E-Man and Wildfire

 

This is another cover that required some background building before I could add in new elements. Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Huntress and Hawkeye (Vs. Mr. Universe!)

 

for the 14th appearance of the Hawkeye/Huntress siblings, I thought that I would put them up against STF's recurring villain, Mr. Universe!  It looks like family drama will play a role in this confrontation as well, let's hope Hawkeye has packed some great trick arrows in his quiver.

The Totalitarians (Vs. Mr. Universe!)

 

It was only a matter of time before STF's greatest villain went up against STF's most powerful villain team.  Is this incarnation of the cosmos infused menace strong enough to take them down?  It would be fun to find out!

Doom Patrol and The Defenders in: "It's All in the Timing!"

 

I definitely think that these two teams go well together.  The Doom Patrol and The Defenders previously met in STF #3588.  The Patrol has also separately run into the Hulk in STF #2976 and Namor in STF #4344.  

The Thing and Batman in: "March Of The Monster Men!"

 

Batman and The Thing are my favorite characters from from DC and Marvel, and they have met before in other Lost Issues -  They were trapped in the Microverse in STF #4192, They quarreled over Aunt Petunia in STF #3322... They had a boxing match in STF #2455... They faced a fiery situation in STF #554... They topped off an Anniversary Issue in STF #500... before that, They battled the Riddler/Trapster team... earlier, The Thing discovered the Bat Cave... and was handed control of The Outsiders... not to mention This Whole Blog... and finally, they first appeared together in one of my earliest covers...

The Nuclear Option

 

I've been meaning to put together a nuclear-powered team for a while now, and I'm finally getting around to it.  This cover is dedicated to The Irredeemable Shagg Matthews, Master Podcaster and the biggest Firestorm fan in the world. I was definitely thinking back to my appearance on the Fire And Water Network's Firestorm Fan podcast a few years back as I made this.

Edna Mode and 4 Famous Co-Stars

 

If you are going to wear a big initial on your costume, just be sure you are aware of who you are standing next to!  Let's hope these guys can get some fashion tips from superherodom's top designer!

Human Torch and Metamorpho

 

As I had hoped, Metamorpho will be getting a push now that he will be getting his live action debut in the upcoming Superman movie. DC Comics has announced the first ongoing Metamorpho comic in decades.  Let's hope it can reach the heights of the Bob Haney/Ramona Fradon classic series.

Elongated Man and The Falcon

 

Stilt-Man was always a goofy villain, but he did make for some really fun visuals.  It was interesting to see the artistic choices used to depict his action, with some extreme bird-eye and worm's eye views.  He and Elongated man tangled once before on the blog in STF #3897...

The Hulk and Two-Face

 

Here's a cover where the final product looks rather simple, but required a lot of background de-cluttering, extending and rebuilding before I could replace Batman with The Hulk.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes process:

The Rocket Pack in: "The Fuse is Lit!"

 

The Rocket Pack first appeared in STF #3760, and as soon as I made the cover I realized there was antoher hero that I wanted to add.  I liked Kurt Busiek's Power Company comic for DC back in the day, though it did not last very long.  My favorite character in that series was Skyrocket.  It's too bad she has only made a couple of small cameo appearances since that series ended.  I felt like she had a lot of potential, and I liked that she was not just a female version of a previously existing male character.

Blue Beetle and The Punisher

 Here's another unlikely pairing.  I can't really seen these two working together unless presented with a scenario like the one above.  It might be interesting to see how their different attitudes and crimefighting styles clash when they find themselves battling side by side.  

Mr. Terrific and E-Man

 

James Gunn seems to like Tweeting images that hint at his DC plans and one that really got fans talking was of Mr. Terrific.  Hopefully this means we'll be seeing Michael Holt on the big screen.  Hopefully with his team The Terrifics, that way we'll get Phantom Girl, Metamorpho and Plastic Man as well.

Green Lantern and The Vision in: "The Mad March of Mister Universe!"

 

The last I read about the ever-changing Green Lantern show on HBO Max is that is was being retooled into a John Stewart focused series.  I don't know if that is still the case now that James Gunn and Peter Safran have been tasked with charting out a 10-year interconnected plan for the DCU.  Hopefully when everything shakes out, John, Hal and the rest of the Corps will have places of prominence.

The Vision met up with Hal Jordan in STF #607, and then with a couple of co-stars in STF #3019...

The Rocket Pack

 

It wasn't released publicly, but the descriptions of a teaser trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that was shown at Comicon have been making the rounds.  It sounds like Rocket Raccoon's origins will be a central focus of the film.  As this will be James Gunn's final outing as director and the last appearance of this team of Guardians, there's no telling where the story will go, or who will still be around once it's done. I do hope that Rocket survives to be featured in future Marvel projects.

Green Lantern Vs. The Mandarin

 

This is another match up that I have been meaning to get to for a while.  It just seems like a natural, given that they each rely on rings of incredible power.  I was glad that Marvel gave The Mandarin another chance after the fake-out in Iron Man 3.  His motivation and back-story in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made for one of their most effecive MCU villains yet.

Space Ghost Vs. Sinestro

 

I'm still hoping to see something new done with Space Ghost on the big or small screen.  Space Ghost: Coats to Coast was fun, but I am ready for a more serious depiction of the space faring adventurer.  DC's excellent Future Quest miniseries a few years back was a perfect template for a shared Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe.  I'd love to see some step taken to translate that to the movies or perhaps some new animated shows.  These characters are too cool to be left on the shelf.

Doctor Strange and The Legion of Super-Heroes

 

Here's another cover that comes about as a result of a conversation in the comments section of this blog. Thanks for the idea, Emsley Wyatt! I figured this would be a somewhat cluttered cover, and it is - but I managed to get everyone in there.  Let's just hope that Doctor Strange is a bit more careful with his spell casting than he is in Spider-Man: No Way Home!

The Falcon and Black Lightning in: "Surviving the Merge!"

 

I was glad to see Cress Williams suit up one more time as Black Lightning on The Flash a couple of weeks back, but unfortunately, he was not given very much to do in the episode.  Let's hope that DC and Warner Bros realize the value of the character and find a way to bring him into the DCEU. I'd have him heading up a proper team of Outsiders (a concept teased in the CW show and Young Justice animated series that never really materialized in either instance), but those studio executives never consult me.

These two heroes previously met in STF #2239...

Doctor Spectrum Vs. Star Sapphire (Part One)

 

Presenting Part One of a Two Part Epic!  Thank you to Ken Roskos, a Patron of this Blog, for suggesting this match-up.  It's too bad we never got to see Blake Lively transform into Star Sapphire in a Green Lantern sequel. Oh well, maybe the villainess will appear in the HBO Max GLC series. Come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!