Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Green Lantern and Marvel Boy
I liked Marvel Boy from his appearances in Fantastic Four when I was a kid and was glad to see him come back as The Uranian as a member of the Agents of Atlas. I really dug that team, and I hope we haven't seen the last of them.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Hawk & Dove and The Punisher
I've lost track of where Hawk & Dove are in the DCU these days. I remember them having a big role in the Blackest Night/Brightest Day event from a few years back, but haven't read much about them since. The new Titans series seems to be an appropriate place to make a rebirth of their own, if it hasn't happened already.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
The Flash and Daredevil
Grant Gustin has hinted that he will be getting another upgrade to his costume on The Flash, maybe by the end of the season. I hope they finally go with the yellow/gold boots this time. They have him wearing red boots on the 90's series, this show, and for the upcoming Justice League film - and I don't understand why the live action suit designers keep doing that.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Devil Dinosaur Vs. Krypto
Devil Dinosaur has always been a cool character and now he is back in a new series. There's no Moon Boy, however, this time he is paired with Moon Girl, another pre-teen genius that Marvel seems fond of creating. I haven't checked it out to see how it matches up against Kirby's take, but the artwork I have seen from it looks like a lot of fun.
I borrowed the story title here from one of my favorite episodes of one of my favorite cartoons, Bonus points if you recognize it!
Friday, January 27, 2017
The Metal Men and Nova
Though they weren't everyone's cup of tea, I enjoyed the CGI animated series Green Lantern and Beware the Batman. Should DC decide to utilize that style again, I think that The Metal Men would be a perfect fit for it. I have loved all of their animated appearances so far, and it would be great to see them and their wild rogues gallery in full CGI glory.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
The Walking Dead and Superman
I am looking forward to the the return of The Walking Dead. Most of the first half of the season was about showing viewers how evil an in control Negan was, and Rick only got the will to fight back in the last episode. It will be good to see the core group go on the offensive again. I know at least one of them is going to get it because of a casting announcement I have read that will take the actor/actress to a new series.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Luke Skywalker and Swamp Thing
The next Star Wars film has a name now - The Last Jedi. I am hoping that Luke will make it through all three pictures, especially since he was barely in the last one and the final film will not have Leia - but with a title like that, I am a little worried as to what is in store for him. Mark Hamill pointed out that "Jedi" can be singular or plural, so that certainly opens up possibilities.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Cyborg Vs. Ultron
I really want the DC movies to succeed, but they seem to be impatient about bringing their characters to the big screen in some cases. The JLA other than Wonder Woman really felt shoehorned into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and having Cyborg as a founding member of the team feels rushed as well. Now it seems that Black Adam will get a solo film, possibly before he appears in the already announced movie with Shazam. Marvel seems to have had a lot more patience with the way they have rolled out their characters, and it has clearly worked well for them.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Iron Man and The Legion of Super-Heroes
Continued from yesterday's cover, We see that Ferro Lad was serious when he said they needed Tony in the 30th century.
I'm wondering how large Tony Stark/Iron man's role will be in Spider-Man: Homecoming. When I first heard he was in the film, I figured that is would be for a quick scene or two, but he did seem to be a big part of the trailer that was released. I wouldn't mind too much if he had a larger part, I liked the interaction between Stark and Peter Parker before and it would be fun to see a Marvel Team-Up style Spidey flick.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Iron Man and Ferro Lad
Ferro Lad got killed off before it became the thing to do in comics, and it was a pretty big shock at the time. The Sun-Eater as a villain seemed legitimately lethal to me since he was able to kill off a Legionnaire. DC let him Ferro Lad stay dead for a good long time, too - only being resurrected after a few LSH reboots had taken place.
This story is only Part One of a Two-Part Epic - be sure to come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Robin Vs. Kang
People just love to make fun of this adult Robin outfit, but I have loved it since I first saw it in Justice League of America #55. Maybe it was because that was the first time I had seen a teenage counterpart actually get the chance to take over his mentor's role. The legacy aspect of DC's characters are a big part of what makes them special, and it was great to see on display even way back then.
Friday, January 20, 2017
The Defenders and The New Teen Titans (with Vision & Scarlet Witch)
It's too bad that Marvel has decided to give the Defenders name to the Heroes for Hire crew, because it seems to me that makes it much less likely that wee will ever see a live action version of the classic Non-Team. I loved the core group of Dr. Strange, The Hulk, Namor and The Silver Surfer - and enjoyed the group even more when lesser know heroes like Hellcat, Valkyrie, Nighthawk and The Gargoyle joined the ranks. Hopefully some of the Defenders will find a home on the big screen one of these days.
These two teams first met n STF #384...
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Sabretooth Vs. Catwoman
I always liked Adrienne Barbeau as the voice of Catwoman on Batman: The Animated Series. She certainly has the looks to play a live action version - imagine what could have been if there had been a Batman TV show in the late 70's-early 80's.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Blue Beetle and Captain America in "Crushing Defeat!"
I'm not sure what, if anything is still happening with a Blue and Gold movie, whether it is still on, has been converted to a Booster Gold solo film, or what - the rumors seem to have stopped. I hope that DC finds a way to make it work though, I like the idea of a buddy-cop style superhero movie.
Cap shared an adventure with Ted Kord back in STF #234, and met Blue Beetle Dan Garrett in STF #1078...
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
New Mutants Vs. Godzilla
Reports are that the King Kong in Kong: Skull Island will be considerably larger than other cinematic versions. I am assuming that is to make him more of a match when the King Kong Vs. Godzilla film becomes a reality. I still think it's crazy that they are planning to do that - but crazy in a good way. I know I'll be watching!
Monday, January 16, 2017
Nightwing and Daredevil in "Concussions and Repercussions!"
Towards the end of Jim Aparo's career, DC paired him with a variety of different inkers, with varying degrees of success. One combo I really enjoyed was the Aparo/Bill Sienkiewicz pairing. I wouldn't think the two styles would mesh at all, but I thought the result was pretty effective.
Nightwing and DD previously met in STF #431...
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Deadman and Spider-Man
Poor Spidey. His marriage was wiped away because of concerns that it made him seem too old, and now a new young, hip Spider-Man swings into town, making Peter Parker the "old" Spider-Man anyway. Does that mean that he will get his bride back? Not while Marvel is about to introduce a new teenage Peter in the movies, I suspect.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Groo the Wanderer and Captain Caveman
I have to confess that Captain Caveman freaked me out a little. I mean, what is that he is wearing? Is he attached to his clothes or naked with a really long beard? Either way, kind of creepy. Oh well, it didn't seem to stop him from attraction beautiful women, so what do I know?
Friday, January 13, 2017
Spy Smasher and Agent Carter
One of the first comics I remember reading was an issue of Justice League that features a JLA/JSA/Earth "S" crossover, Spy Smasher was just one face in the crowd but he must have made an impression on me. When I would play "superhero" I would often imagine myself as Spy Smasher in addition to some of the more traditional heroes like Captain America ar Batman.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Batman Vs. Kraven the Hunter
Every time I see Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan on The Walking Dead, I am more convinced that he would make the perfect cinematic Kraven The Hunter. Come on, Marvel - make it happen!
Batman tangled with Kraven before on a couple of early MS Paint covers - once with the aid of The Falcon, and once against the entire Sinister Six...
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Black Canary and Wolverine
I recently picked up a copy of Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell by Paul Dini and Joe Quinones on a whim and found it to be a blast. It did a great job of spotlighting the differences between the two heroes and the story moved with action and humor at a breezy pace. I am a big fan of Joe Quinones' art and he impresses again here, both characters have rarely looked better. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes Zee or Dinah.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Black Lightning and Jack of Hearts
Geoff Johns has been hinting at a soon to be revealed new DC TV series, and I hope that it will be the recently rumored Black Lightning. Jefferson Pierce is long overdue for a live action treatment and I think that he would be a great character to build a series around. I can definitely see him crossing over into established shows like Arrow as well.
Monday, January 9, 2017
The Teen Titans Vs. The Wrecking Crew
The Marvel movies have had a lot of hero vs. hero and hero team vs. Bad Guy with an army action lately and I think it is time for an honest to goodness villain team to show up. Let's see The Sinister Six finally unite or The Wrecking Crew or Masters of Evil making life a pain for The Avengers.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Black Widow Vs. Superman: Red Son
DC's Elseworlds stories were usually a lot of fun, even if a few began to be a little repetitive. A few really rose above the rest for me - Batman: Holy Terror, Flashpoint (the first one, a 3-issue mini-series), Gotham by Gaslight (which started it all) and of course, Superman: Red Son.
Thanks to Journeyman Studios, a Patron of this blog, for the inspiration behind this cover!
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Warriors of Wakanda
Black Panther is of course a key member of The Avengers, but I thought it would be cool if he had his own home-based team as well. I liked the glimpse of Wakanda that we saw at the end of Captain America: Civil War, and I look forward to seeing that setting explored in the Black Panther solo film.
Friday, January 6, 2017
Monkeyman & O'Brien and Angel & The Ape
Ever since 1933 folks have been intrigued by the pairing of an oversized ape with a beautiful woman. Maybe its a statement on the male/female dynamic by focusing on extreme versions of each, or maybe it's just for the cool visual it provides. Or maybe King Kong made such an impact that future generations of creators were inspired to follow suit. Probably a combination of the three, and I have to admit, I usually enjoy tales with the set-up.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Man-Thing and Jonny Quest
I'm loving that Jonny Quest is again in the spotlight with Future Quest. Even better, the title is used as a springboard for bringing back many other Hanna-Barbera action heroes. And even better still, those characters will be crossing over with some of DC's most popular heroes in an upcoming series of annuals! Those promise to be fun comics.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Green Lantern Vs. Ultron
Gil Kane and Sal Buscema - few artists could depict a hero throwing or getting hit by a punch with as much power as they did. They really knew how to instill the maximum amount of action through body language.
Let's hope that GL can stop Ultron before he wreaks as much havoc on the JLA as he did the last time... or even the time he put both the JLA and JSA in a tight spot...
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Doctor Doom and Doctor Fate in "Enemy Of My Enemy!"
Even though I am a huge Hellboy fan, I always love it when Mike Mignola works on characters from Marvel and DC. Gotham by Gaslight, Cosmic Odyssey and Dr. Strange/Dr. Doom are among my favorite works of his. He has done a ton of great cover art for both companies as well.
You know that it must have taken a lot for these two to work together considering how their last encounter turned out...
Monday, January 2, 2017
Hoppy The Marvel Bunny and Spider-Ham
I think that Hoppy the Marvel Bunny is the first cartoon animal-type hero that I ever saw cross over with the "real" superheroes. It was a two-parter in DC Comics Presents in which Superman teamed up with the entire Shazam Family, and Hoppy came in to save the day at the end. It worked out better than I thought, and I still remember that tale fondly today. Spider-Ham has made the leap as well recently, teaming with other versions of Spider-Man on more than one occasion.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Black Racer and The Avengers
There have been rumors of an Avengers member or two being killed off in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, and with so many characters involved, there are plenty to choose from. Most of the main players are coming to the ends of their contracts, so this might be a way for someone like Chris Evans or Robert Downey Jr. to bow out of the franchise. Then again, The Vision is powered by one of the Infinity Gems, so he well may be in for a rough time when Thanos comes looking for it. Or maybe Hawkeye, who we all though was going to get it in Age of Ultron, will finally meet his maker.