The Flash Vs. The Red Skull

 

I'm not sure what type of mystical shenanigans that the Red Skull has gotten into to give him the edge over two Flashes, but it would be interesting to find out.  And then, it would be entertaining to watch Jay and Barry give him his comeuppance.

Superman Vs. The Red Skull

 

The promotional materials for the new Superman movie should be ramping up soon with the release date getting closer.  I am looking forward to seeing a full trailer, but who am I kidding, I'm already sold by the teaser (and honestly, they had me at Metamorpho) - maybe I should skip it to avoid spoilers?  Who am I kidding again, I know I won't be able to resist watching!

Captain Marvel Jr. and Bucky in: "Bunker Busters!"

 Freddy Freeman previously met Bucky Barnes in STF #2934, and I thought that I would revisit this pairing.  This time out, they have the despicable Red Skull to contend with.

Justice League of America Vs. Marvel Villains

 

For this Anniversary Issues, I thought I would go for a full issue throwdown between DC's brightest and Marvel's most vile.  You see the match ups here - do the world's greatest super-heroes stand a chance?

The Spectre Vs. Red Skull

 

It would be a satisfying read to see The Spectre lay the smack down on The Red Skull.  Still, with the Cube in his possession, the Skull may not go down all that quickly.  I'd like to see how this conflict plays out.

The Demon and The Invaders

 

They say that war is Hell, after all - so why wouldn't Jack Kirby's demonic creation get caught up in an Invaders mission?

This cover required a bit of prep work before I could add Etrigan into the mix.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

The Human Bomb Vs. The Red Skull

 

This could be a two-panel comic book and I'd probably still find it satisfying to read. Roy Lincoln may not have had the flashiest superhero costume around, but he certainly knew how to get the job done!

Dr. Fate Vs. The Red Skull

 

This is definitely a match up that I would like to see, if only to see Fate open up a can of whoopass on the Skull by the end of the tale.

I am glad to use a Red Skull image hereby the very talented Ron Garney.  I was lucky enough to pick up an original page by him several years back:

Atomic Skull Vs. Red Skull

 

The Atomic Skull may have one of the goofiest villain costumes in comics (he later got a cool upgrade that was perhaps a bit too close to Ghost Rider's look), and may have never left the C-List of Superman Rogues... but I've always really liked the character.  Despite his appearance, he's appeared in some pretty fun stories.

The Unknown Soldier Vs. The Red Skull

 

Ross Marquand did such a good job taking over from Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull, that I wouldn't mind seeing the villain return to the MCU.  Who knows how that can happen, but with Kang causing timeline havoc for the next few years, anything is possible.   It might be cool seeing Sam Wilson clash with The Red Skull in the recently announced Captain America: New World Order.

Miss America and Miss America

 

This is a pairing that I have been meaning to get to for years, and what better day to do so than today? I hope all of my USA visitors have a great holiday today, enjoying time with family and friends! For those outside the USA, I hope you have an awesome day too!

Robin in The Marvel Universe

 

Loki was a fun series on Disney+.  I actually think it could haven been tightened up a bit, there was a lot of talking between the scattered action scenes.  Still, it was always interesting to see Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson interacting with one another.  My favorite episode was the one with all of the multiple Lokis, including Alligator Loki and Richard E. Grant doing a wonderful take on Classic Loki.  Plus we got to see cameos by Throg and the Thanos Copter!  The final episode with Jonathan Majors chewing the scenery was an intriguing introduction to Kang, but I am looking forward to Majors' take on a more sinister variant of the villain in future appearances.  The series didn't wrap up as neatly as I was expecting, but that's no big surprise since there is a season two on the way.

Captain America and The Seven Soldiers of Victory

 

I'm looking forward to the new season of Stargirl.  The trailer teased Jade, Jakeem Thunder & T-Bolt and the Shade, I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes.  I hope that we will learn more about the exploits of the original Seven Soldiers of Victory, and that Sir Justin will suit up for some present day action.

Hawkman Vs. The Red Skull

 

I'd say my personal favorite artist is Jim Aparo, but if you were to ask me who I think is the best comic artist ever, I'd have to say Joe Kubert.  He had such a confident hand and could make any genre of story look great.  As if his artistic contributions weren't enough, his school for comic art has passed his lessons on to new generations of illustrators.  I was never able to pick up a full original page by him, but I did get the next best thing:  Kubert inks over the talented pencils of Nestor Redondo from DC's Tarzan series: 

Captain America and The Flash in: The Malevolent Return of Mopee!"

 

Mopee was a magical Imp supposedly responsible for granting Barry Allen his speed powers in a story so immediately rejected by Silver Age readers that he was barely ever mentioned again.  I was surprised when adding the labels to this post, that I had already featured Mopee once on this blog, way back in 2010, and had completely forgotten about it.  I guess that's another tale of his that's been erased from memory!

Captain America and The Flash previously shared an adventure in STF #726...

Adam Strange Vs. The Red Skull

 

Has anyone checked out the new Strange Adventures series by Tom King?  I was wondering if I should pick it up once collected, but King is a very hit or miss writer with me. I quite liked his Mister Miracle work, and have heard nothing but good stuff about his Vision mini series, but I was actively turned off from what I have seen of his writing for Heroes in Crisis and Batman.  Still, I like Adam Strange and Mr. Terrific, so I'd be interested to know if this current series does them justice.

Batman Vs. The Red Skull

 

While I wasn't a big fan of either of the sequels, like most I feel that Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a masterpiece.  I remember  the year it came out, even from the ads promoting it I knew that it was going to be something special.  It was right before I got my drivers license, and there were no comic shops near me, so I had trouble tracking down a copy.  I think I wound up having to borrow a copy of the first issue from a friend, and I was so blown away that I made a point of not missing the next three when they came out, not matter how I had to get them.  It was years before I picked up my own copy of issue #1, but at least it was still a first edition!

Mary Marvel and Captain America

 

The Shazam! sequel should start production soon and, like most comic book movies these days, it looks to be a jam packed affair.  Besides Billy, there is now a whole family of super-powered heroes to deal with and there has been talk of more villains in addition to the Sivana/Mr. Mind team.  Rumors persist of Superman making a proper appearance this time around as well.  With all of that going on, will there be room for The Shazam character that I really want to show up - Mr. Tawky Tawny?

Human Torch and Hourman

 

Like many, I was surprised at the return of The Red Skull in the last two Avengers movies, as I had heard that Hugo Weaving did not want to return to the character.  It turns out that it wasn't Weaving at all, but Ross Marquand seamlessly stepping into the role.  It's no wonder that he was so convincing, from interviews I have seen with him from his work on The Walking Dead, Marquand is a gifted impressionist. Add in the talents of the make-up and CGI artists, and the transformation was complete.

Plastic Man and Captain America (Vs. The Red Skull!)

I was recently looking at an image from 1945 of the comic section of a general store, and it really is amazing to see how much was available.  Yes, folks back then didn't have all the entertainment options that we have today, but I'm still impressed.  It's a shame that comic companies and shops have fallen on such hard times these days, especially given the popularity of the characters and stories from comics in the movies and TV.  Hopefully the shops and industry will find a way to survive through the ongoing pandemic and shut down.

Plastic Man and Cap shared a more modern age adventure in STF #2542...