The Metal Men and ROM

Mattel recently announced that they are going to open a film division and begin making their own movies based on their various toy lines.  Properties like Barbie, Hot Wheels and Masters of the Universe are being considered for big screen treatment.  I wonder if Parker Brothers would consider taking a look at some of their licenses for movie adaptations.  I don't know if there's an audience for a ROM flick, but I'd sure go see it!

Batman and The Invisible Girl (Vs. Hugo Strange & Dr. Doom)

I've been hoping that Hugo Strange would bet a chance at being that main villain in a Batman movie.  I have enjoyed B.D. Wong's performance in the role on Gotham, and that just makes me want to see the character make the leap to the big screen even more.  Besides being a great psychological antagonist to the Dark Knight, his Monster Men experiments could be a way to bring Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat into the mix as well.

Batman and Invisible Girl first met back in my MS Paint B&B days...

Warriors of Wakanda

Black Panther is of course a key member of The Avengers, but I thought it would be cool if he had his own home-based team as well.  I liked the glimpse of Wakanda that we saw at the end of Captain America: Civil War, and I look forward to seeing that setting explored in the Black Panther solo film.

Mars Attacks Howard the Duck!

I have read a few rumors that Howard the Duck will be showing up again in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.  While still a small role, it should be larger than the post credits cameo that appeared after the first film.  I hope this speculation turns out to be true - I love that Marvel is willing to embrace somie of its more outlandish concepts for their film universe.

The Quarrymen

Back in STF #270, I presented the beginnings of this team.  A few commented that Badrock from Image Comics would fit right in with the group I had assembled, and I have to agree.  So, now with their return appearance, they have added him in as a member,

Finally clear shots of The Thing from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot have been making the rounds, and I am less than impressed.  I was happy to hear that they were going with a CGI Thing this time around because I figured they could make him look just like the comics.  Then design they came up with is way off - His size seems to change from image to image, his face is all wrong, he has too many fingers and for some reason he's not wearing pants in any of the pictures released.

The X-Men Vs. Starro

This was not an easy cover to make.  I know it may just look like heroes lined up but it took a lot of tweaking to get right.  I've been wanting to use Starro again for a while, he is such a great villain.  He has that crazy Silver Age sensibility, but is still creepy enough to entertain modern audiences.  I'd love to see him battle the JLA on the big screen - it would be like Avengers crossed with Aliens!

The Justice Society of America Vs. Galactus

While I am glad that DC is bringing back Earth Two, the solicits are a little different from what I was hoping for.  The emphasis on the big three (Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman) actually has me interested, as they have been out of JSA continuity since the 80's.   I suspect it will only be for the introductory story and will, through sacrifice or otherwise, lead into the team of Wildcat, Green Lantern, Flash and the others.  The Writer, James Robinson, has an impressive JSA resume already and I would be surprised if he stayed away from the larger team for too long.  Still, I would love to see another series set during World War II, when the JSAers were all still new and in their prime.  Hopefully there will be some flashbacks or mini-series with that treatment down the road.

Batman and The Hulk (Gray)

I've loved the Batman and Hulk pairing ever since that great tabloid sized adventure they shared by Len Wein and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, so I thought I would feature an updated version of the story from my retro issue, this time starring the Gray Hulk.  I really enjoyed when Peter David brought back the Hulk in his Gray persona back during his run on the title.  The Hulk can be a tough character to write on an extended basis and this was a nice way to mix things up and avoid repetition.  While the classic green version is still my favorite, it was interesting to read the adventures of this smarter and more devious version for a while.