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This is a team up that has been suggested for years. I had been meaning to get to it, but the images never seemed to work together. Either the art styles were too different or the poses did not fit with each other. So, I am glad that I was at long last able to put this meeting of the pets together and finally cross it off of my suggestions note page. It would definitely be a fun story to read.
After having his appearance rumored for years, it seems like Mephisto is finally about to join the MCU. My only concern is the reports that he will be portrayed by Sasha Baron Cohen. While he has played a few serious roles, mostly he is known for his broad comedy. I really don't want Mephisto to be another wisecracking MCU villain.
This cover required some splash page extension and word balloon removal before I could add Etrigan into it. Here's a behind-the scenes look at the process:
We've seen Spider-Man break loose from being trapped through sheer force of strength and will before, but that's got to be pretty tiring, even for a superhero. He could really use some suit upgrades from Scott Free. You never know when a hidden lockpick or some of the other 4th World gadget might come in handy.
There's been lots of rumors swirling about Jason Mamoa playing Lobo in James' Gunns new DCU movie plans. This is really what should have been done in the first place, he's a perfect fit for the character and basically infused that personality onto Arthur Curry anyway. Some say that there will be confusion with him going from Aquaman to a new comic character, but I think that audiences have seen enough actors play multiple superhero roles in the past that they can roll with it.
Wow, have I really never paired these two together before? Well they did both appear as members of one of STF's very first hero teams, The Black Beauties way back in STF #299 in 2013. Still, it's high time they shared a cover together again. They also appeared as guest stars in STF #2491 with Iron Man and Starman...
I've been meaning to feature a cover that combines images by the amazing Bill Sienkiewicz for a while now. Nothing ever quite came together because his unique style it tougher to blend than most, even with himself. I'm definitely not 100% satisfied with how this one came out, but I am glad I finally gave it a try.
Moon Knight first encountered Deathstroke in STF #2386...
The Silver Surfer has had a rocky relationship with the Death Star on this blog. He first encountered it during his brief marriage to Starfire in STF #397, and then he later returned to investigate it with Doctor Who in STF #3761. If his choice of partner here is any indication, this time he may just shut the place down for good!
Agatha: Coven of Chaos looks to be a fun series and is about to start shooting. The addition of Aubrey Plaza has me interested, especially that she is rumored to be playing Morgaine Le Fay. How will Agatha escape Wanda's spell? Will Wanda appear? Unfortunately it sounds like the show maybe pushed back to 2024, so it may be a while before we find out.
ROM had a great comic book tie in back in the day - so why didn't the toy become more popular than it was? I think one major mistake was not looking to what Marvel was doing for inspiration in expanding the line. Pretty much all you could get was ROM himself, I saw no other Spaceknights on the shelves next to him, let alone vehicles and accessories. An even bigger issue was that you could not even purchase a toy Dire Wraith for him to battle with. What good was that cool weapon of his if you couldn't blast his arch enemies? That was truly a lost opportunity.
It may seem like a lopsided match at first - But if Ivy was on her turf with the ability to turn an Avenger or three to her will through mind controlling spores or something, she just might give Earth's Mightiest Heroes a run for their money. It would be fun to watch play out at any rate!
Another day, another riff on one of my favorite comic issues. "Terror in a Tiny Town" was a real highlight during John Byrne's stint on the FF. Doctor Doom had a lot of twisted plans against Reed Richards and company, and this one was truly epic.
The Fantastic Four and The Atom first crossed paths in STF #1499... and The Atom first clashed with Doctor Doom way back in STF #80.
I remember really enjoying the Annual where the X-Men went up against Dracula. It was just so different from the usual mutant based tales that we normally got. It was another reminder of the versatility of the characters - they could fit into any genre from standard superhero fare to science fiction to a straight up horror story.
This is definitely a match up that I would like to see, if only to see Fate open up a can of whoopass on the Skull by the end of the tale.
I am glad to use a Red Skull image hereby the very talented Ron Garney. I was lucky enough to pick up an original page by him several years back:
Robocop's partners seemed to have a tough time keeping up with him, and Harry Callahan's partners often didn't even survive the movies they were in. Perhaps the most effective team would have them working alongside one another. I know that if these two were patrolling my neighborhood, I'd make sure to not so much as even jaywalk. I wouldn't want to get on their bad side.
We had a couple of bunny rabbits when I was growing up. They were so calm and docile that it's hard for me to imagine them ever mastering martial arts. Actually, one of them, Abraham, was quite adept at escaping his pen and hiding, I remember one winter during a blizzard the whole family looking for him, It turned out he was right under the front deck the whole time. So I guess he did have some ninja capabilities after all.
The wonderfully creepy Fatal Five was always a welcome sight in the Legion of Super-Heroes stories that I read growing up. Easily my favorite LSH villains, I wish they had battled other teams in the DCU more regularly. How do you think they would have fared against the WCA?
They're both green, they both have fun exploring different comic tropes and clichés, and they both like to break the fourth wall in the middle of their stories - it was only natural that they cross paths eventually. I can only imagine the antics that would ensue.
Aquaman last battled Attuma in STF #2828
Aquaman and Namor have also a bit of history on this blog. They last met trying battling Mer-Mutates in STF #2270, tried to avert war in Issue #1105, faced the sea's wrath back in Issue #751 and starred in my very first STF two-parter in Issue #3 and Issue #4.
For the conclusion of this 2-Part Epic, we see that getting an infusion of Skynet tech only leads to more problems! Let's hope that Vic Stone is able to purge the evil programming from his systems and shut down the evil corporation for good!
Here's a behind the scenes look at the process. I couldn't find a clean, text free version of the Terminator cover that I chose to use, so I had to make it myself before adding Cyborg in:
Presenting Part One of a Two-Part Epic! The Titans met Reed Richards back in STF #2367, so it's only natural they come to him for technical expertise... but wait a minute - what's up with these "new partners" of his? Make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!
There's still plenty of talk of bringing Tony Stark back to the MCU, either as an AI program in Armor Wars or Ironheart or back to life in one of the upcoming Avengers movies due to the machinations of Kang. If Marvel Studios goes through with this, I hope they are very careful about it. I'd hate to see his emotional sacrifice from Avengers: Endgame undermined. Robert Downey Jr. isn't getting any younger either, he'll be in his 60's by the time the next Avengers movies are released. Time will tell if any of this actually comes to pass, I just hope plenty of thought is given if they go this route.
Catwoman has been known to break into some pretty high security places in her career - but one under the protection of a Thunder God may give even her a challenge. Then again, knowledge is power, so if she does indeed find the secrets she is looking for, that may give her just the advantage she needs.
Here's another match up that's been long overdue on this blog. It's also another opportunity to present another behind the scenes peek at the process. In this case, there was a little background rebuilding to be done before Barbara Minerva could be added in:
The Duck Dodgers shorts are among my favorite Daffy Duck appearances. Like all kids, I loved the Looney Tunes characters, and I was fascinated with outer space epics once Star Wars hit the scene in 1977 - so anything that combined the two was sure to appeal to my young eyes. Heck, they still appeal to my rapidly aging eyes!
Challenging the unknown sounds like a good description for the adventures that Indiana Jones gets into, so he would probably fit right in with these adventurers. Of course, the real unknown is whether he can provide audiences with a thrilling adventure as he enters his 80's. I guess we will all find out soon enough!
Indiana Jones on this cover is from an image by the very talented Jackson Guice. I was lucky enough to pick up an original page of his several years back:
I loved the scene in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker where Terry McGinness starts cracking jokes against the Clown Prince of Crime, which enrages him. It made me think that a similar confrontation with Spider-Man would be fun to watch play out. Spidey is known for using his quick banter and humor to unsettle his opponents, and it would be cool to see the tactic used against The Joker. I remember The Joker appearing in one of the real life Batman/Spidey crossovers, but I forget if we saw a moment like that in it... Maybe I'll have to dig through the old collection to find out.
I thought that it might be interesting to have these two as allies rather than combatants. The phantom mantle has been passed down as long or longer as Foom has been in operation, so they may even have some shared history together. I'd like to see the threat that requires their cooperation.
When Robert Jackson, a Patron of this blog, suggested this pairing, I was surprised that I had not gotten to it yet, it really does seem like a natural. So, thank you, Robert! There's lots of speculation as to who will play each character on the big screen, but I think it will be some time before we see either. Dick Grayson needs at least one movie as Robin before changing his super-heroic identity if they want to do his story justice, and while Gambit is cool, he certainly should not be among the first group of X-Men introduced (though I do like the suggestion of Austin Butler for the role).
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