Superman and Super Grover

I was the perfect age when Sesame Street first hit the airwaves and still remember watching those early episodes with my sister.  My favorite parts were anything animated and of course, the Muppet characters.  Grover became my quick favorite, mainly because I thought that he was really funny.  The fact that he would sometimes appear as Super Grover just put him over the top!

Melanie models the latest STF T-Shirt!

My beautiful sister-in-law Melanie models a shirt featuring the cover that she inspired... she wears it well!

Firestorm and Solar: Man of the Atom

I am curious to see what form Firestorm Takes in the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow TV series.  Victor Garber, who plays Martin Stein, is making the leap from The Flash, but Robbie Amell's Ronnie Raymond is not listed among the cast.  My guess is that Ronnie will be killed off in an early episode of The Flash next season, which will turn his bride Caitlin Snow closer to her Killer Frost persona.  Stein will need a new partner and that's where Jason Rusch will enter the scene, just in time for the new series.  I'm a big Ronnie fan, as he was one of the heroes I followed from the very beginning, but I liked Jason as well, so that will still be cool to see.  Hopefully if this turns out to be the case, Firestorm's appearance will be a little closer to his comic book counterpart.

Machine Man & Jocasta Vs. Magnus: Robot Fighter

Like a lot of young comic fans, I created my own comics as a kid.  I had a whole bunch - Alastor the Avenger (who I spoke briefly on in my STF 1000th Issue Spectacular) was my main guy, but I created some other heroes and villains for him to interact with (when I wasn't teaming him with a real DC or Marvel hero).  There was The Lynx, The Gimmick, Clay, Sonic Man and... Machine Man!  I was surprised to find out a few years later that there was a real hero going by that name - with similar abilities to the ones I came up with.  My guy was more of a Cliff Steel Robotman type.  Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Dolphin and Marrina

I always wondered why more was not done with Dolphin as a character.  She eventually joined Aquaman's cast as a love interest for Aqualad, but even then she never really made a splash, if you'll pardon the pun.  I remember being kind of intrigued with her as a kid - but maybe that's just because she was a hot chick in cut off jeans and a wet t-shirt.

Green Lantern Vs. The Fantastic Four

When John Byrne jumped from Marvel to DC, it was cool to see him work with so many characters.  One hero that I wish he wad worked with more is Green Lantern.  I enjoyed the GLC showing up in Action Comics during its team-up phase and really liked Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale as well, but I wish he had gotten the chance to work with him on an ongoing series. Byrne always had a knack for designing alien characters and space epics so it would have been a fun read, I bet!

GL and The FF have met before  - the last time it was the FF that were possessed... at least they were working together during their first meeting.

The Flash and Cloak and Dagger

The Flash had its season finale and it was a great capper to a fun season.  The show really stood out among the current superhero crop in that is truly embraced its comic book roots and each episode was packed with guest stars, high concepts, and action.  With the tease of Earth Two and Jay Garrick, I am eagerly looking forward to what the series has in store for its second season.

Indiana Jones and Lara Croft

Chriss Pratt has denied rumors that he has been approached about replacing Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, and indeed news of another Ford-starring installment has resurfaced.  I don't mind this news - despite Pratt's talent, I just can't see anyone else in the iconic role.  I have also read that Tomb Raider may be headed back to the silver screen with a rebooted franchise.  I enjoyed both of the Angelina Jolie movies and would welcome more theatrical outings for Lara croft.

Batgirl and the Black Widow (The Movie!)

I have enjoyed Scarlett Johansson's performance as The Black Widow in the various Marvel movies that she has appeared in.  She has nice chemistry with all of the large cast and holds her own in the action scenes alongside her super power enhanced costars.  I do wish that she sported at least a slight Russian accent, as that is always how I imagined the character might sound.  Still, for a live action red haired super-heroine, my favorite has to be Yvonne Craig's Batgirl.  I don't think anyone has ever looked as good in a superhero outfit as she did.

Batgirl and Black Widow previously teamed up in a more standard comic adventure.

Wonder Woman and Captain Kirk

Oh, for this to have been a TV special back in the day starring Lynda Carter and William Shatner.  I would have loved to seen Debra Winger's Drusilla swooning over the Captain, or Kirk taking Steve Trevor down a notch or two. Of course, Wonder Woman would be sure to keep him in check.  I wonder what she would ask him with the aid of her magic lasso?

Green Lantern Vs. Doctor Doom

Alan Scott has always been a favorite character of mine.  I like that he has a power ring, but is separate from the Green Lantern Corps.  I always liked that he ran a radio station and called Gotham his home.  But the main reason I really like him is that he is the one hero that I can think of that is a confirmed southpaw!  As a left handed kid growing up, I definitely took note of which hand he wore his ring on.  Are there any other characters that have been established as being left handed?

Jonah Hex Vs. Red Sonja

I gotta say, I'm not sure who I would predict winning this match up. Hex might have an advantage at longer ranges, but if he gets into close combat, Sonja would make short work of the gunslinger.  Am I crazy to hope that this battle might ultimately end up as a romance?  Could these two warriors tame each other's hearts?

Dawnstar and The Angel

I am expecting Warren Worthington to play a major role in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse movie.  Given his experiences in the comics with the title character - becoming a member of the Four Horsemen, having his wings replaced with metal and becoming Archangel - there is a lot to mine from for memorable cinematic moments.  in X-Men 3, The Angel didn't get much to do, but I don't think that's going to be the case again.

Man-Bat and Gargoyle

When I think of my favorite super-heroes, its interesting how many of them do not fit the standard mold of the square-jawed leading man.  In addition to the two above, some of my personal favorites include Metamorpho, The Thing, The Beast, Swamp-Thing, and Beta-Ray Bill.  While those guys are all certainly heroic, none of them are going to win a beauty contest any time soon.  I think it is probably just that juxtaposition that interested me in those guys in the first place, their monstrous appearances gave them an added depth - and plus they just looked really cool!

The Hulk on Hoth

Wondering where The Hulk flew off to after Avengers: Age of Ultron?  Well, here you go!

The sequel that I have always wanted but never expected to actually see is a thing of reality, and I can't wait to take it in this December.  The teasers for Star Wars, The Force Awakens thus far have shown me precious little of what I really want to see - Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie... but what they have shown has been enough to ramp up my enthusiasm.  I realize that this new trilogy will be about passing the torch to a younger group of protagonists, but I hope that at least for this first installment, the classic Star Wars heroes will be front and center.

Power Man & Iron Fist and Green Lantern & Green Arrow

I have been wanting to make a cover featuring this foursome since I began the STF issues.  I have always enjoyed buddy teams in comics and these are my two all-time favorites.  The upcoming Luke Cage and Iron Fist series on Netflix are definitely connected and hints have been dropped on the CW's superhero shows about a missing test pilot from Ferris Aircraft, so I am looking forward to seeing these teams operating in live action as well.

Spider-Man and The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents

I have to admit that I have not read any T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comics, but it is a team that has always intrigued me.  They seem to be very much in the classic DC mold and many talented creators such as Wally Wood have contributed to their tales.  The have had a handful of revivals over the years and the latest one looks pretty interesting from the artwork and covers that I have seen.  I'll definitely have to check them out one of these days, I'm just not sure whether to start with the new stuff or the old stuff.

Hawkman and Doctor Who

A team up between the Hawks and The Doctor could be a lot of fun. At first is may seem like an odd combo, but I think it works.  Given the Doctor's frequent time travel and the reincarnation aspect of Katar and Shiera, the story could span several time frames.  They are all no stranger to epic space battles, so I can imagine the tale ending in a blaze of glory with lots of laser blasts and last second rescues.

The Hobbits and The Silver Surfer

As a giant fan of the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, I  absolutely devoured the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson, especially the extended editions.  Still, I had my reservations about another trilogy of movies based on The Hobbit, a single novel.  While each of the new films had their share of cool moments, I do feel that the story would have been better served if it had been told in perhaps two movies instead of three. By the time I watched the third one, it did begin to feel a little repetitious.  Still, it's great that one of the masterpieces of fantasy was brought to life with such care.

The X-Files in The House of Mystery

The X-Files is set to return to TV next January, and despite the wonky final seasons of the series and the movies that followed, I have to admit I'll be tuning in to see what Mulder and Scully are up to.  I was hoping that The House of Mystery would be getting a little more TV exposure, but that does not seem likely with the cancellation of Constantine.  There is talk of the show moving to a different network or its characters showing up on Arrow, so maybe there's still a glimmer of hope.

Popeye and Superman

Now this is a team up that really should have happened - in animation!  Fleischer Studios was not only responsible for the classic Superman cartoons that inspired Bruce Timm and Paul Dini to create Batman: The Animated Series -  they produced over a hundred Popeye shorts as well.  How cool would it have been to see them pair their two superhuman characters together for a crossover cartoon?

The Sub-Mariner and Abe Sapien

Of all of the famous water-dwelling heroes, Abe Sapien has my favorite design.  You can tell immediately where he belongs even when he is presented in an above ground scene.  He looks at once other worldly and heroic.  I shouldn't be surprised though, Mike Mignola's amazing ability to create unique looking characters is part of what has attracted me to his artwork for decades.

Captain Marvel and Spider-Man

Marvel says that the new cinematic Spider-Man with have a costume that will stand out from the ones worn by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.  I'm not sure how much different they can go without departing from the classic design too much.  My guess is that it will look more low tech - silkscreened webs instead of raised webbing?  Or would that look too cheap? Maybe they will include the classic Ditko under arm webbing?  I doubt it, but that would be kind of cool.

Robin and Daredevil in: "Dynamic Do-Over!"

I was not surprised but very happy to learn that Daredevil has been picked up for another season by Netflix. I have been re-watching some of the episodes and they hold up to repeated viewings.  I'd be interested in seeing Daredevil regulars Bullseye and Elektra making appearances... but the what I would really like to see is Black Widow show up in an episode or two.  The issues where they would share cover billing were my introduction to the hero of Hell's Kitchen.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer in Smallville

I watched these two series in very different ways.  Smallville I watched from the start and stayed with it through all of it's ups (John Glover, Michael Rosenbaum, the JSA, Guest stars from Superman's movie and TV past) and downs (the "Lana is a witch" season).  With Buffy, I felt it was too late for me to catch up with by the time I had read enough buzz to interest me.  Finally I binge watched the entire series on Netflix.  While it could get formulaic at times, the core group of characters and their interactions with one another kept me invested in the show.

Dick Tracy and The Phantom

My first memories of Dick Tracy are of reading his adventures in an interesting format.  My older brother Gregg would clip the daily comic strips out of the newspaper and collect them chronologically in a notebook.  In that time, years before I would ever see series regularly presented in trade paperbacks, it was pretty cool to see a whole book of comics - even if it was home-made.

The JLA & JSA Vs. Ultron

I had initially been concerned with the rumored choice of Brainiac as the first enemy that the cinematic JLA is scheduled to face off against, because of potential perceived similarities to Ultron by audiences. Now that I have seen Marvel's movie treatment of their robotic despot, I am less worried.  Marvel went with a more humorous take on their character, so if DC/Warners stick with the cold, emotionless version of Brainiac, they can still present a very unique type of villain.

The JLA has reason to be concerned on the above cover - they barely escaped their last battle with Ultron.

The Flash and Ant-Man

I thought that Avengers: Age of Ultron was a great way to kick of the summer movie season.  The action scenes were amazing - I am really going to have to see it a few more times to take it all in.  The Hulk/Iron Man fight lived up to the hype and The Vision was incredibly well realized.  My only real problems with the movie had to do with the pacing and Ultron.  Some scenes (like those at the safe house) seem to drag while some didn't seem to have enough time to resonate (Thor and Cap's side plots) - hopefully the rumored extended cut will fix that.  Ultron to me was off in appearance and personality.  His drones looked a lot more like the classic Ultron than the main model - I don't think all the extra articulation on the facial features was necessary or successful.  Also, I get that he was snarky because he had some of Tony Stark in him, but the humor from his character did not work for me.  Ultron in the comics was always cold and unemotional - far too often I heard Joss Whedon or Red Reddington instead of the iconic Marvel villain, and it undermined his threat... well that, and the fact that even Hawkeye could punch through his robots' heads.

This story is just the first part - stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion tomorrow!

The Inferior Five Vs. The Defenders

It was fun to see the Hulk back in action in Avengers: Age of Ultron (A blast of a movie, even if the safe house scenes did drag and Ultron's appearance & character were a bit off for me) , but I have to say that I was hoping he would get a little more dialogue.  He didn't even get to speak at all this time around, unless I missed it.  I think the Hulk works much better with The Defenders anyway.  It's too bad that scattered rights issues will prevent a film with the above cast from appearing together for the foreseeable future.

Rolling Thunder

My brother Eric (you may know his robots), suggested the idea of a superhero biker team, and even though I thought it would be tough to get multiple characters with motorcycles to fit on one cover, the idea rattled around in my brain until I finally decided to give it a shot.  STF has already established the partnership of Ghost Rider and Evel Knievel in more than one adventure, so I figured that they would be a good duo to start assembling the team with. I had been wanting to use Kaneda from Akira on a cover for ages and I was happy to also feature the star of one of my favorite childhood books, The Mouse and The Motorcycle.  Black Canary is a biker babe who can more than hold her own in a fight, so she fit right in, and the team was complete!

Batman and Daredevil in: "Night of the Owls"

Well, after months of teasing, some clear and unobstructed pictures of Ben Affleck as Batman have surfaced.  I have to say, I love what I see.  The costume is closer to the comics than any that we have seen thus far.  It has been promised that Batman will have full freedom of movement as well, so I can't wait to see the suit in action. I personally prefer longer ears on Batman, but given the Dark Knight vibe they seem to be going for with the new look I can live with the shorter ones.  I still wish there was a way that the designers could have given Batman the white eyes from the comics.

This is a more modern pairing of Batman and DD - bur back in my Brave and the Bold: The Lost Issues! days, I presented them together in a Bronze Age adventure as well as a Silver Age one...

Dr. Fate and Thor

Alan Davis is an artist that I have followed throughout his career.  I remember being disappointed that my all-time favorite artist Jim Aparo had left art chores on Batman and the Outsiders, and wondering who this new British replacement was.  I quickly learned to love his style as well and made a point to always check out his future endeavors.  his work on JLA: The Nail as well as its sequel and Superboy's Legion is absolutely gorgeous.  I really dug his Fantastic Four run too, I wish he had stayed with that team longer.