Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Doctor Spectrum Joins The Green Lantern Corps
Geoff Johns is about to wrap up his time as writer of Green Lantern after several years, and it is pretty impressive to look back and see what he has done with the franchise during his tenure. Among the highlights of his run were the revival and redemption of Hal Jordan, the revitalization of most of the GL rogues gallery, two of DC's best crossovers ever (Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night) and the introduction of dozens of new characters from Simon Baz to the Red, Blue, Orange and White Lanterns. Sure, some of the rainbow-lantern corps shenanigans got a little repetitive and the movie adaptation wasn't the home run I was hoping for, but for the most part Johns was the best thing to happen to the Green Lantern franchise in decades. I look forward to his future endeavors and hope that the new creative teams will be able to keep the Corps flying high!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Thanos and Death
Well, Thanos has made the leap to the big screen with the teaser during the end credits of The Avengers, and we know now that it is only a matter of time before he returns to appear in a full feature. But what of Death? I had been hearing of a film project starring the DC/Vertigo star for years with names like Winona Ryder for the lead role, but those plans seem to have gone away. I still think there is a very cool film to be made there - possibly an adaptation of the excellent Death: The High Cost of Living mini-series. Hopefully, that's a project that will find its way beck to the forefront one of these days.
Labels:
DC Comics,
Death,
Endless,
Jim Starlin,
Joe Phillips,
Marvel Comics,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up,
Thanos
Monday, May 20, 2013
Batman and the Outsiders Join The Secret Wars
I had some hope that an ongoing Katana series was going to lead to the introduction of The Outsiders into the New 52, but it doesn't look like that is in the cards just yet. I really loved the original line up of the team as presented by co-creators Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo and it would be great to see them all together again.
Marvel's Secret Wars was a cool comic to read, as we were seeing all of Marvel's biog characters in one sweeping story. These days, Marvel has so many team books and the lines between Avenger, X-Man and solo hero have been blurred so much that seeing all their characters interacting is hardly unique any more. It's going to be hard to recapture some of that earlier magic.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Superboy and Iceman
I was glad to see Shawn Ashmore added to the list of returning actors for X-Men: Days of Future Past. I liked his performance as Iceman in the original trilogy, but by the end of the third film, we only got to see him fully "ice up" for a few seconds. Let's hope that we see a lot more of him in complete head to toe ice action this time around!
Labels:
DC Comics,
Iceman,
Kevin Maguire,
Marvel Comics,
Super-Team Family,
Superboy,
Team Up
Saturday, May 18, 2013
JLA and The Champions / Superman and the FF / JSA and The Hulk
Another hundred milestone deserves another 100-Page Giant! Nick Cardy was far and away my favorite DC cover artist and he really got a chance to show his skills on the various over-sized comics. Cardy would present multiple adventures on a single cover, sometimes having to sell a story with a two-square inch image... and he always pulled it off! I remember seeing ads for some of those comics and promising myself I would track them down. It was always a great feeling when I finally got hold of one of those issues and discovered the stories within.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Silver Surfer Vs. Darth Vader
Continuing from yesterday's tale, we have a story that also hearkens back to STF #40, in which Vader met Galactus. Who says this isn't the swingin' Super-Team age of cohesive continuity?
I think one of the biggest challenges for JJ Abrams' new Star Wars installment will be to find a villain as iconic as Darth Vader. It's going to be hard to top that voice, appearance and air of mystery. Even though he wasn't a comic book character, he was pretty much like a super-villain from the comics for me - he had a costume complete with helmet, gloves and cape, powers and even a secret identity. No wonder I was so fascinated by him as a kid.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Starfire and The Silver Surfer
The Lost Issues has already established a few romances (Wonder Woman and Captain America, Power Man and Power Girl), and I thought I would try for one more. Starfire is passionate enough that I could see her getting through the Surfer's protective surface and into his heart, plus she could freely span the spaceways with him. Of course this is a comic book, where marriages seldom go smoothly, so romance will be quickly replaced with action. In fact this story leads right into tomorrows cover...
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Justice League of America And D-Man
Not everyone who decides to become a superhero would really be cut out for it, so D-Man (or Demolition Man) was a nice change. Here was a guy who clearly aspired to be part of the big leagues, but was always in their shadow. Unfortunately, what began as a fun character eventually took a dark turn. D-Man was shown to be more and more unstable, eventually joining the Revengers, being manipulated into become the new Scourge, and finally killed off. Kind of a depressing end to a character that could have been enjoyable to follow.
Labels:
Chuck Patton,
D-Man,
DC Comics,
Justice League,
Marvel Comics,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Jonah Hex Vs. Man-Thing
There are plenty of cowboy characters in comics, but one has always risen to the top for me, and that's Jonah Hex. Part of it was his cool disfigured look and cranky attitude that made him stand apart from more traditional western stars. Then there was the fact that Hex fit in better with the overall DC Universe, as he was no stranger to time travel or the occasional guest appearance in a superhero title. Finally, he is a character that seems to bring out the best in artists, and always seemed to have very exciting, eye-catching covers. That was true back in the day with masters like Nick Cardy and JL Garcia Lopez, and today we have modern greats like Darwyn Cooke and Jordi Bernet to carry on the tradition.
Labels:
DC Comics,
Gil Kane,
Jonah Hex,
Man-Thing,
Marvel Comics,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up,
Terry Beatty
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Zatanna Vs. Wolverine
I was pretty disappointed by X-Men Origins: Wolverine it was a mess of a film with mutant guest stars thrown in at random and a pretty thin plot line. I had high hopes when I heard that visionary director Darren Aranofsky was going to be helming the second solo Wolverine film, but he later dropped out. James Mangold took over the reins and now I am not sure what to expect. The good news is that The Wolverine appears to be based on the classic mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. The trailer didn't knock my socks off, but it didn't have anything that looked off to me either. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised, and we will finally see the Wolverine film we were hoping for the last time out.
Labels:
Alex Ross,
DC Comics,
Marvel Comics,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up,
Wolverine,
Zatanna
Monday, May 6, 2013
Vibe and Dazzler
I made this cover as a goof on a couple of characters that had the unfortunate timing to try and capitalize on dance crazes just as those fads were ending. Little did I know that before I had a chance to post this, Vibe would actually be revived and given his own ongoing title! I think that's pretty cool, because I have always been of the opinion that any character can be a success if given the right angle. Hopefully, he will meet with more success this time out.
Labels:
Chuck Patton,
Dazzler,
DC Comics,
Marvel Comics,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up,
Vibe
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Blade
I have to admit that I have never seen an episode of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I remember thinking that it would be an ill-fated attempt to adapt a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with. By the time I started hearing a lot of positive buzz on the program, they were already well into the series, and I didn't think I could catch up. Since then I have become a big Joss Whedon fan, and with the advent of Netflix and other streaming video services, it's now easy to finally check out shows that I missed the first time around. I think it is time I put Buffy on the queue and finally see what all the fuss was about.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Blue Beetle and Iron Man
Well, the summer movie season has officially kicked off in style with Iron Man 3. I found the movie to be a big improvement over the second installment, although the first is still my favorite in the trilogy. I really enjoyed the dialogue and the way the film focused on Tony Stark this time around, who has had to share screen time with lots of other colorful characters in his last two film outings. The action was very inventive as well, with three major sequences and a lot of cool new gadgets. Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley seemed to be having a great time in their villainous roles, and they provided some of the more surprising moments. Supporting characters Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts get a little more to do this time around, and Jon Favreau and Gwyneth Paltrow give solid performances. The movie is not perfect - it has a slow first half hour of build up and just not enough of Iron Man in costume. I figured with the head's up display view of the helmet, it wouldn't be an issue, but the movie finds a way to keep Tony out of the suit for much of the running time. I wish that Rhodey had been a little better utilized as well, Don Cheadle does a lot with what he is given, but the character comes out looking like a bit of a chump. Still, those are small nitpicks and should not dissuade you from checking out Marvel's latest cinematic outing. It's very interesting where they leave the characters and I am intrigued to see where they go next.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Calvin and Hobbes and Devil Dinosaur
One of the great things about Calvin and Hobbes was Bill Watterson's ability to illustrate the world of Calvin's imagination. He depicted dinosaurs, alien worlds and homicidal snowmen in such a convincing way that you couldn't blame Calvin for wanting to get lost in them. I imagine that he and Hobbes would be quite intrigued by the idea of a giant red T-Rex.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The New Teen Titans Vs. The Defenders
I'm not sure who I would pick in a battle between these two groups. The Defenders have more experience and raw power, but the Titans work together as a team much better than they do. If the Titans were able to use the Defenders' dysfunction against them, they might just have a fighting chance to take the day. Whoever came out on top, it would be a blast to read about!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Booster Gold and Kang
Time travel in comics and films can be a tricky thing. Each time it is presented as a story element, the laws of time travelling are slightly different. The key is in setting down ground rules for your story and then sticking to them. The Characters presented on this cover are some examples of where the plot device has been used effectively, for action, humor or both. One can only imagine what kind of trouble they would stir up if they all shared an adventure together.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
The Atom Vs. The Punisher
I'm not sure what is going on with The Atom at DC these days, but it's been years since the character has been given a fair shake. Things began to go downhill with the Identity Crisis mini-series where Ray Palmer's ex-wife was revealed to be a murdering psycho. Palmer went into hiding after that and a new younger, hipper Atom - Ryan Choi - was introduced. Just as Choi was gaining some popularity, he was killed off. Palmer returned just in time for one more big DC event, The Blackest Night, and not long after DC revamped their entire line with the New 52. Ray Palmer has popped up out of uniform, but from solicitation images it looked as though Choi would be back as The Atom... but apparently there seems to be an even newer Atom in the Justice League titles, this one a female. It's all very strange and it makes it hard to invest in a character when DC keeps switching identities on us.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Savage Dragon Vs. Daredevil
This week the news hit that Marvel has finally regained the film rights to Daredevil. I am eager to see where they go with the property. They could go with a cinematic reboot, or perhaps a TV series - Daredevil and most of his rogues are street level enough to pull off on a television budget. Whatever route they choose, it will be interesting to see who lands in the role of Matt Murdock. My choice is still Joel Edgertion from Zero Dark Thirty and Warrior.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Darkseid Vs. The Avengers
Darkseid always seemed like he was a Marvel villain to me. Maybe it was because he was created by Jack Kirby, or that he had multiple superhero rivalries rather than be content to have a single super-heroic arch foe, or perhaps it's because the first place he made a real impression on me was the X-Men Vs. The New Teen Titans one shot. Whatever the reason, he is one villain that I think would fit right in with the Marvel Universe, and it would be fun to see what he would do when put up against their greatest heroes.
Labels:
Avengers,
Captain America,
Darkseid,
DC Comics,
Giant Man,
Iron Man,
Jack Kirby,
Marvel Comics,
Rick Jones,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up,
Thor,
Wasp
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Ghost Rider and Evel Knievel in: "Hell on Wheels!"
This was one of my favorite offbeat pairings back in issue #74, so I thought I would give them another go 'round. The last time I had a painted cover, so for this one I went for a more traditional Bronze Age comic vibe. I used to love playing with the Evel Knievel wind-up stunt cycle (the ad from which this Knievel image came) when I was a kid - how cool would a Ghost Rider version of that toy have been?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)



















