Poison Ivy Vs. The Hulk

I have always thought that Poison Ivy was one of Batman's greatest villains and iI would love to see a live action version finally do the character justice.  Uma Thurman's turn in Batman and Robin was a campy mess.  The Poison Ivy arc going on in Gotham is a little creepy - a young girl with the body of an adult seducing men... whatever happened to the plant angle?  Hopefully one day we will see a comics-accurate version.

He-Man Vs. ROM

My first encounter with Masters of the Universe was seeing He-Man showing up in DC Comics Presents and being annoyed that an issue of one of my favorite comics seemed to be devoted to a toy advertisement.  I never really got into the cartoons back then for that reason.   I will say I did check out some of the more recent animated episodes and they were a lot of fun, I can see the appeal of the characters now.

Microforce

I was hoping that since The Atom's suit was destroyed on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, there would be a new streamlined version closer to the comics once he rebuilt.  From footage I have seen of future episodes, it looks like he will be back to the clunky Iron Man-type design with the ugly helmet.  What's worse in the upcoming Justice League of America comic, the Ryan Choi Atom appears to be adopting a costume to more closely resemble the TV version.  They're doing it backwards, it's Hawkeye all over again!

Ghost Rider Vs. Robin

I have to admit, I have kind of enjoyed Ghost Rider on this season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L,D.
While I prefer the motorcycle riding Johnny Blaze version, the Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider they have featured looks pretty cool for a TV budget (And the Blaze Rider himself did show up for a cameo).  It will be interesting to see where the character goes during the second half of the season.

Johnny Blaze and Dick Grayson have eyed each other suspiciously ever since Ghost Rider joined the Teen Titans in STF #828... and their rivalry will continue once Robin becomes Nightwing, as we saw back in STF #149...

Supergirl and Thor

Now that Supergirl has made the move to The CW Network, it's been even more fun than last season.  The Parasite was surprisingly well realized and I loved the revelation of The Cyborg Superman.  The Martian Manhunter/Ms.Martian subplot has been great as well.  I also really enjoyed Roulette and the return of Dean Cain and Kara's Earth Father.  I am really looking forward to next week's four part crossver between all the CW shows, it should be fun.

The Watcher and Amanda Waller

John Ostrander truly created a unique character with Amanda Waller.  Without any super powers, she's been able to go toe to toe with some of the most powerful characters in the DCU, just through her attitude, smarts and determination.  I wasn't crazy with the New 52 makeover that transformed her into yet another hard bodied model type, and I am glad that they seem to be getting away from that depiction.  It only served to make her a little more generic, in my opinion.

Nick Fury and The Unknown Soldier

Today is Thanksgiving, so what better time to thank all of the visitors to the blog.  The site continues to grow in popularity and I truly appreciate all who make the time to stop by and check out the covers.  Thanks for all the cool comments, kind words and interesting suggestions, It's always great to see what people have to say.  A very special thank you goes out to the Patrons of the blog, your support means a great deal to me!

Justice League of America and The Beast

The Beast had such a great look up until Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely decided to give him a makeover.  That cat-like design didn't last too long, and while his current appearance is a bit of an improvement, It's just a bit too generic looking for me.  Give me the classic hairline of the Avengers-era Beast again!

Wonder Woman and The Black Widow

I am very glad that Wonder Woman will be a period piece film.  It serves to add to the mythic aspect of the character and I have enjoyed the superhero movies set in different decades that I have seen like Captain America and the recent X-Men films.  It will be interesting to see how much contemporary action, if any, she sees in the film.  I have heard rumors of a Batman appearance so there may be at least a little.

Hawkman and Spider-Man

Spider-Man has always had a love-hate relationship with the police, so I think it would be interesting to see him interact with space cop Katar Hol.  I can see their different approaches lending conflict to a situation even if they ultimately share the same goal, and it would be fun to watch them bounce off of one another.

Crime Syndicate Vs. Squadron Supreme

Lots of heroes face off against dark reflections of themselves, so why not an entire team?  The Justice League of America has inspired more than a couple of  doppelganger groups, and it's been interesting to see writers take them in different directions that the traditional JLA.

The Maestro Vs. Parallax

Here are two classic examples of the "hero gone bad" storyline.  The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect was a ton of fun and one of my favorite Peter David Hulk tales, made only better by the ultra-detailed artwork of George Perez.  I wasn't crazy about Hal Jordan losing it and becoming Parallax, and I liked him as a host for the Spectre even less.  I have to say, however,  that Geoff Johns' Green Lantern: Rebirth resolved the whole story brilliantly and made it make a lot more sense for me in the end.

Wolverine and Robocop

A teaser trailer for Logan has been released and it looks to be quite different than any other cinematic Wolverine story that we have seen so far.  It will be interesting to see Hugh Jackman's final performance as the character in what seems to be more of a grounded western than the usual mutant-filled affair. I am glad we will see Patrick Stewart's Professor X one more time as well - even if he doesn't look in very good shape in the footage that has been released.

Data Vs. The Anti-Monitor

Continued from yesterday's cover, we se that our heroes did indeed retrieve Data.  The Data and Picard-centric episodes were always my favorites from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  It's too bad that the natural aging of Brent Spiner probably prevents him from playing Data any further - there's only so many times they can drop in lines like, "Captain, I have initiated the double chin and love handle subroutine to more closely approximate the human experience."

Starman and Captain Marvel

I wonder if there will be any mention of Mar-Vell in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie.  how cool would a pre-credits sequence featuring him be, giving some back-story to the heroic legacy that Brie Larson's Carol Danvers is about to inherit?  I'd love to see that Gil Kane-designed costume in live action.

This is only Part One of a Two-Part saga - make sure to stop by again tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

Cyborg and The Falcon

When I think of my favorite scenes involving Cyborg, what my mind most often goes to in not an action packed moment, but a quieter scene from Victor Stone's civilian side.  In the "A Day In The Life" issue of New Teen Titans, early on in the series, Marv Wolfman and George Perez depicted Cyborg visiting with a group of kids who all had prosthetic limbs and offering them support and comfort.  That always stayed with me, I really liked seeing the different type of heroism that he displayed.

Superman Vs. Khan

I am a big fan of Benedict Cumberbatch and love his performances on Sherlock and Doctor Strange.  That said, as talented as he is, his turn as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness did not work for me.  How can you try to recreate on of the greatest villains to grace the silver screen?  Ricardo Montalban gave such an iconic performance that I can understand why Cumberbatch chose not to try an imitation, but the result was a character that bore very little resemblance to the classic Star Trek adversary.  They should have just gone with an original villain.

Justice Society of America and The X-Men

I love to see George Perez artwork on just abou anything, but where I feel he shines the most is on team comics.  He has the ability to include multiple characters in his storytelling without the artwork. ever looking too crowded through his deft use of composition and multi-paneled pages.  Plus, his characters all have very individualized faces and body types, rather than stock hero and heroine forms, which really enhances my enjoyment of a comic with a large roster.

The JSA and X-Men first crossed paths in STF #1400...

Green Goblin Vs. The Creeper

This is a match up that would be very cool to see.  They are each Ditko-designed characters known for their maniacal laughter and outlandish garb in their costumed identities while holding down public positions of responsibility as civilians. There are a lots of similarities and contrasts that a writer could play off of.

Iceman joins The New Teen Titans

X-Men Apocalypse included all of the founding members of the team, except for Iceman.  I can understand the decision, as the cinematic version of Bobby Drake is so much younger than the other team members and it would just be a little kid in the 80's.  I hope for the next 1990's set film they find  a way to include him... maybe even a glimpse at his early "snowman" appearance!

The Flash and The Spirit

This is a pairing that I did not think of immediately, but once the Central City connection was pointed out to me in one of the comment sections on this blog, it suddenly made a lot of sense.  I give a lot of credit to writer Geoff Johns for making Central City a real character in The Flash comics, just as Opal City was in Starman or Gotham is in the Batman titles.

Hellboy and The Rocketeer

To make an effective face concealing helmet, you want an interesting design that looks interesting from every angle, and The Rocketeer is one of the best examples.  Doctor Fate has another great design - it is much simpler, but its reflective quality keeps it an interesting visual.  Darth Vader has another great design... I'd have to say that Kylo Ren missed the mark, though.

Power Girl and Sif

For being such a popular subject of cosplayers, it's surprising hat we have not seen an official live action Power Girl yet.   Of course, Supergirl would be the most obvious place for this to happen.  They have already introduced Cadmus Labs and the concept of multiple Earths, so there are plenty of ways they could go about bringing her in.

Beta Ray Bill and Swamp Thing

We have seen numerous characters assume the power of Thor by now, but when Beta Ray Bill first hit the scene, it was still a new and shocking development to see.  And boy, did he really hit the scene, making his debut by smashing his hammer through the logo of Thor #337 - it's no wonder they had to create a brand new logo for issue #338!  It was a great way to introduce a new character, and i have been a fan ever since.

Batman and Calvin & Hobbes

This is another team up that I had always meant to get to in my B&B: The Lost Issues days, but I never quite got around to.  Hey, if Batman can mold Damian into an effective partner, why not Calvin?  It might be fun to see him try, anyway!

Black Panther and Shaft

Because of yesterday's Photobucket outage, which resulted in broken links rather than a new cover, today I am posting a second cover.  Who says this isn't the swingin' STF age of  visitor satisfaction?

After seeing Doctor Strange last night (and thoroughly enjoying it - loved the Ditko feel to the other dimensions and the action sequences were very different and inventive compared to the usual blockbuster fare.  Benedict Cumberbatch was great in the title role), I can't wait to see what Marvel has in Store for The Black Panther.  It's got a great cast, director and set of characters so all the pieces are in place for another triumph.

Green Arrow and Daredevil in "Horn-Head Has His Last Hurrah!"

Arrow has been fun this season so far, with the addition of Wild Dog, Artemis, Ragman, Mr. Terrific and now The Human Target to the mix.  District Attorney Adrian Chase looks to be about to make the transition into The Vigilante as well.  Finally, there have been hints that The Question may be introduced down the road.  While some of the characters are not exactly like their comic counterparts, it is still a kick to see so many of DC's supporting heroes in live action.

Green Arrow and Daredevil have had bad blood ever since they first met in STF #590...

Indiana Jones Vs. Aliens

I have gained a great appreciation for the artwork of Dave Dorman.  His paintings of the characters from Alien, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, DC/Marvel Comics and more always seem to capture their iconic essences perfectly.  He has an amazing knack for likenesses as well as the ability to cinematically frame his scenes.

Justice League of America Vs. Apocalypse

X-Men Apocalypse was kind of a mish mash of a film, with lots of different elements thrown in.  While I don't know if it worked together as a whole, I did enjoy a lot of the fan service moments that were included like Weapon X, The Phoenix Force and finally proper X-Men uniforms in the final scene.  Quicksilver's big scene was once again fun but simply makes him way too powerful in my opinion.  I'm looking forward to future films in the new costumes that deal a lot less with Magneto and Mystique, which is getting a bit repetitive.  I must confess Mr. Sinister hit right after I pretty much bailed on the X-Men comics, so I don't know what to think of him as the next antagonist.

Squadron Supreme and Captain Marvel

The Shazam movie has been one of the longest percolating projects on DC's film roster. One challenge in bringing this classic character to life will be the age of Billy Batson.  I would think that they would want to get someone young enough that they can make a few sequels him if the first movie is a success.  You don't want Captain Marvel's "kid" side already needing to shave by the time the third film rolls around, after all.