Monday, August 31, 2020

Warlock and Lieutenant Uhura

 


I remembered when Warlock was first introduced in The New Mutants, and thinking he was an odd fit for the team.  He quickly became a favorite of mine however.  No other artist has been able to quite capture his alien nature the way that Bill Sienkevitch did.  Art Adams was one that was able to provide a pretty cool interpretation, though, as is seen on this cover. 

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Doctor Fate Vs. Baron Mordo

 


Chiwetel Ejiofor is a talented actor, but he didn't get much to do in the first Doctor Strange movie as Baron Mordo.  The post credits sequence set him up for bigger things in the sequel, and hopefully that comes to pass.  Still, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness looks to be jam packed with  The Scarlet Witch and other heroes joining in, not to mention the rumors of another villain like Mephisto or Nightmare in the mix.  Let's hope there is still room for Mordo to get his due.

Saturday, August 29, 2020

The Hulk and Wildfire

 


Wildfire has always been one of my favorite Legionnaires.  You would think that a hero without a face would be hard to identify with, but I found his appearance to be quite intriguing.  Plus, the whole concept that he was made of pure energy and his costume was merely a container to hold him made him very unique.  I think that he, like Ultra Boy, has the potential to spin off into a solo series of his own.

Friday, August 28, 2020

Spider-Man and Robin (The Movie!)

 


This was certainly a tricky cover to create!  I'm usually a little underwhelmed with my photo covers, but I like how this one turned out.

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... and they were last seen together in a 2-Parter vs. The Riddler and Mysterio in a tale that began in STF #2755  and concluded in STF #2756...

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Doctor Strange and The Shining Knight

 


It was a pleasant surprise to see Sir Justin, The Shining Knight, show up on the Stargirl series. I guess I should not have been surprised, as he was a major supporting character in the Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. comic book.  Hopefully in the second season his clouded memories will clear up and we can see him fully suited up for action.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Fantastic Four and Starman

 


With all of the filming delays due to Covid 19, every movie studios' film slates have been pushed back.  That means that casting announcements have also been delayed.  Before all this craziness started up, I thought for sure we would hear some casting news for Marvel's take on a Fantastic Four movie by now.  Hopefully, now that the gears of the movie industry are slowly beginning to crank again, we will get some announcements soon.  Will they go for the long rumored John Krasinski and Emily Blunt for Reed and Sue, or does Kevin Feige have something else up his sleeve?

Starman previously crossed paths with The Thing back in STF #1564...

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Black Goliath and Elongated Man

 


I watched the Flash panel at DC Fandome and saw the trailer for the upcoming new season.  There was not one mention of Elongated Man.  It looks like his character and storyline will be written out early on and the show will focus on other subplots.  I was hoping maybe for a recasting of the character.  I get that the producers had issues with the actor portraying him, but it's too bad fans of the hero will no longer get to follow Ralph Dibny's story.

Monday, August 24, 2020

The Herculoids meet The Silver Surfer

 


Here's another crossover that I thought should have happened when I was a kid because the Silver Surfer appeared on some Fantastic Four episodes as part of Hanna-Barbera's World of Super Adventure.  Since The Herculoids were also a part of that anthology cartoon show, I saw no reasons why Galactus most famous herald wouldn't visit Amzot.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

The Falcon and Metamorpho

 


I was a fan of The Falcon as a kid due to his appearances in titles like Captain America and The Avengers, but there was another reason as well - he had one of the coolest Mego action figures!  I love his Bronze age costume and they got it just right, complete with wings and those cool boots.  I wonder where mine went, lost to time I guess (and probably a yard sale that I wasn't aware of!)

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Aquaman on Gilligan's Island

 


This cover is another suggestion from Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics historian and Patron of this blog.  An offbeat match-up to be sure, but damned if this would not have been my favorite episode of the Sherwood Schwartz sitcom!  I was always amazed that a group of supposedly stranded people kept running into guest stars on that island.  Thanks, Marc!

Friday, August 21, 2020

Moon Knight and Hawkman & Hawkgirl

 


Marvel Studios will be sure to check out the big DC Fandome event this weekend and hopefully that will spur them to provide some announcements of their own.  There's a ton of upcoming movies and Disney+ shows that have yet to have casting announcements, so there's plenty that they could give us.  At the top of my list is:  Who will be playing Moon Knight?  Hopefully DC Fandome will give us the Hawkman casting for Black Adam.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Blue Devil and Doctor Strange

 



This is a team up that I could see happening.  I imagine Dan Cassidy seeking out Doctor Strange to seek assistance in dealing with the demon Nebiros, only to run afoul of an even bigger threat from the underworld. Let's hope the good Doctor recovers soon, because Blue Devil has his hands full!

Blue Devil met Dr. Strange in STF #46 and previously faced Mephisto in STF #2073...

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

The Bondsmen in: "Beast Mode!"

 



This cover marks the third appearance of The Bondsmen.  They were first introduced in STF #564, and had to temporarily replace one of their own in STF #880... I just realized that Doc Savage is the only member of this team that has not regularly appeared on the big screen.  Why Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hasn't taken a crack at bringing him to the movies, I do not know, it seems it would be a natural fit!

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Batman and Iron Man (Vs. The Mad Hatter!)



It's funny that with all of the Batmobile upgrades and redesigns over the years, that the ride from the 1966 Batman TV show is still so iconic and sits near or at the top of the lists of many comic fans' favorites.  The siren and flame spouting jet engine were very cool, but what put it over the top for me was the fire engine red pin striping, what a great touch!

Batman and Iron Man first met back in my B&B: The Lost Issues Days, first on a Bronze Age cover, and then on a Golden Age cover.... Plus, Batman also met Iron Man 2020...

Monday, August 17, 2020

Quicksilver and Impulse

 



This would be a fun combo to see, I think.  While both are heroes with super speed, their personalities could not be more different.  Quicksilver is all business and often frustrated with the pace of the world around him, while Impulse enjoys the life of a speedster and is always looking to have a good time.  I'm betting that they would clash in some amusing ways.

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Starfire Vs. Darth Vader

 


 
Long time visitors to this blog know that these two have a bit of history, which Darth Vader is referring to here - Starfire first ran afoul of the Empire in STF #397, and was taken hostage by Vader in STF #398... Oh, and her marriage to The Silver Surfer was resolved in STF #2200, if you're curious...

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Crystal and Halo

 


These are two very underutilized characters, in my opinion.  They are both pretty powerful and have interesting back stories.  There have been very few solo stories featuring them, usually they are in a team setting.  I think that there's plenty that can be done with both by featuring them in some solo adventures and allowing them to really shine.  With the way comics companies are streamlining these days, who knows if that will ever happen.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Green Lantern Vs. Ronan

 


Hopefully the upcoming DC Fandome event will have some information on their plans for Green Lantern.  Fans have been waiting a long time to get a live action John Stewart, and they have three options that I can think of:  A big budget movie, the HBO Max GL Corps series, or as a supporting character on Superman & Lois.  Where do you think he will show up?

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Firestorm Vs. Doctor Doom


 

I can see Marvel Studios opting to use some other Fantastic Four Foes at first, like Annihilus or the Frightful Four, as Doom has had multiple chances in the movies already.  They have to get to him eventually though, he's too big of a character in the Marvel Universe to not include.  Then they will have to face the problem of how to feature a character that has an unmoving mask that is never removed. - no head's up display cheat for Doom, I'd imagine.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Hawk & Dove and Power Man & Iron Fist in: The Purple Man's Final Push!"

 


I remember first reading about The Purple Man in Marvel Team-Up #4, and thinking that he had a pretty scary skill set.  Brian Michael Bendis really took those abilities down a dark path when he used the villain in Alias.  While I wish he had the purple skin from the comics, I loved David Tennant's take on the character on the Jessica Jones Netflix series.

These two teams first crossed paths in STF #602...

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Galactus Vs. The Atom

 


This is a direct sequel to STF #2750...

I really can't wait to see how Galactus is realized for the Marvel movies.  After the fan reaction to the first attempt to bring the classic villain to the big screen in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, you just know that Kevin Feige and company are eager to take another, more faithful crack at doing justice for the Devourer of Worlds.  I've seen some very highly detailed renderings of Galactus by artists like Giorgio Comolo, those would be great places to look for inspiration, design-wise.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Oberon and Puck

 


This cover is a tribute to my bygone acting days.  One of my big roles in school was Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Since my character transformed into a donkey in that play, I heard plenty of variations on "Ross is an ass" during that production, believe me!  While my desire to perform is long behind me, I still look back fondly on those times.

Sunday, August 9, 2020

The Creeper and Nighthawk

 


I mentioned on one of my recent #TBT posts (follow me on FB or Twitter if you aren't getting those) how much I'd love to see a live action treatment of The Creeper.  That said, I fully realize that he would be one of the toughest superheroes to adapt, due to his outlandish appearance.  I have no interes in some watered down version on the CW that looks like a regular gut with a yellow tie and a fuzzy red collar, If your going to adapt a character that usies craziness like The Creeper, you have to be willing to be a little crazy in your costume design!

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Alien Legion and Atari Force

 

Atari Force was an interesting comic.  For one thing, it was it much better than I expected a video game tie-in comic to be, with the interesting characters and absolutely gorgeous JL Garcia Lopez artwork.  Still, I was not sure of what the actual connection to Atari was.  Sure some of the characters wore the logo on their costumes, but it's not like the series was based on any Atari game that I was aware of - and I would have loved that.

Friday, August 7, 2020

Juggernaut Vs. Solomon Grundy

 

Just as the title suggests, I think that this would be a pretty even battle. Since Solomon Grundy is repeatedly reborn, each time with incredible power, can he be considered a mutant?

Thanks to Thrawn7, a Patron of this blog, for suggesting this battle...

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Legion of Super-Heroes go Back to the Future



Has anybody read the new Brian Michael Bendis-penned Legion of Superheroes stories?  Are they worth checking out?  I love The Legion as a property, but they get restarted and rebooted so often that it is hard to get invested in the characters,  Will this latest iteration stick, or will another writer come along and revamp the team once again?

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Kamandi and The Silver Surfer



I'd love to see Kamandi adapted as either an animated series or a CGI animated movie.  I think that Jack Kirby's incredible designs and over the top imagination created a world that would lend itself very well to either format.  We may be there effects wise to attempt a live action version, but I think that would be a lot harder to pull off successfully.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

The Human Torch joins The Super Friends



If indeed Namor is about to be introduced in one of Marvel's upcoming planned movies, other possibilities will soon open up as well.  A solo Sub-Mariner film could delve into the character past and include some of his WWII era allies and foes.  Even if Chris Evans is out of the picture which dampens my hope for a true Invaders team, there's no reason that the Jim Hammond Human Torch cant show up.  He and Namor have plenty of non-Invaders history in the comics and the MCU Torch was established in a cameo in the first Captain America.

Monday, August 3, 2020

Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr.



I keep hearing that Marvel Studios is close to announcing who will be cast as Kamala Khan in the Disney+ Ms. Marvel series. Hopefully they will find a young enough actress that can play the character for years without aging out of the role.  That may be a problem for the kids from Shazam! if they don't get that sequel up and filming soon!

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Plastic Man and Giant Man



While I liked Bill Foster as a supporting cast member in Marvel Two-In-One, I wish he could have had a higher profile back in the day, perhaps as a member of the Avengers.  I think he did join year later, just long enough to be killed off in a crossover event.  Just more wasted potential for a great character.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Captain Action Vs. Taskmaster



The Black Widow movie keeps getting its release date pushed back, unfortunately.  I'll have to wait a little longer to finally see one of my favorite Marvel villains in live action.   I think his power set can make for some amazing combat sequences, and hopefully the movie will not disappoint in that regard.