Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Gargoyle and Swamp Thing in: "Midnight Snack!"

 

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:



Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Black Manta and Doctor Doom

 

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.

Monday, May 29, 2023

The Thing on The Planet of the Apes

 

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.

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Shang-Chi and Plastic Man

 

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: 


Saturday, May 27, 2023

Fantastic Four and Green Lantern in: "Judgment From Korugar!"

 


Time for another all-John Byrne cover.  Let's hope the upcoming MCU versions look at least half as cool as when Byrne illustrated them.

GL and The FF have met on the blog before  - the last time GL was under an evil control... before that, it was the FF that were possessed... but at least they were working together during their first meeting.

Friday, May 26, 2023

Conan and Arak

 

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!

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Seven Soldiers of Victory and The Vision

 

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.


Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Wonder Woman Vs. The Super Skrull

 

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.

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Captain Marvel and Doctor Light

 

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:



Monday, May 22, 2023

Iron Man and Magnus: Robot Fighter

 

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.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Ms. Marvel and Halo

 

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.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Hawkman and The Destroyer

 

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.

Friday, May 19, 2023

Zatanna and The Spirit

 

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.

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Starman Vs. Kang

 

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.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Black Goliath and The Justice League of America

 

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?

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Katana and Captain America

 

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:

Monday, May 15, 2023

Captain Kirk and Superman

 

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.

Sunday, May 14, 2023

The Beast and The Demon

 

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.


Saturday, May 13, 2023

The Vision Vs. Darkseid

 

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.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Stingray and Dolphin

 

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.

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Batman and The Blonde Phantom

 

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.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Blue Devil, Doctor Strange and Clea

 


I enjoyed Nathan Fillion's small role in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3., and I know that James Gunn likes to work with his acting friends  - so I fully expect him to show up somewhere in the new DCU line up as well.  I think that Blue Devil would be a great character for Fillion to play.  His combination of physicality, heroics and humor could turn the C-List hero into a fan favorite.

Blue Devil first met Dr. Strange in STF #46 and then battled Mephisto with him in STF #3051...

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Starman joins The Avengers

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.  

 

Monday, May 8, 2023

Mr. Terrific and E-Man

 

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.

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Green Arrow and Devil Dinosaur


 While this final season of The Flash has been lacking for me, I did enjoy the return of Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen for an episode.  It reminded me of the early days of the series as well as Arrow, which were pretty good.  James Gunn says he is a huge fan of Green Arrow, so I am interested to see where the hero will show up next in live action.

Saturday, May 6, 2023

The Inhumans Vs. Sinestro

 

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.

Friday, May 5, 2023

Wolverine and Lobo

 

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.

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Gandalf and Boba Fett

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!

 

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Robin and Nova

 

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...

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Supergirl and Spider-Woman in: "Deathplunge!"

 

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...

Monday, May 1, 2023

Martian Manhunter and The X-Files

 

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.