A New Cover Posted Every Day! Join the Facebook Fan Page at: www.facebook.com/SuperTeamFamilyTheLostIssues
There's been talk of sequels or reboots of The Rocketeer for years now, but nothing has seemed to really come of them. Maybe it's for the best - the original film is a classic and would be pretty hard to improve upon, in my opinion. I'd prefer to see that version get a polish though - a nice high quality transfer with maybe some tweaks to the few flying sequences that don't quite hold up to today's visual effects standards.
This is the kind of oddball team up that I really liked to see as a kid. These are two heroes that I would have never put together, but upon seeing them in an action scene, I'd simply have to find out just what was going on.
Time for another behind the scenes peek. Vigilante's original partner in this scene had to be removed and replaced - not to mention his lasso... here's a look at the process:
There have been reports of Marvel looking for a leading man type to play the antagonist in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie, an extremely powerful character that they are reportedly considering Ryan Gosling (or someone like him) to portray. Some have speculated that this is Hyperion, while others think it will be The Sentry. I think The Sentry is more likely as well. I'd love to see Hyperion join the MCU - but he would ideally have the rest of the Squadron Supreme with him so that a full on slugfest with The Avengers can go down.
The strongest character designs are those that even look impressive from the back. Jack Kirby was such a master at creating costumes and armor that his creations looked great at any angle.
Doctor Doom and The Demon first crossed paths way back in STF #739...
I spider-Woman the first Super-Heroine to ever get her own animated TV series? I think she just may be, and it's more impressive that it came out only a couple of years after her comic book debut. It's still odd to me that Wonder Woman has never had her own cartoon.
These two may have to do a little more than search the city. Regular visitors to this blog know that Jim Gordon was called to the planet Mongo in STF #2535...
Now if this was a movie of the week when I was growing up, there would have been nothing to stop me from watching it. There were very few live action super-heroes to be found, so even though he wasn't from the comics, I counted Steve Austin as one of them. Pair him up with and actual Marvel hero, throw in some guest stars and that would have been a true recipe for action in my young eyes.
We are starting to hear some news about the upcoming Disney+ series Agatha: House of Harkness with the casting of Aubrey Plaza in a thus far unnamed role. I have no idea what the plat of the show will be, but I enjoyed Kathryn Hahn quite a bit in Wanda/Vision, so I am looking forward to seeing what trouble she gets into. Will Wanda herself make an appearance after the events of Multiverse of Madness? I haven't heard that yet, but she's sure to be a presence story-wise at least, I'm betting.
The John Wick movies are entertaining in that they can usually be counted on for some very inventively staged action scenes, but I have to admit I find them a little hard to take seriously. These "World's best assassin must come out of retirement because all the other assassins in the assassin guild are out to assassinate him, so he has to assassinate them first" type movies are usually a bit over the top, but this franchise takes it to a whole new level. In fights, Wick never seems to miss and the bad guys never seem to hit him. Law enforcement never seems to notice the trail of bodies in his wake. Still, as long as I think of these movies as live action cartoons, I can enjoy them - I'll definitely check out the fourth installment.
In the comments section of a previous Blue Devil cover, Mike Shirley (a Patron of this Blog), suggested that Dan and Sean Cassidy may share a familial relation, and the idea appealed to me. Thank you, Mike! I've always like both characters and Banshee is that rare Ginger superhero that was actually portrayed by a Ginger in the movies. It was a youthified version that was murdered off screen before the sequel hit, but at least they tried.
Another Two-Part Epic begins here! I have not heard any word on whether the Original Guardians of the Galaxy will show up again in James Gunn's third volume of the movie series, but since it will be his last outing for Marvel, I hope he finds a way to include them. Now, which JLA enemy have they shown up on this cover to help defeat? Make sure you come back tomorrow to find out!
These two teams also shared an adventure back in STF #2018...
Continued from yesterday's cover, we see that Ghost Rider has joined the fray. This crew has some history together. Johnny Blaze first met Evel Knievel way back in STF #74, they joined forces again to battle Mephisto in STF #376, and later both joined the team Rolling Thunder in STF #1115. Batman and Ghost Rider confronted Mephisto back on one of my very first covers, a lost B&B Tale from 2010.
Here's a peek behind the making of this cover, I needed a lot more flames before I could add the heroes in:
Presenting Part One of a Two-Part Epic! Will this trio of heroes be enough to take on Mephisto? They'll need to call in another recruit for tomorrow's confrontation, and longtime STF visitors may have an idea as to who...
Batman and the Silver Surfer crossed paths on this blog a couple of times in the past over a decade ago - they first met in 2010 and then starred in a retro tale in 2011...
Make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!
The Sandman on Netflix has been renewed for another season, and I look forward to seeing more of Neil Gaiman's tales adapted for live action. I hope to see more of Cain & Abel and their Houses of Mystery and Secrets, I enjoyed their appearances in the first season.
This is the second appearance of The Graveyard Shift. They first appeared in STF #3290...
Brutes like these two may not be the most complex villains around, but you can usually count on them to provide some good action scenes. It might be fun to watch them go up against each other... just don't expect a lot of thought provoking dialogue.
A Blue Beetle/Booster Gold buddy movie was one of the many ideas floated by Warner Bros in the last decade that never seemed to go anywhere. Now that there's new leadership for DCU films and given James Gunn's fondness for everyman type heroes, maybe there's a chance that this one could get back on track.
Cap last appeared with Ted Kord under a mountain in STF #1741 and they two first met way back in STF #234. Cap met Blue Beetle Dan Garrett in STF #1078...
I haven't had a chance to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever yet, but I am looking forward to it. I really liked Shuri and M'Baku from the first film and hope to see them both with larger roles this time around. I'm still not sold on Namor, we'll see if the writing and performance can overcome the fact that he looks absolutely nothing like the comic book character.
I am very happy to use the work of Fred Hembeck on this cover. Back in 2008, I commissioned him to recreate one of my all-time favorite covers, and he knocked it out of the park - he even hand drew the logo:
In the MCU, Iron Man is off the table and while Tom Holland just signed on for more movies, Spider-Man will still be a shared character with Sony. Marvel really needs a new "heart and soul" of their cinematic universe. For me, that has to be Ben Grimm. The MCU FF can't get here fast enough, and The Thing's look and characterization are hopefully a top priority for the studio.
This is another cover in which the final product makes it look like a relatively simple one. Just plop The Punisher in behind Nightwing, right? There was a bit more prep work before I could get to that stage though. Here's a peek behind the process:
Howard Mackie and Javier Saltares' relaunch of Ghost Rider in the 90's really made an impression on me. I remember being disappointed that the series would not revolve around Johnny Blaze, but the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider design was so cool it was hard to resist. I especially liked the new look for the motorcycle, with its flaming wheels. Plus, Johnny joined the series soon enough!
She may have been defeated in Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, but we never did see a body so many have suspected that The Scarlet Witch's onscreen adventures are not quite over. There's been some speculation that she would at least cameo in the Agatha: House of Harkness Disney+ series, and now she is expected to be a part of the recently announced Vision Quest series. Will she remain a villain or be redeemed? Is that even possible at this point?
I quite liked Thor: Ragnarok, and felt that it's injection of color and humor into the franchise struck a nice balance in that film. Unfortunately, Director Taika Waititi was not able to balance out his follow up, Thor: Love and Thunder quite as well in my opinion. The humor was far too broad this time around, with Thor going from a character with some funny traits to a complete buffoon. Natalie Portman is a talented actress, but her attempts at comedy fell flat for me, and clashed with her terminal cancer sub-plot. It's not a terrible movie, and there are some fun action sequences and a great mid-credits scene - but it felt like it could have used one more pass in the editing stage before sending it to theaters.
So the GLC show bring prepared for HBO Max and featuring Alan Scott and Guy Gardner is being scrapped in favor of a John Stewart-centric series. OK, we'll see if that one actually gets off the ground. In the meantime, what of Hal Jordan? Will he appear on the big screen again? Was the Ryan Reynolds movie so reviled that the character has lost his shot at live action for good?
Cap and Hal Jordan battled Arnim Zola and Sinestro in STF #2862. Cap met the Alan Scott GL in STF #372 and then again in STF #719...
I loved what artists like Steve Bissette and John Totleben did to evolve Swamp Thing's appearance and make him truly look like a plant elemental. That said, there's something about Bernie Wrightson's original design for the character that always appealed to me as well. It was a perfect balance between monster and hero.
Getting the LSH on the big screen will face the same hurdles as Shazam! if you want a series of films, you run the risk of the young actors aging too rapidly and they've already outgrown their roles in a few years. I knw Warner Bros. is trying to get away from expensive streaming series, but that might be the best solution for such a property.
Jughead shouldn't be a stranger to dealing with Solomon Grundy since the undead mobster's sister teaches at Riverdale High, as depicted in STF #850. Luke Cage has also run into the brute on a solo mission, as depicted in STF #1648.
It's just been announced that the current season of Stargirl will be the final one. Let's hope that we get one more Grundy appearance before the show wraps up.
So what was that announcement a couple of years back that Steven Spielberg was interested in helming a Blackhawk movie? Maybe is was just a passing whim, because I never heard any more about it beyond the original headline. I'd be shocked if interest in the making the film has remained throughout all of the still-ongoing changes at Warner Bros. It's too bad, because I'm betting that Spielberg could have done something really special with the property.
Now that I put these two together, I wonder what took me so long, their color schemes match perfectly. Of course, Iron Man may only just now be encountering Prince Gavyn, but earlier in his career (and on this blog), but he has met the Ted Knight version on three occasions - They battled each other in STF #3240, They joined Black Widow and Black Canary in STF #2491 and first appeared together in STF #2190...