Hong Kong Phooey and Krypto

I was a fan of Hong Kong Phooey as a kid.  what wasn't to like?  A dog that led a double life as a masked karate expert fighting crime hit all the right notes for me.  The show had a great theme song as well.  What really put it over the top was the voice work by Scatman Crothers - so unique amongst saturday morning heroes.

Justice League of America & The Defenders (and more!)

Welcome to STF #1600!  I hope you will indulge a non-cover-related commentary...

The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Stir Crazy... Gene Wilder starred some of my all time favorite films.  I was sorry to hear that he passed away yesterday.  I loved his performances as well as his relationship with Gilda Radner.  I hope they are reunited out there somewhere right now.  Rest in Peace, Gene Wilder  and thank you for all the laughs.

Hercules Vs. Orion

This would be a fun match up.  The sons of Zeus and Darkseid not only each possess incredible strength, they both have a real appreciation for combat - Orion, because he was bred for battle and Hercules because he just really likes fighting.  It wouldn't take much to get them to face off.

The Demon and The Black Knight (Vs. Klarion the Witch Boy)

Today would have been Jack Kirby's 99th Birthday.  I think my introduction to his work might have been the reprinted Marvel Superhero origin pages that would run in Dynamite Magazine.  Even back in the early 70's his art made an impression on me. My appreciation only grew decades later, when I saw his work in black and white, via the Marvel Essential TPB's - some of the early coloring really obscured his art.

Black Knight and The Demon first crossed paths in STF #921...

Superman and Ant-Man in "Ambushed... by the Absorbing Man!"

I've been dying to see the Absorbing Man really let loose in live action.  He would make a great villain for either The Hulk or Thor.  We got to see Bruce Banner's father with a similar power set in the first Hulk movie but that was so dimly shot  that is was ultimately unsatisfying.  The real Absorbing Man has appeared a couple of times on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I've liked what I have seen there, but the limits of a television budget really held him back.

Superman and Ant-Man first crossed paths in STF #329...

Fantastic Four Vs. The Fatal Five

The Fatal Five was always one of the cooler and formidable villain teams of my youth.  Not only could they take on the Legion of Super-Heroes, they were all so creepy - The Emerald Empress had that big crazy floating eyeball that would follow her, Tharok was the first half man/half machine character that I had seen. Mano had the hidden face and The Persuader had his scary mask and giant axe.  Creepiest of all was Validus - a giant with no eyes and an exposed brain!  Great stuff!

Flash Gordon and Luke Skywalker

Like the main characters in the comedy Ted, I was a big fan of the Flash Gordon movie - first for all the cool trippy visuals and Queen soundtrack, and later for the campy quality of the whole production.  So, it's no surprise that I loved all the humor derived from the movie, and the scenes with Sam J. Jones really cracked me up.  I'm glad he was a such a good sport and rolled with the films over the top attitude.

The Question and The Shadow

I am pretty surprised that we have not seen The Question show up as a character on one of DC's TV shows.  Arrow has had a string of guest star street level heroes, and promises to add even more this season, but no word of Vic Sage joining in on the fun (or Renee Montoya, for that matter).  I wonder why because he seems like one of the easier characters to translate to live action.

Ms. Marvel and Wonder Woman

Brie Larson has been named as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, and I think that she will do a fine job in the role - I have always enjoyed her work and now she is an Oscar winner.  I had been thinking about Yvonne Strahovsky for the part, but she probably wasn't high profile enough for Marvel.  The Russo Brothers have hinted that Larson will show up in Avengers: Infinity War, so maybe we won't have to wait for her solo film before seeing her suit up.

The New Teen Titans and Ultimate Spider-Man

I remember back when Marvel began the Ultimate Universe line of comics, they made a big deal out of saying how if they ever combined it with the mainstream Marvel Universe, that meant that they had run out of ideas. Well, that's exactly what ended up happening.  Most of the duplicate heroes were killed off, but Miles Morales managed to avoid their fate and is now a Spider-Man in the Earth-616 Reality right alongside of Peter Parker.  I still think all of these multiple versions of Marvel's major characters can sometimes dilute the properties, but I have to admit I really like his costume.  I am also interested in the rumored animated film featuring the Miles Morales Spidey - that could be very cool.

The New Teen Titans also crossed paths with Peter Parker....

The Hulk and The Creeper

SPOILERS below for folks not caught up on The Hulk's current activities in the Marvel Universe


Well, it seems that every in Marvel comics crossover event there has to be at least one shocking death, and this time Bruce Banner's number has come up.  Yes, to prevent a psychic prediction of The Hulk losing control coming true, Hawkeye killed Banner with an arrow to the head.  Yeah, I know there's still the new young hip Amadeus Cho Hulk running around, but I am still skeptical about how long this death will last.  I'm guessing that by the time Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters, there will be a comic cover featuring a big green fist punching out of a grave.

Vigilante Vs. Captain America

Arrow has been hit or miss as a series lately but I have to admit the upcoming season has me intrigued.  Joining Oliver Queen will be some of DC's cooler street level heroes.  Wild Dog, Ragman, The Human Target and Vigilante are slated to go into action and it should be enjoyable to see how their different methods clash with Team Arrow.

Bumblebee and The Wasp

The announced Ant-Man and The Wasp movie will no doubt feature Hope Van Dyne finally suited up an  ready for action - but what of the original Wasp, Janet Van Dyne.  While she was said to be lost to the micro-realm in the first movie, events in the last act indicated that  that may not be the one-way trip that Hank Pym thought it was - perhaps a rescue attempt is in order?  The we have Sharon Stone hinting that she has a small role in an upcoming Marvel movie... it's starting to seem like we will be seeing more of Janet after all.

The Beatles by Alan Pearsall

I have posted my brother, Eric's, Robot Sculptures before on this blog, but he's not the only talented artist in my family.  My brother Alan is an amazing designer and muralist.  This Beatles painting is one of his latest pieces - I love it and had to share.

Starfire and Nova

As if I wasn't looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 enough - now it has been revealed that Kurt Russell will be playing Ego, the Living Planet!  I'm not quite sure how director James Gunn plans to pull it off, but I just love that he's going there.  Even if Russell is in "Human" form for much of the film, I'm betting we will see Ego in his full-sized glory at one point or another.

Hawk & Dove and The Falcon

Now that the proposed Titans-related TV series has been scrapped, I am wondering if we will get another chance to see Hawk &Dove show up on one of the CW superhero shows.  I think the natural place would be on DC's Legends of Tomorrow.  Imaging the team piloting the Waverider to the swinging 60's... warring brothers Hank and Don Hall would be the perfect guest stars!

Chance Falconer and Doctor Strange

The first full trailer for Doctor Strange has arrived, and it looks as though it will deliver what has been promised: A Marvel film unlike any other that has come before it.  Indeed, the magical element is a brand new world for their films to begin exploring - even if much of the mystical moments in the trailer looked Inception-inspired.  The one shot that really sold me on the film is of Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character putting his cape on in his own signature manner.  It looks like a sequence right out of the comics.

Judge Dredd and Spider-Man in: "Hanging Offense!"

I am hoping for cinematic another outing for Karl Urban as Judge Dredd.  Despite the first film not being a huge commercial success, it was relatively well regarded and has gained a following on home video.  There have been rumblings about another film, probably on an even more modest budget to minimize financial risk. Urban seems to have a pretty busy schedule but I hope he's willing to wear the helmet once again.

Spidey and Dredd first crossed paths in STF #507...

Batman and Daredevil in: "Gotham City Grandstand!"

I'm not sure which will come first on Netflix - Daredevil's third season or The Defenders.  A teaser has been released for the latter, and while it isn't much, it already has me looking forward to it.  All it shows is the Defenders logo with a voice over- but the cool thing is that the voice is that of Scott Glenn's Stick!  His appearances on Daredevil have been great and I am glad that it looks like he will be involved with The Defenders as well.

This is a Golden Age-style pairing of Batman and DD - the last time they met was in a more modern adventure... and back in my Brave and the Bold: The Lost Issues! days, I presented them together in Bronze Age as well as a Silver Age action.

Firestorm and Cyclops

I was glad to see Firestorm featured in the promotional material for the upcoming Justice League Action series.  I always thought that he was a curious omission on Justice League Unlimited, I'm not sure why he wasn't featured there, given his history with the League in the comics and even on a previous animated outing on the later seasons of Super Friends.

Princess Leia and Xena: Warrior Princess

I wonder if Carrie Fisher knew how popular her "Slave Leia" outfit from Return of the Jedi would become.  It has be come a staple of Comicon cosplay, and I have seen more versions of it than just about any other character.  Xena isn't too far behind though, with Harley Quinn looking to take them both over as most popular cosplay subject.

Galactus Vs. Elongated Man

Continued from yesterday's cover, Ralph goes back to his classic duds to single-handedly take on the world-devourer.

If it were up to me, Ralph Dibny would be a flagship character in the DC Universe.  The guy just gets no respect.  Things really began to go downhill for him once Plastic Man took his spot in the JLA.  Soon his wife was brutally killed and he was knocked off not long after.  They even killed him off-camera on TV's The Flash!  Yes, I know he's been brought back in some unrecognisable form in a New 52 comic, but that's not good enough for me.  Let's get an all new Elongated Man Rebirth series going!  Who's with me?  Anyone?  Bueller?

Elongated Man and The Silver Surfer

I've really enjoyed what Dan Slott and Mike Allred have done with The Silver Surfer.  I was a little curious about what the addition of Earth-Woman Dawn Greenwood would mean for his travels, and I must say that she has been a welcome part of his new adventures.  I like how he sees and learns about  humanity through her just as he broadens her horizons with his abilities and their exploration of the universe.  I love the personality that the Surfer's Board even seems to have now.  These are fun, exciting and thought provoking comics.

This is only Part One of a Two-Part Epic - make sure to come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

Mister Miracle and Iron Man

One of my favorite things to doodle when I was a kid (after super-heroes, of course) was death traps and dungeons.  I was very inspired by the classic horror movies that would play on local TV's Creature Double Feature.  In the comics, nobody came up with better dungeons, death traps and weapons of mass destruction than the king himself, Jack Kirby.  That's one of the many reasons his work on Mister Miracle still stays with me.

Power Man Vs. Lobo

I am really looking forward to Netflix' Luke Cage.  Mike Colter was a new name to me but he won me over with his performance in Jessica Jones, and now he will be joined by a strong supporting cast. Alfre Woodard is always great and for me a big part of why Star Trek: First Contact is one of the most re-watchable of the series.  I have liked Frank Whaley since Pulp Fiction and I was impressed with the performances of Mahershala Ali on House of Cards and Theo Rossi on Sons of Anarchy.  I can't wait for the series to drop so I can start binge watching.

Vixen and The Phantom in "international Incident!"

It will be interesting to see the new incarnation of Vixen on the upcoming season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow.  I really liked Vixen's appearance on Arrow last season, it was very faithful to the comics and her powers were visualized well.  I realize that this will be a new character, but I hope they don't stray too far from what worked with the Mari McCabe version.

These two heroes have crossed paths once before...

Alpha Flight and Captain Marvel

One Marvel property that I never hear mentioned for live action is Alpha Flight.   I'm not even sure who holds the rights - I guess they began as an X-Men spinoff, which would put them under 20th Century Fox' control?  I love the original line up and I think they would make for a fun action packed film.  Let's hope that Canada's premier super-team gets its due.

Wonder Woman and Gladiator

The first full trailer for Wonder Woman has been released, and I really like what I see so far.  I love the period setting of the film and Gal Gadot already won me over with her appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  I really dig the casting of Etta Candy and  Chris Pine looks to be having fun as Steve Trevor.  My only disappointment was no footage of Robin Wright - she's one of my favorite actresses and I am dying to see her in action alongside the Avenging Amazon.

Green Lantern and The Champions

I see that Marvel is once again reviving the Champions name for a new team.  This group will consist of a handful of the new teen versions of classic heroes that have hit the scene in recent years (Hulk, Spider-Man, Nova, Cyclops, Ms. Marvel, and The Vision), which is a pretty cool mix and could be interesting as a group if they have any kind of staying power.  Who knows with the pace that Marvel starts up and abandons new teams these days.  Whatever happens, I still prefer the Champions of the 70's, such an oddball grouping of heroes that somehow still worked for me.

Legion of Super-Heroes Vs. Ultron

I can definitely see the Ultron program lasting into the future to wreak havoc on the heroes of tomorrow.  Maybe Ultron would even wind up teaming with or battling Computo in the process. Possibly he could infect Brainiac 5? Whatever direction it took, it would be a fun story to read.

Mars Attacks John Carter!

I'm not sure why the recent John Carter film was not a big hit.  I thought that it was a pretty enjoyable adventure with some fun action sequences and interesting character and set design.  Was it the direction, the leading man, or just unlucky cinematic timing? It's too bad, I would have liked to have seen some more installments in the franchise.

Hawkman & Hawkgirl Vs. The Punisher

It was cool to see the Hawks' in action and their history explored on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, but the limitations of a TV budget really showed with their wings only appearing for scant seconds at a time.  I can understand why they will not be series regulars for Season Two.  Hopefully the silver lining is that they will be freed up as members for a Justice League sequel, where maybe they can finally be visualized to their fullest potential.