Showing posts with label DC Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DC Comics. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Batman and The Sub-Mariner




Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner is one of Marvel's best characters. Because of his personality, it is fun to see him alongside different heroes - you never know whether he is going to fight them, fight alongside them, or try to seduce them! His role as a monarch as well as his long history dating back to the Golden Age of Marvel give him lots of potential for storytelling as well.

I think a Sub-Mariner film could be cool and very different, but I must admit it would be tough to pull off. Beyond the logistics of a largely underwater shoot, having the main character in a green speedo is hard to get away with. They would have to get someone like The Rock, but it would still be hard to take seriously. I do like Namor's black outfit during the 70's, maybe they could use that for most scenes.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Batman and The Squadron Supreme



The Squadron Supreme has an interesting history. They started out as analogues to the Justice League created to interact with The Avengers and that in and of itself was cool enough for me as a young reader in those days before even the first inter-company crossover. Fortunately the team was popular and were brought beck together or individually from time to time. They really broke out of guest star status with the great 12-issue Squadron Supreme series. That dealt for the first time with real world repercussions of a super team and the corruption of power. It was very unique for it's time and predated deconstructionist titles like Watchmen and The Authority which would follow to critical acclaim.

It's unfortunate that the most recent Squadron Supreme series was cut short when the creators left it. I hope to see someone pick up the reins and bring this cool group back to the forefront.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Batman and Hawaii Five-0



After posting the Charlie's Angels cover, I got a request for Hawaii Five-0. I definitely wanted to make this happen because it was definitely one of my favorite shows to watch growing up. I didn't think it was going to work because I could not find any illustrations of the show - there were a couple comic storieds but they were in black and white. Fortunately, I found some old TV Guide covers and some Hawaii Five-0 paperbacks and was able to pick an image that fit.

I checked out the new Hawaii Five-0 series pilot and it was OK, I guess. The problem is that Chin Ho and Kono (played by Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park) were much more enjoyable and watchable than the two main stars. The guys playing Steve McGarrett and Dano don't have a tenth of the chemistry of the originals. I'll stick to Jack Lord!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Batman and Charlie's Angels



I put this one together today based on a suggestion on my Facebook Fan Page. I remember fondly the Farrah red swimsuit poster that was so popular back in the day. When I was a kid - 9 or 10 years old - I had a huge crush on Jaclyn Smith. I thought that she was about the most beautiful women alive (and she still looks great). One day a classmate came in with a book of celebrity addresses, so I wrote two fan letters - one to Jaclyn and one to Mark Hamill. I clearly remember my brothers giving me a hard time about this. Well, I never heard back from Mark Hamill, but I forgive him because he is a big comics fan. A few weeks later, boy were my brothers jealous when a small package came in the mail for me from none other than Ms. Jaclyn Smith herself! It was an 8x10 glossy, and a postcard that said, "Thanks for watching Charlie's Angels!" Not much but still I didn't see any sexy movie stars writing to my brothers! That was a good day!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Batman and The Son of Satan



I first became acquainted with Daimon Hellstrom through his appearances in The Defenders. He was another good example of the hybrid superhero/horror star that Marvel did so well in the 70's. I was never a huge fan of his costume, but I did really dig the trident, a pretty cool and visually interesting weapon. The Son of Satan went down the gritty serious route in the 90's Hellstorm series which did not appeal to me and I lost track of the character. I know he has made a few guest appearances recently, hopefully he has been in good hands.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Batman and The Six Million Dollar Man



The Six Million Dollar Man was probably the first live action "superhero" show that I ever watched. Like most fans, the bigfoot episode is the one that most strongly stood out to me. I loved the strength/jumping sound effects they used - buppabuppabuppa - but even as a kid is was frustrated that they chose to used slow-motion to indicate super speed. That never made sense to me.

The Six Million Dollar Man was one of the cooler action figures out there. I got a kick out of his bionic eye and flesh that rolled away to reveal circuitry underneath! Cool stuff!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Batman and The Silent Knight



I didn't think that this project would be complete unless I included at least one of the original stars of The Brave and the Bold, from the early issues before the team-ups began. When I was a kid, I would gloss over the reprints of the Silent Knight, Viking Prince, etc. that were included in the 100-Page issues, because I favored the superhero tales. So it was a few years before I came to truly appreciate them, first for the gorgeous artwork that the stories contained and then for the swashbuckling stories. I am glad that DC is making an effort to collect these early stories for current audiences - they certainly deserve to be read anew and not lost to time.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Batman and The Secret Society of Super-Villains



I always loved the Secret Society of Super-Villains from their appearances in their own title as well as Justice League of America and of course the Legion of Doom in the Super Friends Cartoon. I had seen plenty of villain teams before, but this one was made up of the arch-enemies of all of DC's top heroes - each of whom posed a formidable threat on their own! A team so ruthless and powerful that they were nigh unstoppable... if their own interpersonal conflicts would stop getting in the way!

This cover uses an image from one the SSOSV's appearances late in the run of the original Justice League of America series, my favorite storyline featuring them. I also loved how they were used in the Justice league and Justice League Unlimited cartoons. Finally, the Alex Ross/Doug Braithwaite maxi-series Justice in must reading for any SSOSV fans.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Batman and Giant Man



I have already used Hank Pym in his Ant-Man form, but I like this character best when he switches between mini- and mega-sized adventures. Like yesterday's Scarlet Witch, Hank has suffered from a lot of mishandling. Hopefully larger exposure in the upcoming Avengers animated series and motion picture, he will get more of the respect that a founding member of the Marvel Universe deserves. I don't know how big a part he will play in the Avengers film, as I have heard he is in there but no casting announcements yet. We may have to wait for a sequel to really see him (and The Wasp) shine.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Batman and The Scarlet Witch



Here is one character for whom I feel a great disservice has been done. I used to love the Scarlet Witch and her appearances in The Avengers. I thought her relationship with The Vision was one of the cooler match ups in comics and she had a broader appeal with her ties to the mutant side of the Marvel Universe with Magneto and Quicksilver. In later years, writers seemed to opt to put her through the wringer though - first eliminating her children, then driving her mad hand having her kill fellow Avengers, reshaping the world in her image, and de-mutantizing the planet. The last time I thought I saw her, it turned out to be Loki in disguise. I am not sure of her status now, but I hope some writer can find a way to give her a little respect.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Batman and Mr. T



Mr. T was kind of like a superhero when he hit the scene. His larger than life personality and outrageous appearance made him feel like a comic panel come to life. Plus, he had everything that comic characters did - catchy phrases, flashy clothes and appearances on prime time TV, Saturday morning cartoons and cereal boxes - all while dispensing advice to the youth of the day on how to be a team player and upstanding citizen.

I was just watching Rocky III the other day, and he really does do such a great job in that film. I love this YouTube clip that mixes the audio from that with visuals from the Mr. T Cartoon and Super Friends:

Monday, September 20, 2010

Batman and Captain Action



The Caption Action action figure must have come out just before my time, because I don't remember ever actually seeing one for sale. I was, however, fascinated by the ads I would see in comics that I would read and thinking that it was a very cool concept. I mean, here was a guy who had the skills to impersonate Batman, Superman, The Phantom, Captain America, Aquaman, Sgt. Fury, The Lone Ranger, and more! even back then I thought it was cool that a character could cross so many company lines! With all of the rights issues involved, its probably something that we will never see the likes of again.

There's a great site featuring Captain Action celebrating his old and new adventures, check it out: http://www.captainactionnow.com/

Friday, September 17, 2010

Batman and The Savage Dragon



You have to admire Erik Larsen's commitment to his Savage Dragon title. With all of the changes that Image comics has undergone since its inception, The Savage Dragon has remained a constant, and always by the original creator. These days it is rare when a creator stays on a title for more than a couple of years, so the fact that he has 150+ issues and counting under his belt is pretty amazing. I also like the fact that The Dragon is a character that he came up with when he was just a kid - how many of us would have liked to have taken our childhood superhero creations and bring them to life?

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Batman and The Sandman (Garett Sanford)



Rounding out the trilogy of Sandman covers is one of the earliest covers I made, featuring the 70's Jack Kirby version. One thing DC does well is to keep their heroic names alive, whether through legacy characters or by giving the concept a whole new spin. DC went with the latter with The Sandman, and we as readers were treated to multiple cool concepts based on the name and connection to the dreamworld. Of course, The Sandman is currently represented by a legacy character. Sandy Hawkins, the former sidekick to the original Wesley Dodds version, had taken up the mantle and carries the torch in the Justice Society.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Batman and The Sandman (Dream)



I never read an issue of Neal Gaiman's Sandman series until well after it had been collected. I did however read many glowing reviews of the series as well of the many awards it had received. Finally, I had to see what the big fuss was, so I ordered the entire TPB collection and read the series straight through. What a wild ride! It's basically a contemplation on the art of storytelling itself, in all of its forms. The overall arc of Dream and the Endless is interesting and ties the whole epic together, but the real gems are the single issue stories, be they fantastical, humorous, frightening or touching. May favorite one, which still stays with me to this day was from an early issue: The Dream of 1,000 Cats. If you haven't checked out this series, do yourself a treat and do so.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Batman and The Sandman (Wesley Dodds)



I was always fascinated with the Justice society when I was a kid and could only read about them in reprints or JLA crossovers. The character that most intrigued me was the Earth-Two Sandman. He had the coolest look - business suit, cape and gas mask! Sheer awesomeness, I felt like if there were such a thing as real superheroes, they might dress like Wesley Dodds. I was not a fan of the the Kirby redesign, which made him look far more generic.

In my later years, I became a fan of the character all over again with the Vertigo Sandman Mystery Theater series. This is an excellent gritty series and features some of the best character work around with Dodds and his flame, Diane Belmont. I highly recommend it.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Batman and The Rocketeer



Dave Stevens' amazing ideas, artistic talents and design sense made The Rocketeer one of comic's perfect gems. It's a shame he passed away at such a young age. The period setting and breezy tone was what really made the title stand apart for me, it gave it a great Indiana Jones/serial cliffhanger vibe. I think the Rocketeer helmet is one of comics all-time great pieces of headgear, right up there with Dr. Doom's mask and Dr. Fate's Helmet.

I still love the Joe Johnston-directed Rocketeer film and think it is one of the better comic book adaptations. I am cautiously optimistic that he will show as much fidelity to Captain America, which he is currently helming.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Batman and The Planet of the Apes



I watched the first Planet of the Apes film recently and it still holds up. It's my favorite Charlton Heston role and I am always impressed by how much emotion Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter were able to portray under such heavy ape makeup. Of course, Nova wasn't too hard on the eyes either. I have vague memories of watching the TV show when I was a kid, and I know I must have liked it because I had a Planet of the Apes Lunch box for a while!

The Tim Burton movie had some nice makeup and visuals but the story just did not do it for me and in the end it was a pale and unnecessary imitation of the original. I understand there is a new film in the works with James Franco titled Rise of the Apes, which is meant to be a prequel. I am a bit wary after the last attempt, but I will still keep an eye on this and hope it can capture some of the old magic again.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Batman and Nexus (Part Two)



As promised, here is Part Two of the Nexus team up. I really dig Nexus' costume and upon researching a little I was not surprised to see that Steve Rude mentions Alex Toth as an influence when he designed the look of the character. You gotta love his sleek look. Thanks for the info on where to check out his adventures, I've got some reading to do!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Batman and Nexus (Part One)



I am a huge Steve Rude fan, he has one of those timeless styles and a real mastery of light and shadow. I was happy to fulfill this request and as it turns out I couldn't decide which images to use so I made this one a two parter.

Doing the legwork on this one made me want to seek out some Nexus tales. So, what are the essential stories? Are there any TPB's that I should start with?

Support STF: The Lost Issues!