The Maxx & Wolverine / Shang-Chi Vs. The Flash

The Flash and Supergirl teamed up on TV this week and it was just what I needed after Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice.  While the big theatrical release had a lot to like in terms of visuals, It was mostly a depressing affair about people who did not like having to be superheroes.  While the TV team up may have been limited budgetarily, it was nice to see the heroes enjoying themselves, even when the chips were down.  Plus, their Flash didn't have a man-bun.

Firestorm Vs. Fin Fang Foom

I am liking seeing Firestorm featured regularly on DC's Legends of Tomorrow.  I can understand why Ronnie Raymond is no longer part of the matrix due to events on The Flash, but I still don't get why the producers invented a new character in Jefferson Jackson rather than using Jason Rusch from the comics.  It's frustrating to see the plot hoops that are jumped through to keep Firestorm out of action - The limitations of a TV show, I suppose.  When he does show up, the only powers he seems to display are flight and throwing fire - which when paired with his helmetless head makes him come off more as a Human Torch rip off than Firestorm.  Hopefully, they will update both his costume and power set soon.

Blue Beetle and Storm

I see that Blue Beetle will once again have his own title when DC's Rebirth event kicks in.  I liked Jaime Reyes since his debut in Infinite Crisis and his appearances on the animated Young Justice made me even more of a fan.  Best of all, there are rumors that he will be sharing the title with none other than previous Blue Beetle, Ted Kord!  I hope that is true because it would be the best of both worlds.

Cyborg and Deathlok in "Man-Machines - Marked For Death!"

It has been interesting to watch Victor Stone make the move from Teen Titan to Titan to Justice Leaguer in the comics.  I think it would have been nice to see a similar evolution in his theatrical appearances as well.  That does not appear to be the case as he is now set to be a founding member of the movie JLA.  Any Titan appearances will probably be well down the road a bit, and I am not sure how they would work in the cinematic timeline anyway.

These two heroes teamed up once before, in a very early MS Paint STF cover...

Hawkman and Starhawk

I had hoped that Starhawk might joining the cast in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but alas, that does not seem to be the case.  Maybe  Marvel doesn't want to confuse audiences with two "star" heroes in the mix - I hope not because Starhawk was always cool in the old Guardians of the Galaxy comics, and I'd love to see him make the leap to the big screen.

Constantine Vs. Mephisto

John Constantine's TV series never really got a chance to catch on before it was cancelled, but I thought it showed some potential.  I was glad to see him show up on an episode of Arrow, and I thought he fit in well there.  I don't know if there is anything to the speculation I have read about him visiting Legends of Tomorrow as well, but I think that it would be cool to see.

Doomsday Vs. Apocalypse

This cover comes about from a suggestion by Tim Stellmach.  Not only was it a great idsa, Tim is a Patron of this blog in good standing, so how could I refuse? This would be one heck of a match, both are able to evolve to adapt to battle, so neither would go down easy.

Who knew when we were reading about these bad guys in the 1990's that they would both be making their big screen debuts one day?  That day is here for Doomsday, and Apocalypse is not far behind him.  It's a fun time to be a comics fan!

Black Panther and Tarzan in "Stampede!"

The Legend of Tarzan trailer is out, and I like much of what I see so far.  The computer generated animals look pretty impressive for the most part and it seems that the story will stick close to the source material, which it should.  The cast that has been assembled is very capable, so if the writing is quality, it may finally be the live action Tarzan flick that I have been hoping to see one day.

Tarzan and T'Challa crossed paths once before in an early STF cover...

The Scarlet Witch and Zatanna in "The Brutes of Brobdingnag!"

While I enjoyed Elizabeth Olsen's performance as Wanda Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the character did not see much like the Scarlet Witch to me.  Her powers and appearance were a little too off from her comic book counterpart.  I am optimistic for her second outing in Captain America: Civil War, though.  She will have a costume upgrade and I have read that her powers will be more clearly defined and she will have more interaction with The Vision. I trust the Russo brothers to deliver.

These two heroes crossed paths once before in one of my very first STF covers...

The Powerpuff Girls and Super Best Friends Forever

I was a big fan of the many DC Nation animated shorts from a few years back.  It was great to see features like Doom Patrol, Sword of the Atom, Animal Man and the Metal Men, even if only for a few minutes at a time.  One of the best examples was Super Best Friends Forever, a fun take on Batgirl, Supergirl and Wonder Girl.  I liked that it showed that heroes come in all shapes and sizes and emphasized their camaraderie. It's too bad that these shorts have been discontinued, I would have like to have seen them continue and grow.

Aquaman and The Punisher

Well, I binge-watched the entire 2nd season of Netflix' Daredevil, and loved every minute.  As it was just released, I'll keep this spoiler-free.  DD's new cowl is a big improvement and it was great to see the returning characters again.  What really made it special though, was the addition of Punisher and Elektra to the mix.  It was great to see the characters presented so well after multiple cinematic misfires.  Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle stands out as the MVP of season two.  His performance was a mix of rage, pain and determination and I would not be surprised to see an Emmy nomination down the line.  I would definitely be up for a solo Punisher series now.

The Spirit and Catwoman

The Spirit always seems to get caught up in the shenanigans of femme fatales, so it would only be natural for him to get involved with Selina Kyle at some point.  I imagine a domino mask would not be exciting enough for her when compared to all of Batman's suits and wonderful toys though - Catwoman would more likely double cross him than try to win his affections.

Superman Vs. Hawkeye and Mockingbird

It's too bad that Hawkeye and Mockingbird are split between Marvel's movie and TV divisions, because I always liked them as a couple and it would be cool to see them in live action together.  Of course, Hawkeye is happily married with kids in the films and Mockingbird is involved with a fellow agent on TV, so it looks like any romantic involvement between them has already been discarded.

Green Arrow Vs. The Thing in: "Spicy Sparring!"

Not every issue has to be about life or death stakes.  I used to like when The Thing would host a poker night or when the JLA and JSA would enjoy a cordial get together before the action began.  Sure, the tension may not have been as high in those moments, but they were often filled with interesting interaction between the heroes.

Ben and Ollie have met before on the blog, in a pair of very early MS Paint MTIO covers, Once with Kirby art and one with Black Canary along for the ride...

7 Soldiers of Victory and The Defenders

As big a fan of the Justice Society of America as I was, I always thought that the SSoV were equally cool but never got the same notice.  I liked that the team was filled with primarily street-level heroes, which made for different types of tales that could be told than with a group filled with heavy hitters like the JSA.  Also interesting was the fact that heroes and sidekicks alike were art of the roster.

Green Lantern and Green Lama

DC has been promoting its upcoming Rebirth event as a celebration of the history that made the DCU great.  I am hoping that means the return of the classic JSA characters with their World War Two era adventures intact.  The legacy aspect of these heroes was noticeably lacking in the New 52 relaunch and having the original Alan Scott and the rest come back would go a long way towards winning back some lapsed fans.

Moon Knight and Robin & Batgirl

Jena Malone's rumored role as Barbara Gordon may have been cut out of the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it's nice to know that seeds for the extended Bat-family have been sown in the DC Extended Universe.  Sure, the Robin of that movie is dead, but there's no reason there will not be another that came before or after that tragic event.  Perhaps the next solo Batman movie won't be so solo after all.

Adam Strange and Zen: Intergalactic Ninja

Attempts have been made to update and modernize Adam Strange's look, and while most of them work fine, there's something about the classic uniform that I still prefer.  Maybe it's just that it looks like something out of a 1950's science fiction film - the costume gives him the feel of a classic cliffhanger movie serial hero to me.

Captain America Vs. Solomon Grundy

The final Captain America: Civil War trailer had a lot of cool moments in it.  I already wrote about the Spider-Man appearance a few days back, but equally cool was seeing The Black Panther in action.  The long shot of the two teams of heroes charging towards each other  reminded me of similar moments in the opening credits to the Super Friends and X-Men cartoons back in the day.  Plus, Ant-Man hitches a ride on Hawkeye's arrow, just like a classic Avengers cover.  I could tell that directors the Russo brothers were big comic fans from their stellar work on Captain America: the Winter Soldier, and it looks like they are about to top themselves.

Batman and Nightcrawler in: "Sword of the Samuroid"

It will be interesting to see Kodi Smit-McPhee's take on Nightcrawler in the upcoming X-Men Apocalypse.  I liked Alan Cumming's take, but he was a bit sad an mopey in his outing.  The Kurt Wagner I remember was more of a happy swashbuckling type, and I hope we see more of that in this new incarnation.

Batman and Nightcrawler also shared and early adventure back in my Lost B&B MS Paint days...

Spider-Man and Animal Man

Well, the final Captain America: Civil War trailer has hit, and we have finally gotten a glimpse of the new Spider-Man.  It's just a fleeting moment, but what I see is promising.  The voice denotes a clearly younger Spidey and the costume looks to be the classic one we all love with only a few minor tweaks.  Coolest of all was that his eyepieces actually moved when he spoke - I am not sure how they will explain how a teeenager created a costume that can do that (I'm assuming Stark helps out there), but it will really help the character emote when in full costume - no more ripping your mask off every  other scene. Spidey!

The Vixen and The Phantom

I thought that The Vixen's first live action appearance on Arrow a few weeks back was just about perfect.  The DC TV Universe can make some puzzling alterations to the characters they include from time to time, but this was an example where they got it just right.  From casting to costume to the use and visualization of her powers, it was just as if Mari McCabe stepped right out of the comics.  Out of all the characters introduced so far, I think Vixen has the strongest spin-off potential. Let's get her on her own show or at least as a regular member of Legends of Tomorrow!

JLA Vs. The Squadron Supreme in: "Last Team Standing!" Part Two

I was very sad to hear about the passing of artist Paul Ryan this week.  Like many, I first took notice of his work on the Squadron Supreme 12-Issue Maxi-Series.  I thought he did a great job illustrating Fantastic Four as well, even if some of the stories he worked on had some 90's indulgences.  Like Perez, he had an ability to work with large casts of characters without making the artwork seem too crowded. He was a gifted illustrator and he will be missed.

JLA Vs. The Squadron Supreme in "Last Team Standing!" Part One

Back in the days before intercompany crossovers became a reality, the only way fans could get an idea of what a DC/Marvel match up might be like was through analog characters.  The Squadron was always the best example of that in my opinion... maybe I just liked the fact that their Superman counterpart was a redhead like me.

The JLA first encountered the Squadron back in STF #205... and Superman faced off against Hyperion back in STF #144... Plus, who can forget when Dr. Spectrum joined the Green Lantern Corps...

This is only Part One of this Story - Make sure you return for Part Two tomorrow!

Nightshade and Dagger

I have been meaning to feature Nightshade on a cover ever since I began this blog, and I am just now getting around to it.  I have always been fond of the Charlton/DC character as she was the very first superhero that my favorite artist, Jim Aparo, ever worked on (if I am not mistaken). She didn't sport the above look very long - in fact she seems to get a whole costume overhaul every time she is reintroduced.

Doctor Fate Vs. Doctor Doom

This is a match up that I could definitely see happening.  Doom is always searching for new sources of power, and I am sure he would want to make an attempt at harnessing the magic of Nabu.  Fate would not go down willingly of course.  I see the battle to be pretty evenly matched, especially if Doom has home turf advantage.

The Atom Vs. Bullseye

I am glad that The Atom is now appearing on a regular TV series, but I wish the execution was a lot better.  Brandon Routh does a fine job in his performance as Ray Palmer, but the character still doesn't seem much like the Atom from the comics.  The costume is way too bulky and the helmet with the clear face shield especially does not work for me.  He took his time developing shrinking abilities - and he still barely uses them!  Basically, he comes off as Iron Man lite instead.  I hope the producers and writers on DC's Legends of Tomorrow will steer him closer to his comic roots.

Jonny Quest and Wolverine

I was happy to see that DC is Planning on bringing back Jonny Quest and the rest of the classic Hanna-Barbera action stars in a bunch of new titles.  The one that has me most intrigued is Future Quest, by Jeff Parker and Evan Shaner, which will feature Jonny and his crew alongside the likes of Space Ghost, The Herculoids and Mightor.  Cartoon stars of my youth in a team-up title?  Sign me up!

Captain Carrot & The Zoo Crew and Marvel Tails

I wasn't a huge reader of funny animal comics growing up, but I would usually give them a look when they were superhero-related.  Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew was always a fun read, and I also liked it when Spider-Ham expanded his world.  My only regret on this cover is that I had no room to include Goose Rider - I love that name!

The Punisher Vs. Changeling

Continued from yesterday's cover, we see that Frank Castle may have underestimated the Titans' youngest member.  I always liked Changeling (a name I far prefer to Beast Boy) even though his origin and how his powers work don't make a lot of sense to me.  These days it seems like every super-team has a character with a Garfield Logan-type of personality, but back when New Teen Titans first hit, he had a pretty unique voice.

The Punisher Vs. The New Teen Titans

I have read that Deathstroke has been reserved by DC for their cinematic universe, and I hope that means that he will be the main antagonist in the rumored Titans movie.  I'd love to see The Judas Contract as the basis for the film's plot.

The Punisher takes Slade Wilson's spot on today's cover... Frank Castle mixed it up with an earlier incarnation of The Teen Titans back in STF #237...

This is only the first part of this story, make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!