Doctor Fate and Shaman

So who owns the cinematic rights to the members of Alpha Flight?  Marvel is going to be looking for more heroes to spotlight in their Phase Three move [plans, so they would be a natural choice.  Then again, they began as a spin off from a story in Uncanny X-Men, so maybe they are part of the property that Fox holds - in which case I wonder why they haven't used them yet.  Hopefully some studio will eventually bring them to the big screen.

Star Trek and Adam Strange

I checked out the classic animated Star Trek on Netflix and was pleasantly surprised.  Sure the animation is pretty limited, but the stories were great, some would have been perfect for the live action series.  The best part is that the entire original cast provided voices, lending the cartoon a real air of authenticity.

Captain America and The Doom Patrol

I am glad to see that the whole "Cap as a sleeper Hydra agent" story line seems to finally be coming to a close.  Yes, there have been Captain America gone bad tales before, but they only lasted for an issue or two, rather than dragging on and on and bleeding into other titles.  Hopefully going forward, the comics will feature a Steve Rogers with the heroic qualities that make him an inspiration once again.

The Vision and Red Tornado in: "Upgraded... and Unstable!"

I see that Red Tornado (or an alternate world version of him) will be showing up on the CW superhero show crossover "Crisis on Earth X" this week.  Hopefully, they have tweaked his look a bit, he looked a little low rent on Supergirl.   I'd love to see him get the big screen treatment after seeing how well The Vision has been realized in his cinematic appearances.

The Vision and red Tornado have crossed paths before in The Lost Issues - They investigated "who stole humanity?" back in Issue #1272 , merged programming Issue #971 and first met in an early MS Paint cover in Issue #44

Batman and The Incredibles

The teaser for The Incredibles 2 has been released, and I am very happy that this movie is finally being made.  I figured that the setting would jump ahead a few years in time, but it looks like things will take off shortly after the end of the last film, with the family just realizing that baby Jack Jack has powers of his own.  I don't mind if that is the case because there is plenty of material to be mined there.  It will also be interesting to see what spin the film takes on superheroes this time around, considering they have become the dominant cinematic genre in the years since the first Incredibles was released.

Hercules and Hercules

With Thor: Ragnarok being pretty much a straight up comedy, I think that Marvel's Hercules would have fit right in to the proceedings. I guess with Thor and  The Hulk, they didn't want another muscly male character, so Valkyrie was used instead.  Still, if the franchise goes on and Taika Waititi continues directing, I'd love to see what he could do with The Prince of Power.

This double Hercules tale comes about as the result of a request by STF Patron Travis Johnson, among others.  Thanks, Travis!

Deathlok and OMAC

OMAC is another character that is perfect for an appearance on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, given the time-travel aspect of the show.  Perhaps an adventure in the future with Brother Eye  will allow them to actually spend more than a minute or two in  their costumes as well!  I'd hope they would do Buddy Blank and his alter ego justice though - I'm still shaking my head over the lackluster interpretation of Deathlok on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Seven Swordsmen

Back in another life, when I went to acting school, I took a fencing class, and it was an absolute blast.  There were a few offensive and defensive moves to learn, and once I had them down, it was easy to choreograph battles.  We would practice in slow motion until we got it perfect and then switch to real time.  Tons of fun!

Uncle Scrooge Vs. Superman

Justice League was not as well crafted as Wonder Woman, but it was a marked improvement over Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.  I found the plot and villain to be very generic, I wish there had been more surprises there.  The Flash's costume did not work at all for me and I felt Quicksilver had better speed effects.  Ezra Miller was engaging I guess, but did not look or sound like any Barry Allen I ever read in the comics.  Same for Jason Mamoa - an entertaining performance, but he didn't look or behave like Aquaman from the comics.  I thought that Cyborg was well done, but it should have been Green Lantern or Martian Manhunter in his place, let him graduate to the JLA, not found it.  The action was great, even though much of it under the red skies looked pretty video-gamey.  The saving grace for the movie is Superman.  When he finally returns, we get to see the hero we have been waiting three movies for (hard not to smile during the first credits scene).  So, even though the movie suffered from the director switch and is far from perfect, it leaves things in a place that gives me optimism for the future.

Mars Attacks Star Wars!

The full trailer for Star Wars: the Last Jedi has me looking forward to the next chapter in the saga.  My main complaints about the last installment were a few to many parallels to A New Hope and the lack of Luke Skywalker, both of which look to be addressed this time around.  It will be interesting to see where director Rian Johnson takes the characters going forward.

Kang Vs. Krang Vs. Kang!

The yearly Treehouse Of Horror episodes of The Simpsons are among my favorites.  The writers really seem to have fun with them.  Plus, there's usually an appearance by the aliens Kang and Kodos.  I was surprised to find out that Kodos was female when Kang referred to her as "my sister" at one point (or was that the other way around?)

This crazy combination comes as the result of a suggestion by STF Patron Travis Johnson.  Thanks, Travis!

Black Goliath and Blue Beetle

Black Goliath's costume just screams Bronze Age and I love it.  I always liked those high collars, even though they don't seem to serve a purpose other than restricting peripheral vision. I do wonder why he left his gut uncovered.  Maybe Bill Foster really worked hard on his crunches and wanted to make sure everyone could see his six pack?

Bruce Lee and Iron Fist

Like Mr. T, Bruce Lee was another person from my youth that felt like a real-life superhero.  He really knew how to fight (convincing screen combat at least) and brought The Green Hornet and the movies that he starred in to another level.  His tragic death at such an early age only added to his iconic aura.

Green Arrow and Hawkeye in: "The'Bots and the Bowmen"

Green Arrow and Hawkeye have met before on the blog - They first met in one of my very earliest STF covers... then they were at odds with a few fellow Avengers along for the tale... Next up they faced off against The Hulk and Solomon Grundy... then it was time to hone their skills... and next they shared an adventure with Black Canary and Mockingbird. and last time was a classic adventure from early in their careers,,,

Dazzler and Green Lantern

When I was a kid, I saw Dr. Light as one of the premiere DC villains.  Unlike most super-villains, he wasn't confined to a single superhero.  He got around, taking on Green Lantern, The Atom, The Teen Titans, The JLA and more.  It's too bad that he later became somewhat of a joke, and what was done with him in Identity Crisis still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  I'd like to see a Rebirth version that undoes a lot of those missteps.

Aquaman in The Marvel Universe

Uh oh, looks like Aquaman had a little too much Olympian wine...

The word is that DC will be following Marvel's lead and will be including a couple of extra scenes during and at the end of the credits for Justice League which will set up future movies.  One is supposed to get audiences pumped for the solo Aquaman film, and I am looking forward to checking it out!

Concrete and Yoda

I remember reading The Art of Star Wars when I was a kid and discovering the work of Ralph McQuarrie.  His advertisements, matte paintings and concept art absolutely blew me away, and gave me a real appreciation for the skill that goes into creating a fictional world.  watching the original trilogy again, you can see his artwork or influence in almost every scene.

Man-Thing and The Spectre in: "The Desperation of Doctor Thirteen!"

I always wondered why Dr. Thirteen was such a skeptic in his back up comic stories.  I mean, he lived in the DC Universe, where super heroes and villains were quite common,  The Justice League alone included an Atlantean, an Amazon and three aliens!  I think my mind would have been a little more open to the unknown.

Man-Thing First met The Spectre in STF #1081...

Robin and Daredevil in "Duplicating the Dead!"

Netflix' Daredevil series  has begun filming on Season Three, according to Vincent D'Onofrio.  The last moments of The Defenders, coupled with the jailhouse meeting between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk from Season Two have me really looking forward to where the series will go from here.  I am expecting elements from the Born Again story line will be used.

Daredevil and Tim Drake first met in STF #1121... DD had less of a cordial relationship with Jason Todd in STF #198... and a decidedly different DD met the Earth-2 Robin in STF #1509...

7 Soldiers of Victory and The Human Torch

When people talk about accessibility of comics, sometimes I don't think they give kids enough credt for being able to figure things out.  One of the very first comic stories I read as a kid - and one that got me hooked was Justice League of America #100-102, which featured the JLA, JSA and Seven Soldiers of Victory in one big adventure.  Even Metamorpho came along for the ride!  I wasn't put off by so many characters I hadn't seen before - indeed, I was dazzled by them and wanted to find out more.

Firestorm and the New Warriors

New Warriors is another Marvel property being prepared for a television treatment.  Other than the casting of Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl, I haven't heard too much about it. There are plenty of characters that they can choose for the roster as there have been multiple incarnations of the comic team over the years.  I'd love to see as many founding members as possible in the mix though, I really liked the original line-up.

Wonder Woman and Wolverine in: "The Hunt for Artemis!"

This cover is tying off a loose end from way back in STF #189, where these two first appeared together. I teased a revelation about Logan's origins and family in that issue, and now over five years later, more light is being shed on this mystery.  I'm sure everyone else forgot about it, but this is a plot thread that I have been meaning to address for a long time.

Suicide Squad and Giant-Man

My favorite era of Suicide Squad is the John Ostrander-penned issues from their 90's series.  I hope that any cinematic sequel will draw from those stories.  I'd love to see characters like Bronze Tiger, Vixen and Nightshade join and the I think that Father Kraemer would be a great addition to the cast.  My guess is that the produceers will prefer to make it Harley-centric again, though.

The Hulk and The Flash (The TV Event!)

I still think that The Flash 90's TV series had one of the best live action costumes ever.  It's easily the best Flash costume.  Even with a slightly redesigned cowl and incorrectly-colored boots, I prefer it to either the current movie or TV versions.

These two shared a  more traditional comic book adventure in STF #1296...

Steel and Power Man

I have some issues with the costuming on DC's Legends of Tomorrow but I have to say they did a pretty good job with the look of Steel.  It's faithful to the comic version and looks good on screen, especially when he's powered up with the metallic skin.

Doc Savage and The Shadow

As far as I know, these two pulp heroes have never crossed paths, which is a little surprising.  They seem as though they would work together well in in a story.  STF Patron Ken Roskos pointed out in a previous comments section that they both had the same publisher back in the 40's so it could have happened

Red Tornado and Wonder Man

Dinosaurs and apes were frequently featured on the covers of comics of my youth.  It was said that their presence boosted sales. I'm not sure about how true that was, but I will say that as a kid I was drawn to the images.  Sure, we can get realistic looking ape and dino action on the big screen today, but in those days comics were the only place to truly see them in action (and not just men in animal costumes).

Dr. Fate and The Silver Surfer

News of a solo Doctor Doom film had me scratching my head.  If producers were looking for a property to spin off of the Fantastic Four franchise. The Silver Surfer seems like a much better choice.  He's got a great back story and his look was already perfected in his previous cinematic outing.  Plus, it would offer a second chance to get Galactus right - no cloud this time!

The Lone Ranger Vs. Werewolf by Night!

Like Tarzan, The Lone Ranger is a classic property that the movies just can't seem to get right.  I keep waiting for a great adaptation of the material, but Hollywood keeps wanting to go tongue-in-cheek with the western hero. The most recent attempt was a complete misfire to me.  Johnny Depp as Tonto?  What were they thinking?

This cover is the result of a suggestion by Ken Roskos, a Patron of this blog.  Thanks, Ken!

Ch'p and Howard The Duck

Many a superhero fan began their love of comics with funny animal characters.  It's not surprising that animal heroes would strike a chord with them as they are a bridge between the two genres.  The question is, how realistic to depict them?  For me, it's different for each character - I prefer a more cartoonish Howard and a more naturalistic looking Ch'p.