The Light Brigade in: "To Save the Shadow-Thief!"

 

For this, the fifth appearance of The Light Brigade, I thought I would include one of my all time favorite villains.  His simple concept and look really appealed to me as a kid, and it didn't hurt that I first saw him illustrated by the legendary Joe Kubert.

The Light Brigade Vs. Dark Matter (and more!)

 

Since the timing for a new Team Cover coincides with an Anniversary Issue, I thought that it was only fitting that I had two STF teams facing off against one another.  Combining the 4th appearance of The Light Brigade with the 3rd appearance of Dark Matter seemed like natural choices given their opposite natures and the Cloak & Dagger connection.  For the back-up tale, I finally teamed Batman with comics' first character, something I have been meaning to do for years.

The Light Brigade in: "Illuminating Evil!"

I'm hoping that we get a full trailer soon for WandaVision.  Despite delays, the series is still set to debut on Disney+ before the end of the year.  I mostly want to see how Monica Rambeau looks, and if they manage to give her a costume close to her classic appearance from the comics.

This is the Third Appearance of The Light Brigade - they previously battled Blackheart in STF #2690, and first appeared in STF #2170...

The Light Brigade (Vs. Blackheart!)

I was not expecting the adult Monica Rambeau to make her MCU debut until a Captain Marvel sequel, but it won't take that long.  She is scheduled to be a supporting character in the upcoming Disney+ show Wanda Vision.  Will she gain her superhuman abilities in that show?  I hope so, I can't wait to see her using her powers in live action.

The Light Brigade first appeared in STF #2170...

The Light Brigade

Ever since I created Dark Matter, a team that specialized in the use of darkness and shadow, I have been meaning to put together a group of heroes with light-based abilities to balance them out.  It's good to know that these characters are getting more exposure lately.  There have been versions of Doctor Light and The Ray on the DC CW shows, Monica Rambeau is strongly rumored to be appearing in the upcoming Captain Marvel, Dagger has an upcoming series on Freeform, and Lightray will be a part of Ava Duvernay's New Gods film.

The Avengers meet Orion and Lightray

Avengers: Infinity War was originally supposed to have "Part I" in the title, but they decided not to go that route, and will give the 4th film in the franchise its own (for now, mysterious) title.  Does this mean that the new film will be self-contained, without feeling like half of a story?  I can't imagine there won't be at least a couple of cliffhangers. 

Long-time STF visitors know that Darkseid enslaved The Avengers way back in issue #377...

Lightray and Thor

Most of the New Gods stories I've read have revolved around Darkseid, Mr. Miracle or Orion.  I have always thought that Lightray was cool and wanted to learn more about him.  I liked his sunny disposition and power set - he seems like he would fit in quite well with Thor's supporting cast.

Batman and The New Gods

I was a big Mr. Miracle fan when I was a kid but for some reason I just could never get into The New Gods. It was only when Darkseid became more of a line wide villain and started appearing in various titles that I started to get interested on the whole story of New Genesis and Apokolips. Fortunately, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm must have been Fourth World fans because the Kirby characters were featured quite a bit on Superman: The Animated Series and then Justice League Unlimited. It was these animated appearances where I really began to appreciate the whole mythology of the characters.

DC recently killed off all of the New Gods, and now they are going to be reborn in new forms... or something. I'm not sure. I read Final Crisis but Grant Morrison can be confusing at times! Hopefully they will be back soon.