Firestorm and The Silver Surfer

 

I enjoyed creating yesterday's all-Kirby cover, so I decided to try another one today.  I think that this would be a powerful team up - cosmic power and nuclear power up against an unstoppable, hideous creature... sign me up!

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It is time once again for my yearly reminder about how you can help out - while this blog is a labor of love for me, it remains a one-man operation and can be quite time consuming to keep up on a daily basis, while maintaining the quality (which I hope I do, let me know if you feel I am slipping). Every little bit helps!

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I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to check out my covers, and those who participate in the comments sections. It's a great little community we have here!

In the upcoming year, you'll see more Continued Stories, more Photo Covers, more Anniversary Issues, more new and returning STF teams, more characters making their STF debuts, more romance, More action, More whimsy!  I'm trying to put out more of the type of content that has generated the most positive reactions in the past. I look forward to sharing what I have created with you and continuing to create even more.  Thanks for coming by for your daily dose of team up fun!

Jimmy Olsen and The Black Panther

 

Rumors are swirling that a teaser trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be dropping very soon, and I am really looking forward to seeing what's in store. Marvel has a lot to accomplish with the movie, transitioning away from T'Challa after Chadwick Boseman's tragic passing and introducing a major MCU player in Namor, The Sub-Mariner.  I'm also looking forward to seeing what new fashions and devices are coming our way, the first film was a visual treat due to all the cool design work.

Daredevil and Elongated Man

 

The Brave and The Bold was my favorite comic series growing up, and one of my favorite issues was #177, so I am glad to present my own spin on the cover to that story here.  Elongated Man had always been a top hero of mine and here he was taken seriously as an equal to Batman as they solve a mystery together.  Plus, thanks to the  amazing artwork of Jim Aparo, in my opinion he's never looked better in a story before or since. All that plus a cool Nemesis back up tale!  They just don't make them like that anymore.

Zatanna and Ghost Rider

 

Ah, The Orb! What a freaky villain - made even freakier for me when I realized that he wasn't wearing a mask, that's what his head actually looks like!  A pretty fitting foe for Ghost Rider, given his famous flaming skull appearance and their mutual love of motorcycles.  When those two went after each other, I knew I was in for a visual treat.

Static Joins The New Warriors

 

With the introductions of America Chavez and Kamala Khan to the MCU, there's been a lot of discussion about Marvel setting up a team of Young Avengers.  That's sounds good, but what about the teen team that predated them?  New Warriors always had an interesting cast of characters, and it would be cool to see them in live action some day.

Hellboy and Warlord

 

There's talk from time to time about finally getting Guillermo Del Toro finally finishing his Hellboy trilogy, but I don't see it happening.  Ron Perlman is in his 70's now and Selma Blair's multiple sclerosis might make it tough to do an action role, but they may both still be willing.  Still, I don't think the box office potential is there for Universal Pictures to want to take the plunge.  Perhaps an alternative would be something smaller on a streaming service just to show how the story ends?

Doom Patrol and The Avengers

 

I'm looking forward to the fourth (and presumably final) season of Doom Patrol on HBO Max, but I am hoping for a little more character development.  The characters all seem to be running in place, still pretty much dealing with the same personal issues that they have been since the first episode.  It can get a bit mopey at times, so I hope this is the season that they all finally come to terms with themselves and become more confident as a team.

Catwoman and James Bond

 

Catwoman and Batman seemed to go their separate ways at the end of The Batman, but I hope that she will still be back for the sequel.  I thought Selina Kyle was very well realized in the film, and I look forward to seeing her more fully assume her costumed persona.  Here's hoping both she and Batman receive slightly more comic accurate looks for their next outing.

Gumby Vs. The Hulk

 

I'm  ready for a more savage, unpredictable Hulk to return to the MCU.  We know that Bruce Banner will appear in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but once she is established, do we really need two intelligent Hulks running around?  I think that it will be better to have one classic version at least, and hopefully the series will at least set a path for that to happen.

Fantastic Four and The Spectre in: "The Judgment of Reed Richards!"

 

I loves the series of issues in Fantastic Four by John Byrne where after a mid-town battle with Galactus, Reed Richards decides to save the World Devourer from death.  This act is not appreciated by some and Reed is hauled off to face an intergalactic trial.  Just a great run of stories, and something that I think would be ripe for a movie adaptation.

The FF previously crossed paths with The Spectre back in STF # 1046...

Wing Command

 

There was a discussion in a comments section a while back about creating an all-winged team.  I originally thought it would be tough to do given the space that winged characters generally take up on a cover, especially with all the different candidates for such a team. I figured I would try the concept but limit it to heroes that have feathered wings, and that seemed to be more manageable.

Ghost Rider and The Phantom

 

This cover comes about from a suggestion by Mike Shirley, a Patron of this blog.  Mike pointed out that the original Ghost Rider was also known as The Phantom Rider, so this pairing seemed like a natural - The Ghost Who Walks and The Ghost Who Rides! Thanks, Mike!

Lex Luthor Vs. Medusa

 

Even as a kid, I thought the Silver Age origin given to Lex Luthor was pretty silly.  He and Superboy were on good terms as teenagers until the Boy of Steel had to rescue him from a fire.  In extinguishing the flames, the super-breath also blew some chemicals on young Lex, causing permanent baldness.  Lex swears revenge and thus a life long rivalry was born!  I mean, he did save your life and wigs do exist, Lex!

Hawkgirl and Storm

 

I'll never forget the comic in which Storm debuted her punk look with the leather outfit and mohawk. In those pre-internet days, a wild alteration in her appearance truly took readers by surprise - I remember Kitty Pryde mirroring my shock in the pages of the story. The new look didn't come completely out of nowhere, though.  Chris Claremont had written Ororo in such a way that the reader could see her desire for change.

Mon-El and Gladiator

 

I thought that this would be a suitable set of match ups as these are a couple of pairs of characters that mirror each other.  When I found similar poses, the concept wrote itself.

Mongul here is by  the incredibly talented Kevin Maguire.  I was lucky enough to pick up a couple of original pages by him several years back, one being a pencils-only page which I really like:

Man-Bat and Daredevil

 

Every movie version of Batman that we get seems to be darker and more grounded than the last.  While that has made for some tense, dramatic films, it still leaves some of the cooler elements of the Batman mythos off the table.  The more you strip down his vehicles and gadgets, the less cool and unique he begins to feel.  Yes, it was interesting to see a reality based glider suit in The Batman, but I have to admit, the scene in The Dark Knight with the "memory fabric" of Batman's cape becoming a glider in Japan was a much cooler moment.  Then there are the villains.  with this ultra realistic route, it seems as if we'll never see any of Batman's more fantastical villains like Man-Bat or Clayface on the big screen.  Hopefully for the next Batman installment, Director Matt Reeves can find the right balance.

Spider-Man Joins Hawaii Five-0

 

Hawaii Five-0 was appointment television for me growing up, my brothers and I would watch the reruns that came on after school.  Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett was the embodiment of cool to us, and the exotic locale might as well have been Mars, it seemed so far away from our small Massachusetts town.  I just hope that Spidey finds enough Palm Trees to swing from once he joins the force!

Fighting American and Samurai Jack

 

Samurai Jack was a show that I would catch from time to time, and I always got a kick out of the episodes.  I watched them randomly and not in order, but it was pretty easy to follow the plot.  Now that I have HBO Max, I have finally started going through the series from the beginning.  It's even more fun than I remember.

The Terrifics Vs. Doctor Doom

 

I don't read many current comics these days - the overall quality seems to have dropped and Amazon's takeover (and in my opinion, destruction) of Comixology has turned me off of new purchases recently.  One series that I did check out, and quite liked, has been The Terrifics.  It's just old school comic book action with a great cast of characters.  The series has come to an end, but I hope the team hasn't.

Thor Vs. The Parasite

 

While I am sure that Thor: Love and Thunder will be fun, the trailer does give me some reservations.  It does seem to be leaning a bit to heavily into humor, but that might just be the way the trailer was cut.  What bothers me more is the ongoing trend to keep emasculating Thor.  He's shown needy for attention from the Guardians of the Galaxy, overpowered for control of Mjolnir, remembering to the minute how long since he's seen Jane while she can't even get the years right, and publicly stripped, chained and humiliated while the female heroes have a chuckle about it (imagine the outrage if Marvel ever presented a scene like that with the sexes reversed). I don't need my heroes to be perfect, but I also don't enjoy them being beclowned at every turn either. 

Sub-Mariner, Abe Sapien and Aqualad

 

I am really curious to see how Namor is realized when he appears in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.  Reports are that his backstory will be altered to differentiate him from Aquaman.  I hope they don't change too much and that he is still easily recognizable as the Sub-Mariner from the comics. I'm also very interested to see the underwater filming effects, they are supposed to use a completely different style than director James Wan has been using in the Aquaman movies.

Superman and The Terminator (The Movie!)

 

Superman is supposed to be a major priority going forward for Discovery/Warner Bros. now that the merger is complete.  There have been reports for years about new versions of the Man of Steel coming to theaters, and now rumors are circulating that those will either be cancelled or re-tooled into a sequel for Henry Cavill to star in.  Hopefully, we will get some clarification soon, giving us a better idea of Superman's cinematic future.

Warlock Vs. Black Adam

 

I'll be interested to check out the new Black Adam trailer that is released later today.  Some of the artistic choices this movie has been making seem off to me - bald Black Adam, Dr. Fate with no eyes on his helmet, Hawkman's garish red and gold costume - so I am hoping to be won over.  A good story can go a long way to overriding any aesthetic problems that there may be.

With the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie underway, hopefully we will get a look at Will Poulter as Adam Warlock soon.

Amazing Man and Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends

 

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends was a favorite show of mine, but I have to admit it was kind of frustrating.  After an initial run of episodes, it went into repeats for a good long time.  New episodes after that seemed to be quite few and far between.  It seemed every time the show came on it was that same "Swarm" episode!  I'm glad that these days I can just go on Disney+ and just pick out which episode I want to watch.

Wonder Woman and 4 Famous Co-Stars!

 

Yeah, this invading army doesn't stand much of a chance here.  Get distracted by all the long legs, and before you know it you're being clobbered!  I guess there are worse ways to lose a battle.

Vixen and Hercules in: "Love's Last Breath!"

 This marks the sixth appearance of the Herc/Vixen team, and it looks like Mari McCabe was just a little too late in reciprocating Hercules' affections. What good is a comic book romance if you can't inject a bit of tragedy? This cover also finally allows me to include The Recorder, a character I was introduced to in the 80's Hercules Mini-Series.  I always got a kick out of that guy, and I have been meaning to use him for years.

Aquaman and Black Panther

 

When Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics' historian and Patron of this Blog, suggested this pairing to me I had to go back and check - I could have sworn that I had done this one already!  Alas, I had not - It must be one of the many ideas that I meant to get to but just fell through the cracks.  So, thanks for reminding me, Marc!  These two leaders definitely deserve a tale together!

Power Man & Iron Fist Vs. The Joker

 

I think this could be an interesting match-up.  I'm sure the Joker's unpredictable antics would keep the Heroes for Hire guessing.  Mostly I'd like to see what kind of dialogue would flow once Luke Cage cornered the Clown Prince of Crime, there's definitely some fun potential there.

Aliens Vs. ROM

 Looking over various comics to find images, I have been struck by the gorgeous work of Jean Frisano.  Frisano illustrated the covers to many Marvel foreign reprints, and he had a unique painterly style.  I am surprised that I never saw him get some mainstream comics work, I would have been interested to see his interior artwork as well.

Green Lantern Vs. The Mandarin

 

This is another match up that I have been meaning to get to for a while.  It just seems like a natural, given that they each rely on rings of incredible power.  I was glad that Marvel gave The Mandarin another chance after the fake-out in Iron Man 3.  His motivation and back-story in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made for one of their most effecive MCU villains yet.