Blue Beetle and Rom

 

Time for another double dose of Ditko. His skilled design work extended to the various creatures that he would create. This big guy wasn't given a name, so I cam up with one for him.

Captain Marvel and Captain Action

 

Thank goodness that when a giant monster emerges on Earth-STF, there will always be a random pair of heroes to combat it.  Let's hope that these two are up to the task.

Man-Bat and Doctor Strange in "No Escape From Castle Mordo!"

 

This is another example of a cover that required the removal and patching of portions before any new images could be added to it.  Here is a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Man-Bat and Dr. Strange Previously met in STF#2993 and STF #2833...

Machine Man and Green Arrow & Black Canary

 

One of the things that I hope to see in James Gunn's DCU is the relationship between Green Arrow and Black Canary.  Arrow touched upon it, but that series was much more interested in the archer's feelings for Felicity Smoak.  I think that Gunn is a fan of the characters, so hopefully he has some plans up his sleeve.

Dick Tracy Vs. The Sinister Six

 

As cool as Dick Tracy's rogues gallery was, most of his villains did not live past their first adventure with the classic cop hero.  It's only natural that he would need to seek out new challenges once he worked through his personal roster of adversaries.  But how would he fare against the enhanced abilities of a half-dozen of Spider-Man's biggest foes?

Doctor Mid-Nite and Dr. Strange in: "The Doctors Are Out!"

 

This is the third meeting between Doctors Mid-Nite and Strange, a pairing originally suggested by Bob Greenwade, frequent commenter and Patron of this Blog.  They were last seen with Dr. Fate in STF #3267 and they first met in STF #2721...

The Guardian and The Guardian

 

Evert since I had these two appear together in a back up tale for STF # 665, I have received requests for them to get a full issue to themselves.  It took a while, but I finally got around to doing just that.

Blue Beetle Vs. The Scorpion

 

It's time for another double-dose of Ditko.  Who better to face The Scorpion in his STF debut than a similarly themed hero that was also designed by the legendary comics creator?  It would have been cool to see him illustrate this entire issue!

Spider-Man and Mr. A

This is another pairing that has been long overdue.  I never read too much of Mr. A, but I was intrigued by his rigid take on life and crime. It would have been interesting to see him confront the wall-crawler, especially if such a meeting was depicted by Steve Ditko.

 

Spider-Man and The Challengers of the Unknown

 

The fourth Tom Holland led Spider-Man movie now a go according to the actor.  Rumors have swirled from the plot being tied in heavily to the two upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars films to a smaller, more street level adventure.  I think that I would prefer the latter.  I loved the status quo set up at the end of the last movie, and would like to see that explored a little before he gets mixed up with a big crazy universe-changing story again.

The Guardian and Adam Strange

 

Just like happened to Captain Marvel and Black Panther a week or so ago in STF #4559, it would seem that two disparate heroes have found themselves working together to thwart a gigantic monster. Yikes, just how many of these big guys are lying in wait?

Doctor Strange Vs. Eclipso

 

I had previously featured a battle between these two as one of the back up stories in STF #2400, but I thought that this was a match up that was worthy of its own issue.  Doctor Stephen Strange is familiar with having to stave off his own darker side - The end of his last cinematic outing left him doing just that, after all - hopefully it will not be too many years before we see that plot point resolved.

The Creeper Vs. The Kingpin in: "Thank You, Sir, May I Have Another?"

 

Wilson Fisk is referring here to his first battle with Jack Ryder, back in STF #2368.  Let's hope that The Creeper can escape his grip long enough to get a chance to fight back!

Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy and Spider-Man

 

Peter Parker and Sylvester Pemberton were both teen heroes that were able to headline their own series, something uncommon when they were each introduced.  That, and their red & blue outfits, make this team-up a natural and long overdue.  Adding Stripesy into the mix only improves things - the world needs more red-headed superhero action. 

The Question and The Micronauts

 

I watched the first part of the 3-part animated Crisis on Infinite Earths last night and I enjoyed how The Question was used.  He was the one hero being skeptical and demanding answers from the Monitor when dozens of them were summoned for the crisis control meeting.  I know James Gunn is a fan of the character as well, so I look forward to hearing about a live action appearance in the DCU's future. 

Justice League of America and Machine Man

 

The JLA was known to be a team that is inclusive to robots, so I think they would welcome Aaron Stack with open arms.  That is, if  he is able to find out who replaced them!  I think that this could make for a fun tale.

Wildcat and The Blonde Phantom (Vs. The Ringmaster!)

 

The Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime may never have hit A-Level super-villain status, but I always enjoyed when they would show up in the comics.  I don't know if we'll ever see them appear in the MCU.   Maybe an appearance on one of their streaming series might work. Maynard Tiboldt would certainly be a fun role for an actor to dive into

Wildcat first met the Blonde Phantom in STF #3826...

Spider-Man Vs. Poison Ivy

 

Spidey has had experience fighting a villain that controls sand, but what about all plant life?  At least he has the full face mask to prevent her from giving him one of her hypno-kisses!  It would be a fun battle to see.

Justice Society of America and The Silver Surfer

 

James Gunn has stated that his new DCU will begin with a world already populated by super-heroes.  I'm hoping that provides an opening for a proper JSA that is set during WWII, with some members being sent forward in time eventually.  Even if they don't want to commit to a movie, the JSA would be a great candidate for an animated show.

Spider-Man and The Flash in: "The Heinous Half-Dozen!"

 

I've paired Spider-Man together with Barry Allen a couple of times, first in STF #695 and then later in STF #4091, but I thought that it was time that the wall-crawler met the original speedster, Jay Garrick. Even with three on one odds, I don't know how much luck the villains will have here, let's hope they have an ace up their sleeve!