The New Warriors and Swamp Thing

 

There have been rumors of a James Mangold directed Swamp Thing movie for a while now.  Apparently, while it has been put on the back burner for the time being, it is still in development.  Previous live action attempts with the character have not been able to strike a chord with audiences, but I still feel that there is a lot of potential with the right script and director. Here's hoping Mangold's vision finally gets realized and hits the big screen.

THE STF 5000th ISSUE CELEBRATION!

Welcome to the 5000th issue of STF: The Lost issues!  Many of the covers presented here have not only crossed over characters from different companies, but from different timelines as well.  There has been speculation that these encounters were the result of an ongoing war between a pair of time tyrants.  As you can see above, the rumors are true!

When you count the B&B and MTIO covers that preceded STF, I have posted 5510 covers so far.  Needless to say, I have never used AI to create them and never and I never will - all I need is Photoshop and the inspiration and encouragement from visitors to this blog!

Time for some Special Features!  First up, let's take a look at larger versions of the stories presented here:

An All-New Saturday Morning Line-Up!  I'd definitely get up early to catch these STF-Inspired shows:

Now for some STF-Related merchandise.  There have been some cool playsets for comic book fans, but what would have been great was one that combined the two greatest superhero teams:

Or How about a Playset featuring one of STF's oldest teams - Robo-Force?

STF: The Lost Issues generally features pre-existing characters, but I have created a few for the blog.  Here are Action Figures for a couple of them.  First up, from a trio of Dick Tracy/Rocketeer team ups, is that unfortunate informant that everyone in the underworld wants to off - Rats McTattler!

And what young fan of STF: The Lost Issues wouldn't want an action figure of its greatest recurring villain - Mr. Universe!

Time to kick back with a classic board game - How about one featuring the two most popular characters from DC and Marvel?

And for younger kids, here's a Colorforms Set that combines heroes from DC and Marvel:

And with that, we close out another Mega-Anniversary Issue.  Thank you to all of the visitors over the years, especially the Patrons, who have help keep this blog running for over 15years of daily covers! If you would like to support the blog you can join them here.  Make sure you come back tomorrow and every day, there are lots more covers coming - featuring surprising new team ups, new and returning teams, characters making their STF Debuts, and more!   

Robin and The New Warriors

 

This is another cover which required a lot of de-cluttering and extension before I could add in any new elements.  Here is a look at the behind the scenes process: 

Sub-Mariner, Stingray & Namorita meet The Teen Titans

 

Namorita joined the Teen Titans back in STF #1714, and the team previously crossed paths with her and her cousin, The Sub-Mariner and back in STF #2648.  I figured that the third part in this ongoing saga should involve a third sea-faring guest star, and that was an opportunity to use the always cool Stingray.

The Legion of Super-Heroes and The New Warriors

 

Well, this certainly looks like it will be a crowded issue.  Let's hope that the LSH and their time traveling visitors can stop tripping over each other long enough to face of against whatever threat has brought them together!

The New Warriors Vs. Darkseid

 

Marvel seems intent on bringing the Young Avengers to the MCU.  That's all good and well, but these guys are the teen Marvel team that I'd really like to see join the fun.  I think their series sold a lot better than any of the Young Avengers titles, after all.

Starfire and Namorita

 I've seen too many awesome cosplays of Starfire to believe that the version on the streaming Titans series is the best that they could have given us.  James Gunn professes to be a fan of the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans years, so let's hope we see a more comics' accurate version on the big screen somewhere down the line.  After Namor's cinematic debut, I don't hold out much hope for Namoritia receiving a faithful portrayal.

The Teen Titans Vs. Sub-Mariner

It looks like Marvel Studios will have the biggest presentation at next week's Comicon.  We will finally hear some of what they have planned for Phase Four of their cinematic universe.  Dare I hope that Namor is in the mix somewhere?  Titans will also be having a presentation for their second season on DC's streaming service, hopefully there will be some footage of new members joining the team (or the series at least).

Regular followers of this blog may remember that Namorita joined the Teen Titans in STF #1714...

Namorita and Aqualad

One of the reasons I liked when Garth changed from Aqualad to Tempest was that he had long grown out of his original costume.  It looked fine in the old comics when he was portrayed as a young kid, but as the Titans aged, it started to make him look a bit silly.

Mera and Namorita in: "Exiled... From Atlantis!"

Mera may have only made a brief appearance in Justice League, but she had the best and most comics accurate looking costume in the film. I look forward to seeing her really get a chance to shine once Aquaman's solo movie hits the theaters.  Her water based abilities looked cool onscreen and I am sure that director James Wan will present some amazing visuals with them.

Mera and Namorita first crossed paths in STF #1264...

Namorita Joins The Teen Titans

It's cool to see dc with a Titans title featuring the classic members of the team again. I was worried that there would be no place for them, with their mentors still in operation and a whole new crop of Teen Titans to take their place.  Fortunately DC Rebirth recognized the value and fan base that comes with these characters and have given them a chance to shine again.

Aquaman and Namorita

As much of a bomb Waterworld turned out to be, I remember a few moments that stood out to me.  Watching Kevin Costner speed-swim or come leaping out of the water made me think that with a few years of technical advancements, an Aquaman or Sub-Mariner film could be pulled off.  Well, decades have passed and nobody has tried it yet.  DC's upcoming Aquaman film will be the first to attempt an undersea superhero and if they can pull it off, it will be unlike any action picture before it.

Mera & Namorita

Mera is the next big DC casting that I am really curious about.  It's hard to imagine that the character will not  be part of the Aquaman film, and DC will certainly want another  heroine aside from Wonder Woman to help populate their cinematic universe.  Perhaps Jessica Chastain would work well in the role?

Batman and The New Warriors

When the New Warriors first appeared, I wondered why it had taken Marvel so long to put together a team like theirs.  There had not been a team of non-mutant teenage heroes since The Young Allies in the golden age (OK, they did have Power Pack, but that group was pre-teen).  I think the Success of DC's New Teen Titans at the time encouraged them to give the concept a try.  The formula must have worked for Marvel, as we have seen teen groups The Runaways, Young Avengers and The Future Foundation follow in their wake. The New Warriors was the first though, and it would be nice to see them make a return.  They have never seemed to quite recover form the destruction of the group in Marvel's Civil War event.  There have been a few attempts to relaunch a New Warriors comic, but nothing has stuck yet.  The original team had an interesting roster of characters, and hopefully we will see a more permanent return soon.