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

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Firehawk and Ben Reilly



When Shagg Matthews suggested this pairing recently, I had to give it a shot.  Not only is Shagg the man behind the always entertaining Firestorm Fan blog - an indispensable site for fans of old flame head and comics in general - and one half of the Fire &Water Podcast,  he is a Patron of STF: The Lost Issues - so how could I refuse? (You can become a Patron as well by visiting here) On top of all that it's just a cool idea!  Ben Reilly developed his own fan following despite being born out of one of the most controversial storylines ever, he even won me over eventually.  Lorraine Reilly never graduated past supporting character status, but I remember liking her appearances in Fury of Firestorm. Maybe we'll see a live action version one day if Legends of Tomorrow is a hit?

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Dr. Fate & Dr. Strange meet Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles




Continued from yesterday's cover, now we know what the Doctors had to journey underground for.  TMNT seems to be enjoying somewhat of a revival due to the latest movie franchise.  I haven't checked out the first one yet - it looked a bit too CGI heavy and I've been burned by Michael Bay movies before.  It did well in the theaters though and  I do like the idea of Stephen Amell as Casey Jones for the sequel, so maybe I wuill give it a shot.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange in: "Salvation in the Sewers!" (Part 1)




The Doctor Strange movie is starting to take shape and more casting has been announced.  With Chewetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo and Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One joining Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange, there is going to be a lot of acting talent on display and I am looking forward to it.  I hope to hear about Wong and Clea casting soon.

Strange and Fate have crossed paths before - in STF #549 they fought side by side, while in STF #30,  they were at odds with one another.

This story is not over, Tune in tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Friday, June 12, 2015

Superman and Thor in "Sins of the Sons!"



Back in Issue #155, I presented a Jor-El and Odin team up and I always wanted to do a sequel - so here it is!

Superman and Thor have of course shared other STF covers:

in Issue #994, they shared an all-Kirby classic...

In Issue #949, they battled Amazo and the Taskmaster...

In Issue #31, they squared off against Mongul...

and they first crossed paths way back in Issue #17.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Swamp Thing and Wolverine



There have been a lot of great artistic interpretations of Wolverine over the years, but for me three rise to the top.  John Byrne's depiction as a member of the X-Men, Frank Miller's introduction of Logan as a solo character, and Barry Windsor-Smith's amazingly intricate artwork on the serialized Weapon X storyline in Marvel Comics Presents.  Seeing a story previously told only in one or two-panel flashback sequences fleshed out so beautifully made a real impression one me.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Animal Man and The Hulk



I was doing some comic inventory today and I came across my run of Animal Man by Grant Morrison and Chas Truog.  This is a series that I really have to pull out of storage and read again - particularly the first 26 issues.  I remember being blown away by the individual issues and becoming increasingly impressed as the series went on and I began to see the overall arc.  It is still my favorite work by Grant Morrison, he was really firing an all cylinders.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Justice League of America and Doc Samson



I see that Marvel is once again going to be introducing an all-new Hulk (latest rumors having Amadeus Cho being the one who transforms).  This might have been exciting news for me a few decades ago, but Marvel has gone to this well a few too many times.  I think I liked it better when the only spin-offs were She-Hulk and Doc Samson.  Old Jade Jaws seemed a little more unique then.

You would think that Batman would have warned his JLA teammates not to consult with Doc Samson, considering how his solo session went.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Wonder Woman and Captain America in "Love at First Newsreel!"



I figured that for this latest installment in the ongoing romance between Wonder Woman and Captain America, I would go back to the beginning where they originally met.  It's always fun looking at old covers from Captain America's original series or Sensation Comics.  There was always so much going on, I can imagine they leaped right off the magazine racks back when they were originally on sale.

Friday, June 5, 2015

The Crime Syndicate Vs. Spider-Man



Long time readers of this blog know that Spider-Man was originally rejected for membership in the JLA, until he was finally invited in last Christmas.  Of course, membership can have it's drawbacks, such as gaining a whole new set of enemies.

The Crime Syndicate is a fun group to read about.  I can tell that writers really enjoy the concept of an evil JLA because their appearances seldom seem to disappoint.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

The Avengers and Guy Gardner



With Loki and Ultron out of the way and Thanos on deck, I have been wondering which Avengers adversaries would I would like to see in future movies.  My first choice was Kang, but apparently his rights are tied up with the Fantastic Four characters, so we shouldn't expect to see him onscreen alongside Earth's Mightiest heroes any time soon.  The Masters of Evil would be great to see - they starred in one of my all-time favorite Avengers epics and would be a nice change of pace from the alien invasion / world domination plots that we have seen thus far.


Monday, June 1, 2015

Guardians of the Galaxy and Adam Strange



The first Guardians of the Galaxy film had Peter Quill's relationship with his mother central to the story line and the second one promises to deal with his as yet unnamed father. James Gunn has said that his parentage will differ from the comic book version, so it will be interesting to see what direction they will go in. I hope they continue with he strong character work because the grounded motivations of the protagonists in the middle of all of the high concept sci-fi craziness was really what made the first film work so well for me.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Dolphin and Marrina



I always wondered why more was not done with Dolphin as a character.  She eventually joined Aquaman's cast as a love interest for Aqualad, but even then she never really made a splash, if you'll pardon the pun.  I remember being kind of intrigued with her as a kid - but maybe that's just because she was a hot chick in cut off jeans and a wet t-shirt.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Green Lantern Vs. The Fantastic Four



When John Byrne jumped from Marvel to DC, it was cool to see him work with so many characters.  One hero that I wish he wad worked with more is Green Lantern.  I enjoyed the GLC showing up in Action Comics during its team-up phase and really liked Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale as well, but I wish he had gotten the chance to work with him on an ongoing series. Byrne always had a knack for designing alien characters and space epics so it would have been a fun read, I bet!

GL and The FF have met before  - the last time it was the FF that were possessed... at least they were working together during their first meeting.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The Flash and Cloak and Dagger



The Flash had its season finale and it was a great capper to a fun season.  The show really stood out among the current superhero crop in that is truly embraced its comic book roots and each episode was packed with guest stars, high concepts, and action.  With the tease of Earth Two and Jay Garrick, I am eagerly looking forward to what the series has in store for its second season.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Batgirl and the Black Widow (The Movie!)



I have enjoyed Scarlett Johansson's performance as The Black Widow in the various Marvel movies that she has appeared in.  She has nice chemistry with all of the large cast and holds her own in the action scenes alongside her super power enhanced costars.  I do wish that she sported at least a slight Russian accent, as that is always how I imagined the character might sound.  Still, for a live action red haired super-heroine, my favorite has to be Yvonne Craig's Batgirl.  I don't think anyone has ever looked as good in a superhero outfit as she did.

Batgirl and Black Widow previously teamed up in a more standard comic adventure.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Green Lantern Vs. Doctor Doom



Alan Scott has always been a favorite character of mine.  I like that he has a power ring, but is separate from the Green Lantern Corps.  I always liked that he ran a radio station and called Gotham his home.  But the main reason I really like him is that he is the one hero that I can think of that is a confirmed southpaw!  As a left handed kid growing up, I definitely took note of which hand he wore his ring on.  Are there any other characters that have been established as being left handed?

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Dawnstar and The Angel



I am expecting Warren Worthington to play a major role in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse movie.  Given his experiences in the comics with the title character - becoming a member of the Four Horsemen, having his wings replaced with metal and becoming Archangel - there is a lot to mine from for memorable cinematic moments.  in X-Men 3, The Angel didn't get much to do, but I don't think that's going to be the case again.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Man-Bat and Gargoyle



When I think of my favorite super-heroes, its interesting how many of them do not fit the standard mold of the square-jawed leading man.  In addition to the two above, some of my personal favorites include Metamorpho, The Thing, The Beast, Swamp-Thing, and Beta-Ray Bill.  While those guys are all certainly heroic, none of them are going to win a beauty contest any time soon.  I think it is probably just that juxtaposition that interested me in those guys in the first place, their monstrous appearances gave them an added depth - and plus they just looked really cool!

Monday, May 18, 2015

The Hulk on Hoth



Wondering where The Hulk flew off to after Avengers: Age of Ultron?  Well, here you go!

The sequel that I have always wanted but never expected to actually see is a thing of reality, and I can't wait to take it in this December.  The teasers for Star Wars, The Force Awakens thus far have shown me precious little of what I really want to see - Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie... but what they have shown has been enough to ramp up my enthusiasm.  I realize that this new trilogy will be about passing the torch to a younger group of protagonists, but I hope that at least for this first installment, the classic Star Wars heroes will be front and center.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Spider-Man and The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents



I have to admit that I have not read any T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comics, but it is a team that has always intrigued me.  They seem to be very much in the classic DC mold and many talented creators such as Wally Wood have contributed to their tales.  The have had a handful of revivals over the years and the latest one looks pretty interesting from the artwork and covers that I have seen.  I'll definitely have to check them out one of these days, I'm just not sure whether to start with the new stuff or the old stuff.

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