It's too bad that anthology comics don't seem to sell well these days, because they were among my favorites growing up. I loved when World's Finest became a dollar comic and would include back-up stories featuring some of my favorite characters that did not have their own solo series. I also really dug Action Comics Weekly, which got me to sample characters that I might not have otherwise, like Wild Dog, Blackhawk or the original Secret Six. Marvel released a bunch of anthologies they called Megazines at one point that I was a fan of as well. All of these titles felt like great values to me, and I'd love to see more of their kind in the current market.
Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2015
The Teen Titans Enter The Marvel Universe (and more!)
It's too bad that anthology comics don't seem to sell well these days, because they were among my favorites growing up. I loved when World's Finest became a dollar comic and would include back-up stories featuring some of my favorite characters that did not have their own solo series. I also really dug Action Comics Weekly, which got me to sample characters that I might not have otherwise, like Wild Dog, Blackhawk or the original Secret Six. Marvel released a bunch of anthologies they called Megazines at one point that I was a fan of as well. All of these titles felt like great values to me, and I'd love to see more of their kind in the current market.
Friday, April 17, 2015
The Joker Vs. The Kingpin
I, like many I am sure, absolutely devoured Netflix' Daredevil series last weekend. It's easily the best live action superhero TV show that I have seen, and I hope that Marvel can keep up this level of quality with their other upcoming shows and future seasons of DD. A high point for me was the casting. Everyone embodies their roles perfectly. Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk was amazing, it was as if the character stepped right out of the comics. I loved that they were able to really delve into his character through childhood flashbacks and his courtship with Vanessa. Hopefully he will show up in some of the other series that Netflix is preparing.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Tiny Titans and Peanuts
A teaser trailer for then upcoming Peanuts animated feature has been released, and I have to say that I like what I see. It appears to be a combination of traditional animation and CGI, and it looks to have the feel and spirit of the characters just right. I hope the whole movie is as enjoyable as what has been shown thus far. Snoopy, Come Home is still a favorite of mine and it would be nice to have another movie to bring Charles Schulz' beloved characters to a new generation of fans.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Howard The Duck Vs. Darth Vader
The one character that the new Fantastic Four reboot has kept under wraps is Doctor Doom, although production images have leaked out that do not fill me with confidence. This looks to be another cinematic outing where the character will not get his due, and that puzzles me. Look at Darth Vader, he's got the cape, armor, attitude and un-moving mask - and is considered to be one of the most iconic and cool villains in cinema history. There really is no reason Doom could not be realized on screen just as effectively.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Power Girl and Power Pack
Power Pack is a fun concept. Pre-teen siblings that become a superhero team is a unique idea that I think has potential in other media. It might be tough to make a film franchise considering how fast children grow and mature, so perhaps an animated series would be a way to go. With Big Hero 6 being a hit for the studio, I think they have the talent to pull off a similar transition with the Power kids.
Monday, April 13, 2015
The Phantom Stranger Joins The Secret Wars
I was a fan of the first Secret Wars series. Sure, the plot was all over the place, but it was fun to see so many Marvel characters sharing one big epic for the first time. So, when it was announced that the sequel would include even more characters from the Marvel Universe I was really looking forward to it. Secret Wars II was pretty wonky though, and the Beyonder himself was tough to take seriously with his Jheri Curl and disco outfits. I must say I did enjoy a lot of the ongoing comic series that had tie-ins to the event though.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Clayface Vs. Sandman
While a very flawed film, Spider-Man 3 did one thing perfectly - the realization of Flint Marko's look and powers (well, until he became the giant Sandman at the end, they kind of lost me there). I'd love to see a movie version of Clayface one of these days. We know the technology is there to make it happen, the question is whether the studio finally starts letting Batman's more outlandish villains appear.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Samurai Jack and Wolverine
Marvel's direct-to video animated offerings have been a mixed bag. I have liked a couple but none have had the re-watchability of many of DC's efforts. One exception to that rule is Hulk Vs. Wolverine/Hulk Vs. Thor. The animation in that double feature seems to be a notch above Marvel's usual standards and both tales are quick paced and fun. It's definitely my favorite animated version of Wolverine to date. I'd love to see a Wolverine tale animated in the Samurai Jack style one of these days.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Martian Manhunter vs. The Hulk
It's an exciting time to be a DC comics fan if you like TV and film adaptations, with so many characters ready to come to life on the big and small screen. My one real disappointment is no mention of J'onn J'onzz in any of the various plans yet. I was kind of hoping The Rock was teasing his casting as The Martian Manhunter for the JLA films, but he will be playing Black Adam instead. DC is certainly giving the character a push, as a new ongoing Martian Manhunter series has been announced, so hopefully that means there is still hope that he is part of their cinematic universe plans. I guess they have to save something for the sequels!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
The JLA & JSA and Captain Marvel
When The Death of Captain Marvel was first released, I didn't live near any place that sold the fancy new Graphic Novel format that it was presented in, so it was a few years before I got my hands on a copy. It was worth the wait. The death of a main character and stories that include dozens of heroes are commonplace now, but back then they were rare enough that it truly felt like a special event worthy of the higher production values. I guess the truest test of the impact that this story had is that Marvel has resisted the urge to return Mar-Vell to life (although they have teased that a couple of times).
Saturday, April 4, 2015
The Creeper and the Beast
It's funny how the era in which you really got into comics can color your perceptions of certain characters. The Beast to me will always be an Avenger foremost in my mind, because that's where I first discovered him. I love his history with the X-Men and his transition from merely having over-sized hands and feet to the blue furred hero I became a fan of, but I must say I have always hoped that he would return to his position as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (not to mention the look he sported in those days, his redesigns haven't done much for me).
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Batgirl and Invisible Girl
The Invisible Girl/Woman was unique among other super-heroines when I was growing up in that she was also a mother. Indeed, it is still a rare trait in comics. For some reason publishers felt that marrying characters or having them become parents would age them too much in their young readers' eyes. It never bothered me as a kid, in fact I thought it was pretty cool that Sue Storm was a mom.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Nightwing and Daughters of the Dragon
With Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist all coming to Netflix, I am surprised that we have not heard about Misty Knight and Colleen Wing as supporting characters on any of the upcoming series. The Daughters of the Dragon have a history with all of those heroes and would fit right in with the tone that Marvel seems to be setting. Let's hope as more information is announced, we'll hear about their involvement in at least one of the shows.
Thanks to Jason Powell for the inspiration for this team up!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Man-Thing Vs. The Spectre
Jim Aparo could draw just about anything, but he really shined on characters and stories that emphasized his excellent use of light and shadow as well as his knack for dramatic pacing. In addition to the moody work he produced for heroes like Aquaman, Batman The Phantom Stranger and The Spectre, I would enjoy the occasional morality tale that he would illustrate for one of DC's horror comics. It would have been great to have seen him take on some of Marvel's more macabre characters like Man-Thing.
Labels:
Bob Wiacek,
DC Comics,
Jim Aparo,
Man-Thing,
Marvel Comics,
spectre,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Dick Tracy and Spider-Man
These two were the stars of my two favorite action comic strips growing up, and I would have loved to have seen some kind of crossover event between them. When I look over those old strips, I am always impressed at how much information that Chester Gould, Stan Lee and Larry Lieber were able to include in 3-4 panels a day. It takes a real skill to work in that medium and Dick Tracy and The Amazing Spider-Man were among the best examples of the form ever.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Wonder Woman and Captain Britain
DC has released images of yet another new costume for Wonder Woman, and while most seem to like it, some have complained about the addition of strange hand spikes and the lack of skin showing. Personally, I think it is a fine look. Wonder Woman is one of those characters that I think would benefit from having multiple costumes anyway, depending on the event. I don't mind when she switches to a skirt or wears a cape or extra armor on occasion. As long as she has the trademark elements - tiara, bracelets, stars, eagle/WW and color scheme - I think it is cool for her to have a bunch of different looks.
Friday, March 27, 2015
The Blue Beetle and Captain America in "I'll Take Manhattan"
Like many kids, Captain America was a favorite character to role-play as because it was easy to use a trash can lid as a stand in for his shield. I got pretty good at hitting targets and deflecting rocks with it, much to the annoyance of my father who just wanted to darn things to fit on then trash cans. Hey, it's not my fault he used cheap aluminum instead of a vibranium alloy!
Cap has also shared an adventure with Dan Garrtet's successor, Ted Kord.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
The Demon and The Thing
With Constantine looking unlikely to return for a second season, it seems as though comic fans will only have Gullermo Del Toro's rumored Dark Universe movie to count on if they want to see DC's more mystical characters in live action. Hollywood seems to love revisiting the King Arthur legend, so an anti-hero like The Demon with ties to that era might be a welcome and unique addition to the silver screen's growing roster of comic book stars.
These two heroes met once before, in an all-Kirby classic during my MTIO period...
Labels:
DC Comics,
John Byrne,
Marvel Comics,
Super-Team Family,
Team Up,
The Demon,
The Thing
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Wonder Woman and Captain America in: "Cheating... with Cheetah!"
Longtime followers of this blog know that from time to time I will revisit team-ups that I have featured before, sometimes presenting them in a new adventure and sometimes continuing off from where I left them last. There is only one real ongoing saga, however - that is the marriage of Captain America and Wonder Woman. This is the 8th cover featuring the official couple of STF and there will definitely be more to come. To make them easier to see all at once, I have listened to a follower request and created a new label that you can click on: WW/Cap.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Hawkman and The Falcon in "Alien Inheritance!"
I loved watching The Falcon in Captain America: the Winter Soldier and I am hoping to see a lot more of him. It sounds like I may get my wish as Anthony Mackie is in the cast list for Avengers: The Age of Ultron and is rumored to also possible be making an appearance in Ant-Man. I thought I might have to wait until Captain America: Civil War to watch him take flight again, but it looks as though there will be some cool Falcon action before then.
These two crossed paths once before, way back in STF #41.
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