Wildfire and Nova

 

Sure, it was cool back in the day when Karate Kid was sent back from the 30th Century to our time for a series of adventures - but I wished that other members of the Legion of Super-Heroes had been able to do the same.  Wildfire would have been at the top of my list, I just thought that he was so cool.

Red Tornado and Human Torch Vs. Terrax

 

Red Tornado and Johnny Storm were two of the heroes that Jamie Madrox used the H-Dial to become in STF #4496, and I thought it would be cool for them to actually share an adventure together.  I needed an Earth-based villain, and Terrax suited the job nicely.

Spider-Woman and Vigilante

 

I mainly like seeing these two together because they have a couple of my favorite costumes.  I think there could be an interesting story involving them both, though.  It might be a strained working relationship, but it would be fun to watch play out.

Power Pack and Green Arrow

 

Oliver Queen has mentored sidekicks before, but never anyone as young as the members of this group.  That might make for some interesting interaction between the gruff archer and the wide-eyed youthful heroes.

Thor Vs. The Parasite in: "Back For Seconds!"

 The Parasite is of course referring to the events of STF #3711... I figured that such a match up was worthy of another round - so here's a sequel to that tale! Here's hoping The Parasite shows up in a Superman film one of these days.

Superman and Ghost Rider

 

There was a lot of prep work required on the background of this cover, before I could add the heroes in.  Here is a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Mephisto enters The House of Mystery

 

There aren't too many guests that might make Cain nervous, but I think Mephisto could be one of them. It might be fun to read a story in which the spooky tables are turned.

Man-Thing and The Atom

 

This would be an odd battle to be sure, given their different power sets.  But hey, if Gil Kane and Bob Wiacek were illustrating it, I'd be sure to check it out.  It would be fun to see how they turn the tables on Faust.

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...

Darkseid Vs. 4 Famous Co-Stars

 

It's nice to be able to do an all Walt Simonson cover.  His instantly recognizable signature style conveys epic imagery and powerful action in a way that rivals Jack Kirby, in my opinion.  I was lucky enough to meet him briefly at a convention about 15 years back, and I remember that he was very enthusiastic and kind to me his other fans.

Hawkman & Hawkgirl and Power Pack

 

The first image of Aldis Hodge as Hawkman has been released and I have mixed feelings about it.  On the one hand, I love the huge size of the wings and I can't deny that the suit is comics-accurate - But of all of Hawkman's various looks over the years, they decided to go with that one?  I remember when the garish red and gold outfits with the metallic wings were introduced for Hawkman and Hawkwoman - and I also remember them being ridiculed and rejected by the fans, which is why they didn't stick around for very long.  It's a head scratcher that they were used for inspiration.  At least give him feather wings and green pants!

Hawkman and Hawkgirl here are by Bryan Hitch and Ed Benes, respectively.  I was lucky enough to pick up original pages by both of the talented artists several years back: 

Man-Bat, Man-Thing and Yoda

 

I'm looking forward to the Obi Wan Kenobi series on Disney+.  Will Yoda show up at some point?  I haven't heard anything about that but of all the announced series, that seems to be the most likely place for him to make an appearance.  I won't be holding my breath for a scene like the one above, though - but it would be very cool!

Man-Thing first traveled to Dagobah in STF #303, and he previously met Man-Bat in STF #333...

Adam Strange and Ghost Rider in: "Death Ride From Rann!"

 

Has anybody checked out the current Strange Adventures comic featuring Adam Strange and Mr. Terrific?  I like both of those characters a lot so I was interested in reading it, but some of the previews that I have seen make it look like yet another attempt to do a "grim and gritty" Adam Strange story, which I don't think ever really works.  I prefer Adam as more of a straight up swashbuckler type.  I still may pick up a digital copy once the series is completed and collected.

Adam Strange first met Ghost Rider in STF #3145... 

Man-Thing Vs. The Atom

 

For such an inhuman looking character, Man-Thing certainly inspired a lot of artists.  Looking over the comics that the muck monster has appeared in, I am impressed by how many striking covers and splash pages there are.  Maybe it's the swamp setting or the horror element to the character that got their creative juices flowing.  Whatever the reason, this ugly mug has been a part of a lot of beautiful artwork.

Firestar and Firebrand

Presenting Part Three of a Four-Part Epic!  Where are the first two parts of this story, you might ask?  Well, this picks off of events that began in STF #1603, and then continued in STF #1604.  It was another storyline that I thought had some more potential.  Now that you are all caught up, make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

Deadman and Shaman

Shaman always felt like a character with a lot of untapped potential to me. I always got a kick out of that little pouch of his that contained just the right mystical artifact that he may need at any given moment.  His daughter, Talisman was later introduced, but Marvel never seemed to do much with her either.

Power Pack and Power Rangers

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was a little too old to get into them, but I do remember being surprised at the popularity of The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers when they first hit the scene.  I recently watched an episode about the property on Netflix' awesome series The Toys That Made Us, and it shed a lot of light on how they were developed.  Why Marvel never tried to market Power Pack with toys or a cartoon show I do not know.

Power Pack and The Legion of Super-Pets

There's just something so fun about a team of heroic animals.  I am an animal lover so the concept appeals to me as goofy as it is.  Of course, when I was a kid, it didn't seem goofy to me at all, I took their adventures just as seriously as I did their human counterparts.  My current cat Ace has no extra-feline powers, but I know within him beats the heart of a champion.

X-Men and The Justice League of America in: "Duplicating Dinah!"

The X-Men and JLA crossed paths once before on this blog, in STF #700, but that was with the original team.  The crossover between these two powerhouse groups that I would really love to see would feature the line ups that these teams had from around issue #150-200 of their respective titles. I was the perfect age to enjoy such Bronze Age goodness, and those rosters really resonated with me.

Hawkgirl and Photon

The Shadow Thief has always been one of my favorite villains.  He struck me as creepy and scary in a good way with his unique power set and appearance.  I first discovered him as a member of The Injustice Gang in Justice League of America, and I soon devoured his adventures as illustrated by the great Joe Kubert in the pages of Hawkman.  Maybe with Nth Metal becoming a major plot point in the DC books thses days, the Hawks and their arch enemy will be back at the forefront once again soon.