Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Superman and The Son of Satan


As much as I loved superheroes growing up. I never dressed as them for Halloween, usually opting for something traditional and scary like a vampire or werewolf.  Only later when I went to more adult parties did I start whipping up superhero costumes - Green Lantern, The Flash, Superman, Bizarro... and my current emergency go-to, Clark Kent (Hair in a spit curl, glasses, suit with shirt unbuttoned to reveal "S" below). 

Monday, October 30, 2017

ROM & Star Trek Vs. Aliens


I watched Alien: Covenant recently, and while it was well made and acted, it felt kind of unnecessary.  Almost every big scene seemed to be recreating a moment from one either Ridley Scott's original Alien or James Cameron's sequel, Aliens.  The result just seemed bloated and derivative to me.  I liked a lot of the action, I just felt as though I had seen it all before.

Thank you to Tom Zilla, a patron of this blog, for suggesting this 3-way encounter!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Cloak & Dagger Vs. The Demon


Continued from yesterday's cover, we now see who Constantine sent our heroes after.  Another reason that I like Cloak and Dagger is that they work well in both street-level adventures and stories that involve a supernatural element.  It might be fun to see them mix it up with the likes of Etrigan.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Cloak and Dagger and Constantine


I've seen a trailer for the upcoming Cloak and Dagger TV show, and while it didn't show much in the way of powers or costumes, I liked what I saw.  The actors seemed well cast and the tone seemd right.  I think they are great characters for the small screen and the show has potential.  I'll definitely be checking it out.

Hmmmm - just who is responsible for terrorizing the neighborhood?  Make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Kid Eternity and Captain Marvel


Kid Eternity is a character that I have been meaning to feature on the blog for ages now.  I used to read reprints of his adventures in Detective Comics and elsewhere, and liked his schtick of calling forth famous historical figures to assist him. We don't see much of him these days, I guess  with the impermanence of death in the comics, his abilities are less in demand.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Thor and Starman


DC is all about legacy characters and Starman is one of the best.  I love how varied each of his incarnations have been, whether related to the original Ted Knight or not.  James Robinson did an amazing job at weaving all of the different characters to wear the mantle together in his classic 90's series, and the legacy aspect of the hero is stronger than ever because of that.  Stargirl currently wields the cosmic power, and will hopefully be part of a new Justice Society soon.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Joker and Moon Knight


Rumors of a Joker stand alone origin movie have me scratching my head.  First of all, The Joker - like Wolverine and The Phantom Stranger - is one of the few comics characters that works better for me without a clear back story.  The air of mystery helps him to be more menacing.  I don't really want to understand his psyche, either - He's a mass murdering psychotic that I want to laugh at or be afraid of - not sympathize with.  Finally, while I wasn't crazy about Jared Leto's take, I don't know if audiences are ready for the role to be re-cast once again so quickly.  We'll see if this project ever comes to pass or if it is morphed into a Joker/Harley Quinn film, an idea that has also been floated aound.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Batman and Buffy the Vampire Slayer



This is a pairing that I am surprised I never got to in my B&B: The Lost Issues days.  I definitely think that these two would go well together in comics or film.  It would also be fun to see Alfred interacting with Giles as well, I'm sure they would enjoy venting to one another about their often stubborn partners.

Monday, October 23, 2017

Sgt. Rock on the Planet of the Apes



I missed War for the Planet of the Apes in the theaters, but I enjoyed the first two installments enough to put an order in for the Blu Ray, so I will be checking it out as soon as it is released.  I have been a fan of the whole franchise since I was a kid.  I can remember watching the TV show, with plenty of Apes merchandise around the house - we had trading cards, lunch boxes, coloring books and action figures, they were pretty big in the 70's. 

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy and Justice League of America



How long is it before we see a Justice League Detroit grouping on TV?  Between Supergirl, The Flash and Arrow, all of the characters will have been introduced by the end of  the current season - except for Aquaman who is busy breaking into the movies these days. In fact, I say Let the Atom take his place and replace Legends of Tomorrow with a JLDetroit show to call their own!

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Aquaman & Aqualad and Hercules



I have to laugh when I look at this team up because the Jason Mamoa Aquaman from Justice League looks like it will be an amalgam between Aquaman and Hercules.  He's got Aquaman's abilities and trident, with Hercules' personality and appearance, and a costume that combines the two.  Hopefully when I see the movie, the Orin/Arthur Curry side of Aquman will become more evident.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Johnny Thunder Dreams of Jeannie!



I liked watching reruns of I Dream of Jeannue! when I was a kid.  The comedy was corny in a Gilligan's Island kind of way but the main character had super powers, something that always interested me.  Plus Barbara Eden was easy on the eyes!

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Black Lightning and Storm in: "Zapped by Zzzax!"



Zzzax is a pretty cool Hulk villain.  He has a great visual and the fact that The Hulk can't defeat him simply by punching him meant he had to be a little more creative in their battles.  Plus, you just have to love that cool name!

Black Lightning and Storm first crossed paths back in STF #360...

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Calvin and Hobbes and Swamp Thing




One thing that amazed me about Bill Watterson was his ability to draw landscapes and scenery as well as the shenanigans of a boy and his stuffed tiger.  His mastery of pacing, body language and facial expressions would have been enough to make Calvin & Hobbes a great strip, and the fact that they operated in such lush environments really helped to put it over the top into classic territory.  Watterson could have just as easily illustrated a straight up adventure comic.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Black Canary and She-Hulk


Arrow now has a third Black Canary on the show, Dinah Drake.  I like the new actress and that the character possesses a canary cry, unlike the previous versions. Just don't confuse her with the first Black Canary o n the program, who died, then got better and became the White Canary on DC's Legends of Tomorrow... or the second Black Canary, who took over for the first one (her sister) before she also died... or the Black Siren, who is also currently appearing on the show and looks identical to the second Black Canary because she is her evil counterpart from an alternate dimension. See, it's simple!

These two first met way back in STF #119...

Monday, October 16, 2017

Warlock and Tomar-Re


Continued from yesterday's cover, we see who the renegade Lantern turned out to be...

Tomar-Re was one of the first alien Green Lanterns that I was introduced to, and I have been a fan of him ever since.  I was glad to see that he was included in the cinematic Green Lantern, even if the film wasn't great and his design felt off to me.  I did like Geoffrey Rush providing his voice.  Hopefully his appearance there wont preclude him from being a part of the upcoming Green Lantern Corps movie, he belongs in there (along with Chaselon, of course!)

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Warlock and The Guardians of the Universe


Warlock will be making his live action debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, and I am sure that the hunt for an actor to perform the role has already begun.  This would have been a perfect character for Matthew McConaughey to play, but they may want to go for a younger actor.  Zac Ephron has the look but does he have the acting chops?  Liam Hemsworth?  Armie Hammer?

So, just who is the rogue Green Lantern?  Come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion to this two-part tale and find out!

Saturday, October 14, 2017

The Roustabouts Return!


As I mentioned when The Roustabouts first appeared on this blog, no circus-based team is complete without the addition of Deadman.  So, here's the official initiation issue!  He's one of my absolute favorite characters and I can't believe I forgot to include him the first time around.

Friday, October 13, 2017

Hong Kong Phooey and Captain Carrot & His Amazing Zoo Crew



Between Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Justice League Action and the various DC animated shorts, we have seen most of the DCU in cartoon form at one time or the other.  I am surprised that Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew have not been included yet, though.  They seem perfect for animated adventures, they wouldn't even have to be re-designed!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Doom Patrol and Deathlok


I was interviewed this past week by Emily Scott and Dean Compton on their show, Her Dork World, His Dork World (you can find the link to listen a few posts before this) .  I was surprised when Dean said he had a team up suggestion for me - Doom Patrol and Deathlok - because I had created a cover featuring that same pairing just a day or two before.  I don't know if Dean has been spying on me or if great minds just think alike, but here it is.  Something tells me that once they settled their differences, Deathlok would be right at home as a member of the Doom Patrol, being somewhat of a heroic outcast himself.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Spider-Man and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark


It was a great moment seeing (SPOILERS for the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming)  Peter Parker refuse the updated Spidey suit from Tony Stark because he felt he wasn't ready yet.  I loved the suit he was already wearing with the cool emotive eyes and want to see more of him in action wearing it.  However, every piece of promotional artwork for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War features Peter Parker in the new suit after all.  I'm sure there will be a compelling story reason for it, but I hope it isn't permanent because I still prefer the simpler costume.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Zatanna Vs. The Masters of Evil


If the Justice League Dark movie ever gets m,ade, I think that Zatanna has the potential to a the breakout star.  She has the most normal appearance and attitude of the group and would be more accessible to the movie audience thatn some of the more outlandish and flamboyant characters.  It all depends on the script and casting of course, but I think there's a lot of potential there.

Monday, October 9, 2017

Blackhawk and Airboy


I am assuming that the Han Solo movie will feature plenty of The Millenium Falcon, and it will be cool to see some of its secrets revealed.  Will we see a shiny new Falcon, from before years of modifications and battle damage?  Will we see the fabled Kessel Run?  How about when Solo won the Falcon from Lando Calrissian?  I'm betting we will see at least one of those scenarios.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Spider-Man 2099 and Superboy


I miss the original iteration of Superboy.  Even though I warmed up to the Kon-El after a while (thanks mostly to his portrayal in the animated Young Justice), I always preferred my Superboy tales to be about "the adventures of Superman when he was a boy!".  I have heard good things about the new Jon Kent version (son of Lois and Clark) in the DC Rebirth titles though, so I picked up a couple of digital trades featuring him and I am about to catch up on the new super-developments..

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues on Her Dork World/His Dork World!

I had a great time talking with Emily Scott and Dean Compton on Her Dork World / His Dork World the other night.  We chatted about the blog and comics in general and it was a lot of fun.  You can listen to it right here:

Green Lantern and Hellboy


Hellboy is going to have a cinematic reboot, which kid of surprised me.  I had enjoyed the two Guillermo Del Toro films, but neither was a huge box office hit.  The image released of David Harbour in full Hellboy make up looks good, if not all that different from the Ron Perlman version.  This new take is supposed to be darker and less jokey than the other films.  It will be interesting seeing just how different it will be from what has come before, and whether that's a good or bad thing.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Captain America and Elongated Man


I am looking forward the season premiere of The Flash next week.  It promises to be a good season in that it looks like we will be getting away from the time travel/speedster vs. evil speedster story lines, which should help keep it fresh.  Best of all Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man is going to become a regular character on the show!  He is one of my all-time favorite characters from the comics and always seems to get overlooked.  Hopefully appearing weekly on TV will introduce him to many more fans.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Machine Man and The Original Robotman



I always thought it was cool that Machine Man was a spin-off character from Marvel's 2001 series. I was a huge fan of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I loved the idea that it could be connected to the Marvel heroes that I read about.  I have been a fan of X-51 ever since.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

THE STF #2000 100-PAGE SPECTACULAR!



Welcome to the 2000th Super-Team Family cover on this blog (cover #2510 overall)!  When I started back in April of 2010, my original goal was to make 500, so I am glad that I have been able to keep it going - and that folks don't seem to be getting tired of the concept.  Indeed, the site has continued to grow in popularity and I am grateful for the kind comments it has received from various comics-related sites & podcasts, industry professionals, and especially my regular visitors.  Often, someone will say something along the lines of, "I wish this was a real comic!" - Well, for this special Anniversary Issue, Let's make that wish a reality (as best I can anyway)!

First up is the main feature.  I used to draw for my own personal enjoyment, and being a fan, I enjoyed illustrating in a comic book format.  in 1994, I decided to write a huge crossover story featuring a ton of characters from Marvel and DC.  I actually got around to drawing half of it, before getting distracted with other things and putting it down.  I did post some of the pages in my STF #1000 post, and I received a few requests for the whole thing, so here it is!  Now, be kind - I had no illusions about ever being a real comic book artist or writer, this was just something I did for my own fun.  The art is far from perfect and the story is kind of all over the place.   I think I might have shown these pages to a couple of my siblings but that was it.

I apologize for the low-quality scans - these have been at the bottom of a drawer for decades and a lot of the penciling is quite faint.  So, if you don't want to squint to read my overly-wordy text, I will summarize each page for you as we go along...

(Please Note:  If viewing on an Ipad or other small screen and the images are cut off, just click on them and the full image will open up in an overlay)

Page 1.)  Doctor Doom discovers a nexus point through which the Marvel and DC universes can breach one another.


Page 2.)  Doom longs to conquer a world without superheroes to interfere with him, and fires a beam meant to counter the vibrations of the nexus and open a rift.


Page 3.)  While Doom waits for his ray to work,  in the DCU, Desaad sees that the nexus is being activated  from the other side and rushes to inform Darkseid, who has been waiting for this day.


Page 4.)  With his own plans for domination, Darkseid activates a beam of his own, this completing the breach between universes!


Page 5.)  Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate detect the cross-dimensional tampering...


Page 6.)  ... As do The Spectre and The Watcher, who each decide to travel to the Nexus to see what's happening.


Page 7.)  Darkseid and Doom instantly distrust one another.  Doom is transported to Darkseid's ship and they begin to do battle...


Page 8.) ...Only to be interrupted by The Spectre, who vows to punish them both - until The Watcher shows up and implores him to stop.


Page 9.)  Uatu explains that their tampering has already started a chain reaction that threatens to destroy both universes and they must be allowed to reverse it.  The Spectre does not like his vengeance being thwarted and as the villains vanish from his hands he turns his attention to The Watcher.  Doom and Darkseid reappear on the other side of the ship and decide it would be prudent to join forces to defeat these two powerhouses.


Page 10.)  The Spectre and The Watcher debate the merits of action versus inaction, and just as Uatu is getting through to him, The Spectre screams...


Page 11.)  ...Doom and Darkseid blast them out the airlock and manage to imprison them within the Nexus itself!  With them trapped between dimensions, their energy can be siphoned off and used to summon and send anyone from anywhere, even between the two dimensions.  The two villains then begin their master plan to rid two Earths of their superheroes.


Page 12.)  On both Earths, super-villains are disappearing from their jail cells!  Belle Reve, Arkham Asylum, The Vault and more are affected.


Page 13.)  At the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson says there's more going on than just villains vanishing from jail - brand new costumed characters are popping up all over and causing trouble, only to disappear just as quickly.  He sends Peter Parker out to get some footage, who looks up to see that...


Page 14.)  ..."Superman" and "Captain Marvel" are wreaking havoc!  Nova is in the neighborhood and decides to put a stop to their destruction...


Page 15.)   ...but finds himself in trouble, until Spider-Man joins the action!


Page 16.)  Along comes the cavalry - Hawkeye and Captain America in an Avengers Quinjet.  They blast the intruders, who begin to flee...


Page 17.)   ...into a rift in the sky.  Hawkeye tries to track it, but loses the reading.  The know this is just the beginning.


Page 18.)  In Westchester, Kitty Pryde and Scott Summers are visited by "Wildcat", "The Flash", and "Green Lantern"...


Page #19.)   The battle begins upstairs...


Page 20.)  ...And continues downstairs!


Page 21.)  Logan returns home just in time to see the "JSA" leave.


Page 22.)  We see that similar incidents are happening on the DC Earth - In Gotham City, Jack Ryder reports on them and then decides to investigate as The Creeper!


Page 23.)  Batgirl and Robin respond to reports of a monster, Batgirl regrets going in too soon.


Page 24.)  The Creeper joins Robin to face... "The Hulk"!  Robin prepares a sonic disruptor...


Page 25.)   ...Which only serves to annoy and after the building crashes down, the monster has vanished - but something grows in his place.


Page 26.)  In Metropolis, Man-Bat, The Guardian and Supergirl are attacked by "Human Torch", "Colossus" and "The Thing".


Page 27.)  Things aren't looking good for our heroes when Superman shows up.


Page 28.)  He gets a few licks in, but doesn't know who these intruders are...


Page 29.)  ...And before he can get any answers, they escape like all the others.


Page 30.)  The intruding "heroes" reappear on Darkseid's ship, where their true forms are revealed - it's the missing super-villains disguised by the energies of The Watcher and The Spectre!  They adjourn to the great hall...


Page 31.)  ...where they are met by even more villains!  Darkesid begins to explain the master plan.


Page 32.)  They will destroy the heroes of both worlds by turning them against each other - the first phase is complete, and now to begin phase two - using astral projections of the entrapped Spectre and Watcher to sow further discord!


Page 33.)  Soon, The Watcher appears in Avengers Mansion, telling Captain America to gather the team together to prepare for a major confrontation.


Page 34.)  Uatu appears before other team leaders, imploring them to do the same.


Page 35.)  In the DCU, The Spectre appears in front of the JLA Satellite, giving his own request for heroes to assemble...


Page 36.)  ...Which he does with others around the world.


Page 37.)  Doom and Darkseid tell the villains to be patient as the plan plays out, and the JSA gather together as requested.


Page 38.)  The team is feeling anxious, and they check in with The JLA...


Page 39.)  ...Who are still gathering themselves, along with the Marvel Family, Adam Strange and Plastic Man.


Page 40.)  The Metal Men are ready as well.


Page 41.)  More JLAers arrive as well as Batman and company.


Page 42.)  All the DC heroes are in place, so Doom and Darkseid look at the Marvel Earth...


Page 43.)  ...Where the Avengers are fully assembled!


Page 44.)  They establish communications with the Fantastic Four, The X-Men, The Defenders, and Nick Fury's group of solo heroes.


Page 45.)  With everyone in place Doom and Darkseid send the projections of The Watcher and The Spectre back to weave their tales of deceit!


Page 46.)  The Spectre appears in front of all the DC heroes and warns that the Marvel heroes are despots who have destroyed their own planet and are now crossing dimensions to take over a new Earth - this villains seen so far were only scouts planting transmitters in various cities and now the whole army is coming to activate them, causing untold destruction...


Page 47.)   The Spectre explains that the villains will attack in the ensuing panic, and shows images so the heroes will know who they are up against.  The DC heroes divide into teams.


Page 48.)  On the Marvel Earth, The Watcher spins his own tale, Telling the heroes there that they must find the transmitters on the DC Earth and disengage them before they can destroy the world, after which the villains there plan to cross dimensions and attack.  He can send them there and shows them the opposition they can expect.


Page 49.)  The Marvel heroes choose which DC cities they will travel to, and a cackling Watcher projection can't believe they fell for the ruse!


Page 50.)  This first battle!  The Fantastic Four and the Defenders are transported to Boston, where the Metal Men are guarding one of the transmitters/thermal charges...


Page 51.)  ...with the Marvel Family as back-up!



... And as you can see, that's as far as I got.  I did write the rest of the script, though.  The rest of the story involved various battles, each with a clear winner.  At the end of the battles, Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate would have realized the ruse and notified the heroes, then head off to free The Watcher and The Spectre. With the heroes half-defeated and weakened from fighting, Doom and Darkseid send the villains gathered in the ship to take out those left standing.   The heroes who won the earlier battles work together to gain the advantage on the attacking villains.  In a panic, Doom and Darkseid send Galactus, Brimstone, Sentinels and other giants in to turn the tide.  The heroes who lost the earlier battles recuperate and arrive as the cavalry before the now-freed Watcher ans Spectre return to repair the dimensional damages as much as they are able to.  The story would have ended with a merged Earth - not like Amalgam, but with characters from Marvel and DC operating on a single Earth.  A wonky tale to be sure, but it was just an excuse for me to draw as many heroes and match-ups as possible.

and now for the back-up feature:  "Reunion" featuring the Justice League of America (plus lots of guest stars!).  This was done a few years prior to the above story, and the flaws are even more glaring - I wasn't confident in my ability to draw women, so I just didn't include them, I was rushing to finish so the final chapter basically takes place in a big empty room, more overly-wordy exposition, in one panel I draw Adam Strange's fin backwards for some reason, and so on.  Still, it's in full color and it is a complete Gardner Fox-inspired tale.  A few notes:  Alastor and Captain Rutabaga are characters that I created when I was much younger and decided to include here.  The Sentry I created just for the purposes of this story.  So here it is, warts and all:































And there you have it!  Finally one of my Anniversary Issue 100-Pagers actually has 100 pages in it!  Hopefully you got a kick out of my old doodles!

I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to visit the blog, and for the kind words and comments over the years.  I appreciate all of the team up suggestions as well (even if I may not respond to each on individually - the answer is always the same, "Maybe, if I can find images and an idea that works!").  Collecting comics was always a pretty solitary hobby for me as a kid, and it's been nice to have a community of friends that I can share my love for the characters and creators with.

I especially would like to thank the visitors who have shown support for the blog, whether by making a one-time contribution (via the "Donate" button below the posts/statcounter) or by becoming a Patron. Thanks also to the folks who have chosen to advertise (join them, it's still only pennies a day!).  You have all played a big part in helping this blog last as long as it has - over seven years and still going!

This is Ross, signing off - until tomorrow's cover, that is!