Monday, July 31, 2023

Captain America and Karate Kid


 Concluding this three-part epic, we now see why Cap had to seek out the LSH's greatest combatant.  I remember as a kid thinking it was odd that out of all the Legionnaires, Karate Kid was the first to have his own solo title.  I guess DC was trying to cash in on the martial arts craze in the 70's and just used whoever they had that fit the bill.

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Legion of Super-Heroes and Captain America (Part Two)

 

Presenting the middle chapter of a three-part epic!  We are starting to get an idea of what Captain America's secret mission entails - but just what is he drafting Val Armorr to do?  You'll have to make sure to come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion to find out!

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Legion of Super-Heroes and Captain America (Part One)

 

Gil Kane is my favorite Marvel cover artist and he has worked with many talented inkers over the years, often to great effect.  Still, I always enjoyed seeing work that he inked himself,  There seemed to be an extra bit of raw power in the images when he did so.  

This is only Part One of a Three-Part tale - so make sure you come back tomorrow for the next exciting chapter!

Friday, July 28, 2023

Blue Beetle Vs. The Beetle in: "Beetle Battle Two!"

 

Every box office forecast I have seen for Blue Beetle indicates that it expected to be another DC movie dud.  The trailers look ok, I'm not sure why the movie isn't clicking with people.  Perhaps Warner Bros should not have announced a whole rebooted DCU before they were done releasing all the movies from the previous iteration.  James Gunn has indicated that Blue Beetle will be showing up in the new DCU even though his movie is not necessarily connected.  Yeah, I don't really get that either, maybe that's why it hasn't moved the needle.

The Beetle tangled with the Ted Kord Blue Beetle back in STF #2611...

Thursday, July 27, 2023

Silver Surfer Vs. The Anti-Monitor

 

After I had The Anti-Monitor and Galactus battle in STF #1845, I thought it would only be natural for Norrin Radd to get into the fray. Would the promise of his home planet's survival be enough to turn the Surfer to his side?  The answer is just 60 cents away!

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Wonder Woman Vs. Aliens

 

Diana and her fellow Amazonians are a formidable force that never shy away from battle, but a Xenomorph infestation of Paradise Island might really put them to the test.  Frankly, I'm surprised that DC and Dark Horse didn't produce this story for real when they were crossing Aliens over with Batman and Superman.

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Bugs Bunny Vs. Doctor Doom

 


I'm not sure why I've been receiving requests for a Doom/Bugs match up, but here you go!  I'd love to see this tale animated.  Doom does play a great straight man, so it might be amusing watching him navigate the hijinks that would come his way.

I wanted Bugs in a suit of armor for this cover, so I used a still from the 1949 short Knights Must Fall, directed by Friz Freleng.  I was lucky enough to pick up a sketch by the legendary animator several years back:




Monday, July 24, 2023

Sgt. Rock and The Avengers

 

I was watching some of the new DC Documentary on Max last night and Andy Kubert mentioned that his father Joe was a lot like one of the characters he was most famous for working on - Sgt. Rock.  I can belive it, as Rock is know for being a leader who never gives up, leads through example and inspires those around him.  Kubert not only worked as an artist for almost 70 years, he began a school that ushered in a new age of artists to follow his lead.  That's just one more reason that I consider him to be the greatest comic book artist ever.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Daredevil and The Riddler

 


I'm still waiting to see a proper live action Riddler.  The Frank Gorshin/John Astin versions were perfect for the campy TV version of Batman, but I was disappointed to see a pink haired Jim Carrey hammily channeling those performances in Batman Forever rather than something closer to the comics. I liked Paul Dano in The Batman, but there they went way too far in the other direction.  Yes, there were clues and a question mark or two, but the villain seemed more like something from a Saw movie than any Riddler story I've ever read.  Cory Michael Smith in Gotham had his moments, but the villain never felt fully formed to me. Let's hope we eventually see a version that strikes the right balance between intellect, criminality, obsession and showmanship.

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Static and Spider-Man in: "Along Came Reptilon!"

 

I quite enjoyed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.  The animation was just as impressive as it was in the first installment, and even pushed the boundaries a bit more.  The new Spider-Men that were introduced were all entertaining, especially Spider-Punk.  If I have one complaint it is that the film ends abruptly on a cliffhanger - and it will be years before we see it resolved.  Still, well worth checking out.

Static met Peter Parker Spicer-Man in STF #3516...

Friday, July 21, 2023

Adam Strange and Ant-Man

 

Writers from Rick & Morty were hired to pen Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, and... well, it felt like a Rick & Morty episode.  I kept thinking that if I saw some of the ideas and concepts on the Adult Swim cartoon, I probably would have enjoyed them a lot more.  In the movie, something didn't quite gel for me and it all came off a bit goofy and forgettable.  The talented cast that was assembled for the film deserved better.

Thursday, July 20, 2023

The Atom Vs. The Kingpin

 

An oddball match up this time around to be sure, but I don't think that Wilson Fisk is the type to back down from any hero.  Ray Palmer's may have incredible abilities, but the Kingpin's resources are vast, there might be a fun battle to witness here.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Justice Society of America and Captain Britain (Part 2)

 

Continued from yesterday's cover, we are getting an idea of what Captain Britain's mission for the JSA entails.  I always enjoyed JSA or All-Star Squadron tales that included Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman.  The original trinity would often take a back seat to the other heroes, even in the Golden Age tales, so you really knew it was a major event when the whole crew showed up.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Justice Society of America and Captain Britain (Part One)

Frim the casting of Superman: Legacy, it appears the first official movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DCU will present a world that is already filled with superheroes.  What does that mean for the JSA?  Will they have existed in this timeline?  Ideally I'd love to see a proper World War Two era JSA movie at some point.  Throw in  some kind of suspended animation at the end and you they can bring whatever JSA'ers they want into present day adventures as well.

This is only Part One of a Two-Part Epic, so make sure you come back here tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

 

Monday, July 17, 2023

Star Trek: The Next Generation Vs. Galactus

 

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise have successfuly dealt with a lot of powerful entities through diplomacy and strategy.  Still, I think that Galactus would give them a run for their money.  It would be fun to see what negotiations between them and the World Devourer would look like - especially when those talks break down.

Sunday, July 16, 2023

The Thing and Power Girl in: "M.O.D.O.K. and Awe!"

 

Of all of the failures of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the depiction of M.O.D.O.K. was the biggest offence for me.  His appearance, his identity, his origin and personality were so far off from the comics character that I wondered why they even bothered to include him.  I refuse to believe that his look was the best that Marvel could have come up with - I understand he has a somewhat goofy look, but there had to be a better way to realize the character on screen.

Ben Grimm and Karen Starr first appeared together back in a MTIO cover from 2011...

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Burger Masters in: "When Hoards the Hamburglar!"

 

A lot of times when I present a STF Team, it's with the intention of bringing them back for more cover appearances.  Burger Masters was one that I considered a one-off, but I liked the group and I thought I found a suitable antagonist for them to face, so I thought that I would give them a sophomore outing.  The hungry group first appeared back in STF #350.

Friday, July 14, 2023

Rocket Raccoon and Hawkman

 

Here's another cover to got with the "two random heroes join forces to battle a monster" theme that Bob Greenwade has picked up on in the comments. I hadn't made these with a connected story in line, but I see how one could easily form.  Given the arena setting here, perhaps the Grandmaster is behind all of these monstrous shenanigans.

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Power Man & Iron Fist Vs. Darkseid

 

I remember back in the late 90's when I was working on my big DC/Marvel crossover  story that featured Darkseid and Dr. Doom as the villain (the pencils for which are included on my 2000th STF post).  I really just did it for my own enjoyment and rarely ever showed anyone the pages.  There was one time when I brought a date over and thought she might be interested to see what I had done.  She looked over the pages, rolled her eyes and said, "You spelled Apocalypse wrong".  I pulled out my copy of Who's Who in the DC Universe to show her that I hadn't, but she remained unimpressed. Needless to say, that relationship did not last.

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Mr. Terrific and The Spirit

 

When I was a kid, I had plenty of super hero images decorating my room.  They were all of Marvel and DC characters, because that's pretty much all I read at that point.  There was one exception though - a mini-poster of The Spirit kicking in a door.  While I wasn't familiar with the character yet, there was so much energy in the Will Eisner image that I loved looking at it.  Eventually I got my eyes on some Spirit stories and appreciated the character even more.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Han Solo and Space Ghost

 

Han Solo eventually grudgingly accepted the concept of The Force, but I wonder how he would react if he found himself having to fight side by side with a space-faring superhero.  I'm guessing that Han might wonder what space Ghost's motives would be, but as long as they had a common enemy to pursue they would make for a formidable team.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Captain Marvel and She-Hulk

 

I loved the era when Worlds' Finest became a dollar book with a bunch of rotating back up features to go with the regular Superman/Batman team ups.  Probably my favorite was the Shazam back-ups that featured artwork by the great Don Newton.  I've seen the Shazam characters depicted in a very cartoony style as well as realistic and gritty - but in these tales I think that Newton really struck the perfect balance.  Captain Marvel and his supporting cast and villains all looked great. 

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Iron Man and Dynamo

 

I recently watched a couple of episodes of Iron Man from the Marvel Super-Heroes cartoons that first ran in 1966, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I know the animation was considered crude even for back then, but whatever it lacks is made up by the fact that the artwork from the actual comics was used to bring it to life.  The breakneck pacing of those early comic tales really made them perfect for this Saturday morning format.

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Indiana Jones and Sub-Mariner

 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the latest big budget movie this year to underperform.  While it seems to be better regarded than the last Indy outing, I have seen only middling reviews.  I am definitely interested in the opening sequence featuring a de-aged Indiana Jones, though.  I'll have to check it out when it eventually hits Disney+ and see how it sits with me.

Friday, July 7, 2023

Firestorm and Beta Ray Bill

 

I've been waiting for Beta Ray Bill to show up in the MCU for a decade, but other than an Easter egg statue, he has yet to be seen.  With the underperformance of Thor: Love and Thunder and Chris Hemsworth's desire to slow down his acting career, who knows when or if we will get another installment?  Hopefully even if Thor himself is out of the picture for a while, BRB can still find a place to appear in the MCU.

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Doctor Strange and Swamp Thing in: "Unchecked Growth!"

 

There have been some rumors that Bill Skarsgaard is up for the role of Alec Holland/Swamp Thing in the new DCU movies.  I'm only familiar with his work in the It movies, but he was pretty good in those.  We'll see if we get any official announcements regarding casting soon.

Doctor Strange and Swamp Thing were last together facing demons in STF #941 and first met in STF #227...

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

The New Warriors and Infinity, Inc. (and more!)

 


I like making these Anniversary Issues as homages to the 100-Page Giants that I devoured as a kid.  Sometimes, though, I really have to shrink some of the images to fit the confines of the cover.  So here, I will show you larger versions for all of the individual stories included above:







Tuesday, July 4, 2023

The Invaders and The Trinity


 When Richard Graef suggested having this pair of heroic trios share an adventure together, I thought that it would be the perfect way for the WW/Cap romance to celebrate the 4th of July (in their 30th appearance on the blog).  Thanks, Richard!  I hope all of the American visitors to this blog are having a nice holiday with family and friends today!


Coming tomorrow: STF #4100!

Monday, July 3, 2023

Doctor Doom on the Planet of the Apes

 

I remember the early 70's when Apes were everywhere.  My brothers and I would watch the Planet of the Apes TV series and we had lunch boxes, trading cards action figures and more dedicated to the post apocalyptic franchise. Something about that monkey world really grabbed my young imagination.

Sunday, July 2, 2023

Blue Beetle and The Punisher


 Here's another unlikely pairing.  I can't really seen these two working together unless presented with a scenario like the one above.  It might be interesting to see how their different attitudes and crimefighting styles clash when they find themselves battling side by side.  

Saturday, July 1, 2023

How you can help to support Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues

 Do you enjoy following Super-team family: The Lost Issues?  Do you hope it keeps going?  Here's your chance to do just that!

It is time once again for my once a year 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 trying to maintain or improve the quality. 

The blog will of course always be free, but if you would like to help support it, there are a couple of ways to do so - by by making a one time contribution by clicking on the "Donate" button at the bottom of this page, or by becoming a Patron at Patreon.  While I take suggestions from anyone, Patrons of course will get special consideration.

I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to check out my covers, and those who participate in the comments sections, whether on the blog itself, the Facebook Fan Page or my Twitter Feed.  I always enjoy hearing feedback.

I've passed 4100 STF covers (with another 510 B&B and MTIO covers) so far, and this past year was especially exciting with the blog receiving a a nice inclusion in Twomorrows' The Team-Up Companion.  I look forward to sharing some of the fun covers that are coming up.   Thanks for stopping by for your daily dose of team up fun!

Nova and The Creeper

 


I recently saw a request to pair these two together due to them having similar last names.  The names are only phonetically the same, but I thought it would still be cool to see them in an adventure side by side. Add in one malicious mechanical menace and a story starts to form...