A reminder about how you can help STF: The Lost Issues keep going strong...

I promise only to do this once a year...

Just a quick reminder about how you can help to keep the blog going - while it is a labor of love, it is still (despite what some may think) a one-man operation and can be quite time consuming to keep up on a daily basis. Every little bit of support helps

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Thanks again, and especially thanks for coming by for your daily dose of team up fun!

Blackhawk and The Rocketeer

I remember with fondness DC's experiment with Action Comics Weekly.  While the decision to relegate Superman to a two-page story every week was an odd one, the rest of the features were filled with some real gems.  I remember really digging Wild Dog and Secret Six, two features I probably never would have sampled on my own.  Another find was Howard Chaykin's take on Blackhawk.  I loved the artwork and personality makeover that he gave the lead character, and wasn't surprised to see an ongoing series spring out of it.

Mister Miracle and The X-Men

We have seen some real life comic crossovers featuring Jack Kirby creations, which is cool - but what I would have truly loved to have seen was Kirby himself working  on such an inter-company event.  Heck, he could have had his own series, there are so many characters and concepts with from his imagination from both Marvel and DC to choose from.  With that in mind, here's another all-Kirby cover.

Wildcat and Hercules

I think that these two would make for an interesting pairing.  They both appreciate a good brawl and have no problem kicking back with a cold brew or two once the crime fighting is done.  They would either get along famously or get on each other's nerves... either way it would be a blast to see them share an adventure together.

Taskmaster Vs. Deathstroke

This is a battle that I would really like to see.  Both are incredible combatants, well versed in many disciplines of fighting and weapons usage.  Plus, they each have become even greater fighters by learning through their many encounters with various super heroes.  As the cover suggests, I feel that it would be close, but I think that Taskmaster would ultimately win this match up.

Batman and the Outsiders Vs. Doctor Doom

Longtime followers of this blog know that Batman's rivalry with Doom goes way back...

There was the time that Doom attacked the whole Batman Family... or when Doom helped The Joker get the upper hand... or when he turned The Silver Surfer against the Dark Knight...

So it was only a matter of time before he went against Batman's team.  I like Batman as part of the JLA, don't get me wrong  - but I think he is great with this group.  I hope to seem them all together again now that DC Rebirth is underway.

Swamp Thing and Spider-Man in"The Hero Relocation Program!"

Its funny some of the connections that can be made now that comic book movies are a full fledged genre of their own.  I see that the '89 Batman, Michael Keaton is all but set to play the Vulture in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.  Not to be outdone, Spider-Man's antagonists from the first film are making the leap from Marvel to DC with JK Simmons going from J Jonah Jameson to Commissioner Gordon and Willem Dafoe going from The Green Goblin to Vulko, both in Justice League.

Swamp Thing first crossed paths with Spidey back in STF #180

Dazzler and Elvis

 There are a few characters that are based (visually at least) on real life singers.  Wesley from Wanted (Eminem) and John Constantine (Sting) come to mind.  Then there's Captain Marvel Jr. who inspired the legendary Elvis Presley to adopt his look, first with a hairstyle and later on with full stage costumes complete with cape.  I like that DC Comics returned the favor by having Freddy Freeman mention being a big Presley fan himself.

Hawkman and Birdman in "Earning Your Wings"

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law made me laugh a lot - but I have to admit that I am happy that a more serious version of the character is back in Future Quest.  I took the cartoons very seriously when I saw them as a kid, so I have always thought of Birdman as a hero first and foremost.

Birdman has also met with the Silver Age Hawkman...

Captain America and Wonder Woman in "War-Torn!"

I really loved artist Aaron Lopresti's take on Wonder Woman.  He made her strong and beautiful without being overly sexualized.  His version of the classic costume is my probably my favorite look that she's had so far.  Lopresti is currently working on Metamorpho in Legends of Tomorrow, and I think that it's the best that character has looked in years, a modern spin on Ramona Fradon's original design.

Looks like bad luck for the WW/Cap romance... after all, it is their 13th cover together...

Dark Matter

I thought that it might be interesting to do a team consisting of heroes that use darkness as part of their method of operation. This is a group that I did not have any trouble coming up with a roster for.   It's one of those traits that a lot of characters share, and I am sure that the artistic opportunities it provides is one of the reasons.

The Thing Vs. Mongul

I still remember when Jim Starlin introduced Mongul in the pages of some of the very best issues of DC Comics Presents... He impressed me then and while he could have been written off as another Darkseid/Thanos type, he managed to carve out a career of his own including major turns in The Death/Return of Superman, For The Man Who Has Everything, Panic in the Sky and elsewhere.  I loved the animated version of Warworld on Justice League Unlimited and think that a live action version would be great someday (although Thor: Ragnarok looks to be doing the intergalactic gladiatorial arena thing first).

Daredevil and Green Lantern

An unlikely duo to be sure, but I think that the whole "fearless" angle could make for an interesting story.  Matt Murdock and Hal Jordan's common traits don't stop there though - they both have had fairly rocky romantic histories, jumping from one relationship to another, often with disastrous results.

Superman Vs. The Wrecking Crew

was surprised to hear that a new Superman has been cast for the upcoming season of Supergirl.  I had figured they would want to keep him at a distance so as not to overshadow his cousin.  It will be interesting to see how much the character is utilized and how the costume looks as compared to his big screen counterpart.

C-3PO and Wall-E

I am a giant fan of the Pixar movies.  I am always impressed with the quality of the writing, character design and animation.  I think they have a great track record, I have enjoyed pretty much everything that has come out of the studio, even some of their sequels which weren't huge hits - they never seem to phone it in.  Wall-E is one of my favorites, especially the dialogue-free first half of the film.  It was amazing how much they made me care about these simply designed robots through their unspoken interactions.

Gamora joins The Justice League of America

With Supergirl moving to the CW the 4-day block of DC Comics programming the network will have opens up some great possibilities.  They have already established Green Arrow, Black Canary, Vixen, The Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, The Flash, Firestorm, Vibe, Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter as characters on their various shows - Let's have a TV Justice League crossover already!  The pieces are already in place!

Aliens Vs. Conan

The Alien saga is set to continue with the upcoming Alien: Covenant.  I thought that Prometheus was a mixed bag, but I did like where the film left off , so I think this sequel/prequel still has a chance to be pretty cool.  Ridley Scott has assembled an impressive cast and he always provides stunning visuals.  Rumor has it this film will relate a lot closer to the original movie.

The Phantom Stranger and Doctor Who

The Phantom Stranger is a character that I hope to finally see featured in live action soon.  He would fit in with the cinematic Justice League as well as any of the CW DC series.  His look would be easy to pull off faithfully (just remember to light him correctly to keep those eyes in shadow) and I am sure it would be a fun role for an actor to play, with his mysterious, all-knowing personality.

The Demon and Captain Britain

I was introduced to Captain Britain in a Marvel Team-Up two parter and was instantly a fan.  I really liked his costume - flag based outfits are always cool and his was one of the best.  I can understand why it was updated later to allow for more facial expression, but I wish that only the cowl had been altered, leaving the rest the same as in the above cover.  Gotta love that lion emblem!

The Atom and Red Sonja

An encouraging aspect of DC Rebirth is that the company seems to once again realizing that they don't have to jettison existing characters to introduce legacy heroes.  Indeed it seems like we will be seeing some of them working side by side.  Ted Kord is back and looks to be sharing adventures with Jaime Reyes, the new Blue Beetle.  Ryan Choi is back as well, summoned by none other than Ray Palmer.  I wouldn't mind slight name changes on the newer versions though, if both heroes are going to be in operation.  Let Ted Be Blue Beetle and maybe Jaime could be renamed Scarab or something?  Likewise, Ryan Choi could  call himself Micron to avoid confusion in their shared tales.  Thant's a minor nitpick though, I am just glad all of these guys are back in action.

Legion of Super-Heroes and The Silver Surfer

I was glad to see that The Legion of Super-Heroes are set to make a comeback as a result of the events of DC Rebirth.  Since DC seems to be once again fully embracing it's rich history, I hope that they find some way to weave Superboy back into the mythos,  I always felt like there was something lost when he was removed after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and never quite enjoyed LSH tales after that point as the ones that came before.

Hawkman and The Human Torch (with Hawkgirl)

One of mt favorite aspects of All-Star Squadron was the use of Hawkman's original helmet.  It's tough to draw, but the various artists on that title really pulled it off, and gave the JSA chairman a truly commanding and imposing presence.

Hawkman and The Human Torch's Silver Age counterparts met in STF #1251

The Marvel Family Vs. The Avengers

We've seen The Avengers battling world-conquering megalomaniacs, alien invasions and even each other on the big screen.  While it will be fun seeing them all together against Thanos, I hope for some future installments we can see them square off against another team of super-characters.  The Masters of Evil would be great, or even a dimension-spanning story featuring the Squadron Supreme.

The Teen Titans Vs. Valkyrie and Thor

I was glad to hear that Valkyrie will be making her cinematic debut in Thor: Ragnarok.  Tessa Thompson has been cast as the character and it will be interesting to see what she does with the part.  I enjoyed her performance in Creed, but this is a very different type of role.  Hopefully she can do Valkyrie's fiery personality justice - I'd love to see Aragorn the flying horse make an appearance as well.

Batgirl and Rogue

I watched the trailer for the extended cut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and there is a quick moment with Jena Malone, who was cut from the film.  Some had speculated she was playing Barbara Gordon, but from her appearance, I'm not so sure about that.  If there's no place for Barbara Gording in the films, perhaps Batgirl could show up on TV's Supergirl.  That's a World's Finest team that might actually crack a smile once in a while!

Invisible Girl and Supergirl

Supergirl is making the move to the CW next year, joining Arrow, The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow for a 4-night DCU block of programming each week.  Crossovers have already been promised and I hope that the producers go the extra mile and somehow get Supergirl and her supporting cast of characters on the same Earth as the other three shows, maximizing story potential and giving us enough characters for a TV JLA to form.  With The Flash rewriting history on the last episode of his current season, that shouldn't be too difficult right?

Rocket Raccoon and Ch'p

Although some illustrators chose to depict Green Lantern Ch'p in a cartoony manner, I preferred  it when artists like Don Newton would draw him more realistically.  There's something I like about the smaller members of the Lantern Corps. I guess it's the juxtaposition between their tiny appearance and the incredible power that they wield.

Promethea and Doctor Strange

I was a big fan of Alan Moore's America's Best Comics line.  Characters like Tom Strong and Jack B. Quick showed a different side of the writer and he was always paired with top notch artists.  Probably my favorite title was Promethea.  What I originally thought would be a Wonder Woman pastiche turned out to be a psychedelic and visually rich study of the power of storytelling.  It's one of those series that I have promised myself that I would go back and read straight through again, I am sure there's lots I missed the first time around.

Adam Strange and The Hulk

There finally seems to be some confirmation that Thor: Ragnarok will indeed be at least partially adapting the Planet Hulk storyline.  This should be a lot of fun and a good way to introduce some other characters and alien races into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  I hope we will see a Beta Ray Bill appearance as in the animated version.  It'll be interesting to see Hulk's battle armor as well as if he gains any intelligence.

The Creeper and Nightcrawler

One of the coolest things about doing this blog is when a creator that has entertained and inspired me chooses to give it a shout out.  I consider this site a tribute to the characters and creators that I love so knowing that I have in some small way given back a little entertainment is great.  The amazing Patrick Zircher (currently illustrating the adventures of Superman in Action Comics) was kind enough to show his support, share some positive tweets about the blog, and even suggest the cool pairing of Creeper and Nightcrawler for today's cover.  Many thanks, Patrick!

The New Teen Titans and Guardians of the Galaxy

I'd love to see a story featuring these two teams.  I could see Robin and Star-Lord clashing over leadership styles, Starfire and Gamora sparring and  enjoying every minute of it, Rocket not amused at Changelings ability to mimic him, and so on.  Sure, there could be some villains in the mix, but the personal interactions are what would make this fun to read for me.