Justice League of America and The Avengers in: "Depths of Deception!"

Marvel has certainly had many amazingly talented artists on its comics, but one has always stood out to me as having the "official house look" of the company. It should probably be Jack Kirby, but for me it was always John Buscema.  I can trace it back to many classic issues that he worked on, but most of all it's because of his contribution to How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, a book that had a huge impact on me as a kid.  I was very happy to give my decades old copy away to a young comic fan at a yard sale last year, I hope it inspires him as much as it did me.

The JLA and Avengers have crossed paths before on the Blog... Once leading to the League's expulsion... Once in the League's first headquarters and once in my first 100-Page Giant...

The Lunatic Fringe

This cover comes about as the result of a concept from Reg Aubry and others in a recent comment section of this blog. I liked the idea of an entire team filled with heroes of questionable sanity.  It only makes sense that these off-kilter champions would join together, as many have had adventures with one another in previous issues -

The Badger met Moon Knight in STF #832...

Moon Knight met The Creeper in STF #1022...

The Creeper met The Tick in STF #2309...

The Tick met Ambush Bug in STF #480...

... and I guess they all get together and meet Crazy Jane in this issue!

Thanks, Reg and the rest for a fun team idea!

Superman and Doc Savage

I remember being let down by Superman III when I was a kid.  The inclusion of Richard Pryor was a head scratcher, and his scenes seem to belong in a completely different movie.  I wondered why they didn't use Brainiac if they were going with a computerized villain.  The real disappointment was the special effects, which looked pretty cheap compared to the first two films - it didn't help that I had just seen Return of the Jedi the same weekend.  Still, the movie is not a complete loss.  I quite like Annette O'Toole's turn as Lana Lang and the rekindled romance with Clark.  The Superman goes evil segment was well done too, especially the great Superman/Clark battle in the scrap yard. Better effects, Less Gus Gorman and Brainiac for the villain could have made this a third big success for the franchise.

Alf and Mork

I only caught a couple of episodes of Alf back when it was on the air.  It seemed to me like standard 80's TV comedy fare, but with a puppet.  As a cat lover, I had some issues with the title character's diet.  I thought that Mork and Mindy did a better job of showing life on Earth through the eyes of an alien visitor.  Of course they had the amazing talents of Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters and Robert Donner to rely upon!

Shining Knight and Iron Man

Iron Man #150, in which Tony Stark and Doctor Doom are sent to the time of King Arthur and must find their way back, is one of my all-time favorite comic books.  I read it over and over when I was a kid.  Seeing the two adversaries have to work together and combine their technology to find a way home made for an excellent tale. 

Batman and Mightor

I used to get a kick out of the old Batman stories in which he would time travel via hypnosis with the help of Professor Carter Nichols.  Back before he became strictly grim and gritty these types of stories (along with outer space adventures, crazy costume changes and bizarre physical transformations) were a fun change of pace from the usual gangster battling plots.  One thing that I loved about Batman: The Brave and the Bold was the way they embraced and paid homage to that crazy era in the caped crusader's history.

Magnus: Robot Fighter and Swamp Thing

Hopefully we will see some sort of footage from DC Comics' streaming service's upcoming Swamp Thing series.  I am very curious to see how the title character is presented.  Will he be an all-CGI creation, a man in a suit, or some kind of combination between the two?  I am also curious as to who will be playing Abby Arcane, which will no doubt be a crucial role in the show.  The Titans trailer didn't do much for me, but I am still holding out hope for this and the Doom Patrol series.

Legion of Super-Heroes and Cloak & Dagger

Brainiac 5 has been made a series regular for the upcoming season of Supergirl, and I hope that means that there's hope for a few more legionnaires to show up.  We've already seen Saturn Girl and Mon El, and I'd like to see Chameleon Boy, Phantom Girl, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Ultra Boy or Bouncing Boy appear - but really anyone will do.  Maybe if enough members are introduced and strike a chord with audiences, we can finally get a live action LSH spinoff show on the air.

Challengers of the Unknown and The Thing in "Stranger Thing!"

The Challengers of the Unknown are another group that I would love to see show up on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, or anywhere really.  I am surprised that they've never made it into any of DC's various shows, live action or animated.  They might be somewhere in the background in Justice League: The New Frontier, but I would have to go back and check.

The Thing first met The Challengers way back in 2011, in a MTIO Lost Issue...

The Atom and Captain Marvel

Hopefully we will be seeing some sort of teaser or trailer for Captain Marvel soon.  I am very curious as to how big of a role Jude Law as Mar-Vell will have.  I'm hoping that he gets at least one big scene in full costume, and he isn't just there to name drop another character, like Laurence Fishburne only mentioning his time as Goliath in Ant-Man and The Wasp.

Doctor Strange and The Question

I was aware of the Charlton characters, but I was never truly introduced to them until they were integrated into the DC Universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths.  In looking at some of their previous appearances, I was surprised to find out how much was illustrated by Steve Ditko.  I have always been fond of Ditko's character designs, for heroes, villains and supporting players - and his talent was on full display here.  It's no wonder those comics and concepts struck a chord with readers and have lasted the test of time.

Zorro and Vigilante

One thing I liked about Vigilante's animated appearances is that we got to see one aspect of his character that is often overlooked in the comics - that he's a singing superhero! I loved when he showed up on Batman: The Brave and The Bold and narrated the battle through song.  He didn't croon on Justice League Unlimited, but he did get to have an episode with the rest of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, so that was a treat to see as well.

Nick Fury in the DC Universe

I get it, Samuel L. Jackson is a great actor and it's been a blast to watch him in the role of Nick Fury in the Marvel movies.  I just wish that the comics side didn't feel the need to take the Nick Fury that I have been following for decades off the table just because he doesn't look like the popular film version.  It was the same deal with Hawkeye's costume - I understand why they went in a different direction for the movies, but was disappointed when the comics followed along by changing his outfit there as well.  I prefer when the movies take their cues from the comics and not the other way around.

Adam Strange and The Micronauts

With the success (financially if not critically) of the Transformers movies, I am surprised that there has never been an attempt to bring The Micronauts to the big or small screen.  I have always loved the character designs and the property certainly has enough nostalgia value to interest potential viewers. A decent adaptation could get the toys back on the shelves, too. 

Gambit and Bat-Lash

I was always more into superheroes than Western comics when I was growing up, but I remember issues of Bat-Lash standing out to me, mostly because of the gorgeous artwork.  Nick Cardy could illustrate anything well, and this genre was no exception.  In later years I liked that Bat-Lash was a poker player, another pastime that I enjoyed.

Thor and Zatanna

Zatanna's Silver Age quest for her father was a great universe building moment for the DCU.  By having Zatanna continue her search for her missing father through the pages of Hawkman, Green Lantern, The Atom, Detective Comics and Justice league of America, it really brought the titles together in one big adventure, which was a new concept at the time.  Plus, it revolved around Zatara, a hero from the Golden Age, tying two eras together.  I'm glad that the entire story line has been collected in one TPB.

This tale spins out of the events of STF #1658...

The Freedom Fighters and Captain America

The Freedom Fighters are a team that I have always enjoyed, even if they never really seem to catch on in a big way with fans.  I liked their adventures with the All-Star Squadron and Justice League and was pretty impressed with their modern incarnation in a trio of mini-series written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray about a decade back.  I don't think they have been seen very much since then, which is too bad.

Static Vs. Electro

As a comics and crossover fan, I was happy to see the animated connections made between Static and the DC Universe.  Static Shock had an episode that guest starred Batman and Robin, and a later one with the Justice League.  Later, an older version of Static showed up in the Batman Beyond timeline in an episode of Justice League Unlimited.  All of this made Static a part of the rich tapestry of the various DC animated shows.  Even though Young Justice started a DC continuity of its own, Static showed up there as well, pretty cool!

Magneto Vs. Plastic Man

This I think could be a pretty interesting battle.  Usually Magneto has the upper hand when fighting a hero due to his incredibly powerful skill set, but Plastic Man's unique composition would not lend itself to outside manipulation.  Then you have their disparate personalities to consider, action with a smile versus dead serious extreme activism - it would definitely be a fun match up to watch play out.

Thomas the Tank Engine and Doctor Who

OK, something a little different today.  This was a suggestion from the youngest fan of this blog.  Paul Theodorou is the son of one of my oldest friends and just a great all around guy.  When he requested a cover with his two favorite characters, I had to make it happen.  Paul turns 3 years old next month, and I hope he likes this as an early birthday present!

Daredevil Vs. Catwoman

Daredevil is coming back to Netflix for a third season, and I am looking forward to where the story goes following the events of The Defenders.  The Kingpin will be back as well, and Bullseye is also finally slated to appear. I've been vary happy with the show so far, it doesn't seem to be as slow paced as some of the other Netflix Marvel series.  Something tells me this is the season Karen Page's past comes back to haunt her, they've been laying the groundwork for that for a while.

Oracle and Lieutenant Uhura

The creation of Oracle by John Ostrander was one of the best lemonade-out-of-lemons moves in comics.  Despite the gorgeous artwork, I did not like the story of The Killing Joke and was not happy that Barbara Gordon's crippling at the hands of the Joker was canon.   Once she re-imagined her heroic role as Oracle, though, I was intrigued and I enjoyed watching her development through titles like Birds of Prey.  It's cool seeing her back as Batgirl again, but was it necessary?  It's not like Batman doesn't have other female street level crimefighters to work with - even other Batgirls. It was nice to see that her disability did not prevent her from being a hero and I miss that.

The Tick and The Creeper

There aren't a lot of heroes from Marvel or DC that could keep up with the enthusiasm and antics of The Tick, but I bet that The Creeper is one of them.  Each of them can tend to exasperate their teammates, so it would be interesting to see who cracks first.  Or maybe they would wind up being fast friends. Either way, it would be fun to read about!

Doctor Strange Vs. Mr. Mxyzptlk

Rumors are beginning to swirl about Marvel's Stage 4 cinematic plans, and Director Scott Derrickson has been hinting that a new Doctor Strange movie will be among them.  Since Marvel sequels have been used to introduce new characters, I am hoping we see Clea and maybe even Brother Voodoo included in the mix. Baron Mordo has already been set up as the antagonist, but I wouldn't mind seeing Nightmare in there as well.

A big thank you goes out to Bob Greenwade, longtime commenter and Patron of the Blog, for suggesting this epic match-up!

Superman Vs. Black Bolt

This is a fight I have always wanted to see.  It would give both characters a chance to really go all out an not hold anything back from the battle, as they are sometimes forced to do. Would Superman's array of powers be enough to withstand the mightiest vocal chords in the galaxy?

Black Bolt's bride didn't get along too well with the last son of Krypton, either, as seen in STF #1842... 

Katana and Mantis

I enjoyed Mantis' inclusion in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, as her kind and innocent personality offset the rest of the often grumpy team.  I was surprised to see how much of a role she played in Avengers: Infinity War as well, I wasn't expecting that.  I do remember her being very gifted ant hand to hand combat in the comics, I'd like to see some of that showcased in her future appearances.

Calvin & The Rocketeer (and Space Ghost!)

My father is 34 years older than me, and while that doesn't seem like much to me these days, as a kid and second youngest of seven, I felt like we had very little in the way of common interests.  He loved reading, but certainly not comic books, he has into car racing while I preferred to watch basketball or baseball, and so on.  So, it really made an impact on me when I saw how much he enjoyed reading Calvin & Hobbes in the paper.  I loved that he had the same appreciation for the humor, heart, imagination and artistic skill that went into Bill Watterson's classic cartoons.  I even wound up buying him some collected editions.  Now that I am approaching 50, I feel like I have a lot in common with my Dad, and our mutual love for that strip was the when I began to understand that.

Green Lantern Corps and Captain Universe

I am hoping that we are close to hearing some announcements on the Green Lantern Corps movie.  Robert Zemeckis has been rumored as someone that DC would like to direct, which would be pretty cool.  They also seem to be aiming high to get an older mentor-type Hal Jordan, I've heard Tom Cruise and Mark Wahlberg mentioned as what they are looking for.  Sadly, no news on the most important aspect of any GL film - who will be voicing Chaselon?

Elongated Man and Ms. Marvel

I was very glad that Elongated Man not only ended up surviving at the end of the last season of The Flash, but he has been announced as a regular on the show for another year.I have enjoyed Hartley Sawyer's performance in the role and the effects have been decent for a TV budget.  Here's hoping a Sue Dibny (to be) will also be added to the show, so we can see some Nick & Nora-type detective action.

Cloak & Dagger and The Spectre

I am really looking forward to the season finale of Cloak and Dagger, and I am glad that it has deservedly been renewed for another year.  I really wasn't sure what to expect from the show, but I found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I have been enjoying it.  It is very well written and I have enjoyed the performances.  The effects are low key but well done and while the pacing might be slow for some, I have enjoyed the non-linear path to heroism that the lead characters are taking.

Iron Man and Hawkman

I think this could make for a very interesting combo.  Hawkman prefers to use ancient weapons, while Iron Man is all about cutting edge technology.  That said, I can see Tony Stark being very interested in Nth Metal and all of the possible applications for it.  Of course that discussion would have to wait until they took care of the two bruisers above...