Jimmy Olsen and The Sub-Mariner

I don't know if Jimmy Olsen will be part of the Man of Steel film, but I hope they give the character a nod.  It was cool to me that Jimmy was a sidekick that you could actually relate to a little more than most, which were simply younger versions of the starring hero.  Jimmy was just a regular awkward kid that Superman saw something special in, and it gave the reader the feeling that they could be worthy of being Superman's Pal too.  Hopefully Jimmy will not be deemed too "uncool" and be jettisoned from this new film iteration altogether.

Superman and Battlestar Galactica

I was a big fan of the revamped Battlestar Galactica series and I was very excited when I heard about Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, a series featuring Adama in his 20's, just joining the war against the Cylons.  I liked Caprica OK, but this seemed like the prequel I was really waiting for.  Unfortunately the show is not going to be picked up, and all that was produced was a pilot.  I watched it in installments at http://www.machinima.com/ and was very surprised at how much I liked it.  The acting, story line and effects all kept me quite engaged, and I highly recommend that BSG fans check it out.  SYFY is going to air the pilot in February and hopefully there will be a big enough reaction that they will perhaps reconsider their decision not to go forward with the series.

Green Lantern Vs. Galactus

The Green Lantern movie had a lot of potential, but the final result was a decidedly mixed bag.  The biggest mistakes they made were with the villains.  Their best villain was Sinestro - he looked right and Mark Strong performed the character perfectly... but they decided to sideline him and wait for the sequel to let him shine - which seems like a wasted opportunity since that sequel is looking very unlikely at this point.  Hector Hammond was never a great villain in the comics so the decision to feature him so prominently puzzled me... couple that with the fact that they made him look so goofy design-wise, and his scenes are the worst in the movie for me.  Finally we have Parallax, who should have been this very fearsome creature, and they made him another giant cloud, just like Galactus from the Second Fantastic Four film.  Cloud Galactus was roundly mocked by fans and non-fans alike, so it baffled me why Warner Brothers would not learn from that, and just make the same mistake.  A staight up Hal vs. Sinestro plotline would have probably been a lot more successful.

Doctor Mid-Nite and Moon Knight

These guys both have pretty impractical costumes for crime fighting, but I give them a pass because they just look so cool.  An all-white costume is probably not the best choice for a night-based hero like Moon Knight, and Dr. Mid-Nite's duds look kind of heavy and clunky for running around in.  That's the beauty of comics though, you don't have to be so beholden to functionality.  These outfits look great on the printed page, and that's what matters most.

Blue Devil and The Son of Satan

Blue Devil's original series was a ton of fun and the kind of comic that we don't see enough of nowadays.  I have enjoyed the character's appearances in various team titles since his own series ended, but attempts to darken him have taken away some of the original appeal for me.  Daimon Hellstrom was always a dark character, but he took on more of a superheoish role than he would later be known for when I first encountered him in the pages of The Defenders.  That remains my favorite version of the character, and the later, grittier stories he was involved in didn't do much for me.

Doctor Doom and The Joker

To be honest, I don't know how long that Doctor Doom would put up with a partnership with the Joker, but that would be part of the fun of a story like this.  This cover represents the two greatest rivalries in comics, in my opinion.  The  Joker and Batman are such complete opposites that it is always interesting watching them clash with one another.  Doom and Reed Richards on the other hand had quite a bit in common at one time - their great intellects led them to the same courses in college, after all.  The drama between them lies in how their personalities sent them on widely divergent paths. I get the feeling that Doom is secretly envious of Mr. Fantastic while The Joker probably pities Batman in his own crazy way.

Captain America Vs. The Justice League of America

I always read about how Batman could beat anybody, given time to prepare.  I think that the same argument could me made for Captain America in the Marvel Universe.  Cap may not have as many gadgets as Batman, but his "never give up" attitude is unparalleled by any other superhero.  Some of my favorite Captain America stories are where he is up against unfathomable power like Kang or The Cosmic Cube... and he still finds a way to win. Chris Evans has done well with this aspect of the character, you really believe this is a guy who could take anything thrown at him.

Daredevil Vs. Solomon Grundy

The movie rights to Daredevil have reverted back to Marvel, and I am very curious to see what approach they take with the character.  Something tells me that we won't be seeing any playground battle scenes featuring Matt Murdock in his street clothes next time out.  Marvel would be wise to avoid a "hip" soundtrack that only serves to date the movie the next time around as well.  I recently watched a great sports movie, Warrior, which starred Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte and Joel Edgerton.  Egderton is a great actor and a tough looking redhead who can take on very physical roles.  I think Marvel should look very closely at this guy for their next live action Daredevil.

The Guardians of the Universe and Captain Britain

Captain Britain's original costume is one of my favorites.  It seems like it shouldn't work but for some reason it just looks cool to me.  The Guardians' appearance has gone through a few changes over the years.  I am glad that they don't all look pretty much identical to one another anymore.  The Green Lantern movie over-thought their design (as they did with the overly glowing GL uniforms) by giving them translucent heads that reminded me of Mars Attacks more than anything else.  Don't get me started  on the silly giant chairs they were perched upon!  Those seemed a bit impractical.

The Question and Spider-Man

As I was making this cover, I realized that I was featuring a couple of Steve Ditko characters, but without using Ditko artwork - so I decided to sneak in a back-up feature to make up for that.  It's too bad that Steve Ditko never once returned to Spider-Man after he left the character.  I saw a documentary recently where Stan Lee expressed the desire to get together with the reclusive Ditko for one more Spidey tale.  I don't know if he could ever convince him to do that, but I would pick that issue up in a second!

The Punisher and The Shadow

Marvel has once again retooled their Thunderbolts title and I am surprised to see The Punisher in the line up, alongside Red Hulk, Deadpool, Electra and Venom.  Sure Frank Castle has crossed paths with many other characters in his career, but this is the first time I have seen him become a full fledged team member.  Don't get me wrong, the team that has been assembled here sounds like it will be interesting to follow, but The Punisher joining a super group seems crazy to me, even a hard edged group like this one.  I hope that Writer Daniel way comes up with a plausible reason for his inclusion, because nothing in Frank Castle's past appearances suggests that he was much of a joiner.

Thor Vs. Darkseid

My main issues with the first Thor film were not enough action due to Thor being de-powered for the middle of the film and the lack of the trademark helmet save for a few seconds at the beginning.  From what I have read and seen of the sequel, it looks like there will be a lot more action this time around, which is a good thing.  The helmet never made an appearance in The Avengers and I think that's pretty much a lost cause now.  I had hoped the new director would use it, but it hasn't shown up in any of the images from the film yet - and they are taken from battle scenes.  It makes no sense to me, the helmet they designed looks cool and you can still see the actor's face, which is usually the issue.

Darkseid seemed to be the perfect villain to use for a JLA movie, but now that Thanos has been introduced into the Marvel cinematic universe, I can see Warner Brothers wanting to go in another direction.  Something tells me we will still see the Lord of Apokolips on the big screen eventually, he's too good a character not to use.

Tarzan and Shanna, The She-Devil

The latest I have read on the next Tarzan movie is that Warner Brothers has signed on David Yates to direct.  Yates helmed the last four Harry Potter films, so he knows his way around a major franchise at least.  Special effects have taken a major leap since the last live action Tarzan film, so I am very curious to see how this turns out.  No actor has been selected yet, but I have read names like Alexander Skarsgard and Charlie Hunnam being considered.  Hopefully we will hear more soon and that Hollywood will finally do this iconic hero justice.

The Flash and Ghost Rider

For the fastest man on Earth, The Flash is sure taking a slow road to the silver screen.  I have heard rumors of a film for years, but nothing solid ever seems to materialize.  I used to think that he would be one of the harder characters to set a movie around because of his bright costume and outlandish rogues, but we have seen colorful costumes work well on screen and today's special effects could really make some of his adventures come to life.  The 90's TV series went for a darker, street level look inspired by the 1989 Batman movie, but what I would like to see is a true Flash style adventure.  Heck, Rise of the Planet of the Apes convinced me that we could see a Flash Vs. Gorilla Grodd movie that wouldn't be played for laughs.

Martian Manhunter and Iron Man

I read some interesting comments by Zach Snyder yesterday that seemed to indicate that Man of Steel would indeed be tied into the eventual Justice League film and that Henry Cavill would be the Superman of that franchise as well.  Snyder said that to divulge more would be to spoilerish... so perhaps there will be seeds for the JLA movie in Man of Steel?  If Warner Brothers were to take their cues from the First Iron Man movie and include a post credits scene to tease that larger DC Universe, I think The Martian Manhunter might be a good candidate for a cameo.  It could be something as simple as a reveal of J'onn trapped in a government facility and the feds not wanting Superman to know of his existence.  While I would love to see a Solo Martian Manhunter film, his is the most unlikely to get one out of the original seven JLAers.  It might make better sense if his back story was woven into the JLA's origin, just as it was in the animated series.

The New Teen Titans Vs. Galactus

The New Teen Titans #1-50 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez were superhero comics at their best.  It is sad that this group of characters has been forced apart when they worked so well together.  These days, Dick Grayson is too busy with the Batman crew to think about a team, Starfire, Cyborg, Changeling and Raven all seem to have undergone history transplants and have been scattered to different sections of the DCU, and Donna Troy and Wally West remain missing in action.  Is that any way to treat the stars of your flaghip title from the 80's?  Hopefully DC will find a way to reunite this crew some day.

Superman and Magnus: Robot Fighter

Nobody can draw a period piece like Steve Rude.  His attention to detail and slick retro style really shine when he  depicts a scene from yesteryear.  I always like how he will give Superman these cool squinty Joe Shuster styled eyes.  Rude is currently contributing to DC's Before Watchmen even with a one shot featuring Dollar Bill, written by Len Wein.  I have no doubt that once again Rude will accurately and stylishly illustrate the fashions and designs of the time, and it should be a beautiful comic to look at.

Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Spider-Man

DC received some publicity a few months back with the newly rebooted Alan Scott Green Lantern in the pages of Earth 2 by making this version a gay man.  I am all for diversity in comics, but this struck me as an odd move.  In order to make it work, Alan Scott had to be de-aged and as a result his two children have been written out of continuity - his daughter Jade, and his son Obsidian... who just happened to already be a quite popular gay character!  So diversity wasn't really served here because they just swapped one a gay hero for another... and also lost a perfectly good female hero in the transition as well.  It was a strange decision in my eyes, all for the sake of a few headlines on a slow news day.  Hopefully Jade and Obsidian will find their way back to the DCU one of these days.

The Rocketeer and Indiana Jones

Here are two great characters that were both inspired in part by the cliffhanger serial movies of the 40's.  I think they would fit right in with each other and it would make for an action-packed tale.  Now that Disney owns Lucasfilm, I wonder what their plans for the Indiana Jones franchise will be?  Disney produced the Rocketeer film, but they never went back to that well, even when it found an audience on video. Hopefully the success of Disney's Marvel arm will convince them to give the property another try one of these days.

The Teen Titans Vs. The Punisher

The three live-action Punisher movies all had their own shortcomings and none was a big hit in the theaters.  I'm guessing that the film rights will soon revert Marvel Studios if they haven't already.  Still, they may be hesitant to put forth another Punisher movie until the memory of the other attempts fade a bit more.  Perhaps in the meantime they could go with a dark animated series  Give Frank Castle the classic get-up, white gloves and boots and all - This looks can work well in stylized animation where it would be almost impossible to pull off in live action.  Animated violence is much easier for me to take than live action gore, so I might even prefer this approach.  This might be fun as a late night cable series and it popular enough, warm audiences to the idea of giving a cinematic outing another try.