Hourman and She-Hulk

 

Just why would a founding JSA member and a gamma-induced Avenger join forces to confront a tyrant on the other side of the galaxy? I'm not sure... but I would have been willing to shell out sixty cents to find out!

The Nuclear Option

 

I've been meaning to put together a nuclear-powered team for a while now, and I'm finally getting around to it.  This cover is dedicated to The Irredeemable Shagg Matthews, Master Podcaster and the biggest Firestorm fan in the world. I was definitely thinking back to my appearance on the Fire And Water Network's Firestorm Fan podcast a few years back as I made this.

The STF 4000th ISSUE BLOCKBUSTER!

Welcome to the 4000th cover for Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues!  When you count the B&B and MTIO covers that I began with, the total comes to 4510 covers.  It's been just about 13 years of daily work, but it's been a fun ride thanks to all of the enthusiasm and support from visitors to the blog. This year was especially nice, with STF: The Lost Issues getting a segment in The Team-Up Companion from TwoMorrows Publishing, quite an honor.  I truly appreciate everyone who stops by to check out my daily covers, especially those who take the time to comment and let me know what they think and offer praise, constructive criticism and suggestions.  The biggest thank you of course must go out to the Patrons of this blog.  Your support has meant the world to me and a huge reason why the blog has lasted so long. 

In addition to the main cover here featuring a meeting between two teams that I have been meaning to get to for years, I've prepared some special features.   You know, it's too bad that legal red tape prevents me from selling any STF-related merchandise on this blog, but it got me thinking.  What are some of the cool STF-Inspired tie-in items that might have appeared over the years?  Let's see some of the greatest STF Swag that never existed - but should have!

Your All-New Saturday Line-Up!

I presented some Saturday Morning cartoons as part of the special features in my special features for STF #3000, and I wanted to expand the concept here.  Most of these new shows are based on previous STF adventures:

Adam Strange joined Star Wars in STF #3343...

Shazam met Shazzan in STF #1178...

Dick Tracy hunted Spider-Man in STF #1080...

Johnny Quest and Tintin Shared a two-part tale in STF #186 and STF #187...

and Aquaman and Sub-Mariner have a long history on the blog, they last appeared together with The Defenders in STF #3927, they battled Mer-Mutates in STF #2270, tried to avert war in Issue #1105, faced the sea's wrath back in Issue #751 and starred in my very first STF two-parter in Issue #3 and Issue #4.

That should make for a fun Saturday Morning, but there's no reason you can't get into the STF fun on school days with the...

Scooby-Doo: Marvel Madness Lunch Box!

After School, it's time to relax with a board game, perhaps one that's based on STF's longest running romance:

The Captain America & Wonder Woman Game!

They certainly have a history on this blog - this marks the 30th appearance of the WW/Cap Romance!

If it's a newer game you are looking for, maybe it's time for a round of...

Superman Vs. The Hulk Rock-'Em Sock-'Em Robots!

That's fun, but it's time for something even more advanced:

The Superman and Spider-Man Video Game!

And don't miss out on the fully articulated...

STF Action Figures!

Ah, what could have been.  Maybe such crossovers will never happen but here on the blog I'm going to try to keep on presenting them to you.  Thanks again for visiting and all of the support over the years.  Let the march to STF #5000 begin!

Mister Miracle and Spider-Man

 

We've seen Spider-Man break loose from being trapped through sheer force of strength and will before, but that's got to be pretty tiring, even for a superhero.  He could really use some suit upgrades from Scott Free.  You never know when a hidden lockpick or some of the other 4th World gadget might come in handy.

The Enchantress and 7 Famous Co-Stars

 

As we reach Part Four of this Five-Part Epic, we see what's truly behind the Enchantress' machinations.  Just who is her "dearest" anyway?  Comic fans should recognize that silhouette. Make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

This marks the 14th Appearance of The Power Couple, The 28th Appearance of the WW/Cap romance and the 10th appearance of The Hercules/Vixen romance.

Deathstroke and Black Widow

 

The line up for the Thunderbolts movie has been announced, and with a line up that includes Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, The Contessa, Winter Soldier, USAgent and Ghost, it feels like it will pretty much be a sequel to Black Widow, with a few other characters thrown in.  I would have preferred Marvel started with the Citizen-V led team of masquerading villains from the comics, but it will be interesting to see what is done with this group.

I am always happy to use artwork by the incredible Mike Mckone.  I was fortunate enough to pick up an original page by him several years back:

Jocasta Vs. Amazo

 

Jocasta has a great design and interesting origin and in my opinion is always a welcome addition to any Avengers line up. I'm not sure whether she's hanging with them these days or spending time with Machine Man as she often does.  It's high time she got the spotlight a mini-series of her own.  She's spent decades as a supporting character, let's see how she does as a lead.

Dial "H" For Hero Vs. Taskmaster

The Taskmaster is a character that I would love to see show up in the MCU at some point.  His costume, which looks cool in the comics, might per pretty hard to pull off in live action, though.  Dian "H" For Hero, has always been a fun concept, might be a good candidate for a TV series, no matter which wielder of the H Dial is used.  There's a lot of storytelling potential there.

Hellboy and The Demon

More footage from the Hellboy reboot have been released, and I will say that it was a step up from what I had seen before and that there are definitely some interesting visuals in there.   The brief glimpse of baby Hellboy was a hoot.  I'm still not quite sold on the look of Hellboy himself though, I prefer the make up that Ron Perlman sported. Still, I'll keep an open mind and hopefully this new version will be a pleasant surprise.

Chaselon and Martinex

This cover is a good example of how I sometimes have to add to an image to make a cover work.  I don't like to do it if I don't have to, and when I do, I try only to add what the original artist might have anyway to maintain the integrity of the art.  In this case I was trying to find a usable image of Chaselon, but there aren't a whole lot out there.  Still, I love the character and wanted to use him again, so I found an image that I could build on to.  it took some cutting and pasting and use of the clone stamp and color change tools, but I got it to work.

Doctor Fate and Shaman

So who owns the cinematic rights to the members of Alpha Flight?  Marvel is going to be looking for more heroes to spotlight in their Phase Three move [plans, so they would be a natural choice.  Then again, they began as a spin off from a story in Uncanny X-Men, so maybe they are part of the property that Fox holds - in which case I wonder why they haven't used them yet.  Hopefully some studio will eventually bring them to the big screen.

The Fantastic Four Vs. The Crime Syndicate in: "Crisis at the Baxter Building!"

I'm not sure what to make of plans for a new Fantastic Four movie told from the point of view of Franklin and Valeria Richards.  I can understand the need for a fresh take after the previous cinematic attempts, but is that what fans really want to see?  Rumors of a solo Doctor Doom origin film are equally head scratching.  If they really don't know what to do with the materiel, I wish they would just relinquish control.

It was about time that the FF try and retake the Baxter Building.  The Syndicate took it over back in STF #1851...

Hawk and Dove Vs. Deadpool

I was interested to hear that brothers Donald and Steven Glover are going to bring an animated Deadpool series to FXX.  Not much more is known about the show, but they certainly have the comedy chops necessary for The Merc With a Mouth, so I will definitely be keeping my eye out for this one.

Booster Gold and Spider-Man 2099

Watching the episodes of Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold that feature Booster Gold really remind me how fun the character is.  With all the recent DC movie announcements being Batman-related, I hope they haven't forgotten about a Booster Gold (or is that Booster/Blue Beetle?) movie, as he has a ton of potential to deliver a fun superhero romp.

Hawk & Dove and The Punisher

I've lost track of where Hawk & Dove are in the DCU these days.  I remember them having a big role in the Blackest Night/Brightest Day event from a few years back, but haven't read much about them since.  The new Titans series seems to be an appropriate place to make a rebirth of their own, if it hasn't happened already.

Cyborg Vs. Ultron

I really want the DC movies to succeed, but they seem to be impatient about bringing their characters to the big screen in some cases.  The JLA other than Wonder Woman really felt shoehorned into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and having Cyborg as a founding member of the team feels rushed as well.  Now it seems that Black Adam will get a solo film, possibly before he appears in the already announced movie with Shazam.  Marvel seems to have had a lot more patience with the way they have rolled out their characters, and it has clearly worked well for them.

Zatanna and Magik

I remember picking up the Magik mini-series because it was X-Men related and really digging it.  I have always enjoyed the relationships between Illyana Rasputin and her brother Colossus, as well as best friend Kitty Pride.   Here's hoping that she will be part of the in-development New Mutants film.

Iron Man and The Justice League of America

I always wondered about the decision to put the Justice League in a cave as their first headquarters.  I mean, that kind of locale made sense for batman, given his motif and its location under his mansion, but a gathering of the greatest superheroes on earth seemed to demand something a bit less rustic.  I found the satellite to be a much more suitable gathering place (and I still miss it).

Iceman and Robin in "Cold Case!"

The first time that I paired Iceman and Robin together, I used Dick Grayson, and more than one person pointed out to me that Tim Drake might have offered more story opportunities because of the shared last name.  What can I say, I have to agree, so here's a cover to remedy the situation!

Colossal Boy and Giant-Man

After the success of Ant-Man in theaters, the next question is, when will we see Giant-Man on the big screen.  The seeds were definitely planted, and I even half expected Scott Lang to grow by the end of the film, or maybe in a post-credits scene.  We know he will be in Captain America: Civil War, but with Marvel prefer to save such a big character moment for an Ant-Man sequel?  My guess is yes.