The Hulk and The Flash (The Movie!)

Well, it seems as though the Hulk/Flash TV Event from STF #2034 was such a hit that the pair has graduated to the big screen!  It's still fun to pop in my DVD's of the 90's Flash series.  What a shame it was bounced around the TV schedule so much that it never got a fair chance to catch on with audiences.

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

Sandman Vs. The Shadow Thief

The Shadow Thief fascinated me as a kid and remains one of my all-time favorite villains.  He's just so unique - his creepy appearance set him apart as well as his power set.  he even has one of the coolest names around.  I first encountered him in the pages of Justice League of America as part of the Injustice Gang and I always wished he would make more appearances, but he's pretty much been confined to Hawkman stories since then. 

Dynomutt & Blue Falcon and The Falcon

I thought it was cool that Redwing was presented as a drone in Captain America: Civil War, and liked how the tech was used.  Still it would have been even cooler if they could have found a way to include the actual avian Redwing.  I love the idea of superhero pets and partners. One reason I want to see a Batman Beyond movie is to have Ace the Bat-Hound on the big screen.

Thank you to comics historian and Patron of this blog Marc Tyler Nobleman for suggesting this team-up!

Carrie Kelly: Robin and Hit-Girl

I liked that the animated version of The Dark Knight Returns was broken into two parts because the result was a very complete version of the classic story.  Some of DC's adaptations have had to be condensed to fit in the usual 70-minute run-time.  I haven't checked out the new Death of Superman / Reign of the Supermen adaptations yet, but I am glad they didn't try to squeeze that event into a single movie as well.

The Phantom and the Shadow

As far as I am aware, there has never been a crossover between these two pulp heroes, which really surprises me.  Other than some commission pieces, two of the earliest costumed crimefighters have never shared an adventure.  that is something that should be rectified, we need to see these classic pulp heroes fighting side by side one of these days.

The Avengers Vs. The Fatal Five

I was surprised to see the animated Justice League Vs. The Fatal Five being advertised.  I didn't even remember it being announced.  It looks like its using the character designs from Justice League Unlimited, which is a plus for me. It only looks like a couple of Legionnaires are involved, but I like the inclusion of new Green Lantern Jessica Cruz.  I haven't been following all of DC's animated releases the way I used to, but this one I think I will have to check out.

Radio-Active Man Vs. Radioactive Man

The Simpsons have been renewed for at least two more seasons, pushing them well past the 30-year mark.  While it isn't the must-see show for me that it was in its first five years or so, I still find myself laughing out loud a couple of times per episode.  It's a testament to the strength of the characters and world that Matt Groening created that the show has stood the test of time so well.

Green Arrow Vs. Bullseye

Continued from yesterday's cover, we see that Ollie was not that far behind.  This would of course be a great battle.  They are each amazing marksmen and would be pretty evenly matched.  Green Arrow has an array of trick arrows to give him an edge, but then again Bullseye can turn any projectile into a weapon.  it might come down to who is better at hand-to hand combat.

Black Canary Vs. Bullseye

The first images and set photos from Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) have been released, and I can't say I am impressed with what I am seeing.  Quinn herself looks OK, but Black Canary, Huntress and Black Mask are unrecognizable.  It doesn't seem liked DC is learning anything form the success of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, which more closely embraced their comic book roots. Frankly this looks like a cheap TV series so far, hopefully as more is released I will be proven wrong.

This is only Part One of a Two-Part tale, so make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

Samurai Jack and Katana

I was glad to see Samurai Jack return a few years back to finish up its epic story line.  It was great to see the final defeat of Aku and certainly wort the wait.  Still, I want to see some new episodes!  There's still plenty that can be done with the character and I love the visuals and direction of animation on the show.  Here's hoping we haven't seen the last of him.

Ant-Man and Krypto

Ant-Man and The Wasp may not have been as huge a success as some of Marvel's other recent films, but I am hoping there will be a third installment.  There are still plenty of places they could go.  I'd love to see some of the wackier villains like Stilt Man or The Porcupine show up.  It would be cool to see Bill Foster in his prime as Goliath, or maybe a Bill Foster Jr. taking over the role.  It might even be fun to introduce Eric O'Grady into the mix.

The New Teen Titans and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Titans series looked like a mixed bag to me, with some dodgy costumes, limited use of powers and overly dark tone outshadowing whatever cool moments it may deliver, but opinions seemed to improve as the show went on.  So I'll put the question out to any of you who have watched it - was it a success for you?  Did it capture the feel for the comics and characters, or did it miss the mark?

Thanks to Mike Shirley, a Patron of this blog, for suggesting this titanic teen team-up!

Galactus Vs. The DC Universe (and more!)

I was surprised to see that next year's DC crossover on the CW is going to be Crisis on Infinite Earths.  I have long been waiting for an animated version, but never expected a live action attempt.  Can they do it on a TV budget?  I do think that The Monitor looked pretty cool on this past years' crossover.  If they stretch this over two weeks of episodes of Arrow, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning and Batwoman they could have twelve chapters, just like the epic maxi-series.

Cyborg Vs. the U-Foes

Cyborg will be appearing with the upcoming Doom Patrol series, but from what I have seen so far, it looks like a store bought Halloween costume, with only his head piece visible.  I thought that his Justice League look was way overproduced - oddly designed CGI made it look like crumpled tinfoil to me - but this new look seems under-produced.  Hopefully when his full appearance is revealed, he will be closer to the comics' version.

Coming tomorrow: STF #2500!

The Hulk Vs. the Metal Men

It will be interesting to she how Shazam! fares at the theaters.  If it is a success, hopefully more of DC's lighter characters will get a chance at the movies.  Properties like The Metal Men, Plastic Man or Blue Beetle/Booster Gold have all been teased as potential films, but nothing ever seems to move past the announcements phase.  A successful outing for (the original) Captain Marvel could get them in motion again.

Dick Tracy Vs. Batman's Villains

Well, the new Batman movie by Matt Reeves seems to finally be on the schedule and we should start hearing about casting for the new Dark Knight Detective soon.  No solid word on who the villains of the film will be yet.  I am still hoping for Professor Hugo Strange.  His Monster Men experiments could be a way to bring Killer Croc and Man-Bat into the mix.  Reeves has said that this movie will emphasize the detective aspects of Batman, so maybe some less fantastical adversaries like the Court of Owls are in store for us.

Tracy tangled with The Penguin once before, way back in my B&B: The Lost Issues days, and has also had run-ins with Catwoman and Harley Quinn...

Gargoyle and The Spectre

Now that Doctor Strange is set for a sequel, I am hoping to see some more Marvel characters make their debut in supporting roles.  Brother Voodoo was teased in the first film and would be a blast to see.  I'd also love to see Gargoyle, maybe he could be trapped in Nightmare's realm or something.  It could be a building block to a comics-accurate defenders movie down the line.

White Tiger and Black Lightning

The Black Lightning series has remained pretty much a street level show, but there have been plenty of teases for bigger things to come.  We've seen the introduction of Dr. Jace, plus dealings with the country of Markovia and a project labeled Masters of Disaster.  It looks like we may be leading towards an Outsiders type team.  I'm hoping that will be an angle for the third season.

Jefferson Pierce has had it out for The Kingpin ever since the events of STF #92...

Batman In Westworld

Not being a subscriber to HBO, I have yet to see any of the new Westworld series (or Game of Thrones for that matter), but I was a fan of the original 1973 movie featuring Richard Benjamin and Yul Brynner.  I recently watched it again to see if it held up, and it did! Michael Chrichton's tale of man-made machines revolting inspired a lot of other science fiction movies since it was released.

Chaselon and Martinex

This cover is a good example of how I sometimes have to add to an image to make a cover work.  I don't like to do it if I don't have to, and when I do, I try only to add what the original artist might have anyway to maintain the integrity of the art.  In this case I was trying to find a usable image of Chaselon, but there aren't a whole lot out there.  Still, I love the character and wanted to use him again, so I found an image that I could build on to.  it took some cutting and pasting and use of the clone stamp and color change tools, but I got it to work.

Doctor Mid-Nite and Ghost Rider

Marvel never did get around to using Ghost Rider on their Netflix shows, which means there's nothing preventing them from bringing him back elsewhere.  He's another character that would do well on the Disney/Marvel streaming service.  Maybe even a Midnight Sons series featuring Johnny Blaze alongside some other of Marvel's occult characters like Man-Thing, Son of Satan and Blade.

Starman and Iron Man (W/Black Canary & Black Widow!)

When people ask me my favorite comic of all time, I don't even have to think about it: The Brave and the Bold (1955), which should come as no surprise to those who have followed this blog since the beginning.  It checked all the boxes for me - it prominently featured my favorite artist Jim Aparo and my favorite DC hero, Batman.  Also it was a team-up title which I of course went nuts for.  Before that, it was the try-out comic for many great concepts - The Suicide Squad, Teen Titans and Justice League of America among them. Finally, it presented the return of many a Golden Age hero for new life in the Silver Age like Hawkman, Hourman, Wildcat, Doctor Fate, Green Lantern and the two above. What a series!

Starman and Iron Man first met in STF #2190...

The Overlords

This assemblage if intergalactic despots is simply packed with power, and I would fear for anyone that should oppose them.  Still, I think their biggest challenge would come from internal struggles - none of these villains like to share the reigns of command.  It would just be a matter of time before they turn on one another.

Superman and The Falcon

I am interested to hear more abut the Falcon/Winter Soldier mini-series coming to the Disney streaming service.  I enjoyed their brief interaction in Captain America: Winter Soldier, and it will be fun to see that relationship expanded upon.  I'm hoping for a classic Marvel villain or two to make an appearance - this seems like the perfect place to use some of the b-list bad guys that might not make it to the big screen.

The Thing and Starman in: "Skirmish on Skrullos!"

It looks like Starman is back at DC, at least in his Will Payton form.  Since that version was revealed to be a transformed Prince Gavyn, I wonder if he will be assuming his Jim Starlin-designed look again eventually.  I hope so, I always loved the blue and gold outfit that he sported.

The Thing met the Original Starman in STF #1564 and the Jack Knight Starman way back in my MTIO: The Lost Issues days...

Captain Kirk and The Haunted Tank

"City on the Edge Of Forever", where Kirk and Spock are sent back to Earth in the 1930's to fix the timeline only to have their mission complicated by the love of Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes.  I also quite like Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home where Kirk and the crew travel to the 80's to acquire some whales.  How cool would it be to see Kirk back in the thick of World War II with some of DC's war stars, putting his military knowledge to use?

Thunderbird and Jonah Hex

Thunderbird's death in Uncanny X-Men #95 pretty shocking.  In those pre-internet, pre-spoiler days, I doubt that any fans saw it coming, particularly only three issues into the all new, all different line up.  What's even more surprising is that he never came back to life!

X-Men Vs. Darkseid

Justice League paved the way for Darkseid to make his cinematic debut, but now that a sequel seems unlikely to happen any time soon, I am wondering where we may see him.  Ava DuVernay's New Gods would make sense, but it has already been revealed that the villains in that film will be Granny Goodness and her Female Furies.  Still, how can you have a movie set on Apokolips without including Darkseid?  Maybe we will hear word of his inclusion as production moves forward.