Iron Man Vs. Solomon Grundy

 

There was a lot of clutter removal and background extension required on this cover.  Here is a look at the behind the scenes progress: 

Captain Marvel and Firestorm (Vs. Mr. Universe!)

 

It looks like STF's arch-villain Mr. Universe is back for his 6th appearance - and this time he's gone after a couple of heavy hitters! Mar-Vell first met Firestorm in STF #2747...

There was a lot of tweaking required with this cover - Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Iron Man and Ice

 

There have been talks of having Robert Downey Jr. return to the role if Iron Man, along with other deceased or retired Avengers.  I know that Marvel Studios is in a slump now, but the way to correct things is to not saturate the market with sub-par product.  Hopefully they will go back to what worked in the first place - concentrating on a few movies and shows a year and maintaining close quality control.  To bring back characters that have already completed their arcs will smack of desperation unless it is really done well.

Darkseid Vs. Kang

 

These two were set to become the big bads of their respective cinematic universes, but things have not gone as planned.  The end of the DCEU and Snyderverse means that Darkseid will probably be put on the back burner for a while.  Jonathan Majors' legal issues have put everything Kang related into a holding pattern until a verdict on his alleged assault is reached.  It's a good thing we have Braniac and Galactus to pinch hit if necessary.

Power Girl and Spider-Man

 

It was mentioned in an earlier comment section that Spider-Man and Power-Girl had not yet crossed paths on this blog, and I felt that it was indeed time for them to meet.  I can't wait to see what's in store for Spider-Man: No Way Home.  There's been all kinds of rampant speculation, but I just hope that all the big surprises have not been spoiled yet.  We should be getting a second trailer soon that may confirm some persistent rumors.

Quasar and Firestorm

 

Who would have thought that the character on this cover most likely to show up in a big budget movie first would be Fin Fang Foom?  At least he has been heavily rumored to be showing up in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  Hopefully we will see a teaser or trailer before too long and see if there is any confirmation of Foom's involvement.

Firestorm previously faced off against Fin Gang Foom in STF #1447...

Firestorm and The X-Men

 

Paul Smith's run on Uncanny X-Men was my introduction to his amazing artwork.  I loved his take on the characters, everyone had a sleek modern look while honoring the designs of previous artists on the title. I made sure to follow smith's career since then to masterpieces like Leave it to Chance and The Golden Age.  I was lucky enough to pick up a few sketches by Smith many years back:

Static Vs. Electro in: "Shock of Ages!"

I liked that the Milestone Characters crossed over into the DC Universe for a number of years, it was cool to see team ups like Static and Black Lightning.  Also cool was that Static also crossed over into the DCU in the animated world.  Static Shock was a great cartoon already, then they had appearances by Batman, the Justice League and more.  Static even showed up in Justice League Unlimited and later Young Justice.  For a crossover fan like me, it was great to see those kinds of connections.

These two first tangled in STF #2314...

Iron Man and The Original Robotman

One of the great things about Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron was that he not only included the Justice Society characters, but also many other Golden Age heroes that I had only seen in a few back-up reprint stories.  I always wanted to see more of Johnny Quick and the original Robotman, and finally they were appearing in new adventures.

Iron Man and the Cliff Steele Robotman appeared on this blog together not long ago in a two-part tale...