Nightwing and Mockingbird

 

Out of all of DC's heroes, I think Nightwing would make a great recruit for S.H.I.E.L.D.  He's got the skills that Batman taught him, and is comfortable working within a team as well.  He's even worked in law enforcement before, so this might be a natural step.

Mephisto Vs. 4 Famous Co-Stars

 

Continued from yesterday's cover, we see that Ghost Rider has joined the fray. This crew has some history together.  Johnny Blaze first met Evel Knievel  way back in STF #74, they joined forces again to battle Mephisto in STF #376, and later both joined the team Rolling Thunder in STF #1115.  Batman and Ghost Rider confronted Mephisto back on one of my very first covers,  a lost B&B Tale from 2010.

Here's a peek behind the making of this cover, I needed a lot more flames before I could add the heroes in: 

The Thing and the Guardian in: "The Boys Are Back In Town!"

 

I liked when The Guardian was a regular cast member in the Superman titles.  Having him work as security for The Cadmus Project provided plenty of opportunities for him to shine even in The Man of Steel's shadow.  I also like that he was a clone of the original Golden Age Guardian, and I would have like to have seen that aspect of the character explored further.

The connection on this cover was first hinted at when The Thing first met The Guardian in a MTIO: The Lost Issues! cover back in 2011...

Hellboy Vs. Darkseid

 

I have to admit, I wasn't always a big Darkseid fan.  I was not hugely into Jack Kirby's Fourth World tales as a kid, and the biggest impact that the ruler of Apokolips had for me was his appearances taking on The Legion of Super Heroes in the Great Darkness Saga.  What really got me interested was Superman: The Animated Series.  Through the extended story arc there and then continuing in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited,  I finally understood what the big deal was.  It will be interesting to see how he is handled on The Snyder Cut of the Justice League movie.

Winter Soldier Vs. Red Hood

These characters both made controversial returns to the living.  Both of them had deaths as sidekicks that profoundly affected their mentors.  They both came back as tortured souls that came in conflict with those they once fought beside before getting their act together and becoming forces for good once again.  They would have plenty to talk about at least!

This cover comes about as the result of a suggestion by Barak Blackburn, a Patron of this blog - thanks, Barak!