Lando Calrissian, Tomar-Re and The Silver Surfer

 

The Mandalorian and Grogu is struggling at the box office.  I really liked the first two seasons of the Disney+ series and I thought Andor was great - but there have also been a lot of missteps since Lucas sold the company.  I'm not sure what could be done with the Star Wars franchise to turn things around at this point. If you put me in charge, I'd probably set up a scenario like the one above, so what do I know?

Green Lantern and Galactus in: "A Deal With The Devourer!"

 

Hal Jordan first encountered Galactus way back in STF #254 from 2012, and it was time that they share a cover again.  This time around, it looks like they may be working together though - and that would make me curious enough to pick up this issue.

Thanos Vs. The DC Universe

 

Thanos being set loose in DC's silver age would have been wild.

Deathlok and Lothar

 

Looks like we will be seeing Lex Luthor on the big screen again sooner than we thought, with Man of Tomorrow scheduled to hit theaters in just two years.  Supposedly Lex and Superman will have to join forces against a larger threat - it has to be Brainiac, right? I have a suspicion that we may see Lex even before that though - I don't think an appearance on Peacemaker season 2 is out of the question.

The Atom and Throg

 

Sword of the Atom was quite a departure from Ray Palmer's usual science-based adventures, but I got a kick out of the change of pace.  It didn't hurt that it was illustrated by legendary Atom artist Gil Kane. Those stories are still fun to revisit.

The Flash and Mr. Fantastic

 

I haven't seen the new FF movie yet, but I hear that Pedro Pascal is pretty good as Reed despite the mustache and limited stretching scenes. I was worried about the casting, so that's good to hear.

This cover required some decluttering and background replacement.  Here is a look at the behind the scenes progress: 

The Phoenix and Firehawk

 Hey, her origin can't be crazier than Rachel Summers', after all. I always thought that Lorraine Reilly gave off kind of a Phoenix vibe with those flaming wings of hers, and thus a cover concept was born!

Icon Vs. Thanos

 Not only is Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU, now there are rumors that Thanos is poised to make a reappearance in one of the upcoming Avengers sequels.  It's all in the execution, but I do think that repeated attempts to go back to the well of what has worked before can look a bit desperate.  Let's hope that care is taken if this rumor should pan out.

Quicksilver Vs. The Rogues

 

Pietro Maximoff has a decidedly different personality than Barry Allen or Wally West.  It would be interesting to watch the interaction between him and the Flash Rogues.  There seems to be at least some respect between them and their usual speedsters, and I's like to see them go a few rounds with the ill-tempered mutant.

Silver Surfer and The Marvel Family

 

For the conclusion of this Five-Part Tale, The Surfer has finally come to his senses and granted the Power Cosmic to some more worthy recipients than Black Adam.  Time to clean up the mess that he left behind and put Galactus in his place!

Captain Marvel previously faced off against the World Devourer with Superman at his side in STF #2969...

Animaniacs Vs. Thanos

 

This may not be a battle I would be expecting, but one that I would enjoy watching play itself out.  I am thinking that the Mad Titan may have bitten off more than he can chew this time.  He'll definitely need to put his Thanos-Copter to use at some point.

Ultra the Multi-Alien and The Silver Surfer

 

Ultra The Multi-Alien is definitely a Silver Age C-lister, but as a kid, I thought he was pretty cool.  Maybe it's because he looks like something that a kid might have come up with.  We used to play a game where we would fold paper in three and pass it around with each of us kids drawing a head, torso, or legs on it.  Then you would unfold the paper and see what kind of crazy character was created.  Ultra reminds me of one of those.

The Badger and Wolverine

 

When Tom Brennan, a Patron of this Blog, suggested this pairing, I had to check and see if I had gotten to it yet - it really does seem like a natural.  To my surprise, I hadn't - so it was time to remedy that situation.  Thanks for the idea, Tom!

Mephisto Vs. 4 Famous Co-Stars

 

Continued from yesterday's cover, we see that Ghost Rider has joined the fray. This crew has some history together.  Johnny Blaze first met Evel Knievel  way back in STF #74, they joined forces again to battle Mephisto in STF #376, and later both joined the team Rolling Thunder in STF #1115.  Batman and Ghost Rider confronted Mephisto back on one of my very first covers,  a lost B&B Tale from 2010.

Here's a peek behind the making of this cover, I needed a lot more flames before I could add the heroes in: 

Mon-El and Gladiator

 

I thought that this would be a suitable set of match ups as these are a couple of pairs of characters that mirror each other.  When I found similar poses, the concept wrote itself.

Mongul here is by  the incredibly talented Kevin Maguire.  I was lucky enough to pick up a couple of original pages by him several years back, one being a pencils-only page which I really like:

Galactus Vs. Swamp Thing

 

This is a battle that I would love to see.  These two characters are both immensely powerful, but have vastly different types of abilities at their disposal.  I can see it resulting in page after page of wide screen action.  The right artist could really make their confrontation a visual treat.

Deadpool and Hitman

 

This is a pairing that I would love to see. Neither of these guys are shy about getting into violent confrontations and they both have a pretty cynical view of the super-heroic adventures that they get caught up in.  The conversations between them alone would be enough for an entertaining story.

Deadman and Captain Marvel in: "Overtime... in the Afterlife!"

 

Long time STF visitors will know that his story serves as a direct continuation form STF #2181, and it looks like Boston Brand was not kidding about putting Mar-Vell to work. Mar-Vell sort of reminds me of Jack Knight from DC.  Despite their popularity, both characters have been allowed to maintain the powerful endings that were written for them - retirement and death, respectively.  That's a pretty rare thing in comics.

Starman and Moondragon / Plastic Man Vs. Juggernaut

 

I heard rumors that Moondragon would be joining the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 a while back, but nothing in the way of a casting announcement for the role has been made.  I hope the character is still part of the mix.  Not only is she interesting in her own right, but as the daughter of Drax the Destroyer, her presence would certainly add to the story potential.

Doctor Mid-Nite Vs. Mysterio

 

The scene in Spider-Man: Far From Home where Spidey is fully immersed in Mysterio's illusions is one of the coolest on screen comic book moments that I have seen.  The constantly changing dream-like environment with giant looming Mysterio tormenting Peter Parker immediately brought me back to so many cool sequences from the villains appearances in the comics.  I haven't heard that the character is among the returning villains for Spider-Man: No Way Home - but I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised.