Miss Fury and Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It will be interesting to see a younger version of Nick Fury in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie.  We've seen him in charge and now we'll get to see him as he is rising up through the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Will we see how he loses his eye though?

Thank you to Jeffrey Burson for suggesting this team-up!

Metal Men and Moon Knight

Iron was my favorite Metal Man when I was a kid, mainly because I thought he looked really cool.  A close second was Mercury, though.  I liked his appearance as well - he was pretty distinct facially.  I also got a kick out of his hot temper and snotty attitude, which hid a fierce loyalty to his team.

The Avengers and Lex Luthor

So, Jon Cryer will be the next Lex Luthor.  Tha'ts right, Supergirl, known for casting actors from former Superman shows and movies, will be introducing the former Lennie Luthor as the new Lex.    Come on, was Michael Rosenbaum not available? Maybe he will surprise us and show a menacing side in addition to his comedy chops, but I still have my doubts about this casting.  Oh well, he'll still be better than Jesse Eisenberg.

Aquaman and Ghost Rider

The final trailer for Aquaman has arrived, and while I feel that the promotional material has shown far too much of the movie, I can understand why.  Given the poor critical and financial performance of Justice League and Aquaman's longtime reputation as a "lame" superhero, plus the fact that Jason Mamoa and Amber Heard have never had to anchor a film this big, it is facing an uphill battle to win over audiences.  Still, I have faith in director James Wan.  He delivers amazing action sequences and the shots I have seen look absolutely beautiful.  Let's hope positive word of mouth turns the movie into a Wonder Woman-sized hit for the studio.

The Spectre Vs. The Living Tribunal

For arguably the most powerful character in the Marvel Universe, The Living Tribunal always had an odd design for me.   I never really got the whole "blanket covering multiple faces" look.  I think it may have some kind of literary or historical reference, but I'm not sure.  Sure, Spectre is wearing booties and a speedo, but somehow he makes it work.

This cover comes about as the result of a suggestion by Ken Roskos, a Patron of this Blog.  Thanks, Ken!

Spider-Man and Robin in: "Summoned by the Spider-Signal!"

Visitors, including Blog Patron Bob Greenwade, seemed to get a kick out of the Spider-Signal from STF #2378, so I felt that it deserved an origin issue of its own.  Spidey and Robin shared a Bronze Age adventure with Batgirl in STF #938, and Spidey met the Tim Drake Robin in STF #838. Don't tell him, but this isn't the first altered Bat-Signal - The Human Torch got his own way back in my B&B: The Lost Issues days...

Captain Universe Vs. Firestorm

I wondered what the writers and editors were thinking when Firestorm switched to his "elemental form" towards the end of his second DC series.  It was such a departure from what had gone before, from his appearance to his attitude, it  seemed like a completely different hero and comic.  Even the art switch to Tom Mandrake was very jarring and a turnoff to me (although I am a Mandrake fan and love his later collaborations with Firestorm writer John Ostrander).  I thought that the series had solid sales numbers, so I was curious as to why the decision was made to make such a drastic left turn.

Ambush Bug in The Marvel Universe

Maybe even more than the title character herself, I am looking forward to The Skrulls being introduced in Captain Marvel.  They are probably my favorite evil alien race in comics and it will be cool to see what shapeshifting shenanigans they get up to.  I'm wondering if any already established MCU characters will be revealed to have been sleeper Skrulls all along? 

Superman Vs. Little Lulu

DC and Marvel comics made me a rabid fan of the art form, but it was comics like Little Lulu that taught me to read.  Their simple one to eight page stories with engaging artwork and fun characters were easy enough for a tyke like me to enjoy on my own.  After mastering those, it wasn't hard to graduate to Archie Comics and then the wordy prose of DC and Marvel.

This cover was inspired by a suggestion by Comics' Historian and Patron of this Blog, Marc Tyler Nobleman - Thanks, Marc!

Gandalf and Elfquest

I always admired the beautiful artwork on Elfquest, but I never got around to checking out the series.  It seemed like such an epic adventure that I would have to read the complete collection to appreciate it all, not a series that I could just jump into the middle of with a random issue.  I heard off an on about an animated adaptation being planned, but nothing ever seemed to come of that.  Hopefully It will get made one of these days.

Dazzler Vs. Doctor Light

When I was a kid, I considered Doctor Light to be one of the main villains of the DCU.  Like Doctor Doom over at Marvel, he did not seem to be tied to one particular hero or team and indeed was a menace all over the company's roster of titles.  He showed up as an antagonist in many different heroes titles, not to mention taking them on as groups in the pages of Justice League of America or Teen Titans.  Maybe he wasn't able to maintain his standing as an arch villain because he was defeated so often.

Dazzler fought Doctor Light with Green Lantern in STF #2043...

Black Lightning and Jolt

Black Lightning on the CW still continues to entertain.  I was a little bummed when one of my favorite character was seemingly killed off last week, but we have seen no body, so there is still hope. I understand the desire to keep the show separate from all of the other CW DC Comics series, but I hope that in the third year we will see some kind of crossover. 

The Roustabouts in: "Rule of the Ringmaster"

This is the third appearance of The Roustabouts on this blog.  They were last seen recruiting Deadman in STF #2010, and first appeared in STF #1810. The last time around, more than one commenter thought they should tangle with The Ringmaster, and I had to agree that it was a natural subject for a follow up - so here you go!

Nightwing and Nightcrawler previously tangled with The Ringmaster in STF #28...

Darth Vader Vs. Green Lantern

In addition to the Marvel shows announced, the Disney streaming service will also be featuring a Star Wars-related series, The Mandalorian.  It is supposed to feature the adventures of a lone fighter pilot in the time frame between the original trilogy and The Force Awakens.  There isn't much to make a judgment about it yet, but Jon Favreau's involvement as writer and producer is certainly a positive sign.  It could be pretty cool.

Calvin Vs. The Hulk

I have recently begun re-reading the complete run of Calvin & Hobbes, and just finished the first collection.  It amazes me how strongly the strip started off - Bill Watterson had his character designs down from the outset, the cast of characters changed very little in appearance over the years.  Plus, Calvin's vivid imagination and perception of his stuffed tiger are firmly established within the first few strips.  No wonder it was such an instant hit with readers.

Grendel and Deadpool

Will Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool survive the Disney/Marvel/Fox merger?  I can understand the desire to reintroduce and recast the previously Fox-controlled characters for the MCU, but Wade Wilson is a special case, I think.  With his realization that he is a fictional character and ability to break the fourth wall, it might be fun to see him continuing on commenting on the changes to come.

Hellcat and Vixen

I had been hoping to see Patsy Walker suit up as Hellcat at some point on Netflix' Jessica Jones, since the last season had her gaining powers.  With the cancellations of both Luke Cage and Iron Fist, I am expecting the third season of Jessica Jones to be the last, so they have one more chance.  These shows seem to take their sweet time getting characters into comic-accurate outfits, though - so I am not holding my breath.

Duck Dodgers and The Jetsons

When The Flintstones were brought to the big screen, I figured that a live action Jetsons movie would follow soon afterwards.  With the recent successes of humorous outer space action films, and the name recognition and nostalgia factor, I think the time is right to start looking at the property again.  Ed Helms for George, Ellie Kemper for Jane and Danny De Vito for Mr. Spacely?

X-Men Vs. The Justice Society in: "Crisis in Westchester!"

When I was a kid, I regarded characters like Kal-L, Jay Garrick, Stephen Strange and Reed Richards as "elder statesmen" in the world of comic heroes because they looked older than their contemporaries due to their distinguished grey/white sideburns.  Well, now my own personal grey sideburns are getting quite prominently, and I feel neither elder not like a statesman!  I feel like the same goofy comics fan just trying to get through life without messing things up.  Where has the time gone?

The JSA and X-Men have met a couple of times before.  They were manipulated by Apocalypse in STF #1675, and first crossed paths in STF #1400...

The Micronauts and Krypto

I'd love to see Krypto show up on Supergirl.  I guess the real question is how difficult or not it would be to create flying scenes with a pooch.  Still, I think he could be pretty easily realized for live action and it would be a treat for comic fans to finally see his live-action debut.

Wonder Woman and Captain America in: "Second Chance Heroes!"

This marks the 20th appearance of the Wonder Woman/Captain America romance on this blog...

I remember when Cap first used the Nomad identity.  It was a quick story arc and an interesting departure.  I wasn't as big of a fan of when Wonder Woman dropped her heroic identity for a spell.  I didn't understand the appeal of getting rid of her powers and costume in favor of a boring white outfit and standard fisticuffs. I did really like the story arc that followed, where Diana became Wonder Woman again through a set of trials, while the Justice Leaguers observed.

Black Panther Vs. Catwoman

I hope we get to see the caped version of Black Panther's costume at some point in the sequel to the blockbuster hit.  I can't really think of a practical reason for it, but I just think it looks cool.  Maybe Shuri can devise some sort of useful purpose to justify its existence.

Fantastic Four Vs. Secret Society of Super-Villains (and more!)

There's something about groups of bad guys banding together that always appealed to me.  It would probably be impractical for them, but the infighting while trying to work with one another to defeat the heroes usually made for a cool story.  Maybe it strikes a chord with me because I loved seeing The Legion of Doom on Super Friends, I'm not sure.  Marvel's Acts of Vengeance crossover, in which the villains swapped heroes to gain advantage was also a favorite of mine.

Batman and Tigra in: "Building a Better Bank Heist!"

There have been a bunch of female half-human half-cat characters in comics and fiction, but I think Tigra has the best design of them all.  Maybe it's because her fur is in the pattern of an Orange Tabby. I have always loved that breed of cat since we had some when I was a kid.

These two shared an animated adventure back in my Brave and The Bold: The Lost Issues Days...

Coming up tomorrow:  STF #2400!

Snoopy on Hoth

I was a big fan of The Peanuts Movie a few years back.  The character designs were spot on and the story was filled with humor and heart.  My favorite sequences were when Snoopy was fantasizing about battling the Red Baron. Kudos to whoever story-boarded those, they had a lot of cool action shots. 

Jonah Hex and Django

Western themed comics were sort of like war and horror comics for me as a kid.  While I was mostly interested in superheroes, I still was drawn to many of the titles.  This was mainly due to the artwork - particularly on the covers, where artists really had some fun.  Jonah Hex had some of the best covers, that ugly face always caught my attention and it was cool to see what kind of mess he had found himself in the middle of this time.

Vigilante Vs. The Punisher in: "Judgment Delayed!"

I thoroughly enjoyed the third season of Daredevil on Netflix, and I hope that the days of the Marvel shows on that streaming service are not over.  The cancellations of both Luke Cage and Iron Fist and Disney/Marvel preparing a streaming service of their are foreboding signs, though.  At least we know we will get one more season each of Jessica Jones and The Punisher.

This is the third time these two have faced off on this blog - they last battled in STF #2291, and first met in STF #1547.

The Human Fly and The Fly

One Marvel series I never got around to reading was The Human Fly.  I saw ads in other comics for it, but never remember seeing copies for sale.  The concept did intrigue me, though - a superhero based on a real life stunt man!  Was the title any good?

Red Lanterns and Red Hulk

It was fun to see Dex-Starr and some other Red Lanterns show up on Justice League Action.  I also got a kick out of their appearances on the Green Lantern CGI series a few years back.  You can tell that the artists and creators really had fun with the character designs for the Corps members - and they really translate well to animation.

Black Racer and The X-Men

With so many X-Men movies already (and about to be) released, Marvel will want to make sure that their X-Men films  have their own identity and stand apart from what has come before.  I think the best way to do this is fidelity to the source material.  Let's see more comics-accurate costumes which the Fox films only just began to present.  Most importantly, do the X-Men timeline correctly this time around, with characters introduced in the proper order featuring age-appropriate actors.