The Hulk and Blue Beetle in: "Bodyguarding Banner!"

 

This is the third meeting between these heroes.  They first met with Booster Gold and The Defenders way back in STF #165, and The Hulk almost replaced Booster in STF #1855... 

Blue Beetle took a little tweaking on this one.  Here's a peek behind the scenes: 

Hourman and Spider-Man in: "Rex to the Rescue!"

One reason I always had a soft spot for Hourman was his somewhat baggy mask.  Most other heroes had form fitting masks that clung perfectly to their heads. Rex Tyler's looked more like something I would have come up with at home when trying to make a superhero mask out of a winter hat or something.  It made him kind of relatable.

These two heroes previously met in STF #1834, and first crossed paths back in STF #578,,,

 

Inferior Five Vs. Doctor Doom

 

Promotional materials have revealed the look of Doctor Doom in the MCU.  He looks great, absolutely comics accurate.  I still have my suspicions as to how much of the film he will actually be wearing his mask.  Doom never removes it in the comics, but I can't see that being the case in the movie when Marvel went through all of the expense to hire Robert Downey Jr. for the role.

Dr. Fate Vs. Lord Voldemort

 

Perhaps I am tempting fate by giving He Who Must Not Be Named cover billing, but these are the chances one has to take.  Let's hope that Doctor Fate will be able to thwart his plans!

Captain America and Johnny Thunder

 Johnny has a genie and a super-soldier as back up so I think he'll do OK in this situation.  Still, I'd be interested in reading about it, especially to see the young hero's reaction to working alongside Cap.

Quasar and Space Ghost

 

Quasar was one of those Marvel heroes that I expected to eventually break our and become a heavy hitter, but he never quite did.  Still, I generally enjoyed his appearances.  He did seem like he might have fit better in the DCU rather than Marvel - maybe it was his very Silver Age style costume.

Deathlok and Lothar

 

Looks like we will be seeing Lex Luthor on the big screen again sooner than we thought, with Man of Tomorrow scheduled to hit theaters in just two years.  Supposedly Lex and Superman will have to join forces against a larger threat - it has to be Brainiac, right? I have a suspicion that we may see Lex even before that though - I don't think an appearance on Peacemaker season 2 is out of the question.

Yoda Vs. Thanos

 

We all loved Yoda in the original Star Wars trilogy at the end of his career as a wise mentor.  It was great to see him in his prime in the prequel trilogy.  Baby Yoda on The Mandalorian was a smash hit. Let's hope, though, that Disney can resist the urge now to give audiences Teen Yoda in an angsty drama on the CW or something  - that may be a bridge too far.

The Avengers and Infinity Inc. (And More!)

 

Mr. Universe returns for his 12th appearance as STF's greatest villain, and this time he is super-charged enough that it will take two teams to beat him.  Fortunately, this issue is 100 pages, so there will still be plenty of room left for some fun back-up tales!

My goodness, are we really on the march towards STF #5000?

Here are some larger views of this issue's individual stories:

Nova and Stargirl

 

The Stargirl series was a lot of fun.  I'm not holding my breath waiting for the character to show up in the DCU, though.  I assume that it will take a few years to establish a Justice League, let alone introduce the JSA and their spin-off characters.  As for Nova, Frankie Raye will probably be considered too close to Shalla Bal to be a candidate for entry into the MCU any time soon.

Coming tomorrow:  STF #4900!

Superman and Beta Ray Bill

 

Sure, it's easy to accept a hero from another planet when they have movie star good looks.  What if your savior has a face that only a mother could love?

Batman and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

 

Batman and E.T. were two classic films of the 80's that both used the full moon for one of their most iconic shots. I've had it in the back of my mind to combine those two moments for a while now, and I am glad to finally got around to it.

The Atom and Throg

 

Sword of the Atom was quite a departure from Ray Palmer's usual science-based adventures, but I got a kick out of the change of pace.  It didn't hurt that it was illustrated by legendary Atom artist Gil Kane. Those stories are still fun to revisit.

Cyborg and Dynomutt

 

Maybe they missed their window, as comic book movies are having a tough time lately - but I really wish we had gotten a Hanna Barbera Cinematic Universe.  Start with Space Ghost, then Johnny Quest, Dynomutt, The Herculoids and more could follow afterwards.  Superhero fatigue be damned, I'd buy my tickets!

Robotman and Jocasta

 

here we have a human brain encased in a robotic body and a robotic body programmed with human brain patterns.  I think that these two would work together well.

The Flash Vs. The Red Skull

 

I'm not sure what type of mystical shenanigans that the Red Skull has gotten into to give him the edge over two Flashes, but it would be interesting to find out.  And then, it would be entertaining to watch Jay and Barry give him his comeuppance.

Savage Dragon Vs. Despero

 

Despero's deadly return in the pages of Justice League America was a shock to read, given his new, more brutal depiction juxtaposed against the League's bwa-ha-ha era. Even his fin seemed to have changed position on his head, coming straight for you instead of side to side as it was in the Silver Age.  A showdown with the Savage Dragon was destined to heppen.

Raven and Moon Knight

 

When Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics' historian and Patron of this Blog, suggested this pairing, I agreed that these heroes would be interesting to see work with one another.  Then I realized that using Raven's white outfit would make them go together visually as well.  Thanks, Marc!

Iron Man and Sgt. Rock

 

Joe Kubert didn't do much work for Marvel, so it was always a treat to see his take on one of their characters. I wonder which one of them I would most have liked to have seen him illustrate an extended run of.  A Joe Kubert Thor series would have been amazing.

Adam Strange and Magnus: Robot Fighter

 

Giant robots wrapped in a science-based mystery is just the type of situation that would get these two together.  I'd love to see them share an adventure.