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Swamp Thing and Gargoyle first met back in STF #1223... definitely a pair that seems to go well together, so I thought that I would revisit the alliance.
This cover required a bit of background extension and de-cluttering prior to adding in an image of Isaac Christians. Here's a peek behind the scenes:
Time for a good old fashioned super-villain team up. Sometimes it was hard for me to get into villain-centric tales as a kid - I wanted to have someone to root for. When the villains were battling other villains, however, it was a different story. Then it was easier to pick a side and cheer on a bad guy.
This is a crossover that I am surprised I never got to back in my Marvel Two-In-One: The Lost Issues days. So I am happy to finally include it on the blog. I'm also happy to combine the amazing painted art work of Daniel Acuna and Earl Norem.
I enjoyed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, so when I saw that director Destin Daniel Cretton was involved with American Born Chinese, another comic-based property on Disney+, I decided to check it out. I'm halfway through the series and I am really enjoying it. It has an interesting story, engaging characters, and fun supporting roles by recent Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Key Huy Quan.
This is another cover in which I had a bit of de-cluttering to do before I added in any new elements. Here a look at the behind the scenes process:
I wasn't really into Conan comics when I was a kid, I gravitated towards more superhero-related fare. Still, I found myself checking out issues from time to time just because of the gorgeous artwork. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way turned me into a big fan of John Buscema, and seeing his pencils grace a story was always a treat.
Thank you to Brian C., a Patron of this blog, for suggesting this pairing!
The original Vision from Timely Comics always seemed really cool to me, and I have been meaning to include him for a while. When I was a kid, I didn't realize that the Avenger's resident Sythezoid had a Golden Age counterpart. They are quite different characters, but that unique cape design is unmistakable.
The trailers for the upcoming Secret Invasion Disney+ show definitely show Skrulls with abilities beyond impersonation. Will any of them be Kl'rt, the Super Skrull? It would be odd to introduce him before the Fantastic Four are introduced, since it is their power set that he adopts. Still, perhaps he will show up before he reaches his final form once the FF arrive. The show is only a noth or so away, so we will find out soon enough.
This cover required a little bit of clean-up work before I could change the wielder of the energy blast. here's a peek behind the scenes:
I wonder if these two would get along or not. Sure, they are both heroes with an interest in technology and robots, but I still sense there might be some friction. Tony Stark is all about creating mechanical wonders and Magnus' specialty is destroying them, after all.
In a move that surprised many, Marvel has killed off Kamala Khan in the comics. At first I wondered why because despite the fact that her comics have never been huge sellers, the character is about to make her big screen debut in The Marvels. My hunch is that like most comic book deaths, this one will be reversed rather soon and the reintroduced Kamala will no longer be an Inhuman but a mutant, to more closely tie her to the MCU version.
Here's a cover combining the early work of two comic book greats - Joe Kubert and Jack Kirby. Even though they were still honing their signature styles, you can still see the raw talent they had even as young artists. Of course, they were just getting started - they would both go on to become absolute legends in the industry.
When Warner Bros. brought on JJ Abrams to revamp the DCU, he seemed to have big plans for Zatanna. I heard rumors of her leading up a Justice League Dark team or even being featured in a solo movie of her own. Nothing much came of the Abrams partnership, and now James Gunn and Peter Safran are heading up the DCU. I haven't seen him mention Zatanna in his plans yet, but I hope she is in the mix.
I finally checked out Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and while it was cool to see Kang as the villain, I was hoping for some more time-related shenanigans. I guess Marvel is saving that for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Who knows what effects an ongoing criminal investigation and writers strike will have on that upcoming event, however. He did look really cool, which is more than I can say for M.O.D.O.K.
Ever since Laurence Fishburne was introduced in the MCU as Bill Foster, I have been hoping that we would get a flashback scene of his superheroic days. It seems that I may get my wish - sort of. Recent interviews have hinted that we will indeed see a giant-sized Bill Foster in the future, but in animated form. The next season of What If? is supposed to feature just such a scenario. Of course, with most of Marvel's upcoming projects having their release dates pushed back, who knows when it will actually hit the airwaves?
This is another good example of a cover in which I had to de-clutter and extend the background before adding in any new elements. Here's a peek at the behind the scenes process:
The first two Superman and Star Trek movies along with 2001: A Space Odyssey made huge impressions on me as a kid. Seeing them combined into one mega-epic would probably have melted my young mind - but I would have gone out with a smile on my face.
Jack Kirby's time on the X-Men was before Hank got all blue and furry, so It was always a treat to see him illustrate the eloquent mutant in that form. Kirby excelled at inhuman-looking characters after all, which is why Etrigan is one of my favorite DC characters that he worked on.
Marvel has seemed to slow down a bit and plans to space their future projects a little farther apart than they have been lately. That's probably a good thing in the interest of quality control, but it means that it will probably be quite a time before the promised Disney+ Vision Quest series makes it's debut. Let's hope it stays on the schedule, It's one of the announced shows that I am most interested in.
Between Aquaman and The Little Mermaid, underwater scenes in movies have really gone to the next level. I was less as impressed with the underwater shots in Wakanda Forever, but there were still some cool moments in there. I hear the new Avatar movie is easily the best of all in this regard, so I look forward to checking that out as well.
I've been re-watching the entire run of Batman: The Brave and the Bold on HBO Max and it's just such a fun show. The love for DC Comics history shows in every episode, I'm amazed at some of the characters they decided to use. I can't seem to find Justice League Action on the service, however. I'd love to do a re-watch of that series as well - I'm not sure I caught all of the episodes when they were first briadcast.
I think the Prince Gavyn Starman would have fit right in with the Bronze Age Avengers line up here. I used to like when they would get into cosmic situations with the likes of Mar-Vell or the Guardians of the Galaxy, and his presence would provide a gateway to more epic storylines like those.
James Gunn seems to like Tweeting images that hint at his DC plans and one that really got fans talking was of Mr. Terrific. Hopefully this means we'll be seeing Michael Holt on the big screen. Hopefully with his team The Terrifics, that way we'll get Phantom Girl, Metamorpho and Plastic Man as well.
Sinestro was perfectly cast with Mark Strong and looked great in Green Lantern. It's too bad the movie's various shortcomings meant there would be no sequel to explore his turn to evil. The Inhumans TV show was ill-conceived on many levels, leaving Marvel to shift their big screen focus to The Eternals (which had issues of its own). Let's hope that everyone on this cover gets another chance to shine in their respective cinematic universes.
When Marvel Vs. DC came out in 1996 one of the battles fans really wanted to see was between these two savage brawlers. So having it limited to a single page and taking place out of sight behind a bar may have been considered a cute idea by the editors, but it left the readers very unsatisfied. Maybe one day they will get a proper rematch.
May the Fourth be With You! These guys could have gotten a lot done if they swapped franchises. That jet pack would have come in handy on the trip to Mount Doom. And Gandalf's Staff against a Light Saber is a battle that would be epic to see!
Nova is one of the Marvel characters that I was able to follow from his very first appearance, so I have been waiting for him to finally be added to the MCU. Will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 be the place where he is finally introduced? I haven't heard anything about that, but there will be a space to be filled for cosmic action once that trilogy concludes. Let's hope that Nova is part of the next generation of big screen cosmic heroes.
Nova first met Robin along with the rest of the New Teen Titans in STF 497...
Supergirl and Spider-Woman are about to hit the big screen, although as variants in each case. Issa Rae will be voicing Spider-Woman Jessica Drew from another universe in Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, and then a couple of weeks later Sasha Calle will star as an other dimensional Supergirl in The Flash. From what I have seen, both look to be impressive. Still, I hope we will get to see the versions we know from the comics in the theaters at some point down the line.
Supergirl and Spider-Woman previously met trying to avoid becoming super-villain brides in STF #2555...
There has been talk of an X-Files revival in the works. I hope it's a continuation and not a reboot, I don't have much interest in seeing new actors portraying Mulder and Scully. A new set of agents in a current day X-Files department could work though. Let's hope they actually have some answers and closure to the cases they investigate though - The first show left way too many things unresolved.