Kingpin Vs. Bane

 

Wilson Fisk isn't physically intimidated by too many people, but this match up would be one that I would guess would give him pause.  Who wins in this battle for control of the city's underworld?

Squadron Supreme Vs. The Anti-Monitor

 

Something tells me that if there were to be a crisis in the Marvel Multiverse, it would star with the Squadron Supreme's Earth. It would be interesting to see if they would have fared any better against the Anti-Monitor's forces than DC's Crime Syndicate did.

The Guardian and Daredevil

 

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!

Psylocke and Katana

 

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.

Iron Man and Darth Vader

 

Ken Roskos, a Patron of this Blog, suggested I pair these two together, and I was surprised that is was a match up that I had not gotten to yet.  I fondly remember Iron Man's reluctant team ups with Doctor Doom, and I think that a tale like this could give the same vibe.  

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.

The Punisher Vs. Manhunter in: "Manhattan Deception!"

 

Okay, a few days ago I was mentioning how I wondered why more heroes did not hade looser fitting sleeves on their costumes like Firestorm does - but this is going a bit too far.  Manhunter's sleeves were more than just loose, they were positively voluminous!  Perhaps he was hiding extra weapons in them?

These two previously met in STF #3081 and first crossed paths in in STF #1402...

Batman and The Imperial Guard

 

Continued from yesterday's cover, we see that Batman has no shortage of suspects to interview.  It's a good thing he's the World's Greatest Detective!  I remember the cool issue of The Brave and the Bold where Batman visited the Legion of Super-Heroes to solve a crime.  I liked the respect the LSH showed him in that story, but I don't know if he would get the same amount of reverence from the Imperial Guard.

The Spectre Vs. The Beyonder

 

It's years away and not even the next Avengers movie on the schedule, but Avengers: Secret Wars already has plenty of rumors swirling around it.  Will the Russo Brothers return to direct, or will Ryan Coogler be tapped for that job?  Will we see the return of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans?  What about appearances by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Edward Norton, and other actors that have played Marvel heroes before?  Will the movies ending re-set the MCU completely for the phase to follow?  Will the Beyonder appear, and if so, who will play him? I think there will be plenty of speculation about all of this for while to come, but I'm not expecting answers any time soon.

Dick Tracy and Bullseye

 

 I enjoyed the Dick Tracy movie back in the day.  It's been decades since I've watched it, I wonder if it holds up.  One thing I remember that bothered me was they used so many different Tracy villains in one single film, killing most of them off - it seemed like a waste of potential there.  I still think a Dick Tracy streaming series would be a great idea, that way each villain could get an arc or at least an episode to themselves.

Flash Gordon and Batgirl

 

Regular visitors to this blog will know that Flash is of course referring to events covered in STF #2535... Looks like Jim Gordon is needed back home!

I am happy to feature the gorgeous artwork of Gray Morrow here.  I was lucky enough to pick up a page by him several years back - and interested to find out (for this project anyway) that he worked on standard 8 1/2 x 11 size paper:

Deathlok Joins Star Wars

 

This was a team up that I hadn't considered before but once I started to put together, began to really to make sense.  Luther Manning fits right in with the world of Star Wars.

I am always happy to use an image by the amazing Dave Cockrum.  I was lucky enough to pick up a couple of pieces by him several years ago:  

Barbarella & the Space-Time Five

I thought it might be cool to see a team of swashbuckling cosmic adventurers, since that is a concept that goes back even farther than the superhero.  Most of these guys are used to being in charge and making their own rules, so it might be an adjustment for them to join forces - but I'm betting that team leader Barbarella would keep them all in line.

Magnus: Robot Fighter meets C-3PO and R2D2

The latest trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker features an ominous moment where it appears that C-3PO is saying goodbye to his allies for the last time.  If they must kill of the beloved droid, I hope that he at least sacrifices himself in a heroic manner.  I'm still mad at the way they had Admiral Ackbar go out like a punk in The Last Jedi.

The Overlords

This assemblage if intergalactic despots is simply packed with power, and I would fear for anyone that should oppose them.  Still, I think their biggest challenge would come from internal struggles - none of these villains like to share the reigns of command.  It would just be a matter of time before they turn on one another.

Robo Force (Vs. Brainiac!)

I was glad to see R2D2 joining Rey in locating Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, because it gives me hope that he will be featured more prominently in the next chapter of the series. I was an instant fan when I first saw him at the age of 8, and I still am to this day.  My sister-in law confessed to me that her first crush was on R2D2, we love to tease her about it.

This is Robo Force's fourth appearance on the blog - they almost lost one of their own in STF #1450... they Battled Ultron in STF #202 and first became a team back in STF #150...

Robo Force in "Victory has a Price!"

Robo Force was the first team that I created for STF: The Lost Issues, so I have always had a soft spot for them.  I like when groups have an artificial life form among them in comics, so an entire team made up of AI characters just seems like it would be a lot of fun.

This is Robo Force's third appearance on the blog - they Battled Ultron in STF #202 and first became a team back in STF #150...

Flash Gordon and The Flash in "Flash of Two Galaxies!"

The first time I paired Flash Gordon with The Flash, I used Barry Allen.  It was pointed to me out that Jay Garrick's look even more closely resembled that of Gordon, and I have to agree.  Here then is a meeting between them.  Let's hope that Jay Garrick regains his powers on The Flash so that we can see some more original speedster action on TV.

Adam Strange and Flash Gordon

This is a pairing that I have been meaning to get to for a while. They seem like they would naturally cross paths sooner or later,   They would certainly have plenty in common, both being Earth men that became champions of a faraway world. Truly it would be an amazing sci-fi adventure!

Flash Gordon and The Flash

I have a nice over-sized book containing Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon work, and it is really something special.  His illustrations are beautiful, full of lush landscapes, futuristic cities and characters that have facial and body types all of their own.  It's no wonder that these cinematic images inspired so many over the decades.  What makes the work even more incredible to me is when it was produced - the early 30's.  I'm used to golden age artwork by and large being somewhat cruder than more modern styles, but Raymond's art can stand up next to any artist that has come since. It must have really made an impact on readers back in the day.