Solomon Grundy Vs. Venom

 

Undead mobster versus unhinged symbiote - who wins this battle?  I guess it all depends on which iteration of Grundy that we are talking about, as his personality and power level can vary from rebirth to rebirth.

Night Nurse and Dr. Manhattan

 

This is another one of those covers that required a lot of clean up, extension and de-cluttering of the original image before I could add in any new elements. Here's a look at the behind the scenes process: 

Batgirl and Black Cat

 

Black Cat first met Batgirl with the Birds of Prey in STF #3029...

This cover required a bit of background repair before I could swap out a canary for a cat.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Black Widow and Black Canary

 

Wow, have I really never paired these two together before?  Well they did both appear as members of one of STF's very first hero teams, The Black Beauties way back in STF #299 in 2013.  Still, it's high time they shared a cover together again.  They also appeared as guest stars in STF #2491 with Iron Man and Starman...

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: 

Shaman and Dawnstar

 

For those of you who were wondering why Dawnstar was not a member of Wing Command, well, she's from a different century - but that doesn't mean that she can't visit!  

I used an image of her by the incredibly talented Gary Frank.  I was lucky enough to pick up an original page of his many years back:

Ms. Marvel and Supergirl (Vs. Lex Luthor!)

If you had told me that Jon Cryer - the actor who played Lenny Luthor in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace would decades later play Lex himself (more convincingly than the latest big screen version), I would never had believed it.  That is what has come to pass, though!

This marks the Eighth cover featuring The Danvers Twins:

They faced off with an angry pet in STF #2144...

They battled The Gladiatrix in issue #1872...

They faced a stone centurion in Issue #1808...

They had robot problems in Issue #1414

They were at odds with one another  in Issue #763...

They played a trick on the world in Issue #520...

...and they were first revealed to be sisters way back in Issue #152

Black Panther Vs. Black Manta

Black Manta was easily the coolest looking (and sounding) villain on the Super Friends cartoon, so I was very glad that he would be a part of the Aquaman movie.  Even though his role was not as big as I had hoped, the depiction of the character did not disappoint.  I love that they did not feel the need to tone down his oversized mask and that they kept his motivations against Aquaman intact.  It  will be cool to see what he gets up to in the sequel.


Thank you to Tom Zilla, a Patron of this Blog, for suggesting this match up!

Code: Red in: "Mars Needs Gingers!"

The De-Gingering of DC continues.  Lightning Lad is the latest character to lose his red hair.  What do they have against us gingers?  They are always killing them off or changing their appearance to non-gingers.  When a ginger character makes the leap to movies or TV, the red hair seems like the first thing to go.  It's enough to make a guy feel unwanted.

Code: Red first appeared in STF #1293...

Supergirl and Cloak and Dagger

I'm looking forward to the returns of both Cloak & Dagger and Supergirl in the upcoming TV season.   Supergirl will I am sure be a pivotal part of the Crisis Crossover story line - we all remember what happened to the character in the original comic series.  Cloak and Dagger really seemed to be embracing their heroic roles at the end of their second season, so it will be cool to see what comes next.

Dark Phoenix Vs. Martian Manhunter

It's going to be interesting to see the second attempt at telling the Dark Phoenix Saga on the big screen.  Thew addition of Lilandra to the cast indicates that perhaps this one will be a more comics-accurate version of the tale.  Sadly, I have not heard about casting for any of her Imperial Guard so my hopes for a big throwdown with the X-Men will likely not be fulfilled.

The Joker and Arcade

Arcade is one of the X-Men's more outlandish villains, but if the movies can adapt Apocalypse and soon Mister Sinister, then why not him?  It would be a nice change of pace from all the world conquering bad guys to have Arcade just messing with the X-Men' heads and springing death traps. With the team now finally sporting their more comic-accurate uniforms, it would make for some awesome visuals at least.

Microforce

I was hoping that since The Atom's suit was destroyed on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, there would be a new streamlined version closer to the comics once he rebuilt.  From footage I have seen of future episodes, it looks like he will be back to the clunky Iron Man-type design with the ugly helmet.  What's worse in the upcoming Justice League of America comic, the Ryan Choi Atom appears to be adopting a costume to more closely resemble the TV version.  They're doing it backwards, it's Hawkeye all over again!

Supergirl and Kitty Pryde

As much as I enjoyed Supergirl last season, I think this year promises to be even more fun.  Now that she will share the same world as the rest of the CW shows (thanks, I think, to The Flashpoint storyline on The Flash), a whole new world of storytelling possibilities opens up.  I am especially looking forward to the 4-part crossover that will encompass all 4 shows.

Wildcat Vs. The Punisher

I was a bit disappointed that Ted Grant was introduced on Arrow and not much was ever done with him.  There was a cool moment where he sparred with Oliver Queen and the latter actually used a boxing glove arrow on him, but Grant himself still has not gotten the chance to shine.  Now that the Justice Society looks to be a big part of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, I am hoping that Ted's Wildcat side will finally be explored further.

Nightwing Vs. The Hulk

As Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues has continued over the years, I have developed a few ongoing plot threads.  One recurring theme, however, just happened on its own, or maybe in my subconscious at least. For some reason, the Hulk really does not like Robin!  In this latest outing, he's after Dick Grayson in his Nightwing guise, but he has been on his trail for a while...

from his early days with Batman...

...to his time with the Teen Titans...

and New Teen Titans!.

The Hulk is no fan of Grayson's successors either - just ask Tim Drake...

or Damian Wayne!

The Atom and The Wasp in "Inch-High Insurgency!"

Evangeline Lilly has been cast as the female lead in the Ant-Man movie, but her exact role has not been announced yet.  I would have to believe she is playing Janet Van Dyne, but with the strange timeline of the movie that is not a certainty.  Paul Rudd is starring as Scott Lang, while Michael Douglas will appear as Hank Pym.  Given Douglas' age, I am guessing that if he is even shown as Ant-Man at all, it will be during flashbacks - and I don't know what that means for Jan.  If Lilly is indeed starring as the to-be Wasp, It seems like her back story will be quite a bit altered from the comics.

Blue Beetle Joins The Avengers

Marvel had a TV special this week spotlighting their movie universe.  While most of it was about the films that have come before, there were some cool looks at Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.  My favorite part though, was the blink-or you'll miss it look at Avengers: Age of Ultron. We saw images of Quicksilver (looks cool, but I wish he had the silver colored hair), Scarlet Witch (a little boring, just regular clothes with a red jacket, hopefully we'll get more of a uniform) and best of all a Hulk/Iron Man battle with Tony (or someone) in the Hulkbuster armor.  I really look forward to seeing that scene!

The Hulk and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Other than a few pre-CGI behind the scenes shots, I have seen and read very little of the upcoming Michael Bay-produced theatrical reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I am very curious as to haw this film will turn out.  Bay is known for his over-excesses, but his films usually at least look slick and cool.  The key is to give him a decent script to work with.  Director Jonathan Liebesman previous efforts include Battle: Los Angeles and Wrath of the Titans, two films that despite their spectacle did not do much for me.  Hopefully his take on the TMNT franchise works a bit better.

The Huntress and Hawkeye

I was a bit disappointed in the portrayal of The Huntress on Arrow, she did not come off as very heroic to me.  Hopefully future appearances will help to redeem her character.  Hawkeye was the only hero in the Avengers movie that I felt did not get a chance to shine.  He spent the first two thirds under a spell and by the time he saw action, he kind of got lost in the midst of all the other big guns.  Joss Whedon has promised to make up for this in Avengers: The Age of Ultron, and give Clint Barton a far more active role.  It will be great to see him in the spotlight... now if we could just do something about that boring movie costume...