Showing posts with label Team Up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team Up. Show all posts

Friday, August 6, 2010

Batman and The Doom Patrol



This is one of the very first covers I did, which is why it is a little ragged, especially the word balloon. I like it anyway because of the 100% Aparo artwork, which always makes me happy.

The Doom Patrol has probably the coolest team name in comics. I originally discovered them through reprints and really dug their unique look and scarred personalities. When the New Teen Titans included them in an early story line, I got an inkling of how fun their present day adventures might be. Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before the whole team was revived. They have gone through several series in the ensuing years, and each of them has been markedly different from one another. Despite all the creative changes, this team of offbeat heroes is just odd enough to roll with whatever is handed to them and they keep on persevering.

I must say, I do miss Tempest from this version of the DP, I thought he was pretty cool and was bummed when they killed him off.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Batman and The Defenders




The Defenders was one of the first titles that I collected a complete run of. I read the entire series through at once in one big chunk, and boy what a wild ride it is! Roster changes, pseudo-mysticism and homicidal elves made for a series where you never knew what was coming next.

I prefer the original four – Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange. It is such a powerhouse line up full of strong personalities, it really set them apart from every other team. I also like the B-Team of Valkyrie, Hellcat and Nighthawk. Those seven are the quintessential Defenders team to me… although I do have a soft spot for The Gargoyle, who came along a little bit later.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Batman and The Dark Knight



The Dark Knight came out just as I was finishing high school so I was the perfect age for it. Coupled with Watchmen, it was a one-two punch that at once pushed storytelling a step forward and introduced many other people to the medium that I had been championing. I own a lot of TPB's but few have the re-readability factor of TDK.

I loved the short sequence inspired by the mini-series in the Legends of the Dark Knight episode of Batman: The Animated Series, and I am kind of surprised we haven't seen a full adaptation in either animation or live action. With an animated adaptation of Miller's Batman: Year One just announced, maybe it won't be too long.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Batman and The Cat



I had wanted to do a 100-Page Issue for this project since I started it. I used to love those special issues when I was a kid, there would be a new feature story and then the rest of the comic was jam packed with cool reprints. It was through those reprints that I was introduced to all the great characters and creators of past years, and I truly began to see the full scope of entertainment that comics had to offer.

I like that this cover hints at a long history of adventures with Batman and The Cat – hey, I think it is only natural, she really is his type if past girlfriends are any indication! The Cat was of course Greer Nelson, who later went on to be transformed into an actual she-feline and took on the name Tigra, thus making the leap from D-lister to C-lister. Her costume was later adopted by former model Patsy Walker, who went by the moniker Hellcat.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Batman and The Blue Falcon



I know he was just created as a sidekick character for the comedy lead Dynomutt, but I always though that The Blue Falcon had a really cool look. I thought that this team could be played straight and still work. I mean, he had a robotic dog! How cool is that? I also liked that they would make appearances with Scooby Doo, it made me gave me the sense of a larger universe within the cartoon world.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Batman and The Black Widow



With her inclusion in Iron Man 2 and soon to be The Avengers. Black Widow is set to have a higher visibility than she has ever had. Scarlett Johansson was fine in the role, although I would have liked to have heard a Russian accent in there somewhere. Yes, I realize that a superspy of her caliber would have mastered many dialects including American, but still...

It is strange to see the character introduced to movie audiences this way. I first became aware of her when she was a regular co-star to Daredevil. I always liked the two together and felt she was more at home in the more street level adventures. I did like her as a member of The Champions though, and those adventures could be pretty far out.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Batman and The Beast



It is probably just a product of growing up in the right time, but I always preferred the Beast as an Avenger rather than an X-Man. For years he has been the sole property of the X-Universe, but Marvel seems to have finally relented and Beast is now a member of the Secret Avengers. Hopefully too much time hasn't passed, I may have to check this out in TPB if the reviews are positive enough.

The third X-Men film had its share of problems, but one thing that I liked was the casting of Kelsey Grammar as the Beast. I would never have thought of it, but I felt that in the end it worked out well. There aren't a lot of actors who could make the line. "Oh my stars and garters!" work.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Batman and The Avengers



The Avengers have seen a real resurgence in the past few years. While I am happy for the increased exposure, I am still not crazy about the inclusion of characters like Spider-Man and Wolverine on the team. I still prefer the classic line up, and of course chose that era for this cover.

I am very excited for the big screen Avengers adaptation, and the fact that Marvel is combining it with the Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor film franchises is daring and incredibly cool. I've loved Marvel's self produced films so far, and the recently leaked trailer to Thor was great, so I have high hopes that they can pull this off. With the amazing cast they have assembled and comics fan and writer Joss Whedon directing, this has the potential to be something amazing.


Thursday, July 29, 2010

Batman and The All-New X-Men



I remember my older brother having a copy of Giant-Size X-Men #1 back when we were kids. If we had any idea of how important that issue would become, wed would have kept it in much better condition. Instead, I read and reread it to tatters over the years and I am not sure what ever became of it. Oh well, it was made to be enjoyed and not placed under glass so I have no regrets.
I loved team books and this one was filled with cool characters. I remember being bummed that the Beast didn't have a bigger part, but I loved the redesign on Cyclops' visor and the idea of a living island. Great stuff.

It seems that the X-Men are heading back to the movie screen, this time in the form of a prequel. I am withholding judgement until I learn more, but I do wish they had rebooted instead of stayed in the previous films' continuity. That way we could have seen something a little closer to the comics. Still, it will be nice to finally see an X-movie that isn't Wolverine-centric.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Batman and The All-New Outsiders



This was the 201st B&B cover I made, That's one more issue than the actual series ran, so I wanted to do something special. My first thought was to do a version of one of my all time favorite covers, All-Star Squadron #1. My idea was to have Batman forming a new team. Now, who to populate it with? Well I started two of my favorite characters in their funkiest looks: Iron Man With A Nose, and Silver Age Adult Robin (I love that costume!). For their potential teammates, I just want down my list of charactes that I wanted to get to but hadn't yet. I can't say the will never get their own appearance, but at least I could cameo them here. I think Batman could pick a great team out of these candidates.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Batman and Tarzan



I recently picked up the Dark Horse collection of Joe Kubert's run on Tarzan from the 70's. These are some of the most gorgeously illustrated comics ever, and since the plots are incredibly faithful to the original Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, the stories are truly gripping. If Hollywood should ever want to make an updated film version of Tarzan, the first few issues of that series could pretty much be the storyboard for the movie.

I remember watching the Batman/Tarzan Hour cartoon when I was a kid and wishing they would just team up once. I mean, they were on the same show! It would be years before DC would publish the crossover mini-series Batman/Tarzan: Claws of the Catwoman.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Batman and Sugar & Spike



This was another early request. It's a pretty simple cover but hopefully the sheer ridiculousness of the concept makes up for that. Sugar and Spike were humor characters from DC from the Silver Age and have made only a couple of appearances since. I am glad that DC is making a stronger effort these days to provide entry level titles for young readers. Billy Batson and the Power of Shazam! is quite good (especially the first 6 issues by Mike Kunkel), and Tiny Titans might be my favorite new title of the past few years.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Batman and Starman



I took the Starman image here from his Jim Starlin-illustrated issue of DC Comics Presents, which was where I first encountered him. I really loved the look and personality of the Prince Gavyn Starman and was disappointed that beyond a handful of appearances in Adventure Comics that he did not star in many more stories. For this reason, I was glad when James Robinson decided to use him in his excellent Starman series. In the Stars, My Destination arc, Robinson included all of the characters that have gone by the Starman name and ingeniously was able to combine the back stories of Prince Gavyn and Will Payton. Prince Gavyn has since appeared in some of DC cosmic related series and I hope continues to do so.

Batman and Starfire



I had to do a face transplant on this cover. Starfire's expression was too happy for the scene so I needed to steal a more serious face from another image and graft it on.

Starfire has kind of floated around in guest star and team member status for the past several years, appearing in supporting roles with the Titans, the JLA, Animal Man, and now REBELS. It seems that she could use a bit more direction and maybe a solo spotlight. It has been a long time since I read a story where Koriand'r was the main character.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Batman and Stan Lee



I'll never forget the first time I read the paperback Origins of Marvel Comics, where every chapter was headed up by a few pages of text by Stan Lee, explaining the genesis of his ideas. It seemed to cool to me that this master creator was just as interested and enthusiastic about the art form as I was. I then devoured his How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way and made sure to read his Stan's Soapbox columns on Bullpen Bulletins. He was and remains the greatest spokesman the form has ever seen. I love all of his cameos in the movies as well. Stan Lee as Willie Lumpkin was perfect casting!

When I got the request to do a cover with Lee, I knew just what to use. The cover and issue of B&B where Jim Aparo depicted himself as part of the story was always one of my favorites. This cover was probably the easiest one I made.

I recently picked up the hardcover collection of Lee's Spider-Man newspaper strips and enjoyed it immensely. Stan really knew how to write in that format.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Batman and Spider-Woman



Brian Michael Bendis is obviously a fan of Spider-Woman and has given her a major push in the titles that he writes after may years of the character lying dormant. I am glad that Jessica Drew is back on the scene, I always liked her simple yet effective design and her back story lends itself to many different types of adventures.

I recently caught an episode of the Spider-Woman motion comic. The motion comic technology is interesting but not all that different from the limited animation of almost 40 years ago. One thing that did surprise me is that Spider-Woman was given a British accent. Was she ever revealed to be of British descent in the comics, or was this just a producer's whim?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Batman and Spider-Man (Black Suit)



Almost every major hero has had a major costume makeover, and they almost always snap back to their traditional looks soon enough. A few years pass and the alternate looks appear even more dated and unattractive (Like Electric Superman or Daredevil with armor). We seem to be going through this now with Wonder Woman, I will be surprised if her new costume lasts in its current form for more than 18 months.

Spider-Man's black costume is a notable exception. As crazy as changing such an iconic costume sounded, lost of fans (myself included) had to admit that the now look was pretty cool. Of course the costume, obtained on an alien planet, was revealed to be sentient and eventually begat the villain Venom. Venom is an OK villain but I always liked the black suited look more on Peter Parker, and I am glad that Marvel has decided to bring it back from time to time. I'd never want it to replace his traditional togs, but every once in a while it's cool to change out the costumes.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Batman and Spider-Man



Spider-Man the film franchise is about to be rebooted. The new guy they picked certainly looks the role, hopefully he will have the acting chops. I can understand the desire to cast younger and set the tale back in the high school years, but I hope they don't tread over too much ground that Raimi already covered. Raimi teased us with Doc Connors for three movies, but we never got to see the Lizard, so I hope that character is on the short list of villains to use.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Batman and Spider-Girl



Spider-Girl has been one character that just won't stay down. She was originally introduced as a one shot character in an issue of What If?, and soon graduated to her own title. More than once she has been rescued from cancellation due to the dedication of her followers. Her self titled series has recently been cancelled once again and a new Spider-Girl series is set to begin, set in current continuity and featuring the character formerly known as Arana in the lead role. I have a feeling that despite this change in fortunes, the original Spider-Girl will reclaim her title before too long.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Batman and Speedy



Speedy is a character that is currently being put through the wringer. First he drops his own identity to become Red Arrow, a virtual carbon copy of his mentor. Then his young child is killed and he loses his arm. That was enough to turn me off to his mini-series, and I am glad I did because in it he apparently went back on drugs and was so out of it he was using dead cats as weapons. Ugh. Sometimes I wonder what editorial is thinking over at good old DC. Yes, I know this is probably leading to some redemption story down the line, but does it have to be such an ugly path getting there?

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