment of the Thor film franchise, but I hope that some more of the Thunder God's rogues gallery will get a chance to do their thing.  The Enchantress or The Wrecking Crew would be great to see and would give the movie a different feel.  I am sure Wonder Woman's movie will deal with her mythological foes, but I wouldn't mind seeing some version of The Cheetah in there as well.

Superman and Iron Man in "The No-Show!"

Like Thor, Iron Man is a hero that I enjoy pairing alongside Superman.  I can see them getting along in their heroic identities, and working well together.  Clark Kent and Tony Stark on the other hand would probably not be such fast friends - Stark has a natural mistrust of snooping reporters and Kent was raised with much better manners than a rich narcissist.  The juxtaposition of those two sets of relationships could make for a fun tale.

Madman Vs. The Juggernaut

The best rivalries in comics for me are the ones that feature the most disparate personalities, like Batman/Joker or Captain America/Red Skull.  For that reason I think that the idea of these two guys clashing could be a lot of fun.  A single-minded villain with a permanent bad mood against comics' most laid back and groovy hero would make for some interesting conflict.