Tarzan and The Phantom in: "The Nature of Evil!"

 

Tarzan and The Phantom first met on this blog back in 2012, on a very early MS Paint cover... I figured it was high time that I put them together again - especially if it means that I get to combine my two favorite comic book artists - Jim Aparo and Joe Kubert.

Phalanx of Phantoms

 

Marc Tyler Nobleman, a Patron of this blog, suggested I have the Phantom Stranger meet The Phantom of  The Opera, and that concept just started snowballing!  With a team this large, I couldn't fit all of the artists used in the labels.  This cover features illustrations by Ross Andru, Jaime Hernandez, Andy Smith, Peter Snejberg, Steve Mitchell, Herb Trimpe and Paul Becton.

Green Arrow and The Phantom

 

I had to de-clutter the original Phantom cover before I could add in Green Arrow to the mix.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

The Phantom Vs. Predator

 

In my world, the 90's Phantom movie would have spawned a bunch of sequels.  This would have made for an exciting one, I think. But with a Predator taking on the Ghost Who Walks, who might an Alien battle?  You can find out right here tomorrow!

The Phantom Vs. Kraven the Hunter

 

I'm really curious to see how the Kraven movie will do after Madame Web crashed and burned at the box office.  It will be interesting to see how Sony markets the film.  Will it strike a chord with audiences like the first Venom, or will it be another Morbius?

Lando Calrissian and The Phantom

 

The Phantom identity has been passed down through time, so who's to say just how far back it goes?  Maybe all the way to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Sgt. Rock and The Phantom

 

Since The Phantom predated Batman, was he the first hero depicted with a costume that had the white eyes look?  I'm not sure if I can think of an earlier example.

Rock and The Phantom first met back in STF #1693...

The Phantom and Fin Fang Foom

 

I thought that it might be interesting to have these two as allies rather than combatants.  The phantom mantle has been passed down as long or longer as Foom has been in operation, so they may even have some shared history together.  I'd like to see the threat that requires their cooperation.

Ghost Rider and The Phantom

 

This cover comes about from a suggestion by Mike Shirley, a Patron of this blog.  Mike pointed out that the original Ghost Rider was also known as The Phantom Rider, so this pairing seemed like a natural - The Ghost Who Walks and The Ghost Who Rides! Thanks, Mike!

The Rocketeer and The Phantom

 

It looks like The Rocketeer is finally getting a sequel, in the form of a Disney+ movie.  David Oyelowo will produce and star as the next person to pick up the jetpack.  The Return of the Rocketeer sounds to be a continuation of the story and not a remake, so it would be nice to see Billy Campbell make an appearance, if only to pass the torch.  I look forward to see the new Rocketeer in high flying action with today's special effects capabilities.

The Phantom and Swamp Thing

 

With his connection to The Green, Swamp Thing can appear virtually anywhere on Earth.  I figure some sort of environmental crisis in Bengali could draw him to The Phantom's home. Will he be mistaken for being the cause of the country's troubles?  Where does the story go from there?  The answers are just 60 cents away!

Superman and The Phantom meet King Kong

 

God zilla Vs. Kong was pretty much what I expected it would be.  The plot didn't make a lot of sense  and the humans were constantly making silly decisions - but the special effects and monster battles were awesome to behold!  I've watched it twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times.  I am glad to hear that a follow up is in the works, this time focusing on Son of Kong.  That has some fun possibilities!

Hawkman and The Phantom in: "Craven Crimes of the Crocodile Men!"

I am really curious as to how Hawkman will look when he makes his big screen debut in Black Adam.  The helmet, bare chest & arms and wings are a tough look to pull off, as we have seen in some underwhelming TV attempts.  They will need to find an actor with a big enough physique to no only pull off Hawkman's look, but also be able to not look scrawny next to Dwayne Johnson!  The wings have to be huge as well - The Maleficent movies succeeded there.  If done right, Hawkman could be one of the most visually interesting heroes on the big screen yet.

Hawkman and The Phantom first met way back in STF #122...

Batman and The Phantom (The Movie!)

I remember watching The Phantom back in the day and being thoroughly entertained.  Billy Zane was perfect to me in the lead role, and I was hoping that the movie would only be the first in a series.  Alas, there was no sequel, but I still like to pop the movie in from time to time.  How cool would it have been to have seen him fighting side by side with Michael Keaton's Batman?

Batman and The Phantom previously met an a very early MS Paint three-parter for the blog, that began here, then continued here and finally concluded here.

The Phantom and Hellcat in: "Phantom in Training!"

Billy Zane was great as The Phantom in the criminally underrated 90's film.  I was always disappointed that movie did not do well enough to warrant sequels, I would have loved to have seen follow up installments.  I did get a big kick (and laugh) out of Zane's cameo on Amazon Prime's new streaming show The Boys recently.

Kit and Patsy walker were first revealed to be cousins in STF #2548...

Sub-Mariner and The Phantom

It certainly seems that I am not alone in wanting Namor to come to the MCU.  A quick mention of "undersea explosions" in Avengers: Endgame has led many excited reviewers to speculate that the groundwork for Sub-Mariner has already been laid.  Alas, the Russo Brothers have stated that there was no hidden meaning in that dialogue.  Still, it shows how much interest there is to bringing the Avenging Son to life, hopefully Marvel is taking notice.

Hellcat and The Phantom

We started to see the beginnings of Patsy Walker's transformation into a super powered vigilante on the second season of Netflix' Jessica Jones, and it will be interesting to see where her story goes in the upcoming third and final season.  I'm guessing we won't be seeing her in any kind of costume like the one she sports above, given Netflix track record for getting their heroes out of plain clothes, but it would be nice to see her move a little closer to the Hellcat that we know from the comics.

The Phantom and the Shadow

As far as I am aware, there has never been a crossover between these two pulp heroes, which really surprises me.  Other than some commission pieces, two of the earliest costumed crimefighters have never shared an adventure.  that is something that should be rectified, we need to see these classic pulp heroes fighting side by side one of these days.

Doc Savage and The Phantom

If action films have taught me anything, it is to steer clear of rope bridges.  I have seen many flicks where characters try to cross a rope bridge of one kind or another, and it always leads to disaster.  If the thing doesn't break apart on its own when they are half way through, someone else will deliberately destroy it - they never stay intact!  While some people may scream for their heroes not to go downstairs in horror flicks, I yell at the screen telling the heroes to stay away from rope bridges in action movies!

Phantom Lady and The Phantom

It was fun looking for art to use on this cover.  George Wilson and Matt Baker really did some amazing work on The Phantom and Phantom Lady, respectively.  I love Wilson's realistic yet dynamic painting style and Baker really knew how to illustrate beautiful women and made great use of panel layout.