The X-Men Vs. Batman's Villains

 

I feel that this would be an interesting series of match-ups, worthy of 100 pages.  Do you think the children of the atom have what it takes to defeat Gotham's most infamous foes? 

Here's a look at the full size versions of this issue's features: 

Mr. Spock and The Joker

 

I think just putting these two in a room together would be interesting, given their complete opposite personalities.  Having them forced to work side by side would truly make for a memorable tale.

The Joker and Mighty Mouse

 

Uh oh - A Jokerized Mighty Mouse could cause quite a bit of havoc in Gotham City!  I'm sure that's exactly what the Clown Prince of Crime is hoping for.

Sleepwalker Vs. Batman's Villains

 

The villains in Batman's rogues gallery have made for some true nightmare scenarios and visually stunning dream sequences.  It might be fun to put a hero in there that could face off with them in the dreamworld.

The Impossible Man and The Joker in: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Westchester!"

 

This cover serves as a direct follow up to STF #3772, where The Joker promised a fun time to a Smilex-infused Impossible Man.  Now, we see just what the Clown Prince of Crime had in mind! 

Finding this smiling Sentinel image gave me the idea for this cover - but I had to build him out a bit first.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes process:

Venom Vs. The Joker

 

It's interesting that both of these villains now have solo film franchises of their own. While The Joker has just completed filming of the sequel to its Oscar worthy first film, Venom is gearing up for the third outing of his cheesy but fun trilogy.  I'm curious to see what the next cinematic outing holds for both of them.

Moon Knight Vs. Batman's Villains

 

Looks like Moon Knight is moving in on Batman's territory once again.  He's had some history of that on the blog, like when he and the Dark Knight swapped places in STF #318, or when he tried to win the Batcave in STF #683.  He's also faced off against the Joker in STF #2021 ,Two-Face in STF #1901, and Man-Bat in STF #968.

Spider-Man Vs. The Joker in: "Who's Laughing Now?"

 

I thought that I would do a follow up to the first Spidey/Joker back in STF #3917.  I wondered there how The Joker would react to a hero that's even better at wisecracking than he is.  Well, maybe he would lean into it and try to make a protégé out of Peter... which leads us to this cover.

Spider-Man and The Joker

 

I loved the scene in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker where Terry McGinness starts cracking jokes against the Clown Prince of Crime, which enrages him.  It made me think that a similar confrontation with Spider-Man would be fun to watch play out. Spidey is known for using his quick banter and humor to unsettle his opponents, and it would be cool to see the tactic used against The Joker. I remember The Joker appearing in one of the real life Batman/Spidey crossovers, but I forget if we saw a moment like that in it... Maybe I'll have to dig through the old collection to find out.

The Impossible Man and The Joker

It seems like the rumors are true and Lady Gaga will indeed be playing Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie a Deux.  The only hints about the plot is that there will be a musical element and Zazie Beetz is in talks to return as well.  Will we see Dr. Quinzel analyzing The Joker while descending into madness herself?  I don't think Joaquin Phoenix has ever done a sequel before, but I guess the first film making over a billion

dollars can change a lot of minds.  Let's hope the script is a strong as the first time around.

Power Man & Iron Fist Vs. The Joker

 

I think this could be an interesting match-up.  I'm sure the Joker's unpredictable antics would keep the Heroes for Hire guessing.  Mostly I'd like to see what kind of dialogue would flow once Luke Cage cornered the Clown Prince of Crime, there's definitely some fun potential there.

Secret Society of Super-Villains and Mephisto (And More!)

 

For this Anniversary Issue, I thought I would go with a theme of villain team-ups.  I was delighted to see Frog-Man appear in the trailer for Disney's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series. I can't wait to see how he is realized and I love that Marvel is digging deep into their character files for the show.  I can't help but laugh that Frog-Man will show up in the MCU before Mephisto, who remains a no show after multiple rumors.

Moon Knight and The Elongated Man (Vs. The Joker!)

 

This marks the 11th appearance of The MK-EM Team.  Thank you for humoring my presenting this pairing from time to time.  It's a little self indulgent but for some reason I get a kick out of seeing them together.  

We saw a few glimpses of the Moon Knight show at a recent Disney presentations, and while quick, they looked quite promising to me.  Hopefully we will get a trailer soon now that we are into 2022.  

Moon Knight and the Joker previously clashed in STF #2021...

Thor and The Legion of Doom

 

I really dug Jack Kirby's take on the villains of DC Comics.  He had a real knack for inhuman yet expressive faces and DC has no shortage of those.  I only wish I had seen more - it would have been cool to see him tackle Solomon Grundy, Sinestro or Two-Face.

Teen Titans and Ben 10 (And More!)

 

Watching Saturday morning cartoons was a treasured time for me as a kid.  In addition to all of the colorful characters I saw, it was also a rare moment of solitude for me during the week.  I was the second youngest of seven children, so I was always in the midst of a crowd at home. On some Saturdays, I would be able to get up before everyone else and have an hour or two just to myself.  Alone time was a precious commodity to me in those days!

The Joker and Uncle Scrooge

Even though Scrooge McDuck was created back in 1947, he was rarely featured in animation for several decades.  It wasn't until the mid 80's with Duck Tales and Mickey's Christmas Carol that he became a true cartoon star.  I'm going to have to look around Disney+ to see if they have 1967's Scrooge McDuck and Money available to watch.

Citizen V and Batman's Villains

It will be interesting to see the evolution of Baron Zemo when Falcon and the Winter Soldier finally hits Disney+.  will the seeds be planted for his decision to create the identity of Citizen V and a team of Thunderbolts?  The villains disguised as heroes series was a favorite of mine and I would love to see that story line adapted for the MCU.

The Joker and Madcap

Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix is getting a lot of critical praise.  I'm not sure how much it will reflect the villain we know from the comics, but I am definitely curious to see it as just a character study.  The influences from movies like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy are evident in the trailers, and having Robert DeNiro in a supporting role invites the comparisons even more.  I'm just going to consider it an Elseworlds version of the Clown Prince of Crime and enjoy it for what it is.

Joker & Harley Quinn Vs. Man-Thing

The trailer for the animated Harley Quinn show was released at Comicon, and it looks like a lot of fun. I was surprised to see how many other DC characters were included in it, and I thought that Kaley Cuoco did a good job at voicing Harley.  I wish I was as optimistic about Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), but I have not been very impressed with what I have seen from that movie so far.  Hopefully a full trailer will change my mind once one is released.

Joker's Wild in: "Knock Knock, Who's Dead?"

I'm not sure what to make of the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie.  It looks like a well made period character piece, but I don't know how much it will actually remind me of The Joker from the comics.  Like Wolverine, the Clown Prince of Crime is a character that works better without a definitive origin story.  I'm not sure if I want to be asked to identify or sympathize with a crazed murderer.  I'm also not sure about Phoenix' look in the role, with applied on makeup that doesn't really match what we know from the villain's classic appearance.  I guess if this is going to be more of an Elseworlds-type tale they can take some liberties.

Joker's Wild first appeared way back in STF #224...