Colossus and Robotman

So, we know that Deadpool will be coming to the MCU, still played by Ryan Reynolds, but how much if anything from his first two films will be carried over?  Will he still be working with Colossus out of the Westchester X-Mansion?  I imagine that Marvel will not want to be stuck with all of the choices that the Fox Studios made.  Perhaps it will just be Reynolds in the role that makes the cut, with everything else rewritten.  It will be interesting to see what direction is taken, and how fourth wall-breaking Deadpool reacts to it.

Groo the Wanderer in The House of Mystery

There are certain artists that fill out my list of superlatives for comic book artwork.  My personal favorite?  Nobody will top Jim Aparo for the memories his artwork stirs from my childhood.  Best comics artist ever?  For me, it's Joe Kubert, hands down.  Best cover artists?  Gil Kane and Nick Cardy for Marvel and DC respectively.  But the best cartoonist of all time?  Now that one I do not even have to think about - Sergio Aragones!  His signature style has kept me laughing for decades, he is truly a master of the form!

Black Panther Vs. Black Manta

Black Manta was easily the coolest looking (and sounding) villain on the Super Friends cartoon, so I was very glad that he would be a part of the Aquaman movie.  Even though his role was not as big as I had hoped, the depiction of the character did not disappoint.  I love that they did not feel the need to tone down his oversized mask and that they kept his motivations against Aquaman intact.  It  will be cool to see what he gets up to in the sequel.


Thank you to Tom Zilla, a Patron of this Blog, for suggesting this match up!

Daredevil and Wildcat

I'm hoping that Wildcat makes the cut when the JSA are introduced either in the  Black Adam movie or the Stargirl streaming series.  Yes, there was a younger version of Wildcat in a couple of episodes of Arrow, but he was never even seen in costume, so he never did the classic hero justice (although I did love that Ollie used a makeshift boxing glove arrow against him at one point).  Let's see Ted Grant in his full hero-training, crime-busting glory!

Wildcat and Daredevil first met way back in STF #83...

Katma Tui and Ms. Marvel

Continuing from yesterday's cover, we see that others have joined the fray. 

I spoke yesterday how Marvel's Captain Marvel movie had missed opportunities,and now it's DC's turn.  I'll still never understand why the Green Lantern movie did not focus on Sinestro as the villain rather than the much less interesting (and more goofy looking) Hector Hammond and the Space Fart known as Parallax (did they learn nothing from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Sillver Surfer and their approach to Galactus?)  I much preferred Mark Strong in the role as Sinestro than his take on Sivana in Shazam! (frankly, that felt like a more generic villain and nothing like the short weaselly Sivana that I knew from the comics), and I wish he had gotten the chance to more thoroughly explore the character.

Captain Marvel and Sinestro

I'm still bummed that we will never see this version of Mar-Vell in the Marvel movies  Not using him and reducing his story line down to a few sentences uttered by Annette Bening is one of the few real missteps that the MCU has made to me.  Even if they had to gender-bend the character, I'd still like to have seen at least one scene with a de-aged Bening showing peak Mar-Vell in outer space action

As you can see from the cover above, this is only part One of a Two-Part Epic - so make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Gyro Gearloose and Daffy Duck

Merry Christmas!  I'd like to take this time to thank all of the visitors to this blog for regularly checking out the covers and offering up your comments, suggestions and encouragement.  It's great to read the daily feedback and discussions that ensue both here on the blog and on the Facebook Fan Page and Twitter feed.  I may not respond to every suggestion (mainly because the answer is always the same - "Maybe, if I can find the right concept and images"), but I do read and appreciate them all. The biggest thank you goes out to the Patrons of this Blog, your support has helped it to continue. Next year it will hit its 10th Anniversary, and you have helped it get to this point.  I hope that everyone is surrounded by their loved ones today and your holidays are filled with joy. Here's looking forward to 2020!

Yoda and The Thing

I am really looking forward to the final installment of the first season of The Mandalorian. I've been getting a kick out of the series and have enjoyed it more than most of the recent Star Wars movies.  Hopefully we will get some answers about cute little Baby Yoda, we have yet to receive any back story on where he came from or his relations if any to the Jedi Master we know from the original trilogy.

The Silent Partners in: "Shouted Down by Soundwave!"

I was a little to old to get into Transformers toys when they hit the scene, but Soundwave looked like one of the cooler ones.  I like that he transformed from a cassette tape player that also worked in his robot form.  I can imagine that made for lots of fun by swapping the recordings out..

This is the fourth adventure of The Silent Partners - they last appeared recruiting Man-Thing in STF #2250, they were targeted in STF #1650, and made their debut in STF #764...

Aquaman and Storm Vs. Sharknado

I remember when everyone started talking about the first Sharknado, and being amused by it.  I didn't understand why such a fuss was made though, as the SYFY channel had been cranking out these monster schlock movies for a while.  My favorite is still the legendary Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus!

Thank you to Jonathan Woodward, a Patron of this blog, for suggesting this wild match up!

Aquaman and Storm first met in STF #2186...

Animal Man Vs. The Lizard

I wasn't crazy about Andrew Garfield's take on Peter Parker and I wish that the Lizard had retained his lab coat look from the comics, but I have to admit that The Amazing Spider-Man had some of the bet fight sequences of all the Wall-Crawler's movies.  One of those battles that took place in the high school also included my favorite Stan Lee cameo.  I loved when he was cleaning up, wearing headphones, oblivious to the chaos unfolding directly behind him.

Superman Vs. Spy Vs. Spy

It look like the latest big change in Superman comics is the revelation of his secret identity to the world.  I'm not a huge fan of this, it's too big a genie to put back in the bottle without yet another continuity reboot or even worse, a bargain with the devil!  What's with secret identities going away, anyway? There seem to be fewer and fewer heroes that bother with them.  With a character as iconic as Superman, it's part of the whole appeal to me, and I hate to see it discarded.

Secret Society of Super-Villains Vs. The Marvel Universe

OK, you see the match ups presented here - who wins this battle?  I think it would be pretty even (well maybe not Cap Vs. Penguin...) If I were on the Marvel side, I'd make sure to take out the worm first!  What say you?

The Rocketeer and Dick Tracy

Way before collected editions and trade paperbacks became commonplace, I remember one of my older brothers making a point to cut out the Dick Tracy strips from the newspaper each day and assembling them together in a notebook.  I thought that it was great that I was able to read  a  comic strip like a regular story rather than just a few panels a day.  That and the Super Friends cartoons helped to cement my love for comics and larger than life heroes and villains at a very early age.

Thanks to Brad Brandt for suggesting this pairing - one that I was surprised I hadn't gotten to before!

Deadpool Vs. The Flash

I've been getting a kick out of the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover on the CW.  My favorite part so far occurred in the last installment.  SPOILERS FOLLOW...

I loved that the solution to the problem of The Flash's destined sacrificed was resolved by having John Wesley Shipp's 90's era Flash taking the place of Grant Gustin's Flash at the last moment.  It recreated a key moment from the Crisis story, while finally giving closure to the 90's series that was abruptly cancelled.  I can't wait to see what's in store for the last two chapters.

The Creeper and The Black Widow

The Black Widow trailer seemed interesting, teasing a much more scaled down and personal story in comparison to the bombast of Avengers: Endgame.  It will be cool to get some back story on Natasha and he personal demons.  Maybe we will learn why she doesn't have even a hint of a Russian Accent, that always bothered me.  I can't wait to see The Taskmaster in action, he's always men a favorite Marvel Villain.

Storm and Halo

I still remember when Alan Davis took over the art chores on Batman and the Outsiders.  At first I was not happy to see my favorite artist, Jim Aparo, be replaced, but I soon began to really appreciate Davis' unique style.  When he went over to Marvel to work on the X-Titles, he really began to blow up in popularity, and deservedly so.  My favorite works by him are the two JLA: The Nail mini-series, just spectacular work there.

Adam Strange and Doctor Strange (Vs. Hugo Strange)

I was disappointed that Adam Strange never got the chance to become closer to his comic book version before Krypton was cancelled.  He may still get a chance to shine though - HBO Max is planning a Strange Adventures TV series, and I imagine the character will be a part of that.  I am also interested in the upcoming Adam Strange comic series by Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Doc Shaner.

This is the fourth appearance of the Strange boys on the blog.  They were last seen forced to do penance in STF #2649, before that, they were trying to escape from Limbo in STF #2146, and they were first revealed to be brothers in STF #370...

Justice Society Vs. Alpha Flight (And More!)

Wow, hard to believe we are at STF #2800 already (cover #3310 overall) - time flies!

While the Justice League may have missed the mark in their big screen attempt, the Justice Society is ready for their chance at live action.  They are going to be featured in as supporting players and in flashback scenes on the upcoming Stargirl series, which looks fun based on the trailer.  Then there's the Black Adam movie, which also promises to feature a number of JSA members as well. It'll be interesting to see which characters make the cut for both projects.

Al Pratt and Puck would later work together. as told in STF #720...

Robin (Son of Batman) and Miles Morales: Spider-Man

After my most recent Spidey-Robin 2-Parter (which began in STF #2755 and Concluded in STF #2756), there were some requests for a version of the pairing that featured Damian Wayne and Miles Morales.  Well, here you go!

The Original Spidey and Robin have had a bit of history on the blog - They first met back in my B&B: The Lost Issues days... They used the Spider-Signal in STF #2417... Batgirl joined them for an adventure in STF #938... They met when Dick Grayson became Nightwing in STF #87...  and Spidey even helped train Tim Drake to take over the Robin role in STF #838... they met when Robin was in the original Teen Titans in STF #619... and again in the New Teen Titans in STF #767...  not to mention when their successors met up in STF#529  and continued their adventure in STF #530...

Coming tomorrow: STF #2800!

Aquaman & Aqualad Vs. Galactus

It will be interesting to see what elements are added to Aquaman's movie world once the sequel gets up and running.  Black Manta, Mera and Orm are all slated to reappear, but will we see Garth or Calder in the mix?  What about Dolphin?  Are there any big Aquaman villains we haven't seen yet?  The Fisherman never seemed that impressive to me, maybe The Shark?

Green Arrow and Daredevil in: "Revenge of the Racketeers!"

He didn't wear it for long, but I have always gotten a kick out of Daredevil's first costume.  Sure, the all-red version is a classic and makes more sense, but the original look has that great golden-age feel to it.

Green Arrow crossed paths with Daredevil and Black Widow in STF #1666  and STF #1935, and first teamed with DD solo in STF #590...

Swamp Thing Vs. Thanos

I have been re-watching the Silver Surfer animated series and getting a kick out the Jack Kirby designs and of all the Marvel characters they included.  It's interesting to see quite different iterations of now popular MCU characters like Drax, Nebula, Gamora and especially Thanos.  I'm glad the movies gave him more of a motivation then mooning after Lady Chaos (couldn't use Lady Death in a cartoon, I guess)! 

Buzz Lightyear and Asterix

Like many, I felt that Toy Story 3 closed out the series perfectly, and wasn't sure that there was a need for another sequel.  I was happy to find out the Toy Story 4 was just as enjoyable as the rest.  I re-watched the first three installments to get ready for it and I was amazed at how the quality of the animation keeps improving. If I had one complaint with the movie, it's that Buzz kind of got sidelined and didn't have as strong of a sub-plot as Woody. 

Hawkeye and Guy Gardner

I used to like how Hawkeye used to butt heads with Captain America and some of the other Avengers back in the day because he felt like he should be the one in charge.  It gave the team an interesting dynamic.  Guy Gardner would act similarly with The Guardians of the Universe and his fellow Green Lantern Corps members.  It might be fun to see these two hotheads join forces.

Doctor Fate Vs. Loki in: "Exiled... on Earth!"

It will be interesting to see where Loki goes in his solo Disney+ series.  Will he seek redemption for his past deeds or revert to his villainous ways?  How will he use the Tesseract which he now possesses? And just how many timelines or alternate realities will he visit? There seem to be plenty of opportunities for a fun tale to be told.

These two first battled in STF #2101...

Photon and Batman

Norm Breyfogle was a truly unique talent.  Batman has had a lot of talented artists working on his titles over the years, but most more or less followed  a house style.  Breyfogle came along and broke all the rules of character design and panel layout.  His Batman tales looked unlike any that I had seen before, but somehow it all worked beautifully.  He joins an elite group in my mind including Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Trevor Von Eeden,  Marshall Rogers and David Mazzuchelli that helped to evolve the Dark Kinght artistically.

Zatanna Vs. The Enchantress

This George Perez-designed costume for Zatanna gets a lot of flack, but I have always kind of liked it.  Sure, the classic fishnets look is great, but I didn't mind this more superhero-ish outfit for Zatanna, especially since it came at a time when she was serving as a regular member of the Justice League. I don't know how practical it would be for battle, but it looked great to my eyes.

Captain Marvel Vs. the Super Skrull

Will there be a sequel to Shazam?  The film was well received, but did not make a huge dent at the box office in comparison to other superhero movies.  It sounds like Black Adam is underway - perhaps DC is waiting to see how well that film does before committing to a third film that combines both characters.  If that's the case, I can see them having to re-cast Billy Batson since Asher Angel is not getting any younger.

Calvin & Hobbes and The Iron Giant

These are two of my favorite properties ever - but I don't think I want either to return.  The Iron Giant is a flawless animated film, and I just can't see how a sequel would be able to live up to it (I wasn't even crazy about the Giant showing up in Ready Player One).  Bill Watterson finished Calvin & Hobbes while it was still at its peak, and nobody else is qualified to take it over for him.  Even if he wanted to return to the strip himself, so much time has passed that I don't know if it would be able to capture the same magic as the first time around.  I could be wrong - I keep liking Toy Story sequels after I think they should have stopped, after all!

Metamorpho Vs. Sandman

I think this would be an interesting pairing.  Rex Mason and Flint Marko both seem like regular hard working blue collar guys who have undergone amazing alterations to their bodies' chemistry.  Rex chose to be a hero, although he has had temptations to go over to the wrong side of the law.  Flint engaged in a life of crime, but his heroic aspirations still come through from time to time.  They really aren't that different from one another.