Friday, June 5, 2020

Shazzan and The Fantastic Four



This is a team up I always hoped I would see.  After all, both properties were a part of Hanna-Barbera's World of Super Adventure, a cartoon anthology that aired when I was a kid. Alas, they only appeared together in the opening credits.  Still, that was enough to get my young mind reeling with the possibilities.

27 comments:

Davejonz said...

Another very neat combo. I'd never have put them together in a million lockdowns but here they look just right. The tiny Thing in Shazzan's huge hand... Yes this is one of your very best!

Anonymous said...

Great cover, Ross. I know, because I really want to read the story inside.

Unknown said...

Great cover, a fun one to see would be the Justice League Antarctica and John Carpenter's The Thing

Carycomic said...

Indeed, indeed! In fact, it would've been an epic battle, in itself, to see Shazzan's magic versus the animated Rama-Tut's futuristic tech.

And a mistaken identity slugfest between Ben Grimm and Igu the Rock Ape would've made the "Thrillah In Manila" look like a squabble at the kiddie table on Thanksgiving Day.

Carycomic said...

P.S. @ Unknown: good idea! Ross could use some of the art work from the "pirahnaguin" story.

Bob Greenwade said...

I'm with Dave: this is an incredibly unlikely pairing that somehow looks right in this case. With a "world gone mad" to an extent that Reed would call for magical help, I would've billed this as a follow-up to #2853, but what you have here works too.

Cary's idea of putting Ben Grimm with the Herculoids' Igoo would be a fun one! You could even turn it into a team with Blok, Concrete, and one or two others.

Also, a conversation yesterday reminded me of how cool it would be to see Jade and Gamora working together. (The topic of that conversation, BTW, was who might become the recipient of Alan Scott's Green Lantern ring on Stargirl.)

Ross said...

Bob sounds like you're talking about The Quarrymen, and existing STF team

Anonymous said...

Cool cover!

Bob Greenwade said...

@Ross: As it turns out, yeah -- though since it's been almost five years, I don't think you can fault my forgetting.

On a different topic, I was just thinking that the Watcher and the Monitor could have a debate about when to step back and when to step in, and found that the latter character has yet to even appear on this blog (or at least doesn't have a tag that I can find). Uatu and Mar Novu have so much in common that they might even have a regular chess game. And one might even throw Access into the mix! (Does the chess game become a poker game? Do they have hierarchy, with people like Oracle at the bottom?)

Shaz zooks! said...

Oh yeah, a fantastic cover.

Shazzan, Billy Batson and Mork all yelled "Shaz" and were muffled or were they?
Cue the Not Brand Echh cover version.

Ken Roskos said...

Great combo Ross! "Ho ho ho ho!!! Impressive sorcery my friends." Doorway to the HB universe? Johnny and Ben better watch it. I remember when Space Ghost's powers had no effect on his opponents there. Maybe the FF found Chuck and Nancy's rings?

Anonymous said...

@Ken Roskos:Maybe a non-canon(?) fiction could link the world of the Flintstones and the world of pokemon; if dragons can be used in grills, x-ray machines, furnaces, cigarette lighters, etc., why not shellder-powered refrigreration devices (or even pikachu-powered microwave ovens(?))?

Anonymous said...

BTW, the FF, as Marvel property, couldn't be in Hanna-Barbera Beyond's "Future Quest(?); also the Impossibles were redrawn Toth-style instead of the cartoony design in the 1960s TV animated cartoons.

ELS said...

ITEM: Neither of these Hanna-Barbera properties were used in Future Quest. Why the Fantastic Four couldn't appear in a DC book, I just dunno... :) (I suspect Shazzan was omitted because - as in the comics - he'd solve the problem of Omnikron with a wave of his hand.)

ITEM: @Ken Roskos - Space Ghost's powers didn't seem to work in Shazzan's world. Or at least, they didn't work against the Sultan of Flame and his two headed dragon.

ITEM: Ross, how about Shazzan, Farik, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, Dr. Strange, and Mandrake as "The Magic Hat"? Farik? He was a member of the Arabian Knights. Rosaan Kobar. Speaking of...

ITEM: Because I like universal convenience and efficiency, I know who Chuck and Nancy had to return the ring to. It's in the intro... they're returned to the days of the Arabian Knights. It was Prince Turhan's ring, I'm sure. (Yeah, that's pure speculation... but it makes so much sense to me.)

ITEM: Hey Ross! How about the Arabian Knights and Marvel's Arabian Knight? Maybe even the Silent Knight and the Black Knight... :D

Bob Greenwade said...

@Shaz: I'm still wanting to see something where Gomer Pyle joins the Marvel Family. (Maybe there's some other fanfic on that....)

Ken Roskos said...

I hear you ELS. I remember that episode. The Shazzan world seemed to be a pocket universe within the total HB universe, and it looked like it was otherwise off limits. Maybe that's why Space Ghost's powers were ineffective when he crossed over. I still remember the old FF cartoons HB put out in the 60's, but that was a separate deal with Marvel back then. I would still think the FF would lose their powers if they entered Shazzan's world. But that would be up to Ross.

Across Crossovers said...

I know that this blog intends to be apolitical, something with which I agree, respect, and support. However, given recent events in the USA, some causes deserve more than mere silence.

I have no gift for doing artistic work like what Ross does here. So, as a fan and viewer, what I can do is just suggest:

* Green Lantern/John Stewart, Cyborg, Icon, Falcon, Storm, Black Panther, Cloak. #BlackLivesMatter 1

* Black Lightning, Vixen, Static Shock, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, Blade. #BlackLivesMatter 2

* Superman/Calvin Ellis & Spider-man/Miles Morales. #BlackLivesMatter 3

Any of the above suggestions or any combination of heroes mentioned will be very valid. There is no need for a team name or history/reason for the cover, except the tag #BlackLivesMatter.

I'm caucasian and I'm not a robot! #BlackLivesMatter.

Where old energy goes said...

Anything? How about Bat-Mite?

@nd Shazam the tv contest show gets to use the word too?

Black Lives matter just like Everyone else's

Nice to know Shazzan doesn't have to carry a torch for Sue the way Namor did.

Fishing in the Timestream said...

How'd Shazzan do against Dr Manhattan against the Beyonder?

Across Crossovers said...

@Where old energy goes ... EXACTLY! It is sad that we still have to remind so many people that, no more and no less, like everyone else, #BlackLivesMatter.

jack-el said...

Hey, Ross, do the rings that Chuck and Nancy use to summon Shazzan have anything to do with the rings used by Benjy Grimm to become the Thing in the old Flintstones cartoon???
"Thing rings do your thing!"
....just saying that this idea kinda connects the characters on this wonderful cover, Ross... was that your intent all along????

Ross said...

I love some of the connections you guys find but I confess these ones are just happy accidents!

Bob Greenwade said...

@Where Old Energy Goes: As shown here, nobody carries a Torch for Sue, because he can fly on his own. #BadPunNoCookie

Carycomic said...

@Jack-El: I remember the twins meeting a princess named Jasmine whose royal father was the guardian of a magic ring! Could Shazzan ever get to meet a certain blue djinn, one day?

Bob Greenwade said...

@Cary: I made a similar suggestion just the other day, though with Jeannie Nelson and Thunderbolt added for good measure. This cover kind of underscored it for me, as Shazzan does look surprisingly like Will Smith's live-action version of the Big Blue Guy.

Carycomic said...

Versatile as he is, he'll never top Robin Williams' performance in the animated Disney original.

Brother Kellymatthew said...

Shazaan should meet Kazaam (Shaquille O'Neal).

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