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

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Killer Croc Vs. The Lizard



The Amazing Spider-Man had a few moments, but for the most part it was a big miss for me.  The origin stuff   felt redundant, but I knew that would be the case going in.  I was really looking forward to seeing the Lizard, and unfortunately that's where the movie really falls apart.  The  look just did not work for me, I really wish they had stuck to the lab coat and jeans from the comics.  Rhys Ifans is a fine actor, but his voice in Lizard form was completely off for the character... he could have at least emphasized the "S" sounds!  And don't get me started on the Lizard's master plan... he wants to transform other people into lizards - and then what?  I can't say I have much confidence that Electro with be any more faithful to the comics in the sequel.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a special announcement from Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Green Lantern and The Fantastic Four



I was always creeped out in a good way by Starro the Conqueror.  That giant eye hovering in the sky was even cool than Galactus to me.  The visual of the mini-Starros mind-controlling the populace by wrapping themselves around the heads of their victims is a great one.  I have to wonder if the guys who designed the Xenomorph face-huggers in Alien were inspired by some old JLA issues.  I understand that Darkseid will be the villain in the upcoming Justice League film, and that should be cool - but part of me wishes they would have stuck with the League's actual first villain.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Superman and The Human Torch



I appreciated the nod to the original Human Torch in Captain America: The First Avenger - you can see his robotic body encased in glass at the World's Fair - but it might have made for a cool moment to have him actually show up.  The producers teased an Invaders appearance but that was not to be.  Maybe a newspaper headline featuring Cap and two "mysterious allies" could have been featured during one of the montage sequences.  It might be that the Namor and Torch movie rights are tied up with the Fantastic Four though, and the one second glimpse of Jim Hammond was all they could get away with.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Rorschach and The Avengers




When the Before Watchmen titles were announced by DC, I was as wary as most fans were.  Watchmen is a modern classic, and nobody wanted to see it tarnished for a quick cash grabbing event.  I decided to trade/digital wait on these and see what the reviews and previews were like before determining which of the titles to pick up.  DC fortunately stacked the deck with many of my favorite creators currently working in comics like Darwyn Cooke, Amanda Conner and the Kuberts.  Everything I have seen and read looks to be very well done, and I will definitely be checking out most if not all of the titles.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Justice Society of America and The Invaders




This team up is one of the most frequent requests that I have received, and one that I have personally wanted to see since I was a kid.   I love the World War II setting for comics because it recalls the early formative days of the genre.  All-Star Comics and then All-Star Squadron  were favorites of mine and the yearly JLA/JSA team-ups were awesome to me in a time where huge gatherings of superheroes were still few and far between.  The Invaders had such a great core line-up with Captain America, Namor and the Human Torch, that I was always drawn to their appearances.  Having Roy Thomas as a prominent writer of both teams gave me hope that we would maybe one day see an actual crossover between the two, but sadly it just wasn't to be.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Batman Beyond and Spider-Man 2099



As crazy as some of the match ups on this blog are, I do try to maintain some kind of internal continuity.  This cover is actually a sequel to one of my lost Brave and the Bold covers, which I posted way back on October 3, 2011.  That issue had Spider-Man 2099 warning the present day Batman of a corrupt Terry McGinnis.  For some reason, that set up always rattled around in my head and I wanted to make a follow-up.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Igoo, Concrete and Blok



I think that this would be a fun group in that despite their outward appearances, they all have very distinct personalities.  Igoo is the strong silent type, while Concrete would be more likely to use eloquence over brute force.  Blok brings in the youthful attitude and future perspective, while The Thing is the everyman that would unite the team together.  Between these four, I can see all sorts of possibilities for adventure.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Wonder Woman and Archie



Enjoying comics takes a definite willing suspension of disbelief.  Heroes from another planet, chemical exposure leading to super-powers, glasses concealing an identity - I accepted it all.  But sometimes Archie Comics truly strained credibility.  I, like Archie, was an awkward redhead in high school - and that's where the similarity ended.  There were definitely no hot babes fighting for my attention.  I don't know what he was doing that I wasn't!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Rose & The Thorn and Moon Knight



I always loved the concept of DC's Rose and The Thorn, and I think it is too bad that she never reached a wider audience.  I remember reading of her adventures in Lois Lane and I would always check out her appearances, which were unfortunately very few and far between - she was relegated to a few guest appearances and team-ups over the years.  The last I saw of the character was a mini-series by Gail Simone and an appearance in Birds of Prey a few years back.  DC seems to be looking for more strong female characters, so I hope they give her another chance in the New 52.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Firestorm Vs. The Hulk



I tried to keep the text deliberately ambiguous here, so fans of either character can imagine their guy in the protagonist role.  I am a fan of both, so it is tough for me to decide who I would give the edge to here.  Firestorm is very powerful and resourceful but the Hulk would probably just get angrier and angrier at "flame-head's" stunts.   All I know is that it would be a fun battle to watch and that property damage would be substantial.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Supergirl and Spider-Man



After all of the controversy with the whole clone saga, I am surprised to see Marvel once again replacing Peter Parker - this time with Doctor Octopus occupying Spider-Man's body while Peter has been killed off.  Don't get me wrong, this type of mind-swapping thing is hardly new to comics, but it is the kind of thing usually resolved in an issue or two.  Going to the length of ending the series and beginning a new one featuring Spider-Ock seems a bit much for a stunt that even a casual comic reader knows will be undone (right in time for the next Spider-man film, most likely).  We've already seen Spider-Man killed and replaced in the Ultimate Universe, and there are plenty of non-Parker spider-types running around Marvel these days as it is, so this latest wrinkle doesn't do much to excite me.  Hopefully the writers will find a fresh enough take on the whole villain in a hero's body plotline and Superior Spider-Man will be a pleasant surprise.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Legion of Super-Heroes and Captain Marvel




I enjoyed the animated Legion of Super-Heroes series for what it was, a cartoon geared at younger viewers.  It handled the large cast well and introduced viewers to a side of the DCU that was only hinted at on other shows.  What I would really like to see, however, is the Legion in one of DC's direct to video animated movies.  The Great Darkness Saga would be a cool story to adapt in that format.  DC's animated movies are great, but they seem to be in a cycle of Batman - Superman - JLA stories, which are I guess more guaranteed sales.  Hopefully they will venture out into more of their properties and we can see a true animated LSH epic one of these days.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Captain Atom and Solar: Man of the Atom



These two atomic heroes have been around for decades and have each been published by multiple comic companies, so I thought it was about time they shared an adventure together.  I have liked Captain Atom since his introduction to the DCU in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but I didn't have a chance to try out his New 52 series.  I'm not crazy about his recent redesign as I think it makes him look too similar to The Silver Surfer.  I haven't read as much of Solar, but I have always liked the cool artwork associated with the character, from the classic Gold Key covers to Barry Windsor-Smith's beautiful work during his first Valiant run.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

The Superman Family and The Fantastic Four



I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday today close by the ones the love the most.  I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to check out the blog, it is a labor of love and it has made me happy to see it grow in popularity over the past year.  I especially appreciate those visitors who leave feedback - positive, negative or neutral.  It can be hard to tell what is working or not on here and I am always interested in reading reactions.  Thanks for all the cool suggestions too - and the patience in waiting for me to get around to them.  I have a bunch of reader request covers coming up and I hope they will be worth the wait.  So, stay tuned!  There are hundreds more covers coming and 2013 will see the switch from MS Paint to Photoshop as my cover-creating program, so we're just getting started! Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Batman Vs. Walter White



Breaking Bad is my favorite TV series currently running... and just maybe my favorite series ever.   It has just about the strongest first episode of any show I have ever seen.  I don't know how anyone can watch that first episode and not want to find out what happens next.  The show has maintained its excellent quality ever since.  Top notch writing, acting and directing all around have made this a must watch for me.  There are only eight episodes left and it's going to be a long wait until Summer when they air.  I highly recommend any comic fan to watch this show as it could just as well be called "Creation of a Super-Villain".  Bryan Cranston has masterfully portrayed a character that you will at times root for and at times cringe at, but you can never take your eyes off of him.  His slow descent into evil over the seasons has been done so well that everyone has a different opinion as to when he passed the point of no return.  Aaron Paul, Dean Norris and the rest of the cast are always incredibly watchable as well.  It's just about a perfect show.

I was glad to be able to use an image from the awesomely cool fan-film Batman: Dead End for this cover.  I loved the costume they used for it, and the cowl and cape are especially impressive.  To me, they look far better than anything used in the big budget Hollywood films.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Avengers Vs. Captain Marvel



Well, it seems that at long last DC has given up on the Captain Marvel name, and the original hero to go by that moniker is now called Shazam.  I understand the reason for the change, but still think that Captain Thunder would have been a better choice for a new name.  Shazam is a great transformation word and even a fitting name for the old wizard, but it still doesn't seem right to me for the main hero.  So when Mary Batson gets her powers will we be calling her She-Zam now?

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Spider-Man and The Fly



Archie Comics' cast of superhero characters seem to resurface every few years with a new take on them.  I remember liking some of DC's Impact comics line when they had ownership of the characters many years back.  The Fly stood out to me as it was my introduction to the great artwork of the late Mike Parobeck. It looks like the Crusaders are back in yet another incarnation, and I quite like the new designs - more on that tomorrow, because this story will be continued then...

Monday, December 17, 2012

Jimmy Olsen and The Sub-Mariner



I don't know if Jimmy Olsen will be part of the Man of Steel film, but I hope they give the character a nod.  It was cool to me that Jimmy was a sidekick that you could actually relate to a little more than most, which were simply younger versions of the starring hero.  Jimmy was just a regular awkward kid that Superman saw something special in, and it gave the reader the feeling that they could be worthy of being Superman's Pal too.  Hopefully Jimmy will not be deemed too "uncool" and be jettisoned from this new film iteration altogether.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Superman and Battlestar Galactica



I was a big fan of the revamped Battlestar Galactica series and I was very excited when I heard about Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, a series featuring Adama in his 20's, just joining the war against the Cylons.  I liked Caprica OK, but this seemed like the prequel I was really waiting for.  Unfortunately the show is not going to be picked up, and all that was produced was a pilot.  I watched it in installments at http://www.machinima.com/ and was very surprised at how much I liked it.  The acting, story line and effects all kept me quite engaged, and I highly recommend that BSG fans check it out.  SYFY is going to air the pilot in February and hopefully there will be a big enough reaction that they will perhaps reconsider their decision not to go forward with the series.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Green Lantern Vs. Galactus



The Green Lantern movie had a lot of potential, but the final result was a decidedly mixed bag.  The biggest mistakes they made were with the villains.  Their best villain was Sinestro - he looked right and Mark Strong performed the character perfectly... but they decided to sideline him and wait for the sequel to let him shine - which seems like a wasted opportunity since that sequel is looking very unlikely at this point.  Hector Hammond was never a great villain in the comics so the decision to feature him so prominently puzzled me... couple that with the fact that they made him look so goofy design-wise, and his scenes are the worst in the movie for me.  Finally we have Parallax, who should have been this very fearsome creature, and they made him another giant cloud, just like Galactus from the Second Fantastic Four film.  Cloud Galactus was roundly mocked by fans and non-fans alike, so it baffled me why Warner Brothers would not learn from that, and just make the same mistake.  A staight up Hal vs. Sinestro plotline would have probably been a lot more successful.

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