X-Men and The Justice League of America in "Crisis on Battleworld!"

 

Now we found out where the missing heroes from yesterday's cover have been.  This marks the third clash between these two teams.  They first met in STF #700, and then again in STF #2259...

Here's a larger look at today's individual stories: 

Mr. Terrific and Storm

 

I saw and quite enjoyed the new Superman movie.  I liked how it truly embraced its comic book roots, it felt like reading a Silver or Bronze age issue.  I wasn't crazy about the major change to Superman's Kryptonian origin, though.  Mr. Terrific was definitely a standout.  Edi Gathegi's performance was great and his actions scenes were a blast to watch.  Definite spinoff material there!

Red Tornado and Storm

 

It looks like Reddy has reverted back to his original form for this tale.  It's nice to see him getting along with Ororo after they  had clashed in STF #2441, due to events that took place way back in STF #82...

X-Men and Madam Xanadu

 

Perhaps if the X-Men paid a visit to Madam Xanadu, they could have avoided a lot of drama ahead of them.  Or would her readings just cause them to find drama on another path?  It does seem to follow them around.

Swamp Thing and Storm in: "Rebirth and Renewal!"

 

As the dialogue indicates, this is a direct sequel to STF #3813, in which Swamp Thing came to Ororo's rescue.  On good turn deserves another, and now it is his time to be healed.

Firestorm and Storm

 

This somewhat simple looking cover required a bit of editing before Firestorm could be added into the mix.  here's a look at the behind the scenes progress: 

Green Lantern and The X-Men

 

Hal Jordan and the X-Men have some history on the blog.  It all started when Hal and Logan mixed it up in STF #209, then continued when Hal brought the Corps along to confront Wolverine and the X-Men in STF #2122.  Wolverine, Hal and the Corps mended their feud in a 3- Part tale that began in STF #3489, continued in STF #3490 and concluded in STF #3491. It's good to see them finally all on the same side.

Storm and Big Barda

 

Dave Cockrum and Jack Kirby created two of my favorite superheroine costumes when they came up for the looks for Storm and Big Barda.  That would be reason enough for me to be interested in  a story that featured them together.  I'm betting there would be plenty of great action as well.

I... Vampire and Storm

 

I remember really enjoying the Annual where the X-Men went up against Dracula.  It was just so different from the usual mutant based tales that we normally got.  It was another reminder of the versatility of the characters - they could fit into any genre from standard superhero fare to science fiction to a straight up horror story.  

Swamp Thing and Storm

 

This is not a team-up that I would instantly think of, but when I decided on the hook, the story potential really appealed to me.  It would be interesting to see Ororo enter this new stage in her evolution.

I was happy to use the artwork of the amazing Steve Bissette here.  I was lucky enough to pick up a sketch by him many years ago:

Hawkgirl and Storm

 

I'll never forget the comic in which Storm debuted her punk look with the leather outfit and mohawk. In those pre-internet days, a wild alteration in her appearance truly took readers by surprise - I remember Kitty Pryde mirroring my shock in the pages of the story. The new look didn't come completely out of nowhere, though.  Chris Claremont had written Ororo in such a way that the reader could see her desire for change.

Storm and Batgirl in: "An Ancient War!"

 

The Batgirl movie has completed filming, but who knows when we will see it.  It was supposed to come out late this year but I don't know if that is still the case.  Michael Keaton is supposed to appear as Batman in it - but his return in The Flash which comes before this movie has been delayed at least a year due to a publicity nightmare with the increasingly erratic Ezra Miller.  Will The Flash being pushed back so far create a domino effect for the rest of the DCEU movies? Hopefully we will get some clarification soon.

Storm and Batgirl first met in STF #3254... and in STF #2932 with the Birds of Prey...

X-Men and The Outsiders in "The Taming of the Phoenix!"

 

These groups have a bit of history on the blog - The Outsiders first met The Phoenix in STF #112, and the one hero able to withstand The Phoenix Force was revealed in STF #2526... The X-Men came to The Outsiders assistance in STF #2595... and both teams had an adventure at The Statue of Liberty in STF #2675...

X-Men and Spaceman Spiff

 

I  have been rereading the entire run of Calvin and Hobbes and I am about half way through.  It amazes me how Bill Watterson really hit the ground running with the comic strip.  Often you'll see a progression in the first few years of a strip, but he had the character designs, personalities and comedic style pretty much fully formed right from the beginning.  On the other end, he never let the quality wane, either.  If anything, he stayed at top form right until the final installment.  This is my third or fourth time reading these and I am still enjoying them as much as the first time around. 

Nightcrawler and Storm Join The Legion of Super-Heroes

 

A big part of the appeal of both the LSH and X-Men for me was the wide array of cool costumes their respective rosters were given.  Dave Cockrum was the artist responsible for many of the best outfits on both teams. Indeed,  Storm and Nightcrawlers' looks were adapted from unused Legionnaire designs of his, a bit of trivia that inspired me to make this cover.

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:

Storm and Batgirl

 

I can still remember Kitty Pryde's shocked reaction when Ororo first debuted her new look with the mohawk and leather outfit.  I was just as surprised, this was well before internet spoilers could ruin such a moment and at a time when costume changes were not found as frequently as they are now.  It was a cool look, even though at first I missed that beautiful head of hair and tiara that Storm was famous for.  Chris Claremont provided characterization to go along with the change and it made for some good drama as well.

Storm and the Birds of Prey

After the critical and financial failure or Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey, I am glad to see that Harley at least will be getting another chance with James Gunn's The Suicide Squad (which looks to skew more closely to her animated roots, a good thing).  But how long before Huntress and Black Canary get another chance at the big screen?  People responded positively to Mary Elizabeth Winstead's portrayal of Huntress, but the role was very small, so maybe she is still relatively unscathed.  Jurnee Smollett's Black Canary was not very close to the character from the comics (she faints after her one and only use of the canary cry?) There is the new Green Arrow and the Canaries CW series in the planning stages, maybe we'll see a more faithful version of the Blond Bombshell if that comes to pass.

Aquaman and Storm Vs. Sharknado

I remember when everyone started talking about the first Sharknado, and being amused by it.  I didn't understand why such a fuss was made though, as the SYFY channel had been cranking out these monster schlock movies for a while.  My favorite is still the legendary Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus!

Thank you to Jonathan Woodward, a Patron of this blog, for suggesting this wild match up!

Aquaman and Storm first met in STF #2186...

Storm and Halo

I still remember when Alan Davis took over the art chores on Batman and the Outsiders.  At first I was not happy to see my favorite artist, Jim Aparo, be replaced, but I soon began to really appreciate Davis' unique style.  When he went over to Marvel to work on the X-Titles, he really began to blow up in popularity, and deservedly so.  My favorite works by him are the two JLA: The Nail mini-series, just spectacular work there.