Stupendous Man Vs. Venom

Here's a pairing that I would never have thought of, but I really liked the Skottie Young Venom image and wanted to find a place to use it.  Young's art fits in well with Bill Watterson's.  Both have the ability to create a cartoonish world in which the characters and objects still have a definite weight to them.

Nick Fury Vs. The Creature Commandos

The Creature Commandos from Weird War Tales was one of those concepts that pulled from multiple genres - superhero, war and horror - and somehow worked for me.  I liked them even better when the G.I. Robot joined their ranks.  They may not have had the name recognition of some other groups, but they were definitely one of the cooler looking teams out there.

Superman and Darth Vader

In preparation for the new installment coming out this month, my brother and I decided to watch the original Star Wars last night.  It is amazing to me how well that film holds up almost four decades later.  It is perfectly paced, beginning small, and constantly expanding until culminating in the final Death Star battle.  I hope the new film finds a way to present a villain worthy of following in Darth Vader's footsteps, that guy is a tough act to follow.

Darth's claim on this cover was explored back in STF #282.

She-Hulk Vs. He-Man

With William Hurt slated to appear again as Thunderbolt Ross in Captain America: Civil War, rumors have been swirling about an appearance by the Red Hulk.  I think it's crazy that he would get a live action turn before Jennifer Walters.  Hasn't she paid her dues yet?  I still feel like a TV show would be great - half courtroom antics and half superhero action.  Heck, it might even be fun if they include the twist that She-Hulk knows she is a fictional character by having her address the camera directly like Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood does in House of Cards, evoking her series by John Byrne.

Thanks to Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics historian and author of Boys of Steel and Bill the Boy Wonder,  for suggesting this match up!

Mister Fantastic and The Atom

I always had a soft spot for super-heroes that were also scientists.  That profession always made for interesting story lines and they seemed like the the type who would be heroes even if they did not possess any special powers.  Plus, it was fun for me to see the different devices and machinery that would spring from the brains of the scientists by way of the imagination of the writers and artists that worked on them.

The Vision and Magnus: Robot Fighter

Like many, I felt that The Vision was the best part of Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Even though his origins differed from the comics, I enjoyed how he was depicted in appearance and performance.  I look forward to seeing him in future films, fully utilizing his abilities - we only got the quickest glimpse of him phasing this time around.  We also got a quick look between him and Wanda, and I hope that was a hint that the romance from the comics will make its way to the movies.

Batman and Shadowman

DC looks to have a huge presentation ready for this year's San Diego Comic Con, and with Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Suicide Squad sizzle reels ready to go, it seem we will get our first real looks at Ben Affleck in action as the Dark Knight.  I am sure there will be some more surprises as well - maybe more word on casting for Green Lantern or Shazam.  I really hope we will get an Affleck-directed Batman solo film eventually - he seems to have the right feel for it.

Cloak and Dagger and Nightwing

I'm trying to remember if Cloak & Dagger have made any appearances on Marvel's various animated shows.  The 90's Spider-Man series had lots of guest stars, but I don't think these two ever made the cut, unless it was a quick cameo that I have missed.  I haven't seen all of the current Spidey series, which also is guest star-heavy,  so I don't know if they have made an appearance there.  At any rate, I hope they make the leap somewhere soon because they would be perfect for animation.

Iron Man 2020 and The Future Flash

Continuing off from yesterday's cover, I finally get a chance to feature the cool costume that Wally West of the future wore in a memorable story line from The Flash.  There have been many alternate looks for the Scarlet Speedster, but this one is my favorite,  It is still clearly The Flash, but with a nice modern feel that still manages to evoke the original Jay Garrick outfit.  I was kind of hoping Wally of the present day would graduate to this costume once Barry Allen returned but, alas, DC had other plans.

Iron Man and The Flash

Iron Man is one of those characters that artists make their mark on through various armor redesigns.  It's cool to see the different interpretations over the years.  Still, the classic red and gold suit that he wore for most of my youth will always be my favorite - even if it doesn't look as high tech as his recent armors do.  I still hope we will see a version of the above suit on the big screen one day.

Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to this story tomorrow!

Daredevil Vs. Bane

I have watched the Netflix Daredevil series twice now and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.  It gives me high hopes for the other Marvel shows on the way - Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders... but especially for Daredevil season 2.  With characters like Elektra, Bullseye and The Punisher (perfectly cast with Jon Bernthal) slated to appear, it sound like it's going to be a wild ride.

Robocop and Deathlok

I want to love Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on TV, I really do.  Instead, I only just like it.  Mainly because they keep teasing cool concepts only to present them in a lackluster way.  They had been hinting at Mr. Hyde all season, but when Calvin Zabo made his transformation, he looked like something out of the 70's Hulk TV show.  The worst offence is with Deathlok.  I have always been a fan of the character, but the watered down version they present on the show is a real disappointment.  At least they did an OK job with The Absorbing Man.

The Spectre and Spider-Man

I recently picked up the complete Blu-Ray series of the animated Spectacular Spider-Man.  I had only watched the first season when the show had originally aired.  I was glad that I made the purchase because it was a joy to watch the series in full.  The character development of the villains as well as Peter's classmates was handled very well and the action scenes were fast paced and inventive.  I have seen a handful of episodes of the new Spidey cartoon that replaced it, and in my opinion it is a pale comparison.  It's too bad that Spectacular was moved out of the way to make room for it.

Ragman and Spider-Man

Ragman is a long-standing DC character that to the best of my knowledge has never made the leap to other media, even in shows like Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which featured lots of lesser known heroes and villains.  That's too bad, because I think he would look really cool in animation.  He might also fit in on Arrow if DC wanted to go the live action route.

This story continues on tomorrow's cover , so stay tuned!

Firehawk and Ben Reilly

When Shagg Matthews suggested this pairing recently, I had to give it a shot.  Not only is Shagg the man behind the always entertaining Firestorm Fan blog - an indispensable site for fans of old flame head and comics in general - and one half of the Fire &Water Podcast,  he is a Patron of STF: The Lost Issues - so how could I refuse? (You can become a Patron as well by visiting here) On top of all that it's just a cool idea!  Ben Reilly developed his own fan following despite being born out of one of the most controversial storylines ever, he even won me over eventually.  Lorraine Reilly never graduated past supporting character status, but I remember liking her appearances in Fury of Firestorm. Maybe we'll see a live action version one day if Legends of Tomorrow is a hit?

The Tick and Samurai Jack

It would have been fun to see these two share an animated adventure.  Not only would it be cool to see Jack slicing through The Tick's rogues gallery, the clash in personalities between the heroes would make for some enjoyable interaction.  I am sure they would still see the heroic natures within one another, despite their differences.

Dr. Fate & Dr. Strange meet Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Continued from yesterday's cover, now we know what the Doctors had to journey underground for.  TMNT seems to be enjoying somewhat of a revival due to the latest movie franchise.  I haven't checked out the first one yet - it looked a bit too CGI heavy and I've been burned by Michael Bay movies before.  It did well in the theaters though and  I do like the idea of Stephen Amell as Casey Jones for the sequel, so maybe I wuill give it a shot.

Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange in: "Salvation in the Sewers!" (Part 1)

The Doctor Strange movie is starting to take shape and more casting has been announced.  With Chewetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo and Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One joining Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange, there is going to be a lot of acting talent on display and I am looking forward to it.  I hope to hear about Wong and Clea casting soon.

Strange and Fate have crossed paths before - in STF #549 they fought side by side, while in STF #30,  they were at odds with one another.

This story is not over, Tune in tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Superman and Thor in "Sins of the Sons!"

Back in Issue #155, I presented a Jor-El and Odin team up and I always wanted to do a sequel - so here it is!

Superman and Thor have of course shared other STF covers:

in Issue #994, they shared an all-Kirby classic...

In Issue #949, they battled Amazo and the Taskmaster...

In Issue #31, they squared off against Mongul...

and they first crossed paths way back in Issue #17.

Swamp Thing and Wolverine

There have been a lot of great artistic interpretations of Wolverine over the years, but for me three rise to the top.  John Byrne's depiction as a member of the X-Men, Frank Miller's introduction of Logan as a solo character, and Barry Windsor-Smith's amazingly intricate artwork on the serialized Weapon X storyline in Marvel Comics Presents.  Seeing a story previously told only in one or two-panel flashback sequences fleshed out so beautifully made a real impression one me.

Animal Man and The Hulk

I was doing some comic inventory today and I came across my run of Animal Man by Grant Morrison and Chas Truog.  This is a series that I really have to pull out of storage and read again - particularly the first 26 issues.  I remember being blown away by the individual issues and becoming increasingly impressed as the series went on and I began to see the overall arc.  It is still my favorite work by Grant Morrison, he was really firing an all cylinders.

Justice League of America and Doc Samson

I see that Marvel is once again going to be introducing an all-new Hulk (latest rumors having Amadeus Cho being the one who transforms).  This might have been exciting news for me a few decades ago, but Marvel has gone to this well a few too many times.  I think I liked it better when the only spin-offs were She-Hulk and Doc Samson.  Old Jade Jaws seemed a little more unique then.

You would think that Batman would have warned his JLA teammates not to consult with Doc Samson, considering how his solo session went.

Scalphunter and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

The newest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise is about to hit theaters and I wonder if it will be able to recapture some of the magic from the first film.  Chris Pratt certainly has the acting chops to anchor the movie, but some of the plot points - creating new hybrid dinosaurs, training raptors to work with humans - sound pretty wonky.  I may wait for the rental on this one.

Storytellers

I have recently listening to old radio broadcasts of Mystery Theater, a program I loved as a kid.  In addition to the eerie morality tales presented was the moody narration by E.G. Marshall.  He was but one example of the horror hosts that entertained me in my youth, and inspired this latest STF team.

Wonder Woman and Captain America in "Love at First Newsreel!"

I figured that for this latest installment in the ongoing romance between Wonder Woman and Captain America, I would go back to the beginning where they originally met.  It's always fun looking at old covers from Captain America's original series or Sensation Comics.  There was always so much going on, I can imagine they leaped right off the magazine racks back when they were originally on sale.

The Crime Syndicate Vs. Spider-Man

Long time readers of this blog know that Spider-Man was originally rejected for membership in the JLA, until he was finally invited in last Christmas.  Of course, membership can have it's drawbacks, such as gaining a whole new set of enemies.

The Crime Syndicate is a fun group to read about.  I can tell that writers really enjoy the concept of an evil JLA because their appearances seldom seem to disappoint.

The Avengers and Guy Gardner

With Loki and Ultron out of the way and Thanos on deck, I have been wondering which Avengers adversaries would I would like to see in future movies.  My first choice was Kang, but apparently his rights are tied up with the Fantastic Four characters, so we shouldn't expect to see him onscreen alongside Earth's Mightiest heroes any time soon.  The Masters of Evil would be great to see - they starred in one of my all-time favorite Avengers epics and would be a nice change of pace from the alien invasion / world domination plots that we have seen thus far.

Vibe joins The Monkees

It looks like Vibe is set to eventually make his debut on The Flash, as Cisco Ramon began to see visions of other timelines towards the end of the first season.  I have enjoyed Carlos Valdes' take and it will be interesting to see the a character so interested in the names and abilities of meta-humans becoming one himself.  But will he dance?

Batman enters The Tomb of Dracula

Here's a pairing that I am surprised has taken me this long to get to.  These two really do seem to be perfect adversaries for one another.  The Batman/vampire connection has of course been covered multiple times in comics and elsewhere, such as the Batman & Dracula: Red Rain graphic novel or the Batman Vs. Dracula animated feature.

Guardians of the Galaxy and Adam Strange

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film had Peter Quill's relationship with his mother central to the story line and the second one promises to deal with his as yet unnamed father. James Gunn has said that his parentage will differ from the comic book version, so it will be interesting to see what direction they will go in. I hope they continue with he strong character work because the grounded motivations of the protagonists in the middle of all of the high concept sci-fi craziness was really what made the first film work so well for me.