The Atom and Nick Fury

 

There has been a lot of discussion about how Jack Kirby redefined the language of comics with his action packed angles and layouts.  I'd argue that Jim Steranko belongs in that conversation as well.  His innovative page layouts were constantly pushing boundaries and presented action and movement incredibly effectively.

The Freedom Fighters Vs. The Avengers (100-Page Giant!)

 

Looks like we have another full-issue throwdown on our hands!  Let's hope they can sort out their differences and all get together for a slam bang finale in the last 10 pages!  Here are some closer looks at the stories included in this Anniversary Issue:

The Spectre and The Shadow

 

There aren't too many heroes that would make The Shadow nervous, but I think that The Spectre might be one of them.  It would be interesting to see how they interact.

Captain America and The Question

 

Chris Evans is insisting that he will not be a part of Avengers: Doomsday, so the Steve Rogers Captain America will apparently continue to be off the board in the MCU if he is to be believed.  Still, the lackluster box office and critical reception of Sam Wilson's cinematic outing as Captain America may have Marvel thinking about bringing Rogers back at some point.  

Firestorm and Nick Fury

 

There was a lot of clutter on the original Fury of Firestorm page that I needed to remove before I could add any new elements in.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Blue Devil and Banshee

 

In the comments section of a previous Blue Devil cover, Mike Shirley (a Patron of this Blog), suggested that Dan and Sean Cassidy may share a familial relation, and the idea appealed to me.  Thank you, Mike!  I've always like both characters and Banshee is that rare Ginger superhero that was actually portrayed by a Ginger in the movies.  It was a youthified version that was murdered off screen before the sequel hit, but at least they tried.

Hawkgirl and Storm

 

I'll never forget the comic in which Storm debuted her punk look with the leather outfit and mohawk. In those pre-internet days, a wild alteration in her appearance truly took readers by surprise - I remember Kitty Pryde mirroring my shock in the pages of the story. The new look didn't come completely out of nowhere, though.  Chris Claremont had written Ororo in such a way that the reader could see her desire for change.

The Spectre and Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr. has completed his run as Iron Man, and his hopes for another franchise in Dolittle were dashed by a very poorly received first outing as that character.  Hopefully that means he will once again step into the role of Sherlock Holmes for the long rumored third film in that series.  I'd prefer that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman return to Netflix' Sherlock, but I'll take what I can get.

Nick Fury and Aquaman

I remember watching the much-maligned Waterworld with Kevin Costner, and thinking about the possibilities.  Not about the movie itself, it made very little sense - If land and soil was such a are commodity, why was everyone so dirty all the time?  There were, however some impressive swimming sequences, especially when Costner's character would come swooping out of the water.  It was the first time that I thought perhaps a live-action Aquaman would be doable.  It took a few more decades, but Hollywood finally caught up!

Dark Matter in: "Shadow Play!"

With the Debut of Disney+ and its new programming, Marvel is getting serious about keeping its cinematic universe cohesive.  The Freeform Cloak and Dagger series is the latest casualty of this decision.  I quite liked the show, and hope the characters show up in the MCU proper one of these days.  I was introduced to them as guest stars of Spider-Man, so it would be cool to see them with the web slinger down the line (Spidey rights permitting).

Dark Matter first appeared in STF #1530...

The Phantom and the Shadow

As far as I am aware, there has never been a crossover between these two pulp heroes, which really surprises me.  Other than some commission pieces, two of the earliest costumed crimefighters have never shared an adventure.  that is something that should be rectified, we need to see these classic pulp heroes fighting side by side one of these days.

Miss Fury and Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It will be interesting to see a younger version of Nick Fury in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie.  We've seen him in charge and now we'll get to see him as he is rising up through the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Will we see how he loses his eye though?

Thank you to Jeffrey Burson for suggesting this team-up!

The Human Fly and The Fly

One Marvel series I never got around to reading was The Human Fly.  I saw ads in other comics for it, but never remember seeing copies for sale.  The concept did intrigue me, though - a superhero based on a real life stunt man!  Was the title any good?

Doc Savage and The Shadow

As far as I know, these two pulp heroes have never crossed paths, which is a little surprising.  They seem as though they would work together well in in a story.  STF Patron Ken Roskos pointed out in a previous comments section that they both had the same publisher back in the 40's so it could have happened

Doc Savage Vs. Vandal Savage

When longtime Lost Issues visitor Isaac suggested this match up yesterday, I had to smack my head for never thinking of it myself. Obviously, many story possibilities present themselves when one considers the shared surname. This one was going to nag at me until I gave it a shot, so I decided to just go ahead and create a cover right away.  Thanks for the idea, Isaac!

Nick Fury Joins G.I. Joe

When Tom Zilla, (a Patron of the site in good standing) suggested a Fury/G.I. Joe team-up, I just had to smack my head because I hadn't thought of it before.  It really is a natural pairing. With all of the comics, cartoons and movies that have come along in the last few decades, G.I. Joe has a different meaning to fans of today than when I was a kid.  I remember the large size action figures with the real hair, cool accessories and king-fu grips.  The later miniature versions that came along and became the norm always seemed to pale in comparison to me.

Captain America and Liberty Belle

I remember being intrigued by the line-up of the All-Star Squadron after that series ended its first issue.  It was a mix of JSAers that I was familiar with, a serious Plastic Man, a few classic characters I remembered from reprints (Robotman, Johnny Quick, Shining Knight) and a couple of other heroes that I knew very little about.   It was good that writer Roy Thomas was able to fill in the histories of some of comicdom's first crimefighters, and I enjoyed reading the exploits of Liberty Belle and Firebrand as much as the Earth-Two A-listers that went in and out of the title. I am glad that Liberty Belle became a part of DC's legacy concept with her and Johnny Quick becoming the parents of contemporary hero Jesse Quick.

The Punisher and The Shadow

Marvel has once again retooled their Thunderbolts title and I am surprised to see The Punisher in the line up, alongside Red Hulk, Deadpool, Electra and Venom.  Sure Frank Castle has crossed paths with many other characters in his career, but this is the first time I have seen him become a full fledged team member.  Don't get me wrong, the team that has been assembled here sounds like it will be interesting to follow, but The Punisher joining a super group seems crazy to me, even a hard edged group like this one.  I hope that Writer Daniel way comes up with a plausible reason for his inclusion, because nothing in Frank Castle's past appearances suggests that he was much of a joiner.