Robin Vs. The Vulture

 

That Adrian Toomes just can't stop picking on teenagers!  Let's hope that Dick Grayson has some tricks up his short sleeves to make up for his lack of wings!

Hawk and Dove Vs. The Vulture

 

It was only a matter of time  before these two bird themed heroes ran up against one of Marvel's deadliest birds of prey.  But can Dove handle him on her own, with Hawk incapacitated?

Hourman and Spider-Man in: "Rex to the Rescue!"

One reason I always had a soft spot for Hourman was his somewhat baggy mask.  Most other heroes had form fitting masks that clung perfectly to their heads. Rex Tyler's looked more like something I would have come up with at home when trying to make a superhero mask out of a winter hat or something.  It made him kind of relatable.

These two heroes previously met in STF #1834, and first crossed paths back in STF #578,,,

 

Dick Tracy Vs. The Sinister Six

 

As cool as Dick Tracy's rogues gallery was, most of his villains did not live past their first adventure with the classic cop hero.  It's only natural that he would need to seek out new challenges once he worked through his personal roster of adversaries.  But how would he fare against the enhanced abilities of a half-dozen of Spider-Man's biggest foes?

Firestorm Vs. Marvel Villains

There was a bit of background removal and replacement required before I could and Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein to this cover.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

 

The Sinister Six Vs. Nightwing

 

There was talk of a Nightwing movie in the works for a while, but I don't know if that project is alive anymore.  Perhaps if Batgirl is a hit with audiences, Warner Bros will take another look at the property.  Will there be a mention of Dick Grayson in that movie?  With Michael Keaton's Batman due to show up there, we might get a clue as to what the boy wonder's cinematic future holds.

Man-Bat Joins The Sinister Six

 

Spider-Man: No Way Home kind of gave us a Sinister Six story but not really.  I guess if you count the mid-credit scene there were six Spidey villains in the mix - or if you count J. Jonah Jameson as a villain.  Still, hopefully one day down the line we'll see a true sinister six adventure on the big screen.  

I was happy to use a Don Newton image of Man-Bat here.  I was lucky enough to pick up an original  Don Newton page many years back:

The Penguin Vs. The Vulture

 

One of the things I am most interested to see in The Batman is Colin Farrel's performance as The Penguin.  He's unrecognizable under the make-up for the role and I've been intrigued with what he's been doing with the character in  the brief snippets we have been shown so far.  

I am always happy to use artwork by the amazing Norm Breyfogle, an artist gone way soo soon.  I was lucky enough to get a sketch by him back in the day:

Man-Bat Vs. The Vulture

 

The Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser has dropped, and in it we see subtle and not-so-subtle teases for Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman and The Lizard.  That still leaves one more space on the roster to complete a full Sinister Six team.  Will Michael Keaton's Vulture return?  We know he will show up in Morbius, but could he appear here as well?  I think that Mysterio is more likely - if anyone could fake his death, it's him, and something or someone definitely seems to be influencing Doctor Strange.  Hopefully some more light will be shed when a full trailer is released.

Batman and The Vulture (The Movie!)

It's fun to revisit the first two Batman movies from time to time.  The plots don't really hold together, especially in Batman Returns, which is all over the place.  Still, the performances, particularly by Michael Keaton, Michael Gough, Jack Nicholson and Michele Pfeiffer, are a treat to watch and the musical scores and artistic design elements of the films hold up very well even three decades later.

Thank you to Bob Greenwade, a Patron of this Blog, for suggesting this double dose of Keaton. 

Hawkwoman Vs. The Vulture

I was surprised how well The Vulture worked as a villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming.  I always figured that when he finally made it into a Spidey flick, he would be a secondary villain, but the writer's gave him a great hook and it really worked.  His design looked great as well, and Michael Keaton was perfect in the role as enough time has passed that audiences don't automatically think of Batman when he he appears.  I even liked the plot twist with who his family was, which I didn't see coming.  It just goes to show that any character can shine on the big screen, given the right care.

The Vulture first went after Nth Metal in STF #741...

Blue Beetle Vs.The Sinister Six

Even though five movies have been made there is still a lot of untapped potential for Spider-Man now that he is joining the Marvel cinematic universe.  Mysterio, Kraven and The Vulture  have yet to be used, and the Sinister Six as a whole was talked about but never realized onscreen.  It will be interesting to see which nemesis will be the first to face of with Tom Holland's web-slinger.

Hawkman Vs. The Vulture

Even though I had some major problems with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, I still was interested to see what he had in store for the fourth installment of his take on the franchise.  The rumor was that John Malkovich was set to portray The Vulture, and that could have been very cool.  We do see a set of what look to be Vulture wings in Osborne's labe in the Trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, so it looks like Malkovich may just get another chance in a sequel or the Sinister Six film.

Batman and The Sinister Six

It will be interesting to see a new take on the Spider-Man film franchise, but part of me was hoping that the new films would continue in the previous movie's continuity.  That way we could have Spider-Man 4 with Kraven hunting the Lizard and Spidey in the middle, then a Spider-Man 5 with Mysterio and/or Electro as the villains... all setting the stage for Spider-Man: Sinister Six!, where the foes from each movie unite to finally try an take the web-slinger down for good.  It would be a crowded film but so cool to see one of my favorite Annuals come to life.  Ah well, perhaps it is never meant to be, but we still have the comics and the animated adaptations of the Sercret Six to enjoy.