The Thing and Sandman

 

A deceptively simple looking cover - but it took a lot of caption removal and image replacement before I could add Dream in.  Here is a look behind the scenes: 

The Quarrymen in: "Rock and Rule!"

 

I'm surprised that it took me until the fourth appearance of The Quarrymen to pit them against Terrax.  It seems like a natural confrontation, and I am betting that this former herald of Galactus will give them a run for their money.

The Thing and Batman in: "March Of The Monster Men!"

 

Batman and The Thing are my favorite characters from from DC and Marvel, and they have met before in other Lost Issues -  They were trapped in the Microverse in STF #4192, They quarreled over Aunt Petunia in STF #3322... They had a boxing match in STF #2455... They faced a fiery situation in STF #554... They topped off an Anniversary Issue in STF #500... before that, They battled the Riddler/Trapster team... earlier, The Thing discovered the Bat Cave... and was handed control of The Outsiders... not to mention This Whole Blog... and finally, they first appeared together in one of my earliest covers...

Fantastic Four and Amanda Waller

 

This is an example of where I had an image to use, but the printing quality on it was low. In those cases, I have to "recolor" through use of the clone stamp tool.  It can be time consuming, but it is a necessary step for a cohesive cover.  Wouldn't you know it, for this particular splash page, I did find a nice crisp clear image of it just a couple of days after I had completed the cover!  I could have saved myself a lot of time if I had found that sooner!  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Fantastic Four and Hawkman

 

Of all the DC characters that I wish I had seen Jack Kirby illustrate more, Hawkman would be at the top of the list.  He worked on the character in the Super Powers mini-series, and a sketch or two - and I really loved his take on the winged wonder.  How cool would it have been to see Kirby really let loos with a Hawkman series of his own?

The Thing and Bronze Tiger

 

We've had two versions of the Suicide Squad in the movies, but still no Bronze Tiger.  Maybe he can be a supporting character whenever the DCU finally gets the Batman side of things underway?  I did like the live action appearances by Michael Jai White in the Arrowverse, but I thought that he could have been used better there.

Fantastic Four and The Authority

 

With The Engineer set to make an appearance in the upcoming Superman movie, it looks like James Gunn is serious about bringing the entire Authority team to the big screen. I do remember really the first few years of stories in their original comic. They were pretty much on their own though, it will be interesting to see how they fit into a world populated with DC heroes.

Shazzan and The Thing

 I remember seeing The Fantastic Four sharing the opening credits with Shazzan and other characters on Hanna Barbera's World of Super Adventure, and wishing that they could actually cross over with them in one of the actual cartoons.  The above pairing would have been at the top of my list to see - but just what do you think Ben Grimm would make a wish for?

The Thing and Mon-El

 

A Star-Trek-related mission that has to be kept secret from Starfleet, the LSH and FF?  I know I'd be interested in finding out just what's going on in this issue. I'm glad I could finally feature this pairing, which I have been meaning to get to since my MTIO: The Lost Issues days.

The Thing and Hawkman & Hawkgirl

 

This is the Thing's third outing with Hawkman.  They first appeared together in a MTIO cover from my MS Paint days, then they had a classic adventure in STF #3632. I thought that it was time for Hawkgirl to get in on the action.

The Fantastic Four and Four Famous Co-Stars

 

It was fun coming up with a DC Comics analogue of the Fantastic Four.  What better issue to feature them in than in than STF #4444? This seems like the kind of tale that might have shown up in a FF Annual back in the 70's or 80's.

The Thing and Donald Duck

 

These are two of my all time favorite characters. they are both loveable, funny guys who sometimes let their tempers get the best of them. I can only imagine the antics they would get up to if they shared an adventure together.

Fantastic Four Vs. The Metal Men

 

For this Anniversary Issue, I knew The Fantastic Four would have to be involved.  I figured this would be a good opportunity to present a match-up that I have wanted to get to for a while now and have them share an adventure with The Metal Men. Here's a closer look at the individual stories:

The Thing and Samurai Jack

 

This is a pairing that I never got around to during my Marvel Two-In-One: The Lost Issues! days, but that has always been rattling around in the back of my head. I'm glad to finally have given it a shot, because I feel that these two in an adventure together could make for a very rousing tale.

The Thing and Plastic Man (Vs. the Stranger!)

 

These two guys are about to hit the mainstream again.  Marvel's Fantastic Four movie has finally been cast and will start shooting soon.  It will probably be a while before we see what The Thing's rocky form looks like.  While no announcements have been made, James Gunn is a fan of Plastic Man and he's already brought in two other members of The Terrifics, so you know he's coming to the DCU.

Plastic Man last met The Thing along with the rest of the Fantastic Four in STF #2744, and they first crossed paths way back in a 2011 MS Paint MTIO cover...

The Thing Vs. Doctor Light

 

Hopefully Ben Grimm ha had enough sparring sessions with Sue Storm that he is able to still face off against an opponent that he can't see!  Villains always seem to underestimate The Thing - they assume he's all muscle, but I've seen him use a lot of strategy over the years as well.

Fantastic Four and The Spectre in: "Ghost Intervention!"

 

I hope all who celebrate have a great Thanksgiving today, and those visiting STF: The Lost Issues from outside of the US have a great Thursday!

The Spectre has encountered The Fantastic Four previously on this blog.  He passed judgment on Reed Richards in STF #3721, and shared and adventure with the team in The Negative Zone in STF #1046...

The Thing and Batman in: "Microagression!"

 

Continued from yesterday's cover, we finally see where the Dark Knight has disappeared to.

Batman and The Thing are my favorite characters from from DC and Marvel, and they have met before in other Lost Issues -  They quarreled over Aunt Petunia in STF #3322... They had a boxing match in STF #2455... They faced a fiery situation in STF #554... They topped off an Anniversary Issue in STF #500... before that, They battled the Riddler/Trapster team... earlier, The Thing discovered the Bat Cave... and was handed control of The Outsiders... not to mention This Whole Blog... and finally, they first appeared together in one of my earliest covers...

The Fantastic Four and Kamandi

 

Time for another all-Kirby cover. Like many writers, I am using poor little Franklin Storm as a human mcguffin.  That youngster and his burgeoning powers provided a plot device that moved many a story forward.

Kamandi previously met The Thing on a MTIO MS Paint cover from back in 2011...

The Thing and Power Girl in: "M.O.D.O.K. and Awe!"

 

Of all of the failures of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the depiction of M.O.D.O.K. was the biggest offence for me.  His appearance, his identity, his origin and personality were so far off from the comics character that I wondered why they even bothered to include him.  I refuse to believe that his look was the best that Marvel could have come up with - I understand he has a somewhat goofy look, but there had to be a better way to realize the character on screen.

Ben Grimm and Karen Starr first appeared together back in a MTIO cover from 2011...