Justice League of America and Samurai Jack (And More!)

 

For this Anniversary Issue, I thought that I would present the kind of Saturday morning line-up that would have made my head spin.  With shows line these and some Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch, I would have been all set.  Here are some closer looks at the stories in this issue:

Ace and The Dogs of War in: "Stark Kraven Mad!"

 

Ace and the Dogs of War first appeared way back in STF #415.  Ace later joined Krypto in battling Kraven in STF #3505.  It looks like The Hunter is still perturbed by that altercation and is looking to take his revenge out on Ace's whole team.  What better reason to end their 9-year hiatus?

Paws of Fury!

 For today's team, I thought that it might be fun to put together a dojo consisting of some of the best four-footed fighters in fiction.  I just completed the fourth season of the oh-so-addictive Cobra Kai this week and it had me in a karate mood.  Maybe the next Kung-Fu Panda movie can have Po enter the multiverse and we can get a team like this assembled.

Hong Kong Phooey and Kung-Fu Panda

I enjoyed the Kung-Fu Panda movies. They were funny, had great character designs and had genuinely exciting battle sequences. I wouldn't even mind a fourth outing.

Thank you to Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics historian and Patron of this blog, for suggesting this animated team up.

Samurai Jack and Hong Kong Phooey

Samurai Jack is one of the most visually inventive cartoons that I have ever seen, and I thoroughly enjoyed the series.  I think it could make an amazing live action film, given the right director.  I've seen some fan-made trailers and they give a small hint of what could be possible, hopefully Hollywood will take notice of the potential in the property one of these days.

Hong Kong Phooey and Captain Carrot & His Amazing Zoo Crew

Between Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Justice League Action and the various DC animated shorts, we have seen most of the DCU in cartoon form at one time or the other.  I am surprised that Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew have not been included yet, though.  They seem perfect for animated adventures, they wouldn't even have to be re-designed!

Hong Kong Phooey Vs. Chester Cheetah

This cover comes about as a suggestion from my brilliant and talented Sister-in-law Melanie.  She told me that she came up with an idea that I would have never thought of on my own, and she was right!  Chester Cheetah always seemed to be the "Poochie" of food mascots to me and I can see him snapping one day and lashing out at Tony the Tiger and the rest until HKP chops some sense back into him.

Hong Kong Phooey and Krypto

I was a fan of Hong Kong Phooey as a kid.  what wasn't to like?  A dog that led a double life as a masked karate expert fighting crime hit all the right notes for me.  The show had a great theme song as well.  What really put it over the top was the voice work by Scatman Crothers - so unique amongst saturday morning heroes.

Ace and the Dogs of War

I love superheroes and I love dogs, so when the two are combined it really captures my interest.  I know I am not the only one who must feel that way because once I started featuring new teams on this blog, an all-pooch crew was one of the more common requests I would get.  I think a team like this, once they stopped sniffing each other's butts, would be unstoppable!