Showing posts with label Human Torch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human Torch. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Superman and The Invaders



I have been enjoying reading Superman's very first adventures in the collected Superman Chronicles series of TPB's lately.  There's an energy to those early adventures, from a time before superheroes were even a genre, that just cannot be replicated today.  I can only imagine what it was like for a young kid to have been reading those ground-breaking tales right off the newsstands.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Sgt. Rock and the Human Torch



I loved Robert Kanigher's Sgt. Rock tales, and I have always thought Marvel's wartime era comics were cool, so this is a team up that I would have loved to have seen.  Rock's stories usually featured Easy Company up against steep odds and it would be could to see the Torch  helping to turn the tide.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Black Canary and The Fantastic Four



I have been wondering if the new Black Canary on Arrow would possess the famous canary cry and I got my answer, sort of, on the most recent episode.  Her debut was a very brief one, but it began with a bunch of thugs being rocked by a high pitched sonic attack.  Granted, it seemed like an electronic equivalent to the super-power, but it was a nice nod to the comics.  Hopefully she will gain the actual ability somewhere down the line.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Martian Manhunter and The Human Torch "In the Clutches of Kang!"



I know that the Avengers movies are all leading towards Thanos, and that's fun to anticipate.  Still, the one Avengers villain that I would love to see (after Ultron, already getting my wish there) is Kang.  The time-travelling aspect to this foe means that they could introduce all kinds of heroes into the mix.  The success of X-Men: Days of Future Past shows that audiences are ready for time spanning superhero epics, so let's make it happen, Marvel!


Sunday, September 21, 2014

Teen Titans and The Human Torch



DC has been fast and furious with its TV announcements lately and one of the biggest surprises was that a Titans series is in the works.  Not much in the way of details has been released, but it looks to be following the Marv Wolfman / George Perez era team as Nightwing, Starfire and Raven and are confirmed members of the team.  It seems like an ambitious project, but I can't pass judgment until I learn more about it.  Hopefully a TV budget will still allow for plenty of heroics.

Monday, September 8, 2014

The Human Torch and Nightwing



Dick Grayson has dropped yet another superheroic identity and now operates undercover in a series titled simply Grayson, adding a new wrinkle to the career of comicdom's original sidekick.  The aging and replacing of Robins in the DCU has been one of the main problems when trying to streamline continuity, and I don't see that improving any time soon.  For the New 52 reboot, I think DC would perhaps been better served by de-aging Dick Grayson and returning him either to his Robin role or his first days as Nightwing, with a young Tim Drake  assuming the mantle.  They could still have reintroduced Jason or Damian eventually, but with all of Batman's partners running around simultaneously, it just clutters and dilutes the concept in my opinion - not to mention being anything but new reader friendly.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

The Fantastic Four and Transformers



The latest Transformers film is out, and for me it is hard to get excited about it after the second two installments in the franchise, which I found to be noisy messes with juvenile humor.  The addition of Mark Wahlberg and the Dinobots originally had me a bit interested, but the movie's reported 2 hour 20 minute run time and lackluster reviews have convinced me that it will be a rental at most.  I'm sure the film will make boatloads of money though, so I don't think Michael Bay is too worried about my  lack of support.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

The Fantastic Four and The Herculoids



I was a Huge fan of Hanna-Barberra's World of Super Adventure as a young tyke. There were some crossovers between the various features that appeared on that show, But the Fantastic Four never got to be included in that fun.  I would have loved to see an episode where Marvel's first family mixed it up with Herculoids.  Kirby designs and Toth designs together - it would have been a feast for the eyes!.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Firestorm and The Human Torch



Flaming hair, puffy sleeves, pointed shoulders and an asymmetrical symbol - Firestorm's look is crazy but for some reason it always worked for me.  He definitely stood out among the other DC heroes back in the 80's.  The Original Human Torch and Toro, on the other hand, have incredibly simple looks that are equally as effective.  The flamed human appearance is so cool that they don't even need facial features!  Toro does look a little goofy when flamed off, though - I'm not sure why Jim Hammond gets to wear a full red suit but he is stuck with boots and a pair of shorts.

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Fantastic Four and The Incredibles



Given the power sets and the family aspect, it's clear to see that The Fantastic Four was a major inspiration for The Incredibles, so it would definitely be fun to see the two teams meet. Pixar seems to be open to sequels with Toy Story, Monsters inc., Cars and Finding Nemo receiving follow up installments, so I hope they finally give The Incredibles another cinematic outing.  I would love to see what director Brad Bird has in mind for the next chapter in their story.  The FF are currently in line for a cinematic reboot, but too little has been released yet for me to determine whether they will be improving on the previous franchise or straying further from the original concept.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Aquaman and The Human Torch



Aside from the obvious differences in their power sets and preferred locales, these two are quite opposite when it comes to personalities.  Aquaman is a serious authority figure with the weight of an entire kingdom on his mind, while Johnny Storm is an impetuous maverick, full of youthful angst.  It would be interesting to see the two try to operate effectively together.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Hotheads



It was quickly apparent when assembling this team that writers like to give fire-based characters pretty combustible attitudes as well - it seemed to be a common trait.  I figure the more of these guys that you put in a story together, the more chance for conflict there would be, and that could make fore quite an interesting adventure, despite their similar power sets.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Captain Atom and The Human Torch



There are a lot of cool headquarters in comics  Batman has his cave, Superman has his fortress and Doctor Strange has his Sanctum Sanctorum.  Still there was always something I really liked about the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building, mainly because it has been effectively used as a plot point in some of the FF's best stories.  Whether it was launched into outer space, used as a gateway to the negative zone, or being crashed by super villains, it has always been like another character.  I think my favorite tale was during John Byrne's run, where The Trapster is thwarted in his invasion attempt solely by the Building's security system - great stuff!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Human Torch and Green Lantern



I realize that comic companies always like to look forward and latch on to the latest hot fads and styles, but there is definitely something to be said for looking to the past as well.  I love superheroes and I love period pieces, so superhero comics set in the past have always had an appeal to me.  I miss comics like All-Star Squadron or The Invaders, that were set during WWII.  It's great to see the heroes operating in the time frame that they were actually created in, and it takes me back to reading those classic Golden Age reprints of their original adventures.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for a kid to read those wartime comics fresh off of the stands.

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.

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.

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!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Human Torch and Starman



I have always been a fan of Johnny Storm, but I have to say that I always thought that the original Human Torch was cooler looking than his Silver Age successor   His flames were usually illustrated a little wilder and his featureless face when flamed on made him look very foreboding.  While the wisecracking Johnny made the reader comfortable with a man on fire, the more inhuman depiction of Jim Hammond made it clear that this was a guy you did not want to get too close to!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Doom Patrol and The Fantastic Four



I was really digging how the Doom Patrol seemed to be getting back to basics prior to the New 52 reboot.  Sadly, they seem to be another casualty.  Robotman has appeared in a somewhat altered form, but I don't know how long it will be before we see the proper Doom Patrol in action again.  The Fantastic Four are about to  get a new series, along with the rest of the Marvel Universe with the Marvel Now titles just on the horizon.  I am not sure what the new creative team has in store, but the title looks to be focusing on family and adventure, so that's a good start!

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