Iceman and Kid Flash

I always got a kick out of the team up trope in which heroes swapped villains.  Acts of Vengeance was one of my favorite Marvel storylines for that reason back in the day.  I saw that the recent DC KO event had some interesting match ups - Did anyone read that and is it or any of its spin offs worth checking out?

Vigilante Vs. Howard The Duck

 

There was a lot of clutter removal and image extension required on this Howard the Duck splash page before I could add Vigilante into the mix.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

The Human Torch and Batgirl

 

Sometimes there was a cover on the racks that had so much going on that it practically dared you to try an resist picking it up.  Needless to say I had to at least flip through.  The above scenario is just the kind of image that would have had me hooked.

Worf Vs. Wolverine

 

Yes, Chronos has one of the most garish costumes out there.  I'm not sure which era the time villain has visited in which those striped leggings are in fashion.  Still, his mask at least has always looked cool to me and even creeped me out a little as a kid.

Blind Justice in: "When Destiny Calls!"

 

For the second outing featuring this team of sightless heroes, I thought that I would have them run into a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who uses a different type of vision.  But just what does she see in the group's future? Blind Justice first appeared in STF #2290...

Black Goliath and Aquaman

 

Black Goliath's costume screams 70's superhero fashion.  Most of the choices would seem crazy today, But I always kind of liked it.  I enjoyed how he kind of seemed to be daring his opponents to punch him in the gut, that showed confidence!

Blade and Blue Devil

 

I can see Blade taking a look at Dan Cassidy's fangs and being a bit suspicious.  It might be fun to see these two share an adventure.  They are both used to dealing with the supernatural, but go at it with completely different attitudes.

Black Goliath and The Atom

 

Sometimes you don't need big battle sequences if the science is cool enough in a story. It's interesting to see superheroes putting their heads together to solve a problem rather than stop a crime. I can see these two being intrigued in whatever Starro needs their assistance with.

Fantastic Four and Deadman

 

Here's an example of where I had to declutter and complete an image before I could use it.  This awesome great shot of The FF in the Fantasticar was just what I needed, but I had to do some prep work to get it ready.  Here's a peek behind the scenes:

Aquaman and The Shadow

 

My favorite memories of The Shadow do not come from his print or theatrical appearances, but from the classic radio plays featuring the character.  When I was a kid, we had a collection of them that we would pop in and listen to at bedtime.  I'm sure that someone has a bunch of the episodes on Youtube, I'll have to give them a listen again after all these years.

Metamorpho Vs. The Hulk in: "Orb Wars"

 

When I first featured these two together, it was a more quiet and thoughtful adventure in STF #3158.  I figured that it was time they saw a little more action with one another.  This would actually be a decent battle.  Rex Mason's power set could really give old jade jaws a run for his money.

Deathlok and The Creeper

 

These are two awesome characters that never seem to get past the C List.  They are both A-List in my book though.  The Creeper is probably too outlandish for a live action treatment, but James Gunn does like the oddball heroes, so who knows?  Deathlok had a low rent live action appearance on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but the less said about that disappointing attempt, the better.  Let's hope the MCU proper gives him another shot.

Vigilante Vs. Kingpin

 

I have to admit that Freddie Stroma won me over Peacemaker.  At first, I felt his portrayal was a bit too broad, but he leaned into it with such conviction that I had to laugh.  Still, the supporting hero is so far in personality and back story from the Adrian Chase/Vigilante of the comics that I really wish they had just created a whole new character.  That way we could have still had Stroma's amusing antics without having to radically alter a pretty dark and serious ant-hero from the comics.

The Bondsmen in: "Operation: Doomfall!"

 

This cover marks the fifth appearance of The Bondsmen.  Their live action movie was featured in STF #3170, They found themselves in a beastly situation in STF #3050, They had to temporarily replace one of their own in STF #880 and were first introduced in STF #564...

It took a bit of cleaning up of Latveria before I could add in our heroes on this cover.  Here's a peek at the process: 

Superman and Cyclops

 

When The X-Men finally come to the MCU, one of the main things I want to see is a far better treatment of Cyclops.  The previous actors in the role did a fine job, it's just that they were not given much to work with.  Fans want to see Scott Summers as the seasoned field leader we know from the comics rather than a straight man relegated to the background until he is unceremoniously killed off.

Hawkman and Captain Britain

 

I was happy to use an image of Hawkman here by the very talented Lee Weeks.  I was able to pick up an original page of his many years back, and even got to thank him for it at a convention years later, he was incredibly nice and got a kick out of the STF Daredevil/Calvin & Hobbes t-shirt I was wearing. I gave him a business card with the Blog's address on it when he asked where I got the shirt from, so who knows?  Maybe he's checking out this entry right now.

Green Lantern & Green Arrow Vs. The Frightful Four

Warner Bros is taking their sweet time bringing Hal Jordan back to the movies.  There's the long ago announced and slow moving Green Lantern Corps series for HBO Max, but he wont be part of that.  By the time he hits the big screen again, we'll be ready for a new Oliver Queen as well - so why not bring them back together?  I'd be up for a Hard Travelling Heroes movie!

 

The Vision Vs. Cyborg Superman

 

So far on Superman and Lois, we have seen the introductions of John Henry Irons and The Eradicator.  Jordan is quickly gaining powers to become somewhat of a Superboy as well.  Can it be long before we see some version of a Cyborg Superman on the show?  They do seem to be embracing the Death and Return of Superman era of the comics.  It even looked like we were going to get Doomsday, before they pulled a switch and revealed it was Bizarro inside the suit.

The Avengers and The Omega Men

 

I really thought that the Omega Men were going to be the next big thing when they were introduced.  They were launched out of the red hot New teen Titans, after all.  Despite their roster of cool characters, they never really caught on, though - even in later revival attempts.  Maybe starting out as a direct only title hurt their chances of finding a wider audience?  I know I was still only getting my comics from the newsstand when their series was first published.

Adam Strange and Ghost Rider in: "Death Ride From Rann!"

 

Has anybody checked out the current Strange Adventures comic featuring Adam Strange and Mr. Terrific?  I like both of those characters a lot so I was interested in reading it, but some of the previews that I have seen make it look like yet another attempt to do a "grim and gritty" Adam Strange story, which I don't think ever really works.  I prefer Adam as more of a straight up swashbuckler type.  I still may pick up a digital copy once the series is completed and collected.

Adam Strange first met Ghost Rider in STF #3145...