Showing posts with label Team Up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team Up. Show all posts
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Batman and The New Gods
I was a big Mr. Miracle fan when I was a kid but for some reason I just could never get into The New Gods. It was only when Darkseid became more of a line wide villain and started appearing in various titles that I started to get interested on the whole story of New Genesis and Apokolips. Fortunately, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm must have been Fourth World fans because the Kirby characters were featured quite a bit on Superman: The Animated Series and then Justice League Unlimited. It was these animated appearances where I really began to appreciate the whole mythology of the characters.
DC recently killed off all of the New Gods, and now they are going to be reborn in new forms... or something. I'm not sure. I read Final Crisis but Grant Morrison can be confusing at times! Hopefully they will be back soon.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Batman and The Micronauts
The Micronauts were probably my favorite of the toys turned comics concept that was popular during my childhood years. This was mainly due to the fact that the toys were so cool looking! Lots of points of articulation and great designs, they were pretty cool compared to most of the other action figures out at the time. I remember my brother had Biotron and I had Acroyear and we used to do mock battles, ah - good times. In the comics, I picked up a few issues if their various series, but was really won over with the X-Men vs. Micronauts mini-series. I'm not sure what the rights issues are like, but it would be nice to see The Micronauts back in action.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Batman and The Master of Kung Fu
Out of all of the martial arts characters that came out during the 70's, two really rose to the top: Iron Fist and Shang-Chi, The Master of Kung Fu. Iron Fist of course was a cross between a martial artist and superhero, so that was cool to me. Shang-Chi, on the other hand was a straight up martial artist, inspired by the likes of David Carradine's TV Kung Fu character. The neat thing was that he was still set firmly in the Marvel Universe and would appear with Spider-Man, The Thing and others.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Fu,
Jim Aparo,
Marvel Comics,
Matt Haley,
Mike Zeck,
Shang-Chi,
Team Up
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Batman and The Marvel Universe
This is a pretty simple one, admittedly. Originally when I started this project I was very strict. I only wanted to use DC character that were around during B&B's publishing years, so that all the covers would be ones that could actually have been. After a while I got a lot of request for Marvel characters, so I made this early cover to appease the requesters. Of course it was not long before I brought individual members of the Marvel universe in...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Batman and The Martian Manhunter
This is where it all started. This is the very first cover that I created. While the Martian Manhunter appeared in a few pre-Batman team-ups in the early days of B&B, he never guest starred with the caped crusader himself. That and Captain Marvel were the two team ups that I most hoped would one day happen. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands and thus the Lost Issues were born!
I have always loved the Martian Manhunter, and was glad when he was finally taken out of limbo – even if it was for the Detroit era Justice League! I would have killed to see him as a member of the Super Friends (I think El Dorado was his stand in), but it is nice that through DC’s animation arm and Smallville, the character is finally getting some recognition in other media. If they ever get around to making a JLA film, he is the character I want to see the most. Hopefully he will look a little better than the David Ogden Stiers version from that bootleg Justice League flick!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Batman and The Justice Society of America
I have loved the JSA since I was introduced to them with their yearly guest appearances in Justice League of America. I would scour the various 100-Page DC titles to find reprints of their adventures, both solo and as a full team. I was a huge fan of the Len Strazewski and Mike Parobeck Justice Society of America series and was disappointed that it had a short run. Geoff Johns has done a nice job of keeping the team going in the current age of comics, hopefully the writers taking up the reins can maintain the quality.
It's nice to see the JSA finally making their way into other media, with appearances in Smallville and Batman: The Brave and the Bold as well as the Spectre animated short. I'm still hoping for a full animated version of The Golden Age, I loved that mini series by James Robinson and Paul Smith.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Jerry Ordway,
Jim Aparo,
Team Up
Friday, August 20, 2010
Batman and South Park
I don’t do too many team ups with cartoon characters, but when I saw Batman’s statement on this cover, I couldn’t resist! South Park still manages to make me laugh after all these years. Despite their basic animation I am still amazed at how quickly they get some current references in their episodes. I didn’t have room to include Cartman on here but he is my favorite character on the show, truly one of the great villains of the past few decades!
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
South Park,
Team Up
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Batman and The Invisible Girl
Susan Storm is a character that got more an more interesting over the years as Stan Lee and other writers further explored her powers and personality. When she began to manipulate force fields as well as turn invisible, she became one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe. She is also unique for the fact that readers were able to follow her from single girl, to wife, to mother. Usually when a character has children in comics, they show up half grown out of the blue one day. It was nice to see Sue raise Franklin and now Valeria from infants to toddlers to kids.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Batman and The Invaders
I am a sucker for superhero period pieces so The Invaders was a concept that really appealed to me, it was Marvel's closest analogue to the JSA. Captain America, Namor and the original Human Torch were so different from one another that is was always cool to see them in action together.
Of all the announcements to come out of the upcoming Captain America movie the most intriguing tidbit is that the Invaders are slated to appear. I'm not sure which characters they will use or how long the team will be featured in the film, but it should be very cool to see these characters up on the screen. My guess is they will use some of the second string members like Spitfire and Union Jack.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Batman and The Inhumans
I’ve been hearing good things about The Inhumans again lately. Apparently they have been playing a sizeable role in Marvel’s recent cosmic events from Annihilation onward. I am really going to have to catch up on some of that because I have been a big fan of the characters for years. I enjoyed their run in Amazing Adventures and their many guest starring appearances, as well as the stellar mini-series by Paul Jenkins and Jai Lee.
This team has a great line-up, each with an interesting look and power. My favorites are Medusa with her crazy hair, the aquatic Triton, teleporting pooch Lockjaw and their leader, Black Bolt, I think one of the best decisions made with The Inhumans was to not give Black Bolt any thought balloons, in addition to the obvious absence of speech balloons unless it is one of those rare times that he uses his devastating vocal chords. Having his thoughts and emotions conveyed solely through body language and interpretations from Medusa has made him one of the most intriguing and mysterious characters in Marvel’s possession.
Labels:
Batman,
Black Bolt,
Brave and the Bold,
Captain America,
DC Comics,
Gorgon,
Karnak,
Marvel Comics,
Team Up,
The Inhumans,
Triton
Monday, August 16, 2010
Batman and The Incredible Hulk
This was actually my first attempt at a 100-page issue, as it was created before the Cat cover that I posted earlier. I was glad to be able to include a shout out to Marvel/DC’s Batman Vs. The Incredible Hulk tabloid issue, probably my favorite team-up comic of all time, and a definite inspiration for this blog.
Well, with the Avengers film, we will have out third Hulk in as many movie appearances. I am not too worried, as I think Mark Ruffalo is a talented actor and I’d rather The Hulk have more screentime than Banner anyway. It will be sweet to see him go toe to toe with the likes of Thor and Iron Man! Ang Lee’s Hulk film had a nice 20 minute desert sequence, but the rest was kind of misguided… Leterrier’s follow up was much better, and I really liked the design of their CGI Hulk – looked like a Sal Buscema version of the character. So hopefully, the momentum will continue and we will get the best on-screen Hulk appearance yet. I’d love to see interest grow again, because I was really looking forward to a sequel to his solo film, this time featuring The Leader.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Jim Aparo,
Marvel Comics,
Mike Deodato,
Team Up,
The Hulk
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Batman and The Human Fly
Going once again to the well of obscurity for today's entry. The Human Fly was a short lived marvel series in the 70's featuring what they called "The first real-life superhero!" In actuality the comic was a tie in to an Evel Knievel-type motorcycle stunt man who wore a costume to match his comic book counterpart. I remember seeing ads for this when I was a kid and thinking that he must be the coolest guy ever. The always excellent Bronze Age magazine, Back Issue, did a feature on the whole story behind The Human Fly, and it was very interesting. If you haven't read it, it's well worth seeking out.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Jim Aparo,
Marvel Comics,
Team Up,
The Human Fly
Friday, August 13, 2010
Batman and The Herculoids
I remember getting up very early to watch Hanna Barbera's World of Super-Adventure when I was a kid. I was a little frustrated that they showed The Fantastic Four in the opening credits, but those cartoons never seemed to air. The was okay though, because The Herculoids appeared regularly and I would really dig their adventures. They even also had a big rock guy! I recently watched some episodes and was surprised how simple it was with lots of repeated footage and sound effects. Still, the cast of characters is very appealing, effectively meshing Jungle action with science fiction. It's one of those cartoon properties that I would love to see given a modern treatment. Live action would be very difficult to pull off, but a new animated series would be great.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Hanna-Barbera,
Team Up,
The Herculoids
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Batman and The Haunted Tank
I remember seeing ads for The Haunted Tank as a kid but it was never a series that I sought out. It was only a recently when I purchased the Showcase collection for the amazing Joe Kubert art that I really began to appreciate this little gem of a concept. Confederate Soldier J.E.B. stuart lends ghostly guidance to his namesake in World War Two. This mini-tank navigates impossible odds and perilous encounters and it makes for the ultimate underdog story with a great never give up attitude. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed these tales. I especially loved the recurring sound effect that The Haunted Tank made - Clankity clank! Clankity clank!
This is one of those covers that came out much better than I had anticipated. I had an idea for a ghostly Batman guiding the tank and was very lucky to find the perfect image. Even though this is a relatively early effort, it is still one of my top ten favorite covers.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Jim Aparo,
Russ Heath,
Team Up,
The Haunted Tank
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Batman and The Green Lantern Corps
I have high hopes for the upcoming Green Lantern film. I have always thought it is the perfect property for a film franchise, marrying the superhero and science fiction genres the way it does. I like the cast and director, and it would be great to see them do Hal Jordan justice. Of course, for me it will be even more exciting to see some of Gl's fellow Corps members brought to life on the big screen. Abin Sur, Kilowog, Tomar Re and more are slated to appear and I can't wait to see how they look. A picture of Kilowog was leaked on the net this weeks, and it looks promising.
There's one GLC member that I really hope will appear, but it is probably a long shot since he is so odd looking - Chaselon! I giant sentient diamond, with robotic limbs and a mohawk? That's just awesomeness personified! And just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the creativity of all the writers and artists who have worked on Green Lantern over the years.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Batman and The Green Hornet
My first memories of The Green Hornet were from listening to his classic radio adventures. I especially loved that Britt Reid was the son of Dan Reid, who was The Lone Ranger's nephew. Very cool bit of shared universes there.
The Green Hornet is due for a big budget film adaptation, Headed by Seth Rogen. The trailer seems to lean heavily on the comedic side, but hopefully the humor won't be too much at the expense of the characters. I must say Kato looks pretty impressive from what I have seen.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Green Hornet,
Jim Aparo,
Team Up
Batman and The Freedom Fighters
Presenting… my least favorite cover! I guess we all have clunkers every now and then and I consider this to be one of them. I don’t know if it was the too simple design or the art I chose but this one never really came together. It’s too bad because I really like the Freedom Fighters. The Human Bomb, The Ray, Doll Man and the rest made for an especially eclectic bunch. Plus they had eye candy with Phantom Lady and were led by Uncle Sam himself! Simply a great line up.
I have liked the recent Freedom Fighters mini-series with the mostly legacy characters and am glad to hear that they will shortly be starting their own ongoing series. If it is up to the quality of the mini-series, we should be in for a fun ride!
Batman and The Gargoyle
This is an idea I wanted to do for a while but could never find the right images. Finally I got very lucky, with a Batman image where even the rain was falling in the right direction. It took a bit of fine tuning, but it was worth it, even if the joke is a bit hokey.
As I mentioned in my Defenders entry, I always had a fondness for The Gargoyle. I loved the fact that in his civilian identity, he was in his elder years, rather than the usual late 20’s, early 30’s. It worked perfectly for a magic based character and gave him a unique perspective. I am not sure of his current status these day, but I hope to see him featured somewhere soon. He’s too cool a character to leave in linbo.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Marvel Comics,
Team Up,
The Gargoyle
Monday, August 9, 2010
Batman and The Fonz
This was a request/challenge and I do realize that I run the risk of my Blog jumping the shark by posting this cover. It’s a fairly simple one but I was glad to get the chance to use one of my favorite Norm Breyfogle covers.
Happy Days ran smack dab during my early childhood and I remember thinking The Fonz was just about the coolest guy around. Unfortunately, I was closer to Ralph Malph. Hmmm, I wonder if The Fonz could start the Batmobile just by hitting it with his fist?
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Norm Breyfogle,
Team Up,
The Fonz
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Batman and The Falcon
I have liked The Falcon since he was a regular guest star in Captain America back in the day. I always liked his costume and I even think I remember having his MEGO action figure when I was very young. I also fondly remember his four issue mini-series in the 80's. I am suprised we haven't seen him in more solo action, but at least he is still a strong supporting player in the current Captain America series. Hopefully if the film adaptation is a hit and spawns sequels, we will see The Falcon show up on the silver screen as well.
Labels:
Batman,
Brave and the Bold,
DC Comics,
Jim Aparo,
John Romita Sr.,
Kraven,
Marvel Comics,
Team Up,
The Falcon
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