Superboy and Hercules

 

I'm not sure exacly what's going on with Superboy these days.  For a while there was Kon-El, the clone with DNA from Superman and Lex Luthor.  He was killed off but brought back later I think.  Maybe he's running with Young Justice now? Then there's Jon Kent,  the son of Clark and Lois.  Sometimes he's depicted as young, teaming up with Damian Wayne as the Super-Sons and sometimes a bit older, where he's with the LSH.  So, there's anywhere from 1-3 Superboys currently out there.  I think things were a lot simpler when Superboy was just the Adventures of Superman as a boy!

Shanna the She-Devil and Animal Man

 

Grant Morrison has worked on many comic properties and has made quite an impact with major ones like The X-Men, JLA, Batman and more.  I've enjoyed the big concepts that he has brought to those runs , but my favorite works of his are when he takes over lesser known or new characters and really runs with them.  I still count the first 26 issues of Animal Man to be some of the best comics that I have ever read and feel that Aztek: The Ultimate Man is an overlooked gem of a series.

Dynomutt and Iron Man

 

This was a pairing that I had considered including in my Hanna Barbera/Marvel anniversary issue in STF #3100, but I thought that it was worthy of having a cover all its own.  Has anyone seen Scoob! yet?  I saw that Blue Falcon and Dynomutt are featured in the movie and I was wondering if it was worth checking out for fans of those characters.

Spider-Man and the Justice League of America in: "A League of His Own!"

 

Bob Greenwade, a Patron of this blog, requested the return of the Spider Signal, and I thought that it would also be a good opportunity for the JLA to make up for snubbing Spider-Man's petition to join the team way back in STF #57.  The Spider-Signal was first introduced in STF #2378, and made a return in STF #2417...

Rumor has it that Alfred Molina will be reprising Doctor Octopus alongside Jamie Foxx' Electro in the next Spider-Man Movie.  Can Thomas Haden Church as Sandman be far behind?

Seven Soldiers of Victory Vs. The Invaders in: "Victory Slap!"

 

This year may be a bit tougher than most to find things to be thankful for, but I am still counting my blessings.  I am glad I will get to see at least a few of my relatives today for the holiday.  I am also of course thankful to all who take the time to stop and visit this blog on a regular basis so that I can share my love of comic artists and characters with them.  Happy Thanksgiving!

These two teams first crossed paths in STF #2824...

Ant-Man and Bumblebee

 

Rumors are still circulating that the Fantastic Four will be introduced or at least set up in the third Ant-Man movie.  Director Peyton Reed has been angling for a shot at the FF from even before he started the Ant-Man trilogy so it will be interesting to see if he finally gets the chance to put his stamp on Marvel's first family. If they are indeed slated to show up we should finally hear some casting soon, as the movie is slated to begin filming next summer.

Deadman and Jonny Quest

 

I was looking for something to read recently and picked up a digital TPB of Neal Adam's recent Deadman work.  His artistic skills have not waned much at all over the years, and it's great to see his innovative panel layouts and dramatic character poses.  The story was just crazy though, with a wild plot that was hard to keep track of.  I wasn't complaining that much because it gave Adams an excuse to draw Batman, Zatanna, The Spectre, The Phantom Stranger and The Demon as well as Boston Brand. He left the tale with seeds for a sequeland I'll definitely check out any follow up that he decides to create.

Mera and Triton

 

Triton has a great look, and one more appropriate for an underwater hero than Aquaman or Namor.  It's too bad that his appearance was so underwhelmingly replicated on the Inhumans TV series - not that he appeared all that much anyway.  I'm sure Marvel will take another crack at the property one of these days, but it's bound to be several years before that happens given everything else they are planning to accomplish first.

Adam Strange and Ghost Rider

 

I still think that Adam Strange has all the elements to make for a great movie.  The concept of an Earth man that travels back and forth to a distant planet where he falls in love and battles space monsters is full of potential.  Perhaps the box office failure of similarly-themed John Carter has lessened Adam's chances for big screen glory.  Still, I think it could work well.  Give him a plot that has mysteries to investigate on both Earth and Rann and watch as he tries to solve them both while never knowing exactly when he'll be able to travel between worlds.

Aquaman in Camelot 3000

 

It's too bad that DC's animated efforts seem solely focused on the big sellers - Batman, Justice League and Superman for the most part.  I like that they have been a bit more varied with their animated shorts and I'd like to see them dig deeper into their library for their full length features.  How cool would it be to see an adaptation of Camelot 3000?  Of course, a live action feature would be cool too.

Supergirl and Ms. Marvel in: "Parental Advisory!"

 

The Lost Issues' most famous sister act has returned! This marks the 9th appearance of The Danvers Twins on this blog.

They incurred the Wrath of Lex Luthor in STF #2925...

They faced off with an angry pet in STF #2144...

They battled The Gladiatrix in issue #1872...

They faced a stone centurion in Issue #1808...

They had more robot problems in Issue #1414

They were at odds with one another  in Issue #763...

They played a trick on the world in Issue #520...

...and they were first revealed to be sisters way back in Issue #152

Red Tornado and Jocasta

 

I have always thought that Jocasta has a lot of potential as a character.  I love her design and origin as a bride to Ultron with the brain patterns of Janet Van Dyne.  It's always cool to see her show up and I hope she finds her way into the MCU one of these days.

Lobo Vs. Han Solo

 

Sure, he's outmatched here when it comes to raw power, but since when has that ever stopped Han Solo?  I liked that he still seemed to be in the smuggling business after all these years when he returned in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and I wish we had gotten to see a little more of that.  Han's always at his best when he has his back against a wall but still finds a way to win (or at least escape)!

Calvin & Hobbes and Dennis the Menace

 

This is a cover that I have been meaning to get to for a while.  Dennis I am sure was part of the inspiration for Calvin after all.  I wonder how much more mischief he would have gotten into in his dog, Ruff, spoke to Dennis while nobody was looking (or at least in his imagination).

The Hulk and Batman (The Movie Adaptation!)

 

I recently rewatched the 1989 Batman movie, and while it shows some age, the performances, visuals and musical score still make it a joy to watch.  I can't wait to see Michael Keaton return to the character.

Batman and The Hulk have crossed paths a number of other times on The Lost Issues:

They were last seen battling Two-Face and The Bi-Beast...

Then there was the time that they were starring in a TV Movie.

They first met in my first attempt at a 100-Page Giant...

I later presented them in a Golden-Age team-up...

They met during The Hulk's gray phase...

They butted heads in my 900th Issue...

Liberty Belle and Miss America

 

I was looking into images for this cover and was pleasantly reminded that issue #2 of Miss America from 1944 featured a photo cover of  the title character.  I believe it actually may even be Venus Ramey, the real life Miss America from that year, in the costume.  Very cool to see golden age cosplaying done so well!

Lady Cop and Night Nurse

 This is one of those combinations that has been rattling around the back of my brain for  years, and I am finally getting around to putting it together. I thought that Night Nurse was brought back successfully in Doctor Strange: The Oath, but I don't know what she's been up to since then.  Lady Cop returned in The All-New Atom, and I thinks that was it for her.  Who know when either will return again?

Machine Man and Captain Atom

 

One blank spot in my comics reading career has been Charlton Comics.  I like the characters from Charlton that eventually were purchased by DC and many of my favorite creators (Steve Ditko, Jim Aparo, Dick Giordano and more) did work for the company.  So far I have only checked out The Phantom from when he was published by Charlton, and I quite enjoyed those.  I'll have to seek out some other collected editions from their library.

Dash and The Flash

 

I thoroughly enjoyed both Incredibles movies and would welcome another one.  If there is another outing, It might be fun to age up the characters a bit to see where they are a few years down the road from the events of the first two installments.  It's almost been seventeen years since the Parrs were introduced, there's no reason they can't grow older just a little bit.

Superman Vs. Darth Vader (The Movie!)

 

Somewhere along the line, the properties of Light Sabers seemed to have changed.  In the original movies, they were tough to handle, and would take the use of both arms to properly control them.  Now they seem to be as light as air, with characters doing backflips while using multiple Light Sabers at a time.  The latter style may allow itself for more fancy choreography, but I think that I prefer the former.

Superman and Vader previously met in a more standard comic tale back in STF #1171...

Galactus Vs. Dawnstar and Ultra Boy

 If there's one member of the huge Legion of Super-Heroes roster that I think is suited for their own solo series, it has to be Ultra Boy.  I have just always loved the fact that he has a large and varied power set, but can only use one super ability at a time.  His Legion Flight ring allows him to cheat a bit and use two powers at once, technically.  Still, it's a unique set up that no other hero has and I'd love to see it explored further.

Galactus Previously faced off against the entire Legion of Super-Heroes in STF #1487 and then again in STF #1985...

Daredevil Vs. Doctor Light

Presenting Part Two of  our latest Two-Part Epic!  Did you guess correctly?  Daredevil was the only one not affected by the visuals of Doctor Light's attack on yesterday's cover (except maybe by almost being crushed by the falling bodies of his fellow heroes), let's see if the villain can adjust for this miscalculation in his plans...

Doctor Light Conquers the Marvel Universe

 

Doctor Light operated like DC's version of Doctor Doom in a way.  He was not tied to a single hero and could show up in anyone's title.  He would confront individual heroes as well as entire teams.  It's too bad that later on he was turned into a joke or worse by many writers.

So, just who is the one Marvel hero that can stop him?  Hint:  Said hero is on this cover!  Can you guess before all is revealed in tomorrow's exciting conclusion?

Expansion Team (The Animated Series!)

 

It's always cool when one of your favorite comics gets  the aminated series treatment, and I thought that it was high time that one of STF: the Lost Issues' super-groups received that honor.  I know that I would be tuning in!

This is the fourth appearance of The Expansion Team - Elastigirl joined the team in STF #2130, they battled the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in STF #1490, and first got together back in STF #934...

Black Lightning and The Punisher

 

I remember when Batman and the Outsiders was first announced, and while I would miss my favorite series, The Brave and the Bold, I was intrigued by this new team.  One major appeal for me was the inclusion of two favorites, Black Lightning and Metamorpho.  Not only were they both cool characters that needed a regular comic home, but it was not lost on me that they were the two heroes that actually refused offers to join the Justice League.  Keep in mind, this was back when the JLA was a very exclusive club.  So it was cool to finally see them in a group setting. 

Son of Satan and Raven (Part Two)

 

Continued from yesterday's cover, we se that Trigon does not take kindly to having his family affairs interfered with.  I don't think that Daimon Hellstrom will be too intimidated by him though, given his own familial relations.  It should be an interesting battle!

Son of Satan and Raven (Part One)

 

Has anyone caught the new Hellstrom series on Hulu? From the looks I have seen, it feels like one of those comic book series that have very few comic book elements in them.  If it truly embraces it's Marvel roots, with characters and concepts from the original comics, I might be tempted to check it out.

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

Dreadstar and Hercules

 

If Marvel decides to bring Hercules into the MCU, they need look no further than Bob Layton's two Hercules: Prince of Power mini series from 1982 and 1984.  Like Thor: Ragnarok, they took a hero with roots in the mythology and transplanted him into a comedic science-fiction based adventure, with impressive results.  The only trick will be finding another actor that has the comic acting chops to match his larger than life physique!

Nick Fury Vs. The Phantom Stranger

 

I am eager to hear more about projects like HBO Max's in development Justice League Dark series, becuase DC has such a great stable of occult and mystical-based characters that have largely been untapped in live action until now.  Still, I have heard no word that The Phantom Stranger will be part of that show, or any other upcoming DC project for that matter.  That strikes me as an oversight, He is such a a cool character that could fit in many places in the DCEU.  He would be easily to realize in live action as well, as long as the lighting designers can manage to keep his eyes constantly in shadow!

Batman Vs. The Red Skull

 

While I wasn't a big fan of either of the sequels, like most I feel that Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a masterpiece.  I remember  the year it came out, even from the ads promoting it I knew that it was going to be something special.  It was right before I got my drivers license, and there were no comic shops near me, so I had trouble tracking down a copy.  I think I wound up having to borrow a copy of the first issue from a friend, and I was so blown away that I made a point of not missing the next three when they came out, not matter how I had to get them.  It was years before I picked up my own copy of issue #1, but at least it was still a first edition!