Challengers of the Unknown and Rocket Raccoon

 

The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy may be completed, but I hope that sometime down the line we see the team again.  I liked seeing Rocket Raccoon take his leadership role, and it would be cool to see him calling the shots on a mission.

Rocket Racoon and Ultra the Multi-Alien

 

Fans are going crazy for Krypto in the new Superman trailer, and considering James Gunn's deft handling of Rocket Raccoon and other animal characters, I can understand why.  I loved the brief glimpse at Metamorpho as well - If Gunn can successfully bring that tough to adapt Silver Age hero to the big screen, who's to say the Ultra the Multi-Alien is off the table for an appearance in a future DCU project?

Roger Rabbit and Rocket Raccoon

 

Rocket stuck in a town filled with funny talking animals?  That sounds like a natural situation and one that could lead to plenty of action an laughs.  This is a tale definitely worth telling.

The Rocket Pack in: "The Fuse is Lit!"

 

The Rocket Pack first appeared in STF #3760, and as soon as I made the cover I realized there was antoher hero that I wanted to add.  I liked Kurt Busiek's Power Company comic for DC back in the day, though it did not last very long.  My favorite character in that series was Skyrocket.  It's too bad she has only made a couple of small cameo appearances since that series ended.  I felt like she had a lot of potential, and I liked that she was not just a female version of a previously existing male character.

Rocket Raccoon and Hawkman

 

Here's another cover to got with the "two random heroes join forces to battle a monster" theme that Bob Greenwade has picked up on in the comments. I hadn't made these with a connected story in line, but I see how one could easily form.  Given the arena setting here, perhaps the Grandmaster is behind all of these monstrous shenanigans.

The Rocket Pack

 

It wasn't released publicly, but the descriptions of a teaser trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that was shown at Comicon have been making the rounds.  It sounds like Rocket Raccoon's origins will be a central focus of the film.  As this will be James Gunn's final outing as director and the last appearance of this team of Guardians, there's no telling where the story will go, or who will still be around once it's done. I do hope that Rocket survives to be featured in future Marvel projects.

Rocket Raccoon and Chewbacca

I 'm betting that no invitations to join Chewbacca and the Fur Force will be forthcoming after this little stunt.  In past adventures, Rocket got along better with Chewie's partner - he met Han Solo in STF #1488 and again in STF #1859, and Chewie got along better with Rocket's Partner - he met Groot in STF #1860...

Rocket Raccoon & Groot Vs. Woody Woodpecker

James Gunn has a way with inhuman characters with limited vocabularies.  Just as he did with Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, he managed to make King Shark a fan favorite character in The Suicide Squad.  He managed to make a creature that eats men whole kind of sympathetic! The rest of the cast is as well envisioned and the movie is certainly worth a watch, even if (like me) you aren't a big fan of the more violent moments and not all of the comedy lands.  The visuals, great character work and performances (including the best Harley Quinn scene to date) make it a fun, crazy romp.

Thank you to Marc Tyler Nobleman, comics' historian and Patron of this Blog, for suggesting this match up!

 

Robocop, Groot and Rocket Raccoon

 

I remember first seeing Robocop on the big screen.  In those pre-Batman 1989 days, it was the closest thing to a big superhero movie out there.  My friends and I decided to watch it at a drive-in theater.  We were quite enjoying it when for some reason, the sound cut out half way through.  When we went to the front office to complain, nobody was there!  It would be years before I rented a copy and finally saw the end of the movie.

Justice Society Vs. Alpha Flight (And More!)

Wow, hard to believe we are at STF #2800 already (cover #3310 overall) - time flies!

While the Justice League may have missed the mark in their big screen attempt, the Justice Society is ready for their chance at live action.  They are going to be featured in as supporting players and in flashback scenes on the upcoming Stargirl series, which looks fun based on the trailer.  Then there's the Black Adam movie, which also promises to feature a number of JSA members as well. It'll be interesting to see which characters make the cut for both projects.

Al Pratt and Puck would later work together. as told in STF #720...

Green Lantern Corps and Guardians of the Galaxy

Continuing from Part One and Part Two of our story, we reach the epic conclusion!

I wonder what Rocket Racoon's relationship will be like with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy when the third movie arrives.  Did his time without them in the five years that they were snapped out of existence change him at all?  Certainly it must have made him appreciate them more.  What was he up to the whole time?  I hope to see some of this addressed and it's not just a reset to what has gone before.

Kilowog and Rocket Raccoon

Continuing from yesterday's Part One, we see that more players have joined in on the action. 

There has been much speculation that JJ Abrams will be taking the reigns of the DCEU now that he has a huge production deal with Warner Brothers.  Most are guessing that his first film will be  a Superman project, which could be cool - but what I would really like to see is his take on The Green Lantern Corps.  Yes, he can be derivative at times, but he knows how to make a space epic look great.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Guardians of the Galaxy and Green Lantern

The Hulks took multiple attempts to get right in live action.  The same is true with The Punisher and Daredevil, and even the Fantastic Four will eventually get another shot.  This makes it all the more frustrating that we haven't heard any news about a new Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corps movie for so long.  I think plenty of time has passed since the Ryan Reynolds GL movie and general audiences would be willing to give another iteration of the ring slinger a chance.  I suppose taking their time to get a quality production together is important though, after what happened with Hellboy, so DC's probably treading very carefully.  Hopefully we will hear of some momentum on the project soon.

Rocket Raccoon & Groot and Calvin & Hobbes

This was a suggestion by Mike Shirley, a Patron of this Blog, among others. It seems that the third installment of Guardians of the Galaxy has been put off for a while, while the search continues for a new director to replace James Gunn.  Marvel has so many new properties to introduce that maybe a pause wont be a bad thing.  We still have to find out in what shape and how intact the Guardians will be after the events of the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, after all.  Hopefully, though,  we will see them back within five years - with Warlock in the mix!

Rocket Raccoon and Metamorpho

I recently picked up the first TPB of The Terrifics, and they were some of the funnest comics that I have read in a long time.  I am very happy that Metamorpho has found a new home, he's one of my all time favorite characters.  I'm a fan of Mr. Terrific and Plastic Man as well, and I always thought that Phantom Girl was one of the cooler Legionnaires, so I am intrigued by this new version.  Plus, Tom Strong is back, and interacting with the DCU! There were a few artists on the series.  They are all great, but I really loved Evan "Doc" Shaner's work and I hope he stick around.  His Rex Mason looks perfect!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vs. The Anti-Monitor

OK, if by some chance you haven't seen it and haven't had it spoiled for you yet - here there be SPOILERS for Avengers: Infinity War...

I loved the movie, even if I was a little annoyed by the cliffhanger ending, when we were led to believe that there wouldn't be one. You have to give the Russo Brothers credit for being able to balance to many characters so well, giving almost everyone a moment to shine.  They also balanced the humor, action and drama very deftly.  In some of Marvel's more recent attempts, the humor undercut the tension an bit too much for my taste, but here it was done just right. Gamora's death was the big shocker for me, I didn't expect it at all, even though story wise it was probably inevitable.  I think it will stick, too - as will all the deaths before the SNAP!  Zoe Saldana will be OK - she has two other space epic franchises with Star Trek and Avatar, after all - and her absence will make for great drama in the third Guardians of the Galaxy film.  There may be some hope for The Vision to return as the seeds were planted there with Shuri's attempts to save him.  As for those who turned to ash after the SNAP!, I think the question is about how they return rather than if, considering how many are slated to appear in already announced sequels.  I am sure I will enjoy this movie a lot more once the follow-up Avengers movie is released.  As it stands, it's a great half of a story.

Space: 1999 and Rocket Raccoon

Considering this issue's number, I couldn't resist...  and speaking of which, that means tomorrow is Issue #2000!

Regular visitors know that for anniversary issues, I present a "100-Page Giant" comic.  Often I will receive kind comments along the lines of, "I wish this was a real comic, I'd love to read it." Well, tomorrow, the comic really will be 100 pages, and you will actually see all of the scenes on the cover play themselves out.  So, set some time aside and come back for...

THE STF #2000 100-PAGE SPECTACULAR!

Han Solo and Rocket Raccoon in: "Search for the Stolen Smugglers!"

Han and Rocket first crossed paths in STF #1488... and this adventure is not over yet - make sure you stop by tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was another fun night at the movies. My opinion may change after more viewings, but after seeing it once, I'd have to say that I would rank it below the first installment.  I thought some of the more juvenile humor fell a bit flat and would have like to have seen a few more locales visited.  The soundtrack was cool but the first grabbed me a little more (again, something that may change once I see the movie again, I'm sure I will own the Blu Ray).  Still, I loved the addition of Mantis and all of the great comic book visuals like Gamora holding a gigantic gun and Ego in planet form.  The (POST-CREDIT SPOILER HERE) tease of the original Guardians was great, I want a movie with just them now!

Adam Strange and Rocket Raccoon

Even though they are among the last effects to be completed, I am glad that we got a glimpse of Rocket Raccoon and Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 teaser trailer. it will be fun to watch the new dynamic, with Rocket teaching Baby Groot the ropes, and should make for some humorous moments.  The toys will probably be flying off of the shelves as well!

Adam met Rocket once before, along with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy...

Krypto and Groot & Rocket Raccoon

When I used to see Rocket Raccoon operate complex weaponry, I accepted it as artistic licence - now I'm not so sure.  I was camping recently and while we thought we had safely put all the food and snacks away inside containers that were themselves inside latched coolers, we were completely ransacked by one or more Raccoons in the middle of the night.  We woke to find all the meat, bread and snacks gone, they had no trouble getting into everything!  It's a good thing we didn't have any laser cannons lying around!