Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2013

The Avengers and The DNAgents



I started with Avengers #211 as a beginning point for this cover.  I always loved "membership drive" issues in team comics and that issue is probably my favorite.  Who better to join the team (whether the Avengers like it or not) than the DNAgents, a team that intrigued me back in the day but never seemed to break through to the big time.  I thought they were poised to do so with the unofficial team up that they had with DC's New Teen Titans (a thinly disguised team by the name of The RECOMbatants appeared in NTT), but and actual crossover never wound up happening.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Supergirl and Captain Marvel



I had established in an earlier cover the familial relation between these two, and I decided to play around with that concept some more.  There will be future covers dealing with their sisterhood as well.

Ms. Marvel's transition into Captain Marvel and her subsequent costume change works for me.  I can see that Marvel wanted to go for a more movie-friendly costume, but it works for the comics as well.  Hopefully we will see her up on the big screen by the time a third Avengers film rolls around.  I have read rumors that Katee Sackhoff is being considered for the role, and I think that would be perfect casting.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Orion Vs. The Hulk



Here are a couple of guys who each have warring sides to their personalities that they must contend with every day, and that might make for an interesting team up.  They are both Jack Kirby designs as well, and their adventures revolve around super science as much as brute force.  Yeah, I think these two would find that they have plenty of common ground - once they stopped beating the snot out of one another!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Green Lantern and Captain Marvel



I have to believe that if these two shared a common universe, they would be crossing paths all the time.  That is of course, if they were both alive - as each has had a prominent death depicted in the comics.  Hal Jordan was eventually revived and given a second chance.  He went on to gain more popularity than ever, and I still hold out hope that Mar-Vell will be given a similar opportunity to shine again one of these days.

Monday, September 9, 2013

John Constantine: Hellblazer and Doctor Strange



I remember being amused that Sting from the band The Police was suddenly a supporting character in during Alan Moore's now classic Swamp Thing run.  Well, not really, but John Constantine was certainly illustrated to look like the famous rocker. I was surprised at how quickly the character became a fan favorite, soon getting his own series and helping to define the whole Vertigo imprint.  Constantine is back to being immersed in the mainstream DCU, which is probably a turnoff to some, but I have to admit I like how he interacts with some of the more mainstream heroes.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Superman and Ego: The Living Planet



The stories from Superman's Silver Age could sometimes be a bit hokey, but they were filled with such creativity and high concept ideas I couldn't help but get a kick out of them.  I get that writers want to modernize Superman and give him a more serious edge these days, but I hope they don't completely get rid of the whimsy or "anything can happen" attitude of some of his earlier adventures.  Writers like Grant Morrison and Alan Moore have done a good job showcasing both sides of the character, and I think that's one reason why their interpretations have been so popular.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Metamorpho and Warlock



I wanted to include a couple more of my favorite ugly characters, so I made this adventure a two parter.  I could have extended it even more though, because the list of hideous yet heroic characters is quite long,  I have always liked the concept, I think it speaks to the outcast in all of us - that outward appearances matter only so much, it's what's in your heart and your actions that truly make up who you are. Plus, most of them just look so darn cool!  Of course, Rex is a victim of the New 52, and hasn't appeared since the reboot.  Not in the comics anyway, he did appear on an episode of "Beware the Batman", which gave me a spark of hope that DC is not done with "the freak who never fails" yet...

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The Elongated Man and Mr. Fantastic



Stretching can often be seen as one of the goofier powers, so I am glad that emphasis was also put on the intellect of these two heroes.  Reed Richards of course is one of the most brilliant minds in the Marvel Universe.  Even without his cosmic ray induced abilities, his ability for invention would probably still keep him in the middle of plenty of super-heroic adventures.  Ralph Dibny is definitely a lighter character, but his nose for mystery and investigative skills give him a bit more of an edge.  I always liked it when he was in a JLA story without Batman and had to step up as the detective of the group.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Bullseye Vs. Deadshot



I created a Deadshot Vs. Bullseye cover as one of my earliest "villain battle" covers, and I thought that I would revisit the pairing, this time flipping the tables and giving Bullseye the upper hand.  Deadshot has become one of DC's better defined villains through the writing of John Ostrander and Gail Simone in the pages of Suicide Squad, Secret Six and his own mini-series.  He has made a few appearances in other media (Batman: Gotham Knight and Arrow), but those appearances did not really depict the character as we know him fom the comics.  Hopefully he will get another shot to break out of the comics pages.  Bullseye was famously brought to life by Colin Ferrel, but that was more of a campy depiction than I was hoping for.   Daredevil as a film property is back in Marvel's hands, so I have confidence that we will see a more faithful portrayal should they use Bullseye again.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Spider-Man and Judge Dredd



While the new Dredd film didn't set the box office charts on fire, it was still certainly better received than the Stallone summer blockbuster attempt from 1995.  There is still a talk of a sequel, if they can get the budgeting to work and if they can get star Karl Urban to shoot it while he isn't busy with his new TV series.  I hope this comes to pass because I liked the Clint Eastwood type of attitude he brought to the role.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

The Huntress and Hawkeye



I was a bit disappointed in the portrayal of The Huntress on Arrow, she did not come off as very heroic to me.  Hopefully future appearances will help to redeem her character.  Hawkeye was the only hero in the Avengers movie that I felt did not get a chance to shine.  He spent the first two thirds under a spell and by the time he saw action, he kind of got lost in the midst of all the other big guns.  Joss Whedon has promised to make up for this in Avengers: The Age of Ultron, and give Clint Barton a far more active role.  It will be great to see him in the spotlight... now if we could just do something about that boring movie costume...

Friday, August 30, 2013

Magnus: Robot Fighter Vs. Magneto



It is going to be interesting to see Magneto played by both Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellan in next summer's X-Men: Days of Future Past.  McKellan was too old for the part even in the first X-Men film, but I liked his interpretation enough that I was able to overlook that.  I thought Fassbender did a great job in X-Men: First Class, and he had the physique and presence to closer emulate the character from the comics.  The sequel looks to be quite different from the DOFP comic storyline, so who knows where Magneto will wind up by the end of the time-bending tale.  Will Bryan Singer bring things around to reflect the comics more, or will the franchise continue to stake out it's own wonky continuity?  I guess we will all find out next year.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Justice League of America and The Silver Surfer



There aren't a lot of Marvel Heroes that could give the JLA a run for their money, but I think The Surfer has enough raw power to really do some damage.  This would especially be the case if he took them by surprise and they were not aware of his ability.  It's easy to underestimate a naked guy on a surfboard, after all. Anyway, it would be a fun battle up until the point where they realize it was all based on a crazy misunderstanding and decided to unite against the real villain.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Captain America and Stargirl



I first became aware of Darwyn Cooke when I read that he was behind the awesome opening title sequence for the Batman Beyond cartoon.  So when I saw that he was going to be writing and illustrating some DC comics, I was very interested to see how they would look.  I was blown away with the cinematic feel of his stories - reading comics like Batman: Ego was like looking at the coolest storyboards ever.  Then of course, there's DC: The New Frontier, where he really got a chance to flex his superhero muscles.  He's great as moody noirish tales as well, as can be seen with his work on Parker for IDW.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Batman and The Thing (And More!)



For the 500th issue, I thought I would go back to my roots and feature the two original stars of this blog.  It's no secret why I focused on Batman and Thing-centric team ups  early on, as they are my favorite characters from each company.

Well, Batman has been on the news plenty this week with word that Ben Affleck would be taking over the cowl for the Man of Steel Sequel and potential other films.  I don't have the instant hate that many do for Affleck and I an cautiously optimistic to see what he will do with the role.  He is one of my favorite current directors - I love all three of his films - so the idea that he may go on to direct a solo Batman film down the road has me intrigued, I think he is a great choice for that.  He hasn't done a big effects heavy film yet though, so I don't know if he would be a perfect fit to direct the inevitable JLA film.  I actually didn't mind him as Daredevil, the problems with that film were with the rest of the casting, script and direction... and besides, that was a decade ago, his recent performances have shown him grow as an actor.  At any rate, I am ready for a new incarnation of Batman - this time with more emphasis on the detective aspects, and with a better costume (and one that doesn't retire every time he has a bad day).

The Thing is due to return in a FF reboot as well, but nothing I have heard about that film, from casting to direction, gives me much confidence yet.  Hopefully he will at least be created with CG this time around.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

The Crimson Avenger and Daredevil



I was aware of the Crimson Avenger from his appearances as part of The Seven Soldiers of Victory, but I really became a fan when I read the back-up story in DC Comics Presents #38, "Whatever Happened to the Crimson Avenger?", by Len Wein.  It's a great tale about heroism and self sacrifice, and it made me want to seek out other stories starring the red-suited hero. I must not have been the only reader to feel that way, because DC put together a 4-issue Crimson Avenger mini-series not too long afterwards, something I never thought that I would see.

Friday, August 23, 2013

The New Teen Titans and Nova



Stan Lee expertly blended the trials and tribulations of teenage life with slam bang superhero action in his groundbreaking work on The Amazing Spider-Man and that has been a recipe for successful comics ever since.  Marvel has used it well in titles like Nova, New Mutants, and New Warriors.  DC's New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez was one of the best examples of the formula.  The first 50 issues of that title have stood the test of time, and are still fondly remembered today.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Hotheads



It was quickly apparent when assembling this team that writers like to give fire-based characters pretty combustible attitudes as well - it seemed to be a common trait.  I figure the more of these guys that you put in a story together, the more chance for conflict there would be, and that could make fore quite an interesting adventure, despite their similar power sets.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Batman and Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos



Now this is how Dark Knight Rises should have ended!  There have been reports that Warner Brothers is trying to woo Christian Bale back to play Batman in the Man of Steel sequel with ungodly amounts of money.  While it would be cool to see Bale and Henry Cavill together at the World's Finest heroes, tying Man of Steel into the Dark Knight trilogy will raise a lot of questions.  For instance, where was Clark when Gotham City was held under siege for months on end? Not to mention how Wayne is even back when he gave his fortune and mantle to another. It's probably best to begin anew with a fresh Gotham and a younger Batman.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Captain Marvel and Captain America



When you count all of the Lost B&B and Lost MTIO covers, this marks my 1,000th cover on the blog.  Yikes, when I began fiddling with paint a few years ago to make a Batman and Martian Manhunter team-up, in never expected it to snowball into this!  Well, hopefully I haven't worn out my welcome, because I still have some lost adventures that I want to share...

I have been meaning to do a golden-age meeting of the Captains for a while and I am glad that I finally got to it.  On the surface, these characters may not have a ton in common, but I think that Captain America would appreciate the earnestness of Billy Batson and they could make for an effective fighting pair.  Plus, who wouldn't want to see the Big  Red Cheese lay the smack down on The Red Skull, or Cap knock his shield upside Sivana's bulbous head?

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