As much as I loved the rare comic book live action program in the 70's, they were missing one major element - the super villains! Yes, limited budgets were a factor, but I still they could have included some of them. One of the main appeals of the Batman TV series was all of the colorful villains and who would be playing them, so the precedent had been set. Alas, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and The Hulk spent most of their time battling street thugs and gangsters.
Wonder Woman and Spidey shared a more traditional comic book adventure in STF #572...
18 comments:
It's a shame. Considering what Spider-Man looked like on television, it's hard to imagine there would be a budget for Doc Ock, Sandman or the Vulture.
The Hulk was more of an updating of The Fugitive. Kenneth Johnson said on the Season One DVD that he was reading Les Miserables at the time. Pretty much the same concept.
The '70's were pretty much a let-down until Christopher Reeve came along.
...and that live action Challenge of the Super-Heroes!
Super cool -- like always!
Next time, how about ...
- Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) & Supergirl (Melissa Benoist)
... to honor their traditional kinship?
Considering how Thor and Daredevil looked in the live Hulk and Hawkman looked in the
live Challenge of the Super-Heroes, think how someone like Green Goblin might have been done.
Besides, even Diana found Spidy to be creepy, as she said in their first meeting in the Superman & Spider-Man treasury #2. Think their live counterparts would have been able to pull THAT off?
You've had the comic versions of Hulk and Hawkman meet so how about their live action versions? Hawkman could come from Smallville, Challenge of the S.H. or Legends of Tomorrow.
With your skills you could pull off Superman and Wonder Woman of the 70s meeting today's movie Avengers. Good luck Ross.
Having been in high school when those TV shows were weekly prime-time series, I didn't miss the gaudy-garbed super-villains that (as a teenager with 20/20 hindsight) made BATMAN '66 seem so unbearably corny to watch in reruns.*
That being said, Spidey'77 is going to be fighting his first costumed foe, sooner than he thinks, if he reaches toward that red-and-gold bustier any further. ;-)
*And, yet, which I had not failed to _love_ watching, as a little kid, during the original 1966-68 run!
Wonder Woman and Hulk were included in that second Supes/Spidey matchup because they both had TV shows at the time.
While most of Batman's foes (in the '66 world) were costumed, few had any abilities that required special effects -- the Mad Hatter and Mr. Freeze come to mind. I think it would've been harder to bring in very many of the comic-book enemies of Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the Hulk, or (The Original) Captain Marvel. I think The Flash (1990) was the first attempt on TV to attempt that sort of thing.
Say, I don't think you've ever done a Doctor Who photo cover, have you? Any of the above heroes could have a TV adventure as a "special guest" on a crossover with Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, or Peter Davison (or, in the case of the Flash, Sylvester McCoy).
PS: I've suggested the Larson/Benoist pairing in the past. I think the best time for it would be when there's a bit more news on Captain Marvel 2.
@Horsefeathers: I think Ross probably could put together the Avengers from Endgame with the CW's Justice League from the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths. He might need a little Xanax afterward, though.
There are 2 Doctor Who Photo Covers on the blog.
Although not photos, but darn close, Alex Ross has done some wonderful pieces that could be used here. Among others there are Bat66 with WW77, Bat/Robin 66 with the GR Superman, Challenge of the SuperHeros with CR Supes and WW7 added. Also one with CR Clark Kent and GR Clark Kent eyeing each other in adjoining phone booths as they unbutton their shirts to reveal the S-shield. And one that Ross could use as a cover by itself if he every needs one in a hurry: Batman vs. Boba Fett!
BTW, GR and CR are George Reeves (TV Supes) and Christopher Reeve (movie Supes).
I just saw where Galyn Gorg, who (among other things) played Lt. Leora Maxwell on M.A.N.T.I.S. and had a supporting role in RoboCop 2, just passed away from cancer at age 55. Though she wasn't a big name, I think it might be a fitting tribute (as well as a potentially fun adventure) to team those two above-mentioned heroes.
@Ross re: DW: I stand corrected -- I now suddenly remember the C. Reeve/T. Baker cover -- though it'd be cool to have more (such as the Shipp/McCoy idea).
New request- :; "The Marvelletts" Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel, Marvel Girl, Marvel Boy, Mary Marvel, Mar-vell(?), Marvelman, Marvel Zombies, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny and all told by Marvel Tales!
Farrah Fawcett as Giganta -- the mind boggles! Her hair alone would have threatened a city!
@Fishing: We've had something close, with the "Captains Marvel" cover back in #1610 (one of a handful of covers that Ross has done that I'd love to have printed out as a 2'x3' poster).
Btw: I wonder how Wonder Woman '77 would do against Darth Vader?
Wonder Woman with the other Wonder Woman (Cathy Lee Crosby), Electra Woman & Dyna Girl and the Bionic Woman.
Ross could ret-con the CLC Wonder Woman as being from Earth 2!
Cover of the month!
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