The Impossible Man and The Impossibles

 

This would certainly be a meta issue to read. I had to make a couple of group shots to get this one to work.  Here's a clearer look at the back cover of the comic that Impy is reading above: 

Superman, Speed Racer and The Impossible Man

 

I have to say, if Superman lost his flight and had to find another way to get around, he could do a lot worse than that sweet ride!  This was a case where I stumbled on to an image and it suggested a whole story to me.

The IMProbables in: "Quarreling With Q!"

 

I wondered who could be a foil for a team as powerful as The IMProbables, and then it dawned on me.  Q has been long overdue for an appearance on this blog, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to use him.  This issue would be 22 pages of pure chaos!

The Impossible Man and The Joker in: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Westchester!"

 

This cover serves as a direct follow up to STF #3772, where The Joker promised a fun time to a Smilex-infused Impossible Man.  Now, we see just what the Clown Prince of Crime had in mind! 

Finding this smiling Sentinel image gave me the idea for this cover - but I had to build him out a bit first.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes process:

The Impossible Man and The Joker

It seems like the rumors are true and Lady Gaga will indeed be playing Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie a Deux.  The only hints about the plot is that there will be a musical element and Zazie Beetz is in talks to return as well.  Will we see Dr. Quinzel analyzing The Joker while descending into madness herself?  I don't think Joaquin Phoenix has ever done a sequel before, but I guess the first film making over a billion

dollars can change a lot of minds.  Let's hope the script is a strong as the first time around.

Aquaman in the Marvel Universe

 

For this Anniversary Issue, I thought that it would be fun to spotlight one DC hero that never received the 100-Page Giant treatment back when that format was popular in the 70's.  Such an oversight must be remedied, and this blog is just the place to do it! This marks the first time Aquaman has met these characters, except for The Punisher - they also shared an adventure in STF #1438...

The IMProbables

There were plenty of characters to fill up this team with, I could probably have had twice the number of members.  I wonder why it is such a common theme - diminutive sidekicks or antagonists with amazing magical abilities.  One would think it was for marketing purposes, but I haven't seen many toys or stuffed animals featuring these imps over the years so there must be another reason.

Bizarro and The Impossible Man

Today's comic book villains are generally very serious and even more deadly.  While there is certainly a place for that, from time to time I kind of miss the antagonists that were more of the pest variety.  Being a mischief maker rather than a homicidal maniac did not have to mean that the stories featuring them would be missing any tension or action... especially when they were as powerful as these two.

Batman and Doctor Strange (Retro)

Consider this story to be the secret origin of this blog!

Doctor Strange is the latest Marvel Character I hear rumored for the movie treatment.  He does have an interesting origin story and there will be a magical void at the theaters now that Harry Potter has finished his film series, so it could be a good move.  Still, the outfit and some of the more mystical villains might be hard to translate faithfully so it could go either way.  One thing I know is I hope they go the Robert Downey Jr. route and get an age appropriate seasoned actor for the role and resist the urge to cast some young hip flavor of the moment.  I've heard talk of Johnny Depp and I know Patrick Dempsey has expressed interest in the part, but neither of those choices say Stephen Strange to me.