Hawkgirl and Red Sonja

 I see this issue as 22 pages of nonstop action.  Both of these heroes are warriors that any army would be glad to have on their side.  The question is, who called them in to action?

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.

Ant-Man and The Wasp Vs. Dex-Starr

 

Ant-Man and The Wasp received their Power Rings in STF #3993, and I thought it was time to send them on a mission. What better Green Lantern to join them than the diminutive yet daring Xax?  Let's hope they can keep one step ahead of the ferocious feline Red Lantern!

Nightwing and Gambit

 

When Robert Jackson, a Patron of this blog, suggested this pairing, I was surprised that I had not gotten to it yet, it really does seem like a natural.  So, thank you, Robert!  There's lots of speculation as to who will play each character on the big screen, but I think it will be some time before we see either.  Dick Grayson needs at least one movie as Robin before changing his super-heroic identity if they want to do his story justice, and while Gambit is cool, he certainly should not be among the first group of X-Men introduced (though I do like the suggestion of Austin Butler for the role).  

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: 

Colossus and Red Tornado

I have been pleasantly surprised by how well Colossus has been handled in the Deadpool movies.  He looks just about perfect, as if he stepped right off of the comics page, just like Deadpool himself. The main thing I had been worried about was his portrayal, I didn't want the character there just to be mocked by the star of the movies.  While he is there in service to the mostly comedic scripts, he is never the butt of the jokes and has kept his dignity intact.  I wish I could say the same for The Juggernaut, who's been treated as a joke in two different films now.

Batman meets Han Solo & Chewbacca

Star Wars: The Last Jedi seemed to divide fans and critics, and I would have to say that my opinion falls somewhere in the middle.  My main issue was that the film felt bloated with some unnecessary elements.  The whole Finn/Rose/DJ subplot at the Casino did not work for me and I feel could easily have been jettisoned.  I think that the actions of Laura Dern's Holdo character should have been given to Admiral Ackbar, he deserved much better than what he got.  While I wish Luke was more proactive, old Jedis becoming hermit loners is in keeping for the series so far.  I did like the performances and action sequences (and yes, the Porgs) quite a bit, and I liked Leia's force moment more than most seem to.  Hopefully in the next installment the last remaining heroes from the original trilogy - Chewie and the Droids - get a lot more to do.

Robo Force Vs. Magnus: Robot Fighter

It was only a matter of time before Super-Team Family's premiere team met the one man who would like to disassemble them all.  Let's hope that Magnus realizes that not all robots are bad robots!

This is Robo Force's fifth appearance on the blog - they faced off against Brainiac in STF #1850... 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 (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...

Batman and Bill Finger

Yesterday may have been Batman Day, but today is Bill Finger Day, commemorating the anniversary of the day that the Dark Knight's co-creator finally got his proper credit from DC Comics.  Thank you to Marc Tyler Nobleman, Patron of this blog and author of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman for spearheading the efforts to give Finger his due - and for suggesting I find a way to team him up with Batman!

The Spectre Vs. Galactus

This is a battle that I would love to see.  Not only would it be a great match up, it would be a visual feast as well.  Artists seem to have a lot of fun with the super-science of Galactus' giant machines and The Spectre's displays of magic, so you know a story featuring both would have plenty of opportunities for inventive graphics.

Captain America and Firestorm

I knew that the upcoming Flash television series was going to feature some other characters from the DCU, but I never expected them to announce Firestorm!  I am very interested to see what they do with the character.  He's not the type of superhero that you can really go half-way with, as often happens on TV adaptations. Will they go all the way with the glowing eyes, flaming head and puffy sleeves?  Time will tell, but I hope they try!

Robotman & Red Tornado Vs. Ultron

There are few villains that I have wanted to see on the big screen more than Ultron, so I was very happy when I heard them name of the Avengers sequel.  The casting of James Spader was inspired, and the behind-the-scenes footage revealing at least part of his robotic design has me feeling optimistic.  Still, I will have to be patient, knowing that his scenes will likely include a lot of CGI, It will probably still be quite a while before we see any actual footage of Ultron in action.

Gorilla Grodd Vs. The Red Skull

Editor Julius Schwarz knew a few things that were bound to provide a spike in sales when they were featured on a comic book cover.  One of those  was the appearance of a gorilla, and darn if that wasn't true. All of DC's mainstays seemed to mix it up with gorillas at some point and I was always eager to read those stories.  So it's no surprise that The Flash got a gorilla arch enemy to call his own.  Grodd's appearances have always been fun and I really hope that he finds his way into the Flash TV show if it goes to series.

The Thing and Supergirl / Superman

I have to admit that this did not come together as well as I had hoped. The image of Supergirl I used was just too blurry and I couldn't sharpen it in enough to quite fit with the rest of the cover. Oh well, live and learn.

DC has finally gotten Supergirl back to a place where I am enjoying the character again. I still remember the death of Supergirl back in Crisis on Infinite Earths being such a huge moment, especially because it wasn't spoiled months in advance like most big events these days. When DC introduced Matrix, a character that stepped into the Supergirl role for several years, they told a lot of entertaining stories - but it just wan't the same thing as the original. DC decided to send that version off into the sunset and just never refer to her again so as not to interfere with the reintroduction of the "real" Supergirl in the pages of Superman/Batman (now translated into an animated feature). I was glad this latest version was so much closer to the character's roots, but did not care for the over-sexualized manner in which she was all to often portrayed. I found that inappropriate and was glad when DC made a concerted effort to dial that back a few years ago.