Showing posts with label Super-Team Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super-Team Family. Show all posts

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Flash and Quicksilver



I guess that I would be remiss if I didn't have a meeting between the premier speedsters of Marvel and DC.  This is a case where the powers may be similar but the characters could not be more different.  Again I have to wonder which character will make it to the silver screen first.  There have been rumors of a big budget Flash film for years, but maybe Quicksilver with with the race to the movies via a supporting role in an Avengers or X-Men sequel.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Starfire and ROM




Because You Demanded It!  OK, nobody demanded this one but I thought it would be a fun match-up.

I've read some of the recent controversy with Starfire's behavior in the New 52 DCU, and while I like a lot of what DC has done lately, I think they dropped a ball a bit here.  The Manga-esque Teen Titans cartoon was a hit and Starfire (albeit a younger version to skew towards the children's demographic) became quite popular with young girls.  I think DC would have been better served trying to capture some of that audience when presenting her new adventures rather than to emphasize some of Starfire's more salacious traits, which only caters to the existing male readers.

ROM even makes mittens look cool... I wish the actual ROM too looked as badass as the comic version.  I'm surprised we haven't seen a ROM revival by now, it seems like everything from the 80's has gotten a chance at a revamp
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Wonder Woman and Captain America



This is a pairing I really like and there will be future covers featuring them together.  I just think they would make a great couple.  Cap likes strong assertive women and Wonder Woman likes blonde guys named Steve in the Military - it's a match made in heaven! Even their costumes look like they go together!  Forget Clark & Lois or Peter & MJ, this is a relationship that would rock the world of comics...

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Green Arrow and Hawkeye



I usually try to come up with a text box, some dialogue or at least a story title for these lost issues but I liked the image on this one so much that I didn't want to clutter it up.  These guys would usually have a lot to talk about though - they are both superhero archers famous for their trick arrows, trouble with authority figures and marrying their blonde superheroine girlfriends.  Green Arrow got his biggest exposure ever recently as a regular character on Smallville and Hawkeye is about to hit the big time with the Avengers film (alas, with his more boring Ultimate look).  It's taken decades, but these two are finally getting the mass recognition of their more famous Avengers and JLA co-stars.  Can solo film outings be far off?

Monday, January 9, 2012

Martian Manhunter and Beta Ray Bill



I thought I would do a cover that featured two of my favorite alien heroes.  This one also gave me a chance to do an all-Walt Simonson cover.  Simonson's art is so effective on larger than life characters because he has the ability to convey energy that just leaps off of the page.  His career has lasted decades and he seems to keep getting better and better.  I got a kick out of his cameo during the banquet scene at the end of Thor.  Walt fit right in with the Asgardian elite!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Challengers of the Unknown and The Fantastic Four



OK, this on wasn't going to be posted for a while, but folks were asking about pairing these two teams so I decided to move it up in the rotation.  There are certainly similarities between these jumpsuit-wearing foursomes, and it would be cool to see them in one big story together.  I remember getting a kick out of the amalgamated Challengers of the Fantastic that spun out of the Marvel/DC crossover (indeed those Amalgam issues are much more satisfying than the crossover itself).  Both teams are looking good these days - The FF just had their 600th issue with the return of Johnny Storm and DC is currently publishing new Challengers stories with the talented pencils of Jerry Ordway.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Blue Beetle and The Beast



A lot of team ups I present here will be with characters that seem to have a natural connection... but a lot will also feature teams that I just think would be cool to see.  This is one of those.  It isn't too far out of left field though, I can see Hank McCoy and Ted Kord commiserating on some scientific breakthrough together, when a villain attacks and action ensues.  This cover also features these characters in my favorite incarnations.  The new Blue Beetle is an entertaining character in his own right, I just wish we didn't have to get rid of his predecessor in order to make room.  The Beast is back on an Avengers team, which I like - but he still has that weird Beauty and the Beast/Kittycat look that he developed during the Grant Morrison era ox the X-men titles.  I really wish he would go back to his cooler Bronze Age look.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Deadman and Hellboy



I'm always glad to include more Mike Mignola artwork on the blog.  I think this would be a fun pairing because the two characters have similar personalities and are at home in a paranormal setting.

I heard rumors of a Deadman TV series months ago, I hope that is still on track.  Deadman is a great concept for an ongoing show and I hope he retains his look from the comics instead of just grafting his abilities onto the latest hunk of the moment and going for the Twilight crowd.

They are a bit hokey, but I enjoy both of the Hellboy films quite a bit.  I think plans for a third installment have been cancelled due to finances and busy schedules unfortunately.  Still, there are the Hellboy animated movies, Blood & Iron and Sword of Storms.  They have the cast from the movie providing voices and are very well done, I highly recommend them.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Dr. Mid-Nite and Daredevil



This is the kind of match up that I really wanted to do when I decided to make the switch to Super-Team Family.  Sure, I love the classic match-ups like Aquaman and Namor, but it's the more off-beat team ups that always appealed to me. Matt Murdock and Charles McNider together in one tale would make for a fun story, I think. I have heard great things about Daredevil's most current series and definitely plan to pick it up.  Dr. Mid-Nite's fate is uncertain until DC relaunches a Justice Society title... hopefully it won't be too long before that happens.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Swamp Thing and Man-Thing



I've always dug characters that can cross over genres and these two swamp monsters certainly fit the bill.  One issue could be a full on horror tale with a supernatural tinge and then then next issue Batman or Spider-Man would show up.  I enjoyed Swamp thing as a kid and then was blown away like everyone when Alan Moore took over the title - but I have to admit I found Man-Thing to be the scarier of the two characters.  The creepy nonhuman design and the fact that he would burn anyone, good or evil, if they showed too much fear sent chills down my young spine.  Swamp Thing is enjoying better sales than he has had in years with the DC Reboot, and Man-Thing has been starring with the Thunderbolts lately.  It's good to see the big guys still performing strong!

Friday, December 30, 2011

Green Lantern and the Avengers



The Marvel Studios produced films have been pretty successful so far, so I am really looking forward to The Avengers, the film everything has been leading up to.   Joss Whedon is a great choice for director as he has had success writing for comics as well as handling ensemble pieces on film.  Sure there will be costume changes I would like to make and some other tweaks, but the fact that all these characters will on the big screen sharing an adventure together tells me I won't have too much to complain about.

I wish Green Lantern had fared better at the box office.  There was a lot to like about the film, but it was ultimately done in by a weak script, shoddy editing and a lackluster villain in Hector Hammond.  Warner Brothers has announced a sequel - but they said that for Superman Returns, too, so that may just be studio posturing.  I would like to see another attempt made utilizing lessons learned from the first outing, because I still think there is great potential in the franchise.


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Aquaman and The Sub Mariner (Part Two)



I wonder which of these two characters will be the first to get their own big screen film?  I've heard Namor bandied about as a potential future Marvel flick and Aquaman was famously brought to fictional cinema in Entourage as well as guest shots on Smallville and an unsuccessful TV pilot.  A big budget picture for an underwater superhero would face a lot of hurdles.  Underwater shoots are incredibly expensive and there's also the question of how to have the characters speak beneath the depths - easily handled in a comic but a lot tougher to make work in live action.  Both characters have famous looks that have their own challenges to pull off - making Aquaman's togs look cool and finding someone who can both act and look good in nothing but swim trunks and ankle wings.  It's a lot to overcome, but if done with care we could have a superhero movie unlike any other.  I'm betting we see one of them as a co-star in a team flick before a solo outing though.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Aquaman and The Sub-Mariner (Part One)



I am very glad the Beard and Harpoon Hand days are finally over for Aquaman.  I always saw those changes as an attempt to darken the character and make him closer to Marvel's premier ocean hero, and they never really worked for me.  Fortunately, that phase is past and Aquaman is not only back to his classic look, but starring in two hit series from the new DC Reboot.  It's nice to see him finally getting the respect he deserves.

As the cover indicates, this is a continued story... tune in for part two tomorrow!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Justice League of America Vs. The Hulk



The JLA has a wide variety of character types - street level heroes, champions from other worlds, detectives, scientists and space cops.  What they have never really had on their team is a loose cannon character, like The Hulk.  Sure, Green Arrow could be stubborn, but he never really got that out of control.  It would have been interesting to see how old jade jaws would have fit in among some of the more straight laced members of the Justice League.  Something tells me they wouldn't leave him alone for monitor duty!  It won't be too long before everyone gets to see The Hulk in a team situation, when The Avengers hits the big screen. I trust that Joss Whedon will utilize him well.

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Creeper and Spider-Man



Welcome to the first issue of Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues!  I was trying to think of what to do for my follow up to B&B and MTIO, and this felt like the next natural progression.  Super-Team Family was a short lived DC series in the 70's which presented a combination of reprints and new material featuring superhero teams and team-ups.  They would have the old stand-by's like Superman and Batman, but then they would have an interesting team-up like Wildcat and The Creeper or The Flash and The New Gods.  It was those offbeat team-ups that appealed to me the most, and they served as a huge inspiration for this blog.

The Original STF ran only 15 issues, but the Lost Issues will run considerably longer.  I have many, many covers ready to go and I am making more all the time, so buckle up! You will notice a few differences in this series from the other two titles that I took on.  First off, the cover says it all - going forward, there will be no fixed host of the series and any issue can feature anybody teaming with anybody.  The random numbering is gone and STF will be presented sequentially.  Also gone is posting in any kind of alphabetical order, so you'll never have an inkling of what is coming up next.  The wide open aspect of this new title has opened up a world of possibilities and I plan to have fun with it!

I decided to kick off the series with a meeting of  my two favorite Steve Ditko characters.  Of course, I was halfway through with it when I realized that I had used a Jack Kirby Spider-Man figure - oops!  Oh well, at least the headshot on the wanted poster is by Ditko!

I hope everyone who has enjoyed this blog so far will like the new direction!

Support STF: The Lost Issues!