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They say that war is Hell, after all - so why wouldn't Jack Kirby's demonic creation get caught up in an Invaders mission?
This cover required a bit of prep work before I could add Etrigan into the mix. Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:
I've been meaning to include The Shade on a cover for a while. Once a somewhat generic villain, James Robinson fleshed him out in the 90's Starman series into one of dc's most interesting adversaries. The Stargirl TV show did a decent job bringing that version to live action.
Do you like to have a soundtrack playing when you read comics? Sometimes I have Pandora play some superhero movie scores while reading a new issue, it helps add to the ambience. I'm thinking a story like the one above would almost demand musical accompaniment.
An alien warrior wielding an Asgardian hammer is just the type of hero that might spring from the imagination of Calvin, so I can definitely see Beta Ray Bill make an appearance in one of Spaceman Spiff's adventures. Let's hope they can save the galaxy before the alarm clock rings.
I'd say by breaking in there undetected, she has already proven it. Will the JLA treat The Black Cat with suspicion, or will they allow her to lead them to the true threat? The answers are only 60 cents away!
I liked that in the Golden Age, Doctor Fate would sometimes forego his mystical abilities and just give the bad guys a good old fashioned beat down like Wildcat or The Atom would. Who needs to tap into Nabu's magic when a right cross will do the trick?
When James Gunn announced that the first phase of the new cinematic DCU would be subtitled Gods and Monsters, it brought to mind a scenario like the one depicted above. I'm not sure what he ultimately has planned, but a classic film featuring not one but two heroic Reeves encountering the King of all Monsters would have been on my regular play list.
Between Batman, Daredevil, TMNT, and many other street-level crimefighting comics, there seems to be an unending supply of Ninjas for our heroes to face off against. Who's to say they aren't all connected in some grand cloning conspiracy? Might make for a fun tale, anyway!
This is a villain match up that I have been meaning to get to for a while now. Both are highly skilled combatants with healing factors. Sabretooth may heal even faster than Slade, but Slade has the edge as far as knowledge of different fighting techniques go. Who do you think would come out on top?
I wonder how The Shadow would have worked with the first mystery men of The JSA. In some ways he was even more grim than Batman - he had no issue with using guns, for one thing. Still, The Spectre was a founding member, and he's about as grim and lethal as you can get, so maybe Lamont Cranston could have found a home on the team.
Cap previously teamed with the Hal Jordan GL in STF #2862, and met the Alan Scott GL in STF #372 and then again in STF #719... I felt it was time that he shared an adventure with John Stewart (hopefully to be cast soon for James Gunn's DCU). I'm sure they would get along with their military backgrounds, and Gil Kane on the art chores would make it a beautiful read.
It will be interesting to see whether Kang is written out or recast for Avengers 5 (no longer sub-titled The Kang Dynasty). Either way, I don't expect him to have a huge role, and the film will give way to some other big bad for the MCU. Between creative strikes and disappointing reactions to Phase Four, I'm sure Marvel is being extra cautious about their next step with their premiere team.
For this Anniversary Issue, I knew The Fantastic Four would have to be involved. I figured this would be a good opportunity to present a match-up that I have wanted to get to for a while now and have them share an adventure with The Metal Men. Here's a closer look at the individual stories:
We will be seeing a female Silver Surfer in Shalla Bal for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. Like many, I wonder why they aren't using the Frankie Raye Nova, who became a herald to Galactus in the comics. Yes, I know that Shalla Bal had the power of the Silver Surfer for a handful of pages in the alternate world mini-series Earth X (and then was killed off), but it still seems like an odd choice. Superman had a giant red ant head for an issue once, but I don't expect to see him look like that in the movies after all.
Coming tomorrow: STF #4400!
I used to like the Marvel Team-Up annuals that would have a truly random assemblage of heroes gather together for an adventure. This is my take on that concept. I can see The Ringmaster in the middle of his latest plot, unaware that the audience includes a handful that are ready to fight back.
I watched the first part of the 3-part animated Crisis on Infinite Earths last night and I enjoyed how The Question was used. He was the one hero being skeptical and demanding answers from the Monitor when dozens of them were summoned for the crisis control meeting. I know James Gunn is a fan of the character as well, so I look forward to hearing about a live action appearance in the DCU's future.
Swamp Thing was named as one of the characters that has a DCU film in development and James Mangold has been rumored to direct, but there has been no further information given on the project. It will be interesting to see how this new take will differ from what has gone before. Will it be self contained, or will it be a springboard to introduce other supernatural and magical parts of the DCU? Hopefully it will not bee too long before we learn more.
Norman Osborne eventually tried using villains to form his own Dark Avengers team, so it's not much of a stretch to think that he might have tried that stunt with the members of the Suicide Squad first. It would be a cool tale to see play out.
Between the Golden Age and Modern Ages of heroes, these were two teams that held down the fort. I have enjoyed both their original appearances as well as the modern revivals of both of these groups. I'd love to see a story set in the 50's or 60's or even the present day that includes them both.
Here's another pairing that I am surprised to just be getting to. Now that I see them side by side they got together very well visually. It's not hard to come up with stories that would involve both of them, either.
Brenda Starr, Reporter was not the typical type of comic strip that I liked growing up - I was more into action heroes and humor strips. Still, the illustration was by the great Ramona Fradon, so I found myself following the daily adventures. Fradon recently passed away, but she left us decades upon decades of amazing artwork - she will always be remembered.
This is not a crossover that anyone was asking for, but it's one that I would get a kick out of reading. The Bronze Age of Comics brought forth some truly offbeat heroes and these guys were two of my favorites. I can only imagine what kind of mission would bring them together.
I thought it was time for this assemblage of heroes that have held the Captain Marvel title to return. Of course, a team this powerful requires some formidable opponents. Who better than two of their greatest adversaries, putting their evil mind and might together?
Captains Marvel first appeared in STF #1610...
This is a team up that I am surprised that I never got around to when I began this blog as The Brave and the Bold: The Lost Issues. I always liked The White Tiger as a character and it was high time I remedied that omission.
Yesterday's cover may have also featured The Sandman and The Vision, but those are names that each belong to multiple characters. This would, I am sure, be a decidedly different tale.
This is another relatively simple looking cover that required a bit of prep work before a new guest star could be added in, here's a look behind the scenes:
This is a pairing that I never got around to during my Marvel Two-In-One: The Lost Issues! days, but that has always been rattling around in the back of my head. I'm glad to finally have given it a shot, because I feel that these two in an adventure together could make for a very rousing tale.
I have wondered whether Magneto's mutant ability to control metal extends to Nth Metal, the mysterious gravity-defying metal that allows our Hawk heroes to fly. An issue of STF seems like the perfect place to explore such a question.
Who is more prepared to take on a Xenomorph? A berserker scrapper or a shrinking scientist? Why not cover all the bases and have them join forces? It would be a fun battle to watch play out, anyway!
The new Superman "S" shield has been officially revealed, and it is an interesting look. It evokes both the Kingdom Come symbol as well as Superman's very earliest symbols. I think that is fitting as we will be seeing a Superman still early in his career who will be juxtaposing his crimefighting methods with those of a different set of heroes, as he did in KC. I can't wait to see the full suit.
This was a tricky cover to create. There was a lot of image removal and repair required before I could swap out one hourglass for another. Here is a look behind the scenes:
Neither of these guys ever really hit the big time as far as popularity in the comics goes, but I enjoyed their adventures. They seem like the types that would cross one another's paths eventually, and it would be cool to see them interact.
Spider-Man goes with just about anyone, and I like it when he meets other heroes close to his age. I think he and Ray Terrill would get along for the most part - unless a situation like the one depicted above were to arise.
When I read this suggestion by Bill Delaney, for some reason it just made me chuckle. While the two comics had similar sounding names, Planetary and Planet Terry were decidedly different from one another. I wasn't sure if they would go together but I had to give it a shot. Thanks for the inspiration, Bill!
I enjoyed the Disney+ Werewolf by Night special and was hoping that I would hear of another upcoming appearance by Jack Russell (and his buddy Man-Thing) in the MCU by now, but nothing has been announced. With all of the trouble getting a new Blade movie up and running, I guess I am not too surprised. Maybe a good way would be to bring all the Marvel supernatural heroes together for one big epic. I wouldn't mind seeing the three of them team up with Brother Voodoo and Ghost Rider to deal with the possessed Doctor Strange.
One of the first major missteps from Marvel for me took place in Thor: Ragnarok. While I liked the movie and loved Cate Blanchett as Hela, seeing them almost instantly slaughtered by her did not sit well with me. They are great characters in the comics and they deserved better. Bob Greenwade, regular commenter and Patron of this Blog, suggested that I pit them up against The Demons Three and I have to admit, that would make for a fun tale. Thanks, Bob!
Psylocke entered the scene just as I was getting out of the X-Men comics, so I never really learned too much about her, other than the fact that her costume looked really uncomfortable to fight crime in. Still, she does seem to be pretty popular and I have received some requests to include her. I am glad she can finally make her STF debut.
This cover required a bit of prep work before I could add Howard into the mix. Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:
When Barak Blackburn, a Patron of this Blog, Suggested I pair Kitty Pryde and Power Girl together, along with their pets, the cat lover in me could not resist. My cat Ace is quite a handful all on his own, I can only imaging the mischief he would get into if he had super powers. Thanks for the idea, Barak!