The Atom and The Defenders

 

Can the world's greatest non-team subdue a dwarf star-infused hero out of control?  And just what happened to Ray Palmer anyway?  The answers are only sixty cents away!

Firestorm and Jessica Jones

 

What I am wondering is where Firestorm will fit in the cinematic DCU.  I think that James Gunn is a fan of the hero, but I haven't heard anything about his inclusion yet.  He is admittedly a tough character to pull off in live action, but I hope we can see a more comics-faithful interpretation than the TV Versions we got on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.

The Avengers and Kamandi

 

Look, I have the same questions about how Kamandi was able to get the upper hand here that Chronos has.  But that's just what would have made me pick this issue up off of the shelves - just to see what shenanigans that Kang is up to this time around.

The Defenders Vs. Abnegezar, Rath & Ghast and Neron

 

The Defenders seemed to spend as much time or more battling demons and supernatural threats as they did traditional super-villains.  It might be interesting to see how they would fare against the denizens of DC's underworld.

Sgt. Rock and The Avengers

 

I was watching some of the new DC Documentary on Max last night and Andy Kubert mentioned that his father Joe was a lot like one of the characters he was most famous for working on - Sgt. Rock.  I can belive it, as Rock is know for being a leader who never gives up, leads through example and inspires those around him.  Kubert not only worked as an artist for almost 70 years, he began a school that ushered in a new age of artists to follow his lead.  That's just one more reason that I consider him to be the greatest comic book artist ever.

Doom Patrol and The Defenders

 

Back in another life, I used to do a lot of acting. About the only person I knew that made it big had been Connie Britton, who I went to acting school with back in the early 90's. One of the last shows I did was an off-Broadway production of a play called Open House.  We ran for over a month, and I had a good time acting with and hanging out afterwards with my character's romantic interest, played by my friend Stephanie.  The show ended and I only saw Steph once more when she came to see me in a night of one acts a little later.  I stopped performing and she moved out of the city so we lost track.  Fast forward about 16 years later and I'm watching Doom Patrol.  There was something familiar about Hammerhead, the manifestation of one of Crazy Jane's personalities - and the credits confirmed it.  She shaves her head for the role, but that is indeed my old pal Stephanie.  We later caught up on Facebook, it's nice to see her with a cool comic book related recurring role.  Looks like she got a part on the new MacGuyver series as well.

Defenders and the Legion of Super-Heroes

 

I'm surprised that I haven't paired up these two teams until now, I had to go back and check just to be sure.  There's enough variety in the memberships of DC's premiere Super Team and Marvel's official Non-Team that any number of line ups could make for an exciting tale with lots of contrasting personalities and power sets.  I'm still hoping to eventually see big budget live action treatments for either team.

The Defenders Vs. The JLA (100 Page Giant!)

I thought for this Anniversary Issue that I would present one big story.  I always liked the old JLA/JSA crossovers where the two teams would meet, then break off into smaller teams for separate adventures, and finally all gather together again for the big conclusion.  I can see a comic featuring these two powerhouse groups going down the same way.

The JLA first met The Defenders in STF #1600...

The Phantom and Hellcat in: "Phantom in Training!"

Billy Zane was great as The Phantom in the criminally underrated 90's film.  I was always disappointed that movie did not do well enough to warrant sequels, I would have loved to have seen follow up installments.  I did get a big kick (and laugh) out of Zane's cameo on Amazon Prime's new streaming show The Boys recently.

Kit and Patsy walker were first revealed to be cousins in STF #2548...

Hellcat and The Phantom

We started to see the beginnings of Patsy Walker's transformation into a super powered vigilante on the second season of Netflix' Jessica Jones, and it will be interesting to see where her story goes in the upcoming third and final season.  I'm guessing we won't be seeing her in any kind of costume like the one she sports above, given Netflix track record for getting their heroes out of plain clothes, but it would be nice to see her move a little closer to the Hellcat that we know from the comics.

Hellcat and Vixen

I had been hoping to see Patsy Walker suit up as Hellcat at some point on Netflix' Jessica Jones, since the last season had her gaining powers.  With the cancellations of both Luke Cage and Iron Fist, I am expecting the third season of Jessica Jones to be the last, so they have one more chance.  These shows seem to take their sweet time getting characters into comic-accurate outfits, though - so I am not holding my breath.

Black Lightning and Hellcat

I loved the first season of Black Lightning, which did a great job of establishing Jefferson Pierce's friends and family.  I am really looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here now that his daughters are both embracing their super powers as well.  I was intrigued to read that supporting character Dr. Jace will be joining the cast - she was a key player in Black Lightning's adventures with The Outciders in the comics, so I am hoping that her inclusion is another indication that team is heading towards a live action treatment down the line.

Batgirl and Hellcat in: "Criss-Crossed Crusaders!"

Patsy Walker is expected to return for the second season of Netflix' Jessica Jones.  Marvel fans of course know her as Hellcat - but will she ever suit up in the show?  Given its gritty nature and Jessica's attitude towards Daredevil's costume  in The Defenders, it seems unlikely that the blue and gold suit makes an appearance..  Still, Patsy did seem inspired by all the new protectors showing up in Manhattan, so that may be leading somewhere.

Batgirl and Hellcat first crossed paths way back in STF #89...

The Defenders and The Defenders of the Earth

I remember seeing The Defenders of the Earth for the first time and it really appealed to the crossover fan in me.  The Phantom, Mandrake and Flash Gordon seemingly had nothing to do with each other, representing different types of heroes and coming from different eras.  That just made it all the more intriguing to see them together.  It was ideas like that which inspired this blog.

Catwoman and Hellcat

I'm not sure why there are so many cat-themed female characters in fiction, but there must be some underlying reason for such a common archetype. Maybe it is because cats are beautiful, graceful, mysterious and strong willed - all characteristics of a classic heroine or femme fatale.  At any rate, it's a concept that has given us a lot of cool characters, and these two are among my favorites.

Batgirl and Hellcat

I always wanted to see these two redheads together, just so they could discuss their mirror image uniforms.  Their similarities don't end there though.  They each don't possess any superhuman abilities, but still considered to be valuable allies to the more heavy hitting superheroes around them.   They would probably have a lot to talk about given the tragedies they have been through and overcome.  Barbara Gordon came back from being crippled and Patsy Walker came back from Hell itself!  Le'ts hope that the dark days are behind him and these two can return to being the fun characters that they were created to be.

Mr. T and The Defenders

Well, the new Avengers trailer has been released and we finally got a good look at The Hulk in action.  That shot of him catching Iron Man in mid-air looked awesome! This is going to be a fun summer for movies!

While doing this cover I wondered whether Lou Ferrigno and Mr. T were ever featured together in anything.  They used to make those Incredible Hulk TV movies after the series had ended - how fun would it have been if  Mr. T had appeared in one of them and gone toe to toe with The Hulk?  They really missed a golden opportunity there!

Batman and Hellcat

I always found Hellcat to be an interesting character due to her transition from a Katy Keene type comic book model to a full fledged superheroine. I enjoyed her bubbly personality and the way she would play off of rougher characters like Valkyrie and The Hulk in the pages of The Defenders.  Because of that, I wasn't a huge fan of attempts to darken the character through her relationship to Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan.  That eventually led to her death, but fortunately this is comics and she got better.  I really liked the costume redesign that I used for this cover which she was given by the very talented Norm Breyfogle.  Unfortunately, she did not use it for long - I wonder if that was because the powers that be thought it was too close to Batgirl?

Batman and The Defenders

The Defenders was one of the first titles that I collected a complete run of. I read the entire series through at once in one big chunk, and boy what a wild ride it is! Roster changes, pseudo-mysticism and homicidal elves made for a series where you never knew what was coming next.

I prefer the original four – Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange. It is such a powerhouse line up full of strong personalities, it really set them apart from every other team. I also like the B-Team of Valkyrie, Hellcat and Nighthawk. Those seven are the quintessential Defenders team to me… although I do have a soft spot for The Gargoyle, who came along a little bit later.

Batman and The Cat

I had wanted to do a 100-Page Issue for this project since I started it. I used to love those special issues when I was a kid, there would be a new feature story and then the rest of the comic was jam packed with cool reprints. It was through those reprints that I was introduced to all the great characters and creators of past years, and I truly began to see the full scope of entertainment that comics had to offer.

I like that this cover hints at a long history of adventures with Batman and The Cat – hey, I think it is only natural, she really is his type if past girlfriends are any indication! The Cat was of course Greer Nelson, who later went on to be transformed into an actual she-feline and took on the name Tigra, thus making the leap from D-lister to C-lister. Her costume was later adopted by former model Patsy Walker, who went by the moniker Hellcat.