Atom and The Wasp in: "Behind the 8-Ball!"

 

I love the Gil Kane-designed costume for The Atom.  Recent appearances of Ray Palmer have him sporting a new suit, but nothing compares to the classic original look for me.

The Atom and The Wasp have shared some previous adventures on the blog - They first crossed paths in STF #216... they fought back an Inch High Insurgency in STF #768... they faced off against The Cannoneer in STF #1646... they battled Kang and Chronos with Ant-Man in STF #1844, and are both members of Microforce...

The Quarrymen in: "Welcome To The Second Stone Age!"

 It's been a while since I have featured The Quarrymen, one of this blogs first teams.  Who better to usher in a new Stone Age, after all?

The Flash and Machine Man

 

Now even The Flash's job is being taken over by AI?  I hope that souped up skateboard is fast enough to match his pace!

Triton and The Elongated Man

 

It was only a matter of time before the deadliest underwater  denizen of Earth-STF showed up again.  Let's hope that our heroes are up to the task of turning that evil into a force for good!

Shaman and Johnny Thunder

 

This issue serves to close up a loose STF plot line.   Doctor Fate met Professor X in STF #4321, and the two were merged into one in STF #4322.  I figured that it was time to follow up on that two-parter and get these guys unfused.

Green Lantern and Black Bolt

 

STF's greatest villain is back for his 9th appearance!  Can our heroes trust him, or are they due for a double-cross?  The answers are just 60 cents away...

Man-Wolf and Adam Strange

 

The latest rumors making the rounds say that Adam Strange is coming to the DCU, with Will Poulter being considered for the role.  I've long thought that The Character was ripe for live action treatment, so I hope these reports are true.  The Krypton tv series featured Adam Strange as a character, but I'd like to see a version more faithful to the comics.

Wonder Woman and The Champions

 

Bees have always creeped me out. I can only imagine how much worse giant mechanical bees would be.  Hopefully this would turn out to be a buzzworthy issue.

Daredevil and Black Widow Vs. The Rogues

 How would DD and The Widow fare against a half-dozen of The Flash's greatest adversaries?  This is an Acts of Vengeance style crossover battle that I would have loved to have seen. 

The Falcon and The Flash

 

When heroes not only teamed up, but also traded villains, it always made for an exciting story for me. That's a big reason that Acts of Vengeance was one of my favorite crossover tales from Marvel, so many cool possibilities came out of it! I like to use the same concept on my STF covers from time to time, so here's another example.

Captain Universe and Superman

 

Don't get me wrong, I was all for Lana Lang getting a set of super powers so that she could help out Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes - but those Insect Queen abilities where she would transform sections of her body into giant insect parts were kind of gross.  Maybe something more along the lines of what we see here would have been more palatable.

Zatanna and Medusa

 

Medusa has log been a favorite of mine.  She had a unique power set which presents a great visual and she was not simple a female version of an exisitng male character.  I also liked how she was at first presented as a villain, then a hero and finally a regal ruler - it was a cool progression.  She's not used enough in the comics and her live action treatment was insultingly bad.  Let's hope she sees a higher profile on and off the comics' page in the future.

Captain Marvel and She-Hulk

 

I loved the era when Worlds' Finest became a dollar book with a bunch of rotating back up features to go with the regular Superman/Batman team ups.  Probably my favorite was the Shazam back-ups that featured artwork by the great Don Newton.  I've seen the Shazam characters depicted in a very cartoony style as well as realistic and gritty - but in these tales I think that Newton really struck the perfect balance.  Captain Marvel and his supporting cast and villains all looked great. 

Brother Voodoo and The Flash

Joe Giella, whose inks are featured in the cover above, passed away last week, and he leaves behind a storied career. I remember seeing his name on the credits of so many of the Marvel and DC tales in my youth, stories that went on to be the building blocks for their entire respective universes. May he rest in peace and with the knowledge that he helped bring so much enjoyment to the fans over the years.

 

Thor and Elongated Man

 

There may have been characters that I thought were cooler, but the superhero I most identified with as a kid had to be Elongated Man.  He loved having his powers and didn't want to keep his identity a secret. He had red hair and loved a good mystery.  He never became quite as popular as some of the others he shared adventures with.  I even had a brother named Ralph.  I hope James Gunn likes Ralph Dibny too and that he finds a place for him in the DCU.

Spider-Man and the New Teen Titans in: "Carnival Contraband!"

 

When a new team of heroes are introduced, it's always hoped that oat least one new member would become a breakout star.  New Teen Titans introduced us to Cyborg, Raven and Starfire as well as revamping the near-forgotten Beast Boy into Changeling.  All of these new heroes were a hit with fans, not a dud among them.  It really says something about the creativity and talent of Marv Wolfman and George Perez that they were able to create so many lasting characters at one time. 

Spidey previously met The New Teen Titans in STF #767 and the original Teen Titans in STF #619...

Marvel Girl and Elongated Man

 

I'm all for comic book action and angst, but a good story also has to include some mysteries to be solved.  That's why it was so nice to see The Batman featuring so much detective work and also one of the reasons I've always liked Ralph Dibny.  His back-up stories always had him solving crime-related conundrums and were a joy to read.  I highly recommend picking up a copy of Showcase Presents: The Elongated Man if you can still find it in print.

Apocalypse Vs. 4 Famous Co-Stars

 

This cover not only marks the 10th appearance of the Hawkeye/Huntress team, but also the 12th appearance of the Moon Knight/Elongated Man team.  I figured it was time for these two pairings to team up their partnerships. As I mentioned in an earlier comments section, STF #3600 will feature the first time that two team groups created for this blog will be clashing with each other.  After so many covers, Earth-STF continuity is beginning to fold in upon itself!

Adam Strange Vs. The Red Skull

 

Has anyone checked out the new Strange Adventures series by Tom King?  I was wondering if I should pick it up once collected, but King is a very hit or miss writer with me. I quite liked his Mister Miracle work, and have heard nothing but good stuff about his Vision mini series, but I was actively turned off from what I have seen of his writing for Heroes in Crisis and Batman.  Still, I like Adam Strange and Mr. Terrific, so I'd be interested to know if this current series does them justice.

X-Men Vs. Solomon Grundy

So far we have seen a couple of fleeting scenes of Solomon Grundy on Stargirl.  He looks really cool, even if you have to freeze frame the screen just to get a look at him.  I am hoping that we will eventually get a proper scene featuring him in all of is undead glory.  I realize the CGI isn't cheap, but if they can do it for King Shark on The Flash, they should be able to do it for this show.